* Shut up, Simon, you're no meanie (Mark on Simon)
Fri, 29 Oct 2004
Westlife, which was talent-spotted by Idol judge Simon Cowell, says his meanness is just an act
SIMON Cowell might be known as the catty American Idol judge with the acerbic tongue.
But, according to UK boy band Westlife, he is actually quite a nice harmless kitty.
The Westlife boys were first talent-spotted by Cowell and Louis Walsh six years ago and he's often credited for their success.
Said Westlifer Mark Feehily in a phone interview with The New Paper: 'Simon's not that mean. We've known him for six years - he's our man!
'A lot of that (mean) stuff was put on for TV, he doesn't talk like that.
'Before the show, we were the famous ones and he was just the person from the office. If he ever tried to act like that with us, we will only laugh at him, and tell him to shut up.'
And for further proof that the real Cowell can be nice, it took a while for Feehily to recall his meanest memory of Cowell.
'I remember, once, we did a photo shoot for one of the magazines, and Simon was going through the photos. Brian (McFadden) was on honeymoon in Mauritius at that time, but Simon called him up and told him he looked fat.
'That was one of the most inhumane things he did. I mean, calling people fat when they are on their honeymoon?
'He'd better not try that on me!' Cowell is also the brains behind the Westlife boys going back to the swingin' '50s for their latest album, Allow Us To Be Frank.
The band's sixth album is a tribute to the Rat Pack - the nickname given to legends Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.
The four Irish lads - Feehily, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne - do covers of classics like Fly Me To The Moon, Come Fly With Me and Ain't That A Kick In The Head.
FUN DRESSING UP
The boys also had fun dressing up in dapper suits - 'You can look cool without all those baggy trousers, a nice crisp suit is very cool, too', and greasing their hair - 'I remember taking big globs of Brylcreem and smacking it on my hair when I was a kid'.
Though it's a move away from their usual bubblegum fare like Flying Without Wings and Swear It Again, Feehily says going jazz is a one-off, and that the band will go back to pop after this.
The album will also be Westlife's first as a quartet, after Brian McFadden left the band in March.
Feehily, 24, admitted that it was tough coming to terms with losing a member.
'Right from Day One, each of us brought something different to the band. Brian was a very strong singer - he was passionate, funny and all-rounded. So now there's something missing.'
He said that in the days leading up to McFadden's split, McFadden had been more subdued than usual, which was when the rest of them realised something was wrong.
'He was very quiet, he didn't want to talk about the future of the band and he seemed sad. We knew something was wrong, so we asked him to tell us his problem and we will sort it out.'
McFadden, 24, had wanted to quit the band to spend more time with his two daughters with ex-Atomic Kitten Kerry Katona.
'We were shocked, and asked if we could change anything to help him. Like maybe let him take two months off or something, but he was set on his decision. We spent five hours persuading him, but we respect his decision since he can't be happy with us.'
McFadden has since ditched the 'y' in his former name for the more conservative spelling of 'Brian', and launched his solo career with the single, Real To Me.
Feehily analysed: 'In a way, we got rid of a problem - his problem. 'He wanted to leave. So we lost him, but this is life, things happen.'
He claims that despite the split, they are still very good friends, and the boys even consoled McFadden when he separated from Katona recently.
Feehily said: 'It's not my place to talk about it, but Brian and Kerry have made their decision. We've talked to them about it because we are very close to Kerry, too. We will always be there for them.'
He is confident too that Westlife will go on strong without McFadden. 'We met one another when we were just 11 years old in school. We are not a manufactured band like others... We are like a real band.'
Source: Electric New Paper
Credit: [westlifes_castle]
Westlife, which was talent-spotted by Idol judge Simon Cowell, says his meanness is just an act
SIMON Cowell might be known as the catty American Idol judge with the acerbic tongue.
But, according to UK boy band Westlife, he is actually quite a nice harmless kitty.
The Westlife boys were first talent-spotted by Cowell and Louis Walsh six years ago and he's often credited for their success.
Said Westlifer Mark Feehily in a phone interview with The New Paper: 'Simon's not that mean. We've known him for six years - he's our man!
'A lot of that (mean) stuff was put on for TV, he doesn't talk like that.
'Before the show, we were the famous ones and he was just the person from the office. If he ever tried to act like that with us, we will only laugh at him, and tell him to shut up.'
And for further proof that the real Cowell can be nice, it took a while for Feehily to recall his meanest memory of Cowell.
'I remember, once, we did a photo shoot for one of the magazines, and Simon was going through the photos. Brian (McFadden) was on honeymoon in Mauritius at that time, but Simon called him up and told him he looked fat.
'That was one of the most inhumane things he did. I mean, calling people fat when they are on their honeymoon?
'He'd better not try that on me!' Cowell is also the brains behind the Westlife boys going back to the swingin' '50s for their latest album, Allow Us To Be Frank.
The band's sixth album is a tribute to the Rat Pack - the nickname given to legends Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.
The four Irish lads - Feehily, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne - do covers of classics like Fly Me To The Moon, Come Fly With Me and Ain't That A Kick In The Head.
FUN DRESSING UP
The boys also had fun dressing up in dapper suits - 'You can look cool without all those baggy trousers, a nice crisp suit is very cool, too', and greasing their hair - 'I remember taking big globs of Brylcreem and smacking it on my hair when I was a kid'.
Though it's a move away from their usual bubblegum fare like Flying Without Wings and Swear It Again, Feehily says going jazz is a one-off, and that the band will go back to pop after this.
The album will also be Westlife's first as a quartet, after Brian McFadden left the band in March.
Feehily, 24, admitted that it was tough coming to terms with losing a member.
'Right from Day One, each of us brought something different to the band. Brian was a very strong singer - he was passionate, funny and all-rounded. So now there's something missing.'
He said that in the days leading up to McFadden's split, McFadden had been more subdued than usual, which was when the rest of them realised something was wrong.
'He was very quiet, he didn't want to talk about the future of the band and he seemed sad. We knew something was wrong, so we asked him to tell us his problem and we will sort it out.'
McFadden, 24, had wanted to quit the band to spend more time with his two daughters with ex-Atomic Kitten Kerry Katona.
'We were shocked, and asked if we could change anything to help him. Like maybe let him take two months off or something, but he was set on his decision. We spent five hours persuading him, but we respect his decision since he can't be happy with us.'
McFadden has since ditched the 'y' in his former name for the more conservative spelling of 'Brian', and launched his solo career with the single, Real To Me.
Feehily analysed: 'In a way, we got rid of a problem - his problem. 'He wanted to leave. So we lost him, but this is life, things happen.'
He claims that despite the split, they are still very good friends, and the boys even consoled McFadden when he separated from Katona recently.
Feehily said: 'It's not my place to talk about it, but Brian and Kerry have made their decision. We've talked to them about it because we are very close to Kerry, too. We will always be there for them.'
He is confident too that Westlife will go on strong without McFadden. 'We met one another when we were just 11 years old in school. We are not a manufactured band like others... We are like a real band.'
Source: Electric New Paper
Credit: [westlifes_castle]
posted by me at 3:02 AM
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