from STAR Magazine - 28 August 2001
FIVE: PART 2 - SCOTT & J
"It's a fact that a lot of media people hate us because we're normal people," says Five's J. "People will still write negative stories about us if they can." He stares ahead into the half light of the dingy Camden bar where we've met the lads today, minus Sean, who's laid up in bed with glandular fever.
For someone who has his private life splattered across the front pages of the tabloids on a regular basis (most recently after his split from girlfriend Dani Behr), it doesn't seem to bother him too much. After four years in the business he says he's grown used to the scrutiny.
Four years is a long time in pop, and with new dad Scott about to take a back seat before his impending marriage to childhood sweetheart Kerry, we wondered - are the guys ready to hang up their rock 'n roll regalia?
STAR: Is your bad boy reputation justified?
J: Not at all. It's been like that since day one - we're seen as the bad boys because we speak our mind. We do things that lads do, we sleep with people, sometimes we go out and have a beer, and because we do these normal things which other pop bands cover up, we get all this crap.
STAR: Have you ever been told not to mention certain things by management?
J: They cover things up, but it's just to calm things down. This isn't a job which we can do for four hours and then turn our back on it. This is our life, and there are always cameras around.
STAR: What's the biggest misconception about Five?
J: That we are arrogant and loud-mouthed. When people get to know us, we're genuinely really nice guys. I can say it because I know the other guys. I think that's why it does piss you off sometimes, because there are a lot of people in this business, whether they're actors or musicians or in a band or whoever, who are big-headed. Luckily Five are the most down-to-earth people in this business.
STAR: What's the best thing about being in Five?
J: I really don't think I can give you a best thing. I'd class what I'd think of a normal day at work as being with my four closest mates. There's always something that's a plus. Traveling around the world with them, playing in front of a million people, being on Top of the Pops...
STAR: What's the biggest lie ever printed about you in a paper?
J: In one of the Sunday papers they said I had got engaged to Dani and I'd moved in with her and would marry her soon.
STAR: Did you find it harder or easier dating a celebrity?
J: From my own point of view, a lot easier. I used to think it would be easier to go out with someone who wasn't famous and was outside of it all. But it doesn't matter how understanding someone is - if I was just a normal bloke I know that I wouldn't be able to understand it. Someone in the same business understands where you are coming from.
STAR: Do a lot of bands deny having girlfriends because they think it will affect their popularity?
J: We're not bothered about it. We hope people like the pop records we make. At the end of the day, they're young girls and we don't want to upset them but they all have fantasies and they know that. They know that they haven't much of a chance of getting Ritchie to go out with them, so it doesn't make a difference if you've got a girlfriend.
STAR: What attracts you to a girl?
J: When people say it's not what the person looks like, it's what inside - that's sometimes a load of crap. You're instantly attracted to what someone looks like - when you first see them you're attracted to something about them and you want to talk to them. But I have to be able to have a good conversation with them and that's a major part of the relationship. She has to have quite a high IQ - I can't deal with that typical Page Three type.
STAR: Is that a turn off for you?
J: Yeah, I don't like it when women are crude - you can get girls who are a laugh and have a sense of humor, then there are those that are really loud and trashy and show themselves up.
STAR: Scott, how did you feel when you found out Kerry was pregnant?
Scott: Shocked, the happy, nervous, then happy again, overwhelmed... all different feelings all in one. It was a bit weird. But you know, I've worked hard for four years and I'm in a good position financially. I know I can support the baby and give him what he needs. And Kerry and me have got a good relationship. At the end of the day, although it wasn't planned, it is a good time for us to have a baby.
STAR: Have you though about what your kid will do when he's older?
Scott: Yeah, but I know I can't plan his life for him. The only thing I would do is try and persuade him not to be a singer because it's not the greatest business. We have fun, you know, but you do have stress. I'd give him a football before I gave him a microphone. But if he really wanted to sing i wouldn't stop him from fulfilling his dreams.
STAR: So you'll be taking time off?
Scott: Definitely. At the end of the day, he's my son and it's a big responsibility. I don't want to miss him taking his first step or burping for the first time or getting his first tooth through. I don't want to miss any of that.
STAR: Are you going to be good cop or bad cop when it comes to telling him off?
Scott: Good cop! But actually saying that, I don't know, because in my family when my mum got mad you were worried, but when my dad got mad you were even more worried because it didn't happen a lot, and you knew you'd done something really wrong. So you never know, it might be a bit like that with Kerry and me.
STAR: Have you and Bryan from Westlife been swapping baby stories?
Scott: Yeah, we have and we're going to go shopping in Baby Gap and everything.
STAR: Are you planning to get married soon or does Kerry want to chill out after having the baby?
Scott: Well, in all honesty, the wedding was booked before we found out about the baby, so she hasn't got much time to rest.
STAR: Is it going to be a private affair?
Scott: Yes it definitely is. There's no way I'd have OK! magazine or anything like that at my wedding. I just think if people want to do that then fine, but weddings shouldn't be a money-making thing - it should be about the love of two people, and that's what mine is going to be about.
STAR: Have you already started thinking about having more kids?
Scott: Yeah! I want three and Kerry wants two, so we'll see who wins! I'd like two boys and a girl.
STAR: Has it made a difference having Kerry with you the past few years?
Scott: It's been really nice that I've had a stable relationship throughout Five and she's helped me through the lows and laughed at me on the highs. It's been great. I couldn't have asked for a better companion.
STAR: Does it feel like things are falling into place now?
Scott: Yeah, it does. If someone had told me when I was 17 that when I was 21 I'd have a baby, be married, be in a successful pop band, have a car, and a house, I would've said, "Yeah, right!" and not believed them. But it's been a mad four years.
