No one knows about juggling fame better than the boys of BBMak. They've taken America by storm with their album "Sooner Or Later" (which is teetering on the verge of going platinum), and their two singles, "Back Here" and "Still On Your Side," have been mainstays on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for the past year. We're old friends with Mark Barry, Christian Burns and Ste McNally, who make up the smooth blend known as BBMak, so whenever the boys come to town, we always look forward to hangin' with them. What did we have in store for them this time? We had our people call their people to set up an ultra funky photo shoot.
2001, A Photo Odessey
Mark was really excited when he stepped into our photo studio and saw what was set up. "The good thing about this shoot is that it's very different from what we've normally done. It's sort of futuristic, so I'm interested in how it's going to turn out."
Our day began when the Makkers came in from the cold and went straight to wardrobe. They would make three clothing changes before the day was through, and the first one was black and leather. After being dressed, Christian, Mark and Ste sat under the bright lights of the makeup mirror and had their hair gelled and blown dry while their faces were touched up with powder for the camera. Ste admitted that there are a few things that he doesn't like about photo shoots-and one of them is wearing makeup. "Having makeup on all day is the worst thing. Your skin feels really dirty," he said.
After getting prepped, the guys brought out their CD collections and put Coldplay (one of Christian's current faves) and Robbie Williams into the stereo system to get themselves psyched. There guys are passionate about music. "I'm a huge Beatles fan," Ste told us. "I like bands that write their own music, because it's real. You can tell when people have written their own songs, because they understand every reaction, feeling, and word that they're singing about."
Before long, it was time for the second clothing change. We asked the guys if they've ever taken anything from the photo shoots that they've done, and Mark confessed, "I always take clothes. At a photo shoot in London, I took a three-quarter sleeved, brown leather jacket that came from a shop called Jigsaw."
Christian also admitted that he "liberated" some accessories from previous shoots. "I got a cool belt. I asked to borrow it and then took it."
Speaking of "borrowing," we asked the guys whose closets they'd like to raid if given the chance. "I'd like to look in Elton John's closet," said Ste. "He's worn some very weird and freaky outfits in his career." Mark's choices were a little more mellow: "A person with cool clothes like Brad Pitt or George Clooney." Then, there was Christian, who had a practical choice for snooping "Michael Jackson," he told us with a smile, "'Cause I always lose one glove, so I could go in there and take all of his single gloves and then I'd have pairs again."
The guys stopped to sample some jumbo shrimp and chocolate chip cookies from the buffet table before they changed into brown, orange and cream-colored clothes for the next round of photos. While Wendy, the photographer, arranged the boys in the peach-and-blue setup, they cuddled her adorable Chihuahua, Molasses.
Time began to run out, so the guys hurried to changed into their last bits from wardrobe. The guys wanted to play homage to their homeland, so they dressed in clothes imprinted with the British Union Jack. We began talking about England and all three Maks told us that, as much as they love America, they do get homesick. "I had a great time growing up in Liverpool, with two older brothers who looked after me, and great parents-every kid's dream, really," Ste Mused. "I'm never home, so when I go, it's strange to see my old friends doing what they do." Do his friends treat him differently now that he's famous? "My real friend haven't," he explained. "People who though were my friends don't like me anymore 'cause I'm doing something I love doing. They get a little jelous-nobody's perfect." Our photo shoot with BBMak was a blast, but for these down-to-earth guys, being famous has nothing to do with glitz and glamour. It's about getting up on stage and performing for the fans. That's definitely what BBMak does best- besides looking great in pictures!