Insider Column 10

An insider's look at Townsend...Chapter Ten


July 13, 2001 Not to point out the obvious, but, today is Friday the 13th. I was born on Friday the 13th. My lucky number is 13. Todd’s lucky number is 13. So, for the lucky few of you that are reading this and that care, I’m going to tell you Todd’s stage name. It’s Wu Todd.

I’ve started to review some of the responses that I received to this point relative to Emailese Contest. Some of the responses are very good. Is today the last day for the contest? I think so. We’ve received lots of entries. But, we haven’t received any team (fan club) entries. That’s a shame. I had a great idea for a team prize. Who knows, maybe there are some entries sitting in our PO Box.

Hopefully, Wendy will be adding a real chat room to our website soon. Notice I said our website. I’ve notice that something very strange has happened to me lately. I’ve started to say "we" instead of "them" when referring to Townsend. I use to say the guys or the group or Townsend. Now I include myself when I refer to Townsend. Talk about scary. The thought that I might be associated with a "BOY BAND" is way too much for an old codger like me to deal with.

As I was saying, hopefully Wendy will be adding a chat room soon. I must say a chat room on our site scares me. I try to respond to all the messages that are directed to me that are posted on the message board and I try to respond to all the emails that I receive from fans. There is no way that I will find the time for doing the chat room thing. So please don’t expect me to chat. With a little luck and a lot of pressure from me maybe we can get the guys to chat.

Okay, who knows what Damenirot is? How about Tarenimod? I’ll give you a hint. Damenirot is not dominator but it could have been if it wasn’t for Todd and Ryan.

Yes, the guys will be at the NSYNC concert both days (July 21st and 22nd). They will be signing their new flyers at the Radio Disney booth. The Radio Disney booth will be in the back parking lot.

They will be performing at 2:00pm on August 11th at the Moffett Air Show. If all goes well, the Townsend T-shirts will be available for purchase. The guys will be there all day. They will have times scheduled for autographs and for taking pictures with their fans. I will also be available to sign autographs and to take photographs from 8:59 am until 9:00am. By the way, the gates open at 9:00am.

On August 12th the guys will be in Santa Cruz at the Beach and Board Walk. I believe that they are scheduled to perform at 2:00pm. They will not have merchandise for sale. They will do their best to make time to meet and greet the fans. Unfortunately, for me, I will not be at this event. I’ll be at the air show. Hopefully, Wendy will be there to keep an eye on the guys.
I would much rather be at the beach on Sunday the 12th rather than at the air show. But, I have no choice.

If you go to the air show on Saturday, make sure that you go to the expo in Hangar 1. That’s where Wendy will be spending a lot of her time. She will be staffing the Astrobiology Institute display. I will be in hiding. But, if you happen to see me and I’m dressed kinda funny, don’t laugh.

The following is the interview with Nick. It was tough getting this done, but I think that you all will feel it was worth the wait.

T Rex’s Interview With Nick

T Rex: What's it like to be the younger twin?

Nick: Well, it is only four minutes but I will let him have it. Really, my brother and I get along so well that we both look at each other as equals and if either one of us is struggling we have always been a crutch for the other. We have never had a problem with helping the other out. So, I would say that it is great being a twin. Really though, how big of a deal is four minutes?

T Rex: Do you and Dom agree on what makes a girl attractive? If not, how do you differ? If so, what do you agree on?

Nick: The only thing that we agree on when it comes to girls is that we both like them. I really like a girl who has innocent and wholesome qualities. At the same time she must have a fun-loving side. I need a girl that is willing to try new things and be willing to have fun. The biggest thing for me is a good sense of humor and a nice smile. And, I have to say I am a sucker for pretty eyes and sweet lines, as long as they come off sincere.

T Rex: Are you implying that Dom doesn’t like girls that are innocent and wholesome? I guess that we better let Dom answer that question. What do you believe is the major differences between your personality and Dom's?

Nick: I would say that Dom is a little more organized than I am. He plans things out down to the last detail. I tend to look at things from a broader perspective. I get the big stuff done and then, with a good faith feeling, I just let things happen knowing that everything is going to work out. I am a little more carefree I guess you could say. In the sitcom of our lives, I am the comic relief. Other than a few things, we are more alike than we are different.

T Rex: If you got to invent the perfect Townsend fan, what would she or he be like?

Nick: Honest. She, or he, would have to be honest. The fans are what we revolve around. Without them there would be no Townsend. So, it is important to me that we get an honest opinion of our music from them. And they have to be fun loving. We want our fans to come out and have a good time. I want them to enjoy what we are trying to do for them as much as we enjoy doing it for them.

T Rex: People in the media spotlight have the biggest opportunity to reach out to a lot of people. Many artists come into the music industry wanting their fans to enjoy their music, but do not have any intention of teaching people anything. What do you think you can teach others through your music? Not just your fans but people who are neutral and even people who do not like your music.

Nick: The biggest thing that I want people to understand that are exposed to our music, whether they like it or not, is that it is important to be open-minded and to realize that we are just five guys that love people and that we love making them happy. We don’t want to be judged solely based on our style of music. We also want to be judge on what we do. We want people to realize we are honest hard working guys and that these songs are the result of our hard work. And, hopefully through writing songs based on our experiences, good and bad, we can share some of the lessons that we have learned. We know that that isn’t going to be easy to do that solely through our music. We know that part of the message we want to convey will have to be through our behavior. We want young people to realize that you don’t have to be radical or crude to be cool and to make it in this business.

T Rex: Well said. My impression is that your feelings on this issue are very similar to the other four.

What do you like best about Townsend’s style of "music"? What do you like least and why?

Nick: What I like best about Townsend style of music is our willingness to try different sounds. Each one of us has a slightly different taste in music. Because of that our music is going to include a lot of different styles that will hopefully reach a wide variety of listeners. We believe that we have what it takes to put together a blend of styles that will result in a sound that will end up being uniquely ours.

What I like least is being compared to other bands. Just because we are five guys that sing and dance that doesn’t mean that we’re just another boy band. There are several extremely good "Boy Bands". It is not our intent to follow in the footsteps of the outstanding "Boy Bands" that have earned their place in the music industry. We want to blaze our own trail. We want to find our own niche.

T Rex: If you had to describe one positive trait for each of the Townsend guys, other than your self, what would it be? I'm referring to a trait or characteristic that helps define what Townsend is all about.

Nick: Dom is innovative and original. He wants to add new sounds to our music. He’s the risk taker. And he loves interacting with people. Todd is a great leader and brings the group together. He’s also the most conservative member of the group. He avoids attention. Ryan is one of the most honest guys I know. He is easy going and gets along with just about everyone. Sometimes he is misunderstood because he can be very direct. That’s all part of his honesty. One thing for sure, Ryan will make sure that our music remains honest, especially in the message that are in our lyrics. Matt writes a lot of the harmonies for our songs. What most people do not realize is that Matt brings harmony to our group. It is hard to be down when Matt is around. Matt also doubles as our (nick and Dom) daily vocal coach.

And, I want to stress that we are all friends before anything else.

T Rex: Hey, that’s good! It’s hard to be down when Matt’s around!! I like that. Let’s play with that for a moment.

Don’t be messin’ around, you foolish clown our man Matt is back in town.
What’s with that frown, you’re bringin’ us down; you just wait until Matt’s around. He’ll drown your frown in a sea of sound.

Nick: Mr. Dolci!

T Rex: O yea, sorry. Okay, let’s see. What is the greatest gift that Townsend can give to its fans?

Nick: To share a part of our lives with them through the music that we write. We’re going to be writing music from our life experiences. Hopefully it will be entertaining. It will be our way of sharing a moment with them so that they can really feel what we are singing about.

T Rex: What are your post-Townsend career plans?

Nick: I am either gong to be a teacher, something I have always wanted to do, or pick up right where I left off as a firefighter. I don’t want to stop doing things once Townsend is over, witch wont be for a long time.

T Rex: Do you have any tattoos? If so, where and of what?

Nick: No tattoos for Nick. Nick is afraid of needles, yes even those little bitty ones.

T Rex: So, you’re afraid of needles. What do you fear more than anything else? Why?

Nick: I would have to say either the unknown or sharks. The unknown scares me because it is just so unpredictable, especially in relationships. That is probably why I am not in one now. They scare me. Girls are too hard to figure out.

T Rex: Thanks Nick

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