WESTLIFE GO FOR THE RECORD

If Westlife knock Mel C off the top of the Pepsi Chart this Sunday with their latest single, 'Fool Again', they will become the first band...ever...in the whole wide world...to see their first five singles go straight into the charts at number one. Rush down to Tower Records, Piccadilly Circus today and you might even catch a glimpse of boys at a massive record signing. We found the lads' fingernails bitten to the quick when we caught up with them this week.

Do you think 'Fool Again' will make it to number one this weekend?

All: We're very, very nervous.
Bryan: We're keeping our fingers crossed. If we don't get it, it won't be the end of the world, but it would be very nice to break the record.
Shane: At the start of the band we never thought that we'd even attempt to break a record like this. When we released our very first single all we were expecting was like a top five or top ten single at the most - and we would have been extremely happy with that. But if we don't break the record, after four number one singles in a row already, we can't complain.

Why did you choose 'Fool Again' as the next single - apart from the fact that it's a great song?

Kian: We chose to release 'Fool Again' for the simple fact that when we listened to our album to pick the next single off it we thought it was definitely the best song, so we got a remix done. When the producers sent us the remix and we heard it, we thought that the song was definitely a good enough song to be a hit, so that's basically the reason why!

Did you enjoy filming the video in Mexico?

Mark: Filming the video in Mexico was great. Most of the video was made in the square, right in the centre of Mexico City. We started really early in the morning when there weren't many people around, but by the end of the day there was a thousand people standing around the square. It was like Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Square. It was interesting to have loads of people standing around watching - it's the first time it has happened to us when we were making a video. One little hiccup happened as well, £10,000 worth of camera equipment was robbed from one of the cameramen, so it was a bit kinda weird. But we got over it in the end and went and had a good night out.

It's April Fools day on Saturday - have you got any good pranks lined up?

Mark: We're actually not allowed to answer any questions on April Fool.
Kian: Yeah, it's against our religion.

Really?

Mark: April Fooooool!!! (okay - so we walked straight into that one! )

Who would you like to play an April Fool on if you could do it to anyone in the world?

Bryan: Dr Fox, definitely Foxy.
Nicky: Yeah we were travelling along in a car one day, last week and 'Fool Again' was on the radio and just as it finished Foxy goes, er, what did he say... 'Boys in blouses...Boys in black...Boys in diamonds and boys in sequins'. And we were like - 'Chill out Foxy!'
Bryan: So we thought we'd get him later on!
Nicky: Yeah, that better be a joke Foxy or where coming to get you! (Ooer Foxy, watch your back!)

Who's the joker in the band?

Shane: We're all jokers.
Bryan: We all have a humerous side...we all have a bit of a joke in us.

But, can you all take a joke as well as you give it?

All: No not really, definitely not...
Kian: I had a very, very bad joke played on me in an airport. I bought a watch in LA and basically... Nicky: A Rolex.
Kian: Yeah, a Rolex. My tour manager took it off me when I fell asleep on the plane, so he had it on his wrist, and I thought it was stolen, or that I had lost it, because I knew it was on my wrist before I went to sleep. So I didn't think that was very funny at all.
Shane: He lost it and I calmed him down.
Kian: Anyway I don't really like jokes being played on me at all.

Okay, so you don't like being made fools of, but have you ever tried to impress a girl and made a complete fool of yourself instead?

Shane: Loads of times. But, since I've been in the band I just kinda keep quiet and stare at girls rather than trying to make a big thing out of it. When I know they're staring back at me, then I go over and chat them up, but I'd never go over and just start chatting to them.
Mark: I've made a complete fool of myself. I was out on a date and we were drinking wine. We were having a great time and I was trying to play it cool with this new girl that I'd met and not give too much away or whatever, and when we got back to the hotel, we had some more wine and I don't usually drink it that much, so I felt a little bit kinda..
Nicky: Tipsy?
Bryan: Drunk?
Mark: No, no... I felt a little bit more confident than usual. So, there's me trying to play it cool all night but later I rang her up and left a message on her phone telling her how much I liked her and made a total and utter fool of myself. So the next day she rang me up and said 'Oh I got your message.' And I was like - 'What message?', then I just remembered and I was very embarrassed, and that was my story. And it was a bit of an anti climax 'cos I bet everyone was expecting it to be a lot funnier...

It's Mother's Day on Sunday, where are you going to be, are you going to be with your mums?

All: Yeeeeah - Happy Mammies day.....!!!
Nicky: No, we're going to be in America. We can't tell you what we're going to do 'cos someone might tell our mammies - but we're going to surprise them all. We're doing something special.
Bryan: Can I just say get well to my mam 'cos she is actually going to be in hospital for Mother's Day. She's having an operation and I'm not going to be there to see her, so I'm a bit sad.
All: Get well soon Miread. See you soon! (Awe bless 'em!)

What's the best bit of advice your mam's ever given you?

Bryan: Stay away from drugs.
Nicky: Just enjoy yourselves and be careful.
Kian: Use condoms.
Nicky: My mother has never said that to me!
Mark: Just enjoy ourselves. You know they trust us to kinda live life the way we've been brought up and not to do anything sorta bad or whatever. And ring home everyday, and anybody reading this, if they're away from home - always ring your mammy everyday.