Popstar! February 2001
WHAT THE GUYS OF O-TOWN ARE REALLY LIKE
Since
we spent so much time hanging with O-Town in L.A. (and London - see next ish!),
you might wonder what we thought about the guys. Here are our little valentines
to each guy along with *exclusive* interviews they granted us on the
"Liquid Dreams" video set:
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JACOB
Our impression of Jacob is that he's very serious about his music, easily upset
by any suggestion that he and his band are not to be respected (as a teen mag
we can relate!), quick to react and unpredictable. He gives O-Town a funky edge
with his Jacko moves (making him Jake-o?) and he is drop-dead for real about
getting his ideas and opinions heard. He is fascinating. Just don't make him
mad! He is on his way to becoming a musical legend.
Popstar!: First, tell me about your song that you wrote that’s going to be
on the album.
Jacob: "Take Me Under." If I'm going to write a song, I want
it to be something meaningful - I don't like writing just lyrics about a girl
if it's not something I know about. Like writing a marriage song if I'm not
married, stuff like that. So a lot of my songs are experienced. It's something
I've gone through before. That song, half of it was originally a poem that I
wrote about a girlfriend that I had, a girl that I had grown up with since I
was five years old.
What kind of impact do you want your fans to have from your music?
I would like the fans to experience the same impact that I've had from artists
in the past. I've had artists bring me to tears over a record. I just get
chills from songs that Michael Jackson has written in the past and bands like
DC Talk and like Creed - like "Arms Wide Open" and "Faceless
Man." Every time I hear "Faceless Man" 's bridge, it gives me
the chills. To provoke emotion in somebody, like they've done in me - that's
what I want to do.
Are you really comfortable with your image?
I think we're still trying to find our image as a band. Right when I came into
this thing, my personal image was completely changed from what I was inside. My
friends saw me when I shaved and cut my hair real short and put high-lights in,
and they were like, "What are you doing?" They still can't believe
that I'm doing this kind of music in this kind of group. They don't make fun of
me - they think it's awesome - but they just think it's weird, the drastic
changes in what I was doing before. I found myself at a place, where I wasn't
myself, that I hated. My wardrobe was baby blue sweaters. I'm like, "What
am I doing?" [Laughs] Now I pretty much go my own way.
Is there anything that you would not consciously say or do in front of these
cameras? [Gestures to Making the Band crew surrounding table]
Well, I'm a pretty outspoken person.
Oh, really???
[Laughs] Yeah. Back home when you're with your friends, you don't think about,
"If I said this, I'm going to offend this person and I'm going to see this
person and care about it." You say it because they're there and that's the
way you feel. But everbody in this business is here for a reason, they care
about what they do as much as I care about my music. When I'm p#*!$d off or I'm
exhausted and I'm with my family, I can say what I want and that's fine. And
even if I'm wrong, it will blow over. But now, the world is going to see it.
And a lot of time when my opinion comes out, it's not my opinion, it's my
tiredness and edginess.
Some teen mag editors appreciate a little rebellion. We don’t all want
you to post with a teddy bear.
[Laughs] Yeah, I don't know why that stuff happens, the teddy bear
thing - because it happened. And I am nawt taking a picture with a teddy bear.
Instead of getting mad, I've just got to say I don't want to.
But if you do decide to pose with a teddy bear, you have to do it for us!
Okay, dude - I'll do it for Popstar!
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DAN
What a sweetheart! Dan is totally real, eager to get things right and a
hilarious one-man show who gets the band energized and keeps everyone in
earshot entertained. He's got a big heart instead of a big ego. When Dan would
(rarely!) blow a take on the video set, he would compensate by making fun of
it. Our fave Dan memory was when he returned without the other guys to turn in
early one night only to find about six frenzied female fans waiting for him in
front of the hotel. Instead of being grumpy, Dan spent a good half hour with
them, chatting and indulging in their every autograph and photo request. He
even used their cellphones to leave hysterical answering machine messages for
them. Ikaika is a wonderful person, but Dan belongs in O-Town.
Popstar!: Is this what you expected from your first video shoot?
DAN: You know, I expected it to be a little more glamorous. [Laughs]
It's weird to think how much stuff they can do with technology these days.
We're just doing things with nothing in the background with the green screen
and later it's going to come out and we're going to be in a totally different
world.
Seems like this video is a bit racy, are you cool with that?
I don't know if the directors of the label are going to want it as racy as some
of the stuff is turning out to be, so it might be edited a little differently.
How do you think the many stars mentioned in this song feel about being
listed as your dream girls?
You know what? The girls we mentioned, I think they know they are dream girls.
[Laughs] Those are just people who look in the mirror every day and go, "I
look good."
How do you guys handle all the travel and all the times differences and
stuff?
I don't know how I manage to stay healthy throughout this. We get so little
sleep and the worst food possible. Doughnuts for breakfast, pizza for lunch,
McDondald's for dinner - that's horrible. So I basically take my vitamins, I
don't go out at night. I can't speak for the other guys. I'm just a
come-home-and-go-to-sleep kind of guy.
How are you dealing with being filmed 24/7? [Gestures to camera crew]
It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be. The cameras are just there.
The other day, there were so many cameas around I didn't know who were the
cameras for our show and who was not. I was just walking around ignoring them
all.
Everyone has things that they’re self-conscious about, but what part of your
body are you most confident about?
Confident?! Oh, man, don't say that. I don't know. I don't like talking about
myself. I don't know. I'm not really confident about anything. I'm always a
little scared about something. If somebody says, "Man, he's ugly!"
it's their opinion. But I'm going to think, "They think I'm ugly?!"
You guys performed on Miss America. If you were forced into a beauty pageant,
what would your talent be?
[Laughs]Man, I must say I'm pretty good at scooting around on the Razor
scooter!
[Laughs]
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TREVOR
The guy who was so sure he wouldn't make the band seems to be one of its
hardest workers, spending down time practicing and taking every opportunity to
sing to himself when music comes on the radio. Trevor is a huge flirt with
pretty girls, and you gotta agree that his sleek moves in "Liquid
Dreams" reveal him to be a natural loverboy. Trevor is also a watchdog for
the group, keeping everyone together and keeping it real. You get the
impression he won't let jokes turn offensive or behavior get too wild. Still,
he's the first guy to be ready to party and have fun when the work has been
done. Trevor is the knowing smile of the group. He gets what O-Town is and what
O-Town can be.
Popstar!: You and Stacy had great chemistry filming your “Liquid Dreams”
scnes!!
TREVOR: Honestly, I think it's cool for the video. It's going to make
the video turn out really hot. But...it was really uncomfortable! We didn't
rehearse and they were like, "Just go out there and do your thing."
Everyone was watching, it was in water, it was just really uncomfortable.
Of all the women mentioned in “Liquid Dreams,” which one would you most like
to meet?
[Laughs] I think Madonna, just because she's Madonna and she's
been around for so long. I want to hear what she thinks about it, from someone
who is respected and has been in the industry so long.
What do you think the difference will be between this season of
Making the Band and the first season?
We'll be touring and we're a lot more educated on the business now. So you're
going to tell that a lot more within our characters. You're going to see a lot
more comedy this season.
Did your Longshot cameo give you a taste of wanting to do more in movies?
Oh, yeah, I've wanted to do movies my whole life. To do that, I was like,
"Got the bug, got the bug, want to do more, want to do more!" I'm
always good for a drama, something with Denzel. If I could ever be in a drama
with Denzel, that would just be incredible.
What physical object do you own that you really love?
Wow, I don't really have anything sentimental. Well, actually, I don't wear it
anymore because it broke, but I had this necklace that said "TO" on
it and I kind of made up my own personal meaning for it. And it's like, the
person for me. She's my blah, blah, blah which I can't tell you what it is.
When I find that person, she gets my necklace. ind of like, she gets my heart,
she gets my necklace.
What kind of person would that be?
I really don't know. Characteristics are definitely a good family person,
someone who has a good personality, a good sense of humor, out going, has a big
heart. I don't know. You just have to have that connection. I haven't found
that person yet.
What are you planning for Valentine’s Day?
I've never had a solid valentine.
Here come all the letters saying, “I’ll be your Valentine!!!”
Yeah!!![Laughs]
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ERIK-MICHAEL
If you like this guy best, you've got plenty of good reason to. He's supersweet
and personable, plus he wears his heart on his sleeve. One thing we noticed
about him right away was his excellent artisitc eye - he is an amateur
photographer who kept spotting great natural setups and whose instict about how
everyone should pose were often incorporated into the final product.
Erik-Michael (who gets called "Erik" despite his preference for the
longer version) would pose for any picture, any time, and would do it with a
smile. He is a fan magnet, too! he's also got a secretly spicy funnybone that
can really spark a laugh riot. Most memorable video outtake? Erik-Michael doing
an over-enthusiastic butt-flop into the water the guys were dancing in. He took
it with total grace and kept shooting even though he was soaked. He's anything
but all wet.
Popstar!: How do you like making videos?
ERIK-MICHAEL: I love making videos. [Laughs] As of right now, I'm ready
to make our next one. I love it. It's a blast, just being able to express
yourself and be captured in the most perfect light. [Laughs] You can't ask for
that all the time. It's always good to have that. It makes you feel good.
Definitely the video is going to be a good representation of the song itself.
You guys have changed a lot since the beginning of the series till the end. Have
you changed still more since the end of the first season?
Yeah, this whole situation has been nothing but a growth process. The more you
experience, the more you change, because the more you know. I think change is a
good thing if you're growing from it and that's definitely what's happened over
the last few months, being more in the public eye.
Does it kind of blow your mind that you were signed to J Records by this guy
[Clive Davis] who basically discovered all these acts like Santana and Whitney and
all these other legends?
I think it's destiny, to be quite honest. We went in front of a lot of record
labels, some wanted us, of course you saw on the show, some didn't, and that
was the lesson you need to learn in this business. We were fortunate that we
have a great support staff behind us and the television show to back us up.
It's an amazing thing and I can't believe it. Every time I wake up in the
morning, it's just like - wow! Look at what I'm waking up for! [Laughs]
What is the thinkg that you love the most about your job, or do you even consider
this a job?
[Laughs] Sometimes it's a job, I'm not going to lie to you. But I'm working at
something I love. I love every aspect of my job, honestly. I really do. I love
everything about what I do. I love everything about the people I'm with. I
really love every place I go. And with every place I go, I come away with
something different, I come away with an opinion.
Who would be an ideal valentine for you?
I haven't had many valentines in my life. I've had some, but not
every year, probably less than half my life. Towards the latter half of my life
is when I started getting valentines. She has to have a sense of humor, she has
to have that charisma about her. She has to love music. You can't love me and
not love music.
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ASHELY
Probably he is in person about 110% of what you'd expect - the guy just
sparkles with a movie-star aura, has an open California personality, is full of
genuine compliments and loves attention without taking it too personally. He
takes a lot of teasing from the other guys for repeating a joke that someone
else just said and getting a bigger laugh with it, but that's because he's got
superb timing. Not to mention a flawless Austin Powers impression. He and
Erik-Michael are unstoppable in the goof-off category, and once they start up,
the end result is guaranteed to be a spontaneous skit that should have been
recorded! Fave Ashley moments we spotted might include his blushing reception
of a thong from one British fan, his insistence that he is the best speller
ever followed by missing the next four words in a row or his warm and generous
interplay with the fans who were hounding the guys at the air port. He lives up
to his name!
Popstar!: How do you like being directed in “Liquid Dreams” by David Meyers?
ASHLEY: It's very meticulous, very precise. And one thing that I've
learned so far working with David it that he's, one, a cool director, but two,
he has a real vision of what he wants to happen. All of the technology that
they're using, the motion control cameras, everything is so special. It's
awesome - I love it!
How conscious were you of falling doing water scene?
I almost took a digger once. Next to Dan and Erik, who did fall, I
was the closest to falling. We do kind of like a moonwalk backslide and it is
just so slippery that I lost my footing, but I caught myself before I fell. I
was conscious of it, but you kind of have to forget about that because you have
to dance. You can't be too careful or otherwise it looks funny.
What did you just do on your recent break?
I went home, visited with my family and hung out with my friends.
What kind of object do you have that you love?
My guitar. I can just pick it up and if I'm feeling happy or I'm feeling sad, I
can shadow my feelings through my music and I can create. I'd also say my
laptop, because I can keep up with all my e-mail. I try to write people back,
because I have an e-mail address that people can write to me at. I do it as
much as I can.
What do you wish for Valentine’s Day?
I would like to be on tour!!!
Are you looking forward to going to London?
Yeah, because Austin Powers is one of my favorite moves. [Goes into amazing
Austin Powers accent] Because all I do is talk like this all day long, baby,
yeah!!! [Back to California Ashley] No, I love accents. And I love impersonating
people. I can't wait to go to London and try to pass. I want to go into a
restaurant and order in an english accent and see if I can pass or if they're
like, "He's so American!"
