Westlife (Shane, Nicky and Kian) with Suzie McGuire on Clyde One FM – 20th September 2002

(After playing ‘When You’re Looking Like That’)

Suzie: Now we are joined by a fairy good-looking up and coming boy band and we’re told they’re going to be huge. It’s WESTLIFE!! Hi guys.

Shane: Hello Suzie, how are you?

Nicky: Hi Suzie, how are you?

Suzie, I’m very well, better now.

Nicky: Good stuff

Shane: Good to hear

Suzie: How are you doing?

Shane: Great. Great to be in Glasgow.

Suzie: Fantastic. What have you been up to since we last saw you in May? You gorgeous, gorgeous boys!!

Kian: We’ve been very busy actually. A lot of people have been asking us, you know we haven’t seen you in a while but we actually have been very busy but just not in the UK. We finished up our world tour in mid-July, and then after that we went back into the studio where we were recording some new songs for our album which is out on November 11th – Greatest Hits so far – and basically we are going to have five new tracks on that album and then after that we had a few weeks holiday when we all went away to nice sunny islands, a few tropical places of the world and then we went home and spent some time with our families and then we went out to America.

Suzie: Oh brilliant! Excellent. So it wasn’t Millport you went to?

Nicky: No, it was Firth of Forth!!!

Suzie: (laughing) Awwww lovely! It’s very exotic over there. Very exotic. So it’s been one heel of a year for you so far. World of our Own sold over five million copies. It’s gone platinum four times. You won the prestigious Best op Act at the Brits of course and you are also in the Guinness Book of Records for having 7 consecutive number one singles. So I take it you are not too threatened by Blazing Squad just yet boys. Is that right?

Shane: Blazing Squad? We actually found out about them late. That’s the thing. We haven’t been back in so long, 4/5 months now. We saw them on the front cover of some magazine and we actually didn’t know who they were and that was a bit ignorant on our behalf. It’s kinda cool. Obviously we’ve had a lot of success this year and well every year to be honest has been great for Westlife and it seems to be getting better every year so we’re going to stay together for about 100 more years and we’ll only get better and better and better
Suzie: That was my next question actually. Because there are rumours flying around, which I was devastated about, that this next tour of course people are saying, ‘well this is it. This is the farewell tour.’ What do you feel?

Nicky: Well, we’re gonna do the farewell tour and we’re gonna break up on the 22nd of December…

Suzie: Of never! Fantastic!

Nicky: No. There’s no split in Westlife. We’ve just signed a renegotiation, if we get all technical about it, for 5 more albums with our record company and we’ve always said from day one we wanted to be the band that did two Greatest Hits, you know when you do Greatest Hits in Part Two, and that’s why we’ve named this album cos we knew we were going to get this question, the Greatest Hits, Unbreakable so far. We’re already planning the fourth album for next year and everything couldn’t be better in Westlife. We’re really enjoying it. We’re making good music and we’re just having fun. We are young lads. I’m the oldest and I’m only 23 so there’s no point in hanging up our voices yet.

Shane: (laughing) Hanging up our voices?!!

Kian: That’s what I have to say. We haven’t worked our behinds off for the last year for…

Nicky: (in bad American accent) Our asses off!

Kian: (also in a bad American accent) … our asses off just to kind of split up and stuff.

Shane: That’s Kian after coming back from America. He’s put on this American accent. Hey man!

All: Hey man!

Suzie: Talk to the hand

Kian: Talk to the rear end!

Suzie: You generally do seem as if you’re having loads of fun. You are best pals as well aren’t you? It’s not just put on for the cameras or whatever?

Shane: We do get on very well Suzie. That's one thing about Westlife we started to love. We saw bands that were breaking up, bands fighting and causing rows in bands and ended up breaking up and we just found it very sad. Do you know what I mean? Cos people dream for this chance all their life to get it and now we've got it, we're not going to break up over silly differences or what. We do have arguments, we all have arguments, but at the end of the day we realise where we are and how lucky we are to be there. We're not going to throw it away because of silly differences or something like that. We do have arguments. We’re normal guys but at the end of the day we realise where we are and how lucky we are to be in here and we’re not going to throw that chance away just because of a stupid argument. We always try to be very professional about it and get everything out in the open so everybody knows what everybody doesn't like so we don't do that to that person. Do you know what I mean? Anyway.

Suzie: Yeah, keep the lines of communication open. That’s it. So do you think you'll ever do a Boyzone and never actually officially split and maybe concentrate on solo stuff, leaving it open so you can always come back together?

Nicky: No. I honestly don't think, on a personal level though, I don’t think I would personally would want to do that if…

Shane: We all feel the same way though. We’d like to….

Nicky: Fair enough. I think if anyone wanted to go solo, the best option would be for all five of us to sit down and go, ‘OK lads let’s plan this out, let’s call it a day.’ But, as I said, no signs of that for the next two or three albums or years. So that's good news anyway.

Suzie: Excellent. Oh that’s brilliant. You’ve put my mind at rest, that's for sure.

Nicky: Suzie, you knew that deep down.

Suzie: I know. Deep down! Just had to share it with your fans. So Louis Walsh, your manager, is totally kicking ass at the moment in Popstars The Rivals. Is he that bossy with you five?

Kian: (laughing) Not at all.

Shane: No I don't think he is. Obviously at the start he was, yeah definitely, but every manager is but once you get to know a person and stuff like that I think you realise … hello?

Suzie: Hi

Shane: Sorry just … I came out there but …

Suzie: You came out? Is that something we should talk about?

All: Laughing

Shane: (not that sure what he says here. Something like, ‘No my mike’s out of shot’ or ‘my mike’s off my shirt’.) Suzie, no trying to cause controversial stuff

Suzie: I’m joking baby

Shane: I know but as much as you get to know a person, he's just a normal guy and he knows deep down what we know is right and wrong. That we are old enough, bold enough …

Nick: Ugly enough …

Shane: … now and ugly enough to know what to do and what not to do in a way. So I think he is more of a friend and guidance now to us than anything else.

Suzie: That's brilliant. There’s mutual respect there!

Shane: Exactly.

Suzie: So you're all mad Celtic fans. They are playing tonight of course in the UEFA Cup against Saduva.

Shane: That's right. Looking forward to that.

Suzie: Suduva

Nicky: Can you say that backwards?

Suzie: I can’t actually. I can’t even say it frontwards. I just know they are from Lithuania. What's your prediction for the score tonight guys?

Nicky: I think you definitely wanted a 2 or 3-0 win.

Shane: 2-1 or 3-1 I’d say to Celtic

Suzie: Yes a bit of a cushion there.

Shane: That’s what we’re hoping for anyway so…

Nicky: You know what we have to go and do Suzie? We've never been up to an Old Firm match. The kind of stories you've heard from the atmosphere. Obviously we’ve been, I mean I’ve been to Ireland and England and the atmosphere is fantastic. But you've got to go to an Old Firm match. So if we can we've got to try get up to one of them.

Suzie: Biggest derby in the world I’ll say. They’d love to have you actually at Ibrox or Celtic Park. They would love to have you as guests.

Shane: Well we can do something with Clyde FM that brings us over and tell our record company we have to get there. So you sort that out Suzie and we'll be back again.

Suzie: Awww! Listen, it's my pleasure. I’ll sort you out with that no problem. You can stay at mine if you want.

All: laugh

Kian: Good girl

Nicky: Have you got five bedrooms or are we all staying in the one bedroom?

Suzie: Just the one huge queen size bed. It's a waterbed so we can share. We might drift apart actually! Just to be serious for a minute….

Kian: What do we do about breakfast?

Suzie: (laughing) I’m very good at breakfasts. Sunny side up, baby. So Celtic have sent a letter apparently to every season holder, asking them not to sing those sectarianism songs at the ground. What are your thoughts on that boys?

Nicky: Well, I suppose you shouldn't really sing I suppose political songs at a football match. It doesn't really make sense, but the thing about football as well, there's so many songs they sing about the players all over the world that I think its gonna be hard to try and drum into everybody's head but I think if you do your best, maybe if you bring the kids up, you know very, very young kids, to games not singing, kinda racial songs or anything like that obviously that is definitely the best way forward.

Kian: It's a sport. Everybody should just enjoy it.

Suzie: Absolutely brilliant point there. Thanks very much guys. So the new album ‘Unbreakable’. When’s it out?

Shane: It's out November 11th the new album…

Kian: Greatest Hits!

Shane: … It's ‘Greatest Hits so far’ and the single is coming out on October 28.

Nicky: And you know what Suzie? Our tickets have just gone on sale in Glasgow for the Unbreakable World Tour that we're doing. The Greatest Hits tour, which we’re actually going to Glasgow in June so, we can't wait.

Shane: Is it not July?

Nicky: It could be July.

Suzie: July I think it is. Mid-summer.

Nicky: I knew it was one of the ‘J’s.

Suzie: Just one last question for you boys actually if you’ve got time. I’m going to a wedding next Saturday 28th here in Glasgow. It’s actually Michelle and Chris’s wedding in Cumbernauld and I don't have a partner. Any of you guys free for the night?

Kian: Could be possible

Shane: When is it?

Suzie: I don't want my family thinking I don't have a boyfriend.

Nicky: What day did you say it is Suzie?

Suzie: Saturday the 28th. I mean you’ll get your dinner and everything. There’s a good band on at night. We’ll have some fun and games. So any one of you? It doesn't matter which one’s free.

Nicky: Well, you know we'll definitely look into it and we’ll call you back. If we're not at the Celtic game…

Kian: You might get all five of us. You never know!

Suzie: Oh my god.

Shane: We might come over for our breakfast.

Kian: Sunny side up please!

Suzie: (laughing) What a night that would be. Thank you very much indeed for joining us today.

Nicky: Cheers. And to all the Scottish fans we're going to be up there very soon. We’ll see you guys very soon.

Kian: Yeah and thank you very much for all your support and we love you guys. See you soon!

Suzie: We love you more….

Ends with playing ‘Unbreakable’

Typed and sent by Shnickian