AOL.com AOL Live welcomed Mark, Christian and Ste of the British trio BBMak for an interactive live event. They've toured with Britney Spears and have appeared on the Disney Channel. Their single "Back Here" has dominated the world's Billboard charts and their video has been declared Buzzworthy by MTV. Check out their album, 'Sooner or Later.' Scroll down to read the full transcript... ***************************************************** AOLiveMC21: Welcome, Christian Burns of BBMak! We are so glad you are here with us this evening! Christian Burns: It's great to be here! We're getting our next single ready. AOLiveMC21: Here is our first question -- it is from Kids Only on AOL: Question: Nichole asks: What is your favorite song on the album? Christian Burns: My favorite song on the album is probably "The Ghost of You and Me." Question: You guys are so awesome! I love ya, Christian! What kind of cologne do you guys wear? Christian Burns: I wear Gucci Envy and Mark wears Hugo Boss and Ste wears Armani. Question: Have you guys lost a lot of your privacy, or can you still walk down the street without being mobbed? Christian Burns: Well, in England we can still walk down the street, but in America we can't really go shopping in malls and stuff because we get mobbed, but it is good for us. AOLiveMC21: Here is another question from Kids Only on AOL: Question: Kate asks: Hey, guys, I have a questions for you and it goes, if you were stranded on a desert island, like ‘Survivor,’ what would be the three things you couldn't be without? Thanks a bunch. Christian Burns: My laptop computer, my guitar and my mobile phone. Question: First I want to say that you guys are great, and my question is: What do you plan to be doing in the future? More music or something like raising a family? Christian Burns: Definitely, I'm going to raise a family at some point in my life. But at the moment, music is my number one priority. Maybe we can mix both together. Question: Hi, BBMak! I love your music! You are the most talented musicians in the entire world! I was just wondering, when will we hear more details about your US tour in the fall? Thanks! Christian Burns: Very shortly! All I can tell you is that it starts on October 23 and it ends December 3. We'll be doing some more venues, such as 5,000-seaters, and we'll probably be coming to a town near you, so check it out! As soon as the dates are final, they will be posted on our Web site, which is http://www.bbmakfan.com. AOLiveMC21: Here is another question from Kids Only (they are big fans)! Question: Saira asks: Do you like singing? Do you get nervous at all when you get up on the stage to sing? Christian Burns: I love singing. We used to get very nervous, but now we don't get as nervous, and we really enjoy it. Question: I really think that it’s great that you three guys are doing something different than all the other boy bands. What’s it like knowing that you’re paving the way for a new generation of music? Oh, and I think that all of your accents are mad dreamy!! Christian Burns: We just do what comes natural to us. I'm not a very good dancer, LOL. But, you know, we just do what we do, and we love that people like it. Question: Hey, guys! I got your CD three months ago and I'm addicted to it! My friends know all the words to your songs because it's all I listen to. The album is amazing! I wanted to ask, what has been your greatest moment in the business thus far? -- MisPrez1600 Christian Burns: I think the greatest moment for us was when "Back Here" entered the top ten in radio in America. That was a big achievement for us, and we're really happy. Our manager was crying, she was so happy! Question: Hey, BBMak. I used to live in England until I was 11, and I moved to California. I loved living in England, but there is something I enjoy better about living in California. Is there anything you look forward to when visiting the States to perform? Christian Burns: Definitely, we look forward to the nice weather. And the great music -- we prefer the music scene in America, other than in England. We definitely love all the music in America! Question: So anyway, with all the British invasion going on all over again, what are your feelings? Christian Burns: We're quite nervous. We're glad that the fans are taking a liking to us. We work really hard, and all we can do is work very hard and hope everyone likes our music. We're not trying to invade America or anything, but we hope everyone enjoys our music. Question: Do all of you have girlfriends? Christian Burns: No, we're all single... and we love to mingle! Question: Hey, Christian, Ste and Mark! You guys are my FAVORITE band! How do you get your ideas for your music? Do they come from real events? Christian Burns: Yeah, a lot of the time it's real life. We write about love a lot, and a lot of the time it's real experiences. We're just really into music. BBMak: Christian has to go back and sing "Still on Your Side." He enjoyed talking with everyone! AOLiveMC21: Greetings, Mark Barry! Mark Barry: Thank you for all of the support! Hi there! AOLiveMC21: Welcome to AOL Live. Here is a question for you: Question: Do you ever get intimidated by other boy groups? Mark Barry: Well, not at all, no. All the other boy groups do is fantastic. I have a lot of respect for them, because I know what they do is difficult. But, no, I don't have any intimidation by the other boy bands at all. Question: Why did Mark learn how to play the bagpipes? Mark Barry: I learned how to play the bagpipes when I moved houses 11 years ago and I made new friends. One of my friends played the pipes, so I thought I would go down and try out. So I did, and I've been hooked ever since! AOLiveMC21: Another question for Mark Barry: Question: You guys are great! I want to know, which song on your album has the most significance to you and why? Mark Barry: I think I'd say it's got to be "Still on Your Side," because the song could be about anything. To us, the song is about our families. They stuck by our side when we got together. So I would probably have to say it would by "Still on Your Side." Question: How do you guys think your American fans are different from all of your other ones? Mark Barry: I think the American fans understood our music a lot quicker than the English fans. All the American fans’ hearts have been fantastic, all the end-of-the-day fans... however, the American fans seem very passionate about our music. They're very good fans. Question: Would you ever consider doing an edgier album since “Sooner or Later” is mostly slow songs? Mark Barry: I think, maybe. Our album is uplifting; it's not a slow- based album. I think our album is edgier. It's a live-sounding album. That in itself, with having live instruments, it gives it that edgier sound anyway. But we've got a formula at the moment that works, so we're going to stick by the formula. Question: Hey, BBMak, do you guys have any rituals you guys do before you go out on stage? -- Krissy Mark Barry: Yes, we do. We put our fists together, and as we're doing it say our initials of the band, so it's like "B-B-Mak." Question: Hey, guys! I am a really big fan of yours, and I am also a member of the BBMak Street Team. You were GREAT on ‘All My Children’ when I saw you! But my question is, what do you think about all these zines devoted to you and the BBMak Street Team? Mark Barry: It's amazing! We feel really lucky to have all of the support that we've had. Without you guys’ support, there would be no BBMak! Question: Kelsey asks: How did you meet, and where did you come up with your name? Mark Barry: We met about five years ago in Northwestern England. We were all in different bands at the time, and we also sat down and talked about music. And we all recognized each of our qualities and thought it would be a great idea to get the band together. So, after about eight months of knowing each other, we started writing. AOLiveMC21: That was a question from Kids Only on AOL, by the way. The one about the name, previous. Question: Hey! You guys rock!! Where did the idea for the video "Back Here" come from? -- Ali Mark Barry: Well, we got the idea... it was a combination of ourselves and the director, Danny Jacobs. The label, Hollywood Records, wanted an English-looking video, because we are from England. And we thought, with us busking in the Underground stations, was something that was natural to us. So what you see in the video is us guys just doing what we love doing, obviously, playing and singing! The video shoot was a very, very cold one. It was freezing! Question: I was wondering, BBMak, how different you feel our culture is in the USA than what you're used to. Love, Courtney (your #1 fan) in Dallas, TX. Mark Barry: I think there's a lot more opportunity in America than there is in England. The people seem a lot more positive as well, which is a good thing. And I get a different vibe in America than when I do when I'm in England. And I think America is a brilliant place, an amazing place! I'd like to get my own place there, one day! AOLiveMC21: Joining us now is BBMak member Ste McNally! Here is our first question for him: Question: Who are your musical influences and favorite artists now? - - Danielle, NY Ste McNally: The Beatles are definitely one of the biggest influences on me right now. Also, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel. And I'm still listening to a lot of older music. Question: Hi!!! I love you guys sooosososooo much. You're one of my favorite bands! I think you guys are awesome that you play your own guitars. I wanted to know if you're enjoying the success -- is it stressful? What else would you rather be doing? Kisses! ::muah!:: Ste McNally: Thank you! Our jobs are not stressful. It's hard work and long hours, but it's our passion. Music is what we love doing and what we will continue doing forever, if we can. If I wasn't doing this, I really don't know what I would be doing. I think I would still be writing songs, but if it wasn't in a band, I think I would be lost, really. Question: Hey, Christian, Mark and Ste... I wanted to know what CD is in your CD player right now! I saw you guys live when you came to Connecticut to do Bash at the Base, and you guys were incredible! Thanx for answering my question! Bye! Ste McNally: This is Ste, and in my CD player right now I have Oasis’ "Morning Glory." It's a great album. Question: So Ste, honestly, what is Ste short for? Ste McNally: Well, everyone in Liverpool is called Ste if their name is Stephen. Question: What famous acts are you friends with? Ste McNally: We've been invited to *NSYNC video shoots -- Christian was speaking to Lance before, and he invited us over to say hello to the guys and see what they're doing. Question: What do you guys like to do for fun? That is when you have time. Ste McNally: When we have time, if we're at home, we like to go out and see our families. If we're on the road and we get a day off, we like to go to the movies and watch TV, just chill out, basically. Our schedule is so busy at the moment, but we're very happy to be so busy and successful. But on our days off, we really just like to chill out and relax. AOL LIVE: How was performing at the Teen Choice Awards that are going to be on tonight? Ste McNally: The Teen Choice Awards were great! We loved it there because there were so many famous stars in the audience watching us perform. It was really good. We had a great time, and we met a lot of people. We had a lot of fun! AOLiveMC21: You know, time has gone by so fast tonight. We have time for one last question, and here it is: Question: Hey, BBMak! If you guys could tell all of your fans ANYTHING you wanted, what would you tell them and why? -- Jessica, OH Ste McNally: From all of us, you know, on behalf of BBMak, thank you for everyone who has been supporting us from the start and will continue to support us. You guys are the best! I hope you guys like our album, and we hope to see you soon. AOLiveMC21: Thank you, Ste. And thanks to Christian and Mark too, for being here! Good luck and much success to you three! Good night, everyone. Copyright 2000 America Online, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Back To Chat Back Home [ August 22, 2000 ]
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