Tuesday, March 30, 1999
By MIKE ROSS -- Edmonton Sun
Today is Scott Moffatt's 16th birthday!
Happy birthday, Scott. It's pretty cool that you're spending it
in Edmonton. Sorry you didn't get the "Hummer" you
wanted. Perhaps you should start with something a little smaller.
Besides, you need your driver's licence first.
"I'm working on it," he says, "but there isn't
much time."
Before playing Thursday in the Winspear Centre, the Moffatts have
two days off in Edmonton. Naturally, the Big Mall is on the
agenda.
"We're going skiing for my birthday and then we're going to
West Edmonton Mall, maybe," Scott says. "Our dad wants
to go on the water slides."
That would be Frank Moffatt, manager and proud father of four
boys who have been in show business since they were tots.
The Victoria, B.C.-based group started as a novelty country act
which had a hit with a line-dance called The Caterpillar Crawl.
They've been home-schooled the whole time, with Scott actually
holding himself back a year so he could be in the same grade as
his 15-year-old triplet brothers, Clint, Bob and Dave.
"School's not the most exciting thing in my life, I have to
admit," Scott laughs. "But it's still something you've
got to do. If I break an arm and can't play guitar or lose my
voice or can't go on stage, if I don't have something else I can
do, it's over."
The Moffatts are used to hordes of screaming fans by now. A day
at the waterpark is no cause for concern.
"I don't think it's going to be a big problem. If people
want our autographs, we'll give them our autographs. It's a great
experience to actually go everywhere and have all these people
want to meet you and hear your music. That's a very cool
experience for us. But I don't think of myself as greater than
anyone else out there. I'm just a normal human being that
supplies other normal human beings with something they can listen
to."
Scott seems a lot older than he is. He's hip to everything going
on with the band's career. He talks about an American album
release, getting a song on the Never Been Kissed soundtrack,
working with mega-producer Glen Ballard, releasing British
singles and other music business whatnot with the confidence of a
pop star twice his age.
He is well aware of the current "over-saturation" of so-called
boy groups. The Moffatts have taken steps to ensure they still
have a career when the trend blows over - by not writing every
song about girls, for starters. There's a new song called Why,
for instance, that was partly inspired by the Michael Dunahee
kidnapping.
So while comparisons to boy groups continue, the Moffatt boys
hope substance will prevail.
"We know that we're going to be compared to all these boy
bands because we're in the same magazines, playing the same
categories," Scott says. "But if people really listen
to our music and really get to know us then they'll realize that
we're a real band. We write our own music. We play our own
instruments. We're totally live. It's very much the real deal.
Sure, we have to keep saying that, but it's hard to get the point
across. We're glad to say it."
Some tickets remain for the Moffatts concert, for $20 through the
Winspear box office (428-1414).
(Original text: http://www.canoe.ca/AllPop-Moffatts/990330_birthday.html )