LIME Magazine
- September 1998
Form
an orderly queue, girls! There's a fresh new act jumping on the boyband
bandwagon, and it looks like they're ready to give veterans Boyzone, 911
and Hanson some serious competition! Their debut single 'I Give' is
a slice of delectable pop that's topping charts all over Asia and winning
them scores of lovelorn fans! Stella Thng
gets on the line with hyper American cuties Take 5 and kicks off a countdown
to their visit here month's end!
It's
2 am on a workday. This faithful LIME writer is hovering around the phone,
waiting for that tinkle from up-and-coming American boyband Take 5. Yawn.
It's 2.03 am. The wait seems endless. At last, the phone rings. I lunge
for it.
"Hi
there," chirps Ryan Goodell excitedly. Turns out Take 5 are calling from
London where it's seven in the evening. The big brother of the group (at
all of 18 years old!), Ryan quickly introduces his fellow bandmates: there's
his 14-year-old brother Clay, and mates TJ Christofore (14), Stevie Sculthorpe
(15) and Tilky Jones (17). G'day to you, boys!
First
thing's first. Take 5 explain how they're different from the rest of the
boyband horde. "We stand out from the rest because we bring a different
style to the pop/R&B market," says Ryan, the earnestness in his voice
coming through despite the crackingly bad reception.
"As
we're a much younger sound, young people can relate to us easily. Secondly,
we have a clean-cut image. We're five young American guys with no piercings,
no tattoos - none of us even has a earring! And we'll sing for anybody,
anytime," he vows. "Some groups never ever sing a cappella, but
not us. All our concerts are live and we're really dedicated to our music!"
So there.
The
band was formed eight months ago when Clay, Ryan and TJ, pals since they
met at a choir, kept running repeatedly into Stevie and Tilky at auditions.
They decided to put their talents to good use and the next thing you know,
the band was formed. (Incidentally, they were set on the path to fame by
the same folks who packaged the Backstreet Boys.) And although they're
pretty young, these boys, who launched their career in Orlando, Florida
(BSB hometown!), have all chalked up useful showbiz experience.
Ryan
has been tinkering away on the classical piano and plucking at the cello
since age five, and has appeared in theatre, commercials and other film
work. Clay, the baby of the group, has been in four major movies so far
("I walked about in the background!"), countless commercials and starred
in several live shows. Blond member TJ won a talent search contest in 1995
and has (get this!) performed solo at the White House for President Bill
Clinton and guests! Stevie, the son of a church minister, was a part-time
model and has dabbled in theatre. Finally, there's Tilky, the gentle giant
of the group who's also done his fair share of TV commercials and stage
work.
Coating
our ears with their sugary sweet debut single, 'I Give', Take 5
are making their presence felt (and heard) not only in Singapore, but also
Indonesia and Thailand. Further evidence of their looming dominance in
the boyband empire; while touring Germany with pop's bounciest star Aaron
Carter, Take 5 were chuffed to bits when thousands of screaming fans cheered
their lungs out for their energetic act! Not only do this lot sing and
dance, all of them play an instrument of some sort - Ryan and Clay are
nifty at the piano, Tilky's handy on drums, Stevie lets loose on percussion,
and TJ takes charge of the guitar.
But
these are early days yet. The route to boyband glory requires plenty of
hard work - and the boys know that. For now anyway, Take 5 are all set
to win over their Asian fans. This month, when they visit Singapore and
Malaysia (yippee!), the boys say they wanna dazzle us with their
"good harmonies, lots of dancing and solid performance". And that includes
some very impressive back flips that'll send 911 bodyshakin' to the bone!
We can hardly wait!
ryan christopher
goodell
dob
29 June 1980
this
dude is...the big daddy of the group! He takes
excellent care of the younger ones ("But that doesn't mean I'm responsible
all the time," he cackles) and he's the only one who drives!
he
likes...Playing the piano, John Grisham books,
scoffing McDonald's burgers and history lessons.
LIME:
describe your first experience on stage as part of take 5.
ryan
I was really nervous because it was a big
concert - about 10,000 people - and we were performing with BSB, 'N Sync
and some other bands in Orlando. It was a really, really nerve-wrecking
experience but as soon as we were on stage, we had a very good time!
how
did the band get your record deal?
We
put together a demo and sent to to Trans Continental Records (mega music
company), who shopped us to various record companies. We did a showcase
for one of them and they signed us up! Our debut self-titled album is a
good mix of reggae, rock, pop and R&B, and the songs are written by
producers we know, so we're very comfortable singing them!
do
you think you're the cutest member of take 5?
No,
I'm probably not! We have totally different looks and we appeal to different
girls. In fact, it's up to the girls to decide who's cutest.
would
you rather visit michael jackson's neverland or date claire danes?
Date
Claire Danes! I think she's really pretty. I've heard all about Michael
Jackson's house and his cool playground, but I've never had the opportunity
to date Claire Danes!
would
you rather buy a 911 or 'n sync cd?
That's
a hard question 'cos I like both their music! We know both bands pretty
well. 'N Sync are like big brothers to us because we're on the same record
label, but 911 are really cool guys to hang out with. I'd probably buy
both their CDs!
how
did you find singapore when you were here last may?
I
loved the wild monkeys on Sentosa! That was really cool! And it was so
hot, we had to shower like, five times a day!
tilky m jones
dob
24 June 1981
this
dude is...the charmer of the band! Standing
at a towering 1.9m, Tilky is the tall, dark and handsome one who tries
his best to impress all the girls!
he
likes...water sports like swimming (he was
a lifeguard for a while), sailing and water polo, Jamiroquai and martial
arts.
LIME:
sum up the take 5 motto.
tilky
Where we go one, we go all. We got it from the movie White Squall.
We're like brothers!
do
you prefer boyzone or the backstreet boys?
I
don't hear much of Boyzone's music but BSB, we see them in the studios
a lot because we're from the same record company. So there's not really
much competition, is there?
what's
the greatest myth about being a pop star?
Everybody
thinks it's all glamorous and wonderful and limos and champagne and being
super rich! It's not like that at all! When we started out, we were the
typical struggling band and we'd spend all our time at rehearsals!
do
you think all pop stars should be good looking?
Not
really, because it's about your music, after all. You don't need good looks
to be talented - although it certainly doesn't hurt!
are
girls falling all over you just 'cos you're a pop star?
Actually,
American girls know I'm in a singing group, but they don't know about our
success in Germany and Asia. So, no, I'm not swamped with dates or anything!
what
sort of name is tilky?
Most
people have never heard of it. I was named after my great-grandfather who's
German. It's actually the short form of a German last name, Tilcher.
stephen james
sculthorpe
dob
11 Jan 1983
this
dude is...the best basketball player in Take
5! Stevie has even been offered sports scholarships to several top colleges
in the US!
he
likes...Mel Gibson movies, basketball and
fast cars. Vrroom!
LIME:
who came up with the name take 5?
stevie
It was a group decision. We came up with a list of names, like Unity, Fast
Forward, Impulse...and no, people don't confuse us with Five - we're quite
different from them!
someday,
take 5 will be bigger than...
...New
Kids On The Block!
what
do take 5 argue about?
Little
things like who gets to sit where, who wears what...nothing major. After
two minutes, we're back to normal!
which
brotherly act do you like: moffatts of hanson?
Actually,
both aren't my type of music, but if I had to pick one, I'd think the Moffatts.
We met them once and they're cool guys, very straightforward!
do
you have a girlfriend?
No,
but I used to date pretty often before joining Take 5. I like girls who're
easy-going and attractive. I like beauty inside and out.
do
you think leo dicaprio deserves all the attention he's getting?
He's
worked his way up, so he deserves his success. It'll be cool if one of
us actually attained his kind of popularity some day!
Jeffrey clayton
goodell
dob
28 April 1984
this
dude is...the brave 'n' wild fella of the
lot! He plans to ride a Harley Davidson motorbike some day and tells LIME
he can't wait to come to Singapore 'cos he wants to sink him chops into
our seafood - with lots of chilli, please!
he
likes...Cherry Coke, Jim Carrey movies, soccer,
dancing and Julia Roberts.
LIME:
what's a kid like you doing in showbiz?
clay
I think it's lot of fun! I've been in this business since I was five. I
sang, modelled and was an extra in a few movies!
which
carter brother do you like: aaron or nick?
Aaron
Carter is a cool little kid. I prefer Aaron to Nick because he's closer
my age and we have lots of fun together. We're good boys, though, we don't
get into any trouble!
the
worst thing about being in a band with my big brother is...
He
tells me what to do all the time, like, 'Clay, knock that off, don't do
that...'
do
you go to school?
Right
now, we have a tutor on the road with us because we can't attend regular
school. But I want to go back to school for college. Maybe I'll study something
related to TV and films!
how
famous do you think you are now?
I
don't think we're famous yet, we still have lots to do! But we have fans
and we've received some cool gifts from them, like hats and teddy bears!
do
you have a girlfriend?
No,
none of us can spare the time for a relationship now! But I used to go
on dates before I got busy with Take 5.
tim joseph
christofore
dob
24 Feb 1984
this
dude is...the blond babe among the brunettes!
He's also the only one to have performed for the President of USA!
he
likes...the colour yellow, popcorn, Coke,
Kermit the frog and Nike shoes.
LIME:
what's the best thing about being the only blond in the band?
tj
I don't know, there's nothing really different, it's just hair! Oh, when
we were touring with Aaron Carter, people used to mistake me for him sometimes
'cos we hung out quite a lot! We'd watch TV, swim in the pool or shop for
T-Shirts!
what's
your role in the band?
I'm
the crazy one. I'm always cracking jokes and playing tricks, but I've never
done anything really bad.
would
you rather attend an all saints or spice girls concert?
All
Saints. I like their music style better.
what
was it like to perform at the white house for president clinton?
It
was fun! I sang some Christmas songs and stuff. I wasn't scared at all!
what's
the best gift you've received from a fan?
The
nicest gift I've received is a gold necklace with a cross. It was from
a German fan.
do
you get undies thrown at you when you're on stage?
Yeah,
we get quite a lot of undies thrown at us, but we just leave them there.
We don't ever keep them!