Tuesday, October 7, 2008

The Arizona Republic Interview with Donnie

Here is an interview with Donnie from AZcentral.com

by Megan Finnerty - Oct. 7, 2008 02:22 PM
The Arizona Republic

Recently, a balding man from Boston made me blush.

This is no easy feat.

But Donnie Wahlberg is no regular guy.

One of the front men for the New Kids on the Block, performing Sunday, Oct. 12, at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, he proved to be a suave and well-spoken man, with a self-deprecating sense of humor and an unexpected thoughtfulness. He was also a flirt. While usually I'm a pretty cool customer with celebrity interviews (and with men's slick lines, for that matter), I found him as charming a few weeks ago as I did 17 years ago.

Or at least I'm saying that based on a 15-minute interview with the sometimes-actor and full-time newly single dad.

Question: What's changed that made you feel it was time to tour again?

Answer: We thought there would be a market, a base of fans that would come back. We cut that video and put it out on the site. It was a careful sort of feeler, and the response was ridiculous - a million hits in a week. The fan reaction has dictated (the arena tour.) I can't not see adding another Boston date.

Q: Anything you can't do on stage now that you could back then?

A: I can do anything now that I could do back then. We're a little smoother. It used to be like we were hormone-enraged teenagers, running around stage trying to exhaust ourselves by the end of the first song, and now we take our time. It's like having rabbit sex when you're 15 and like making love when you're 35.

Q: Who spends the most time in the gym?

A: Danny (Wood). I've had to drop out a little to finish up the album.

Q: What's better this time around?

A: We're older now, all of us, and we appreciate it more. For us to be in an arena again is amazing. And for the fans, to be able to go through this experience again is amazing. They're having a meaningful experience. I mean, women are out there, working, paying a mortgage, raising the kids, and if they can escape for an hour or so a day while they listen to the CD or come to the show, it's kind of profound.

And how many times in life do you get a chance to relive something that's not awkward, but kind of liberating? It's really an emotional experience for a lot of people. You see people come in, they're a lawyer, they have a career, and they see us and just kind of loose it. It's people that you wouldn't expect it from. We're not that handsome that people should be losing it like that. But there's a connection, a happening, taking place.

Q: What's the hardest part?

A: We really worked our asses off on this project. I've averaged about four hours of sleep a night for the last year. I know I've worked really hard for this. If it's a meeting with the fans for two hours, or out on the stage, I'm giving it all. When we finished the first time, I had some regrets, there were things I wanted to do over. So I'm giving everything I have to it so I won't have any regrets.

Q: Any fashions you regret?

A: My hair, my ponytail, my mullet, my ripped jeans, it's all cringeworthy. We (dress) with a little more consideration now. I still rock my own style the way I want to, but I'm not going to go too far outside the box. In the past, it became a group of five totally unique individuals going to a black-tie affair, with one in a tux, one in a suit, one in a sweatshirt, one in jeans and boots. I think we lost a cohesiveness.

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