‘THANK F**K THERE WASN’T TWITTER BACK THEN’
NKOTB were a boyband phenomenon – and 33 years after they first started out, they’re back again and speaking to heat
Not many bands are still kicking around 33 years after their debut single, but then there’s not many bands like New Kids On The Block. Formed from a bunch of mates in 1984, Donnie Wahlberg, then 15, Joey Mcintyre, who was 12, Danny Wood, 15, and brothers Jordan, 14, and Jonathan Knight, 16, had no idea they were about to become the first-ever boyband. Yet, without these forefathers of a new pop genre, there’d be no Take That, Boyzone or One Direction. After their 1986 debut album, the Boston band went on to sell over 80million records and win two American Music Awards. Massachusetts, their home state, even declared 24 April “New Kids On The Block Day”.
As they return now with new EP Thankful, out 12 May, and a tour, Danny wants to point out that it’s not a comeback. “We’ve been back together since 2008. We just don’t want to be touring non-stop, as you risk burning out.”
And Jonathan adds, “People recognise us, but we don’t get mobbed any more. Our fans are grown women now, they don’t have all those hormones running through their veins.”
Which is probably a good thing, as back in the day, hoards of hysterical fans – known as Blockheads – followed the boys wherever they went and made it their mission to meet them, no matter how dangerous it got.
“They would climb on top of the tour bus. We’d be driving and they would be hanging off the top,” Donnie tells heat. “And when we were back home, they found out where we lived. Someone climbed the fence of my house, where there was barbed wires and thorns, and they got stuck. Security had to help them out.” And it wasn’t just the fans who were intense – parents got caught up, too. Jonathan says, “One dad turned up at my family house, and told my mum he wasn’t leaving until I met his daughters.”
As teenagers let loose on the world, the band partied pretty hard, especially as they’d been promoted as “bad boys.” All of them say thank f**k that there was no Twitter around, as Bieber would look positively angelic in comparison. “If social media had existed, all of us would have been in trouble – we’d have been on the news non-stop,” says Jonathan.
“Even at 17 or 18, we were in LA and the owners would let us in nightclubs, put us in the back room and let us drink and stuff. But we were just crazy kids, the worst thing I did was probably get in a few bar fights.”
But from the heady heights of international fame, it all came crashing down in 1994, when being a boyband became the least cool thing ever, and indie bands and grunge took over. Jonathan was the first one to do a Zayn, although the band at first (bizarrely) claimed he’d left after being hurt by a horse. A few weeks
later, they announced they were splitting.
Jonathan says, “I’m a huge 1D fan, and I was at Soho House in New York recently and Zayn walked by. I was like, ‘Oh shit!’ I totally get why he left. He did what he needed to do – they had a good run, so if he was unhappy, move on.
“I was doing it for so long and it got really stressful. We were never home, we were together 24 hours a day. It was a grind. I can’t even imagine what 1D went through, especially now as every move they make can be recorded.”
“We stayed together longer than we should have,” admits Donnie. “That’s why we needed a longer break.”
It was radio silence from the band for about 15 years, until 2008, when they made a comeback (yep, including Jonathan), working with artists like Ne-yo, and with tour support from a then-unknown act called Lady Gaga.
“Before she even had a record out, she would drop by our rehearsal,” says Jonathan. “I didn’t know who she was, but just the way she dressed and carried herself, I assumed she was a big star from overseas or something. There was always something special about her. When she blew up, it was amazing to have been there to see it. She’s the most motivated artist I’ve ever met.”
It was then an acronym-enthusiast’s dream in 2011 when NKOTB united with the Backstreet Boys for a tour entitled NKOTBSB. Jonathan says, “We’ve known them for years and we had a lot of good times back in the day. Touring with them was cool, because we got to go through the process of what we do, but with someone else.”
Now, as 1D begin their solo careers, have they looked to their predecessors for any advice? Danny says, “They came to see us when we played the 02 in London in 2012. We chatted to them backstage after the show and they seemed cool. But they know all there is about the music industry. What am I gonna say to them apart from a load of clichés, like watch your money, watch your manager, watch your booking agent, watch your label? They know all this. Being in the music business, you grow up faster than normal.”
The boys’ return has also thrown up some unexpected celebrity fans, like James Corden. Danny says, “He came into our dressing room before we appeared on his show and told us that, when he was in high school, he and a couple of his friends performed one of our songs at a talent show. That was touching.”
As we chat, there’s rumours flying around that Donnie’s brother – actor Mark Wahlberg – is going to reunite with his band, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, for an up-coming NKOTB tour. But Donnie, who is married to presenter Jenny Mccarthy, says it’ll never happen. “He’s not gonna get his band back together for our tour. He came out on stage with us and 50 Cent at Madison Square Gardens in 2015, but he’s an actor now.”
As this boyband has grown into a man band – their average age is 46 – do they worry that they’re seen as something of a heritage act? “I don’t mind being a nostalgia act, we embrace it,” says Jonathan.
And as for busting out Hangin’ Tough when they’re 60, Donnie laughs, “If the fans show up like they do now, it’d be hard to say no. But I’m not sure I could still do it!” n LAURA MARTIN
‘We stayed together for longer than we should’