Following the difficult second
album, McFly are back with a vengeance. By this we mean
returning to catchy sing-along pop and actually smiling in
photos. Harry Judd, drummer and blatant fittest member (sorry
Danny), talks to Rachel Read about what is right with the new
album, what was wrong with the old one and any other random
questions McFly fans could think of. And we really do mean
random.
Hello can you hear me?
Yes I can hear you.
Who’s that speaking?
This is Harry.
Oh yay my favourite.
Oh great! Good answer Rachel! Don’t say it’s a lie.
So do you wanna tell me about the new
album, what direction you’re taking with it, that kind of
thing...
Yeah, the new album’s called Motion In The Ocean, it’s
out 6th November and it’s a good pop album. Good fun songs and
a real variety of stuff, loads of different style of songs you
know...
(Makes encouraging noises)
It’s really really cool and I think it’s definitely our best
stuff yet, a mixture of the first two albums.
These are some questions that have
been emailed in… If you had to listen to songs only by one
artist for the rest of your life, who would you choose?
Hard question hmmmmmmmm I reckon.... The Beatles.
Predictable choice…
Yeah but they’ve got loads of great albums and different
styles of music. I mean Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are
still around and since Paul McCartney’s still writing songs, I
could listen to his stuff too.
Have you ever had an assassination
attempted upon you?
Bemused laughter Errrrrrr... no I haven’t. I don’t
think I’m that important to the world. I’m sure people like us
a lot and people hate us a lot...
…But not enough to kill you?
Yeah I don’t think that much. No, I mean people probably hate
us with a passion but...
Is it true that you all share the
same bed?
Worryingly long pause No... but we have done before. We
shared a bed for half a night when we fell asleep in Tom’s bed
once.
Mmmmmmmmm k…
Yeah don’t worry, nothing sexual there… It was the night
before we did our first TV programme and we were all sitting
on Tom’s bed chatting about it, then we all just fell asleep.
We lived together you see...
Yeah errmmm I’m sure it was all above
board…
Yes exactly.
How do you feel about the fact that
teenage girls love to write about you having sex with each
other? (for those that don’t know, there’s lots of crazy
“fan-fic” involving the boys on the web, not recommended for
those with a weak stomach)
Yeah its quite weird really... ermmmm... Yeah it’s quite
strange I mean ermmmm... I dunno really it’s a bit weird. I
don’t really know why people would wanna do that. I suppose it
can be quite amusing for them.
Yeah I don’t think that’s why they do
it…
Do you know why they do? Do you have any idea?
(Am quite worried he thinks I write
this stuff)
I reckon some of them find it…
sexual… I dunno…
Yeah I suppose guys are into lesbians so maybe some girls are
into guys being together...
Maybe….
Yeah, maybe that’s it… It’s quite amusing for us anyway.
What have you read any?
Well I’ve seen pictures.
What?! There are pictures?!
Yeah they take our heads off pictures of us and put them on
bodies of guys making out.
That is quite strange.
It is quite funny though.
Why have you all of a sudden had the
urge to strip off at any chance given? [in the Please,
Please video and a live appearance at G-A-Y]
I don’t know really. Laughs. To be honest, it’s not
stripping in the kind of sexual ‘look at my sexy body’ sense
cos we don’t really have that kind of boy-band ‘It’s raining,
I’m going to rip my shirt off’ sexy look. It’s a bit of a
laugh really… quite funny.
Am I allowed to ask you about Lindsay
Lohan?
unimpressed If you want.
Do you not think she’s let herself go
a bit since your movie?
I think she was quite a go-er before that! But I’m sure there
are thousands of teenagers or people her age that are the same
but she’s just in the public eye. I think it’s got to be hard
for someone who’s constantly being watched and got people
writing about her. It’s quite hard to deal with being that
famous. (To be honest I meant don’t
you think she’s got uglier but never mind…)
Didn’t you go to a private school?
I did yes
Did you go to Uppingham? No?
I did, yes!
What do you think the best thing
about going to private school?
I think... hang on, Danny’s just done a really f**king smelly
fart. I’m sorry I’m just going to get my scarf to wrap around
my mouth, oh my god that stinks... and Danny’s cracking up and
Dougie’s covering his face... I think the best thing was just
the friends that you made, great friends that I’ve made for
life. I loved boarding and the opportunities I got to play
loads of sports and music and stuff.
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What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t in McFly?
I reckon I would probably have gone to uni or something…
played cricket or something? Anyway what are you doing? Are
you at uni?
Yeah I’m at uni in my second year
now.
Whereabouts?
Nottingham.
Nottingham! I’ve got a mate there actually. I think he’s in
second or third year... he’s called Nick G******.
Well what course is he doing?
(In the background: Mate, what course is G******* doing?). I
think business.
Yeah I do English so…
Oh well, he’s quite Uppingham-looking with short dyed spiky
hair.
Well if I ever see anyone of that description, I’ll accost
them and say ‘Are you Harry from McFly’s friend… I’m sure that
will go down well.
Laughing You should. So what, are you doing work
experience?
Yeah sort of...
You wanna do journalism then?
*Long garbled answer you’re probably
not very interested in*
Well you’ve had a little taster of it now.
Well, I’ve interviewed Lee Ryan
before and that was interesting. He just sang at me… like
harmonising down the phone at me…
You’re joking! He was just singing on the phone to you?!
Crazy! Nice guy though Lee, I don’t know why I’m calling him
Lee, we’re not actually mates or anything...
Yeah and I didn’t really have to ask
him any questions he just talked away…
But that’s a good quality in an interviewee, better than
someone just going ‘muh’.
Yeah, exactly. Anyway thank you for
very much for talking to me: four years ago, you were my
favourite member of McFly so…
What do you mean four yrs ago? What about now? You were into
McFly and now you’re slightly cooler?
Yeah, I didn’t really like the second
album Wonderland.
Not poppy enough for you?
Yeah…
Well it was quite poppy…
Hmmm yeah… and that video you did
with the crazy masks The Ballad of Paul K really scared
me.
Yeah yeah don’t worry nothing like that now, have you heard
our new song? Do you like that?
Hmmm semi, I think the lyrics are a bit… silly.
Yeah but if you think about it right, I know what you mean,
the lyrics can be described as a bit silly but you listen to
our first album, you can describe the lyrics as silly on that.
Yes but you were like four years
younger then…
Yeah, sixteen or seventeen but the thing is right, how many
bands are there out there that just write about fun stuff?
There’s too many people just being really down and depressive.
Well I’ll listen to the new album
hoping it’s more like the first than the second…
Yes, it’s very good but to be honest with you, I think you’d
find more satisfaction out of the second album than the first
if you give it a chance...
I have given it a chance! Noooo stop
being mean to me… I’ve seen the tours and everything!
I’m not being mean!
I just didn’t think it had the same
instant appeal… I liked She Falls Asleep, OK?
What did you think of Too Close For Comfort?
Yeah it was ok.
That’s a tune. The thing is… trust me!
I thought the first two songs sounded
really similar and I cant remember much of the last half of
the album 'cos I never really like got that far…
Well, what can I say? I said you should give it a chance and
you said you did but you’ve said you never got that far so...
Well it just made no impression on me
so I cant remember any of it at all.
Right so you’re into instant catchy songs.
Yeah but that have longevity cos I
mean, I still listen to your first album now.
I guarantee you, you should check out the second album again
and then in two weeks time, get our third album, it’s gonna be
f**king awesome. Like what you described, great instant pop
songs but with longevity - that is what it is and I hope you
agree!
Hope I do too. So I hope my McFly
love is renewed…
I hope so too. That’s our plan 'cos you know what you were
saying about that video and the masks - we made a mistake
there. We were trying to be cool and it wasn’t.
And you stopped smiling! That was the
worst thing! It upset me.
Yeah, well on the new photos we’re smiling again now being
silly. Yes, we’re being McFly again.
Thank you so much for talking to me…
Yeah well… that last part of the interview that wasn’t
actually an interview... that was the best part.
Thank you so much for talking to me
and you were/are my favourite member so good luck and
everything…
Well, I hope I renew being your favourite member!
McFly’s new single, Star Girl
is out now.
Their third album, Motion In The Ocean is out on
November 6.
Watch the Star Girl video here >>
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