Yee-haa (Westlife interview)

 

Yee-ha! Woah there, Willy boy! You’re not the only cowboy round these parts. There’s a new gang in town, it’s wild, wild Westlife – and Jordan Paramor reckons they look even cooler in a ten-gallon hat…

SHANE: THE SILVER TONGUE

A thoroughbred cowboy, Shane is an ace horse rider due to the fact that his family owns four horses: Freddie, Chance, Star and Charlie. In fact, Nicky’s desperate to get Shane to teach him to ride, but up ’til now the lads have been too busy to find the time. "One day, though," Nicky says.

As well as confessing to leather chaps and cowboy boots when riding, on occasion Shane’s been known to don his dad’s stetson: "It’s a huge grey one and it’s really cool, although I wouldn’t wear it out."

"I must say though," continues the silver tongued smoothie, "I think these stetsons suit Kian and Bryan and they could get away with wearing them out to a party or something. They look brilliant!"

Complimented, Bryan and Kian tilt their hats at Shane who nods coolly back. Five minutes in a hat and they’re acting like life-long cowboys!

MARK: THE KID

"I don’t think that I would make the best cowboy in the world," mild-mannered Mark admits, "and I’m not really a wild character, although I was pretty naughty when I was a kid."

Oh yeah? "Well, I used to go around knocking on people’s doors and when they opened them I’d throw eggs at them. I never got caught though, luckily!"

And don’t expect Cowboy Mark to be propping up the bar in a saloon puffing on a pipe: "My friend’s dad used to smoke one and I tried it once but I didn’t like it. I love the smell of pipes but I don’t like smoking."

So no bars then? "Well, I’d be all right at drinking liquor," smiles Mark. "Me and the guys have had a few good nights out on the town [adopts tough southern twang] knocking back shots of Jack Daniels and getting into brawls!"

"Yeah, right," laughs Bryan. "You’re much too nice for that kind of thing!"

NICKY: THE LEATHER CHAP

Shane confessed to wearing cowboy-style leather chaps when he was a keen horse rider, but it’s only when the other guys grass Nicky up that he admits to having recently bought a pair of full-on smoothie leather trousers.

"I don’t wear them anymore, though," he protests. "Mainly because the first time I wore them, Kenny (Westlife’s swanky stylist) laughed at me. Then when I wore them out to a nightclub, all the lads laughed at me as well. In the end I felt like a right eejit!"

"I didn’t laugh at you," Shane says defensively.

"I did!" The other three shout. No wonder Cowboy Nicky has since donated the offending trews to his sister. "But I won’t be beaten," Nicky says defiantly. "One day I’ll have another pair. I’ll just have to make sure this lot aren’t around when I wear them!" It seems you just can’t keep a good cowboy down!

BRYAN: THE BOOT BOY

When the subject of cowboy boots comes up Bryan shifts in his chair and pulls his stetson down over his face. "When the band started Bryan wanted some full-on cowboy boots," Nicky explains as everyone laughs.

Bryan tries to protest, but eventually admits, "I may have wanted some with square toes but not the pointed ones with spurs, they’re awful!"

Pause. "You can get some deadly ones though, really you can," he adds unconvincingly.

Keen to take the attention away from his own fashion faux pas, Bryan points out that Kian owns a pair of cowboy shoes! "They’re Prada and they’re white and silver and futuristic. They’re nice," Kian protests proudly. Er, lovely.

"Anyway," Bryan laughs, "I’ll have to get some proper boots now won’t I? Now that Smash Hits have given me this cool hat I need to complete the outfit, hahaha!"

KIAN: THE WILD MAN

Nicky is laughing at Kian: "You’d never survive out in the wild like a cowboy, how would you be able to style your hair without a hairdryer? You wouldn’t know what to do with yourself!"

"Huh! You wouldn’t be able to survive without a Gucci tent and a Gucci blanket!" Kian shoots back. "I’d be fine, I’d be able to sleep standing up. You know me, I can sleep anywhere!"

In fact, Kian reckons he’d be able to last at least two weeks in the wild, even if he had to survive by finding his own food and shelter. "I’d be fine, I’d find myself a nice cowgirl, someone like Cameron Diaz, and she could keep me warm!"

"Anyway," offers silver-tongued Shane. "It wouldn’t matter if his hair was a mess because he could wear his hat all the time and he’d be grand!"

Looks like the hats are here to stay...