Can you remember the day you got signed? What was running through your mind?
Yeah, it was the 12th September - the day before my Grandmother�s birthday, god rest her soul. It was a really important day for me because I�d lost my Grandmother just six months before, and it was a very happy day because I�d been working for so long to try and get that lucrative record deal� and then I was actually in Virgin Records signing a bit of paper, and it was a sense of achievement because for the previous three years I was in other bands trying to make it. My Grandmother always used to say, �Duncan, you shouldn�t be doing this stupid job, you should be a doctor!�. And I used to say (smiling), �but I don�t want to be a doctor!�� And she would say �Well it�s better than that stupid profession you want to get in to!�. And it�s a shame that she never got to see me doing the whole Blue thing, but I believe that she�s with me� her and Grandpa looking down. So I�ve got to say thanks to them because they�ve helped me through this whole journey, and helped me sign that deal.
What were your first impressions on meeting the rest of the band?
Well I�d known all the boys before which was quite weird. I met Lee and Simon in an audition for another band when we all got down to the last ten. They were the same as they are now � Si was quite cool, quite quiet� Lee was like, �Alright mate? D�ya wanna game of pool?� And I remember playing a game of pool with Lee and thinking he was a geezer! I knew Anthony from the last band that I was in, just on the whole North London Jewish scene � I lived with a guy who was Jewish and was in my band� He used to go out to this place called the G-Spot in Golders Green, and Anthony used to be there with his dad and we used to sing Karaoke, so me and Ant became friends then. So to be in a band with all these people that I�d known before was very special, it was a good thing.
Can you tell us about the other auditions where you met Simon and Lee? What were they for?
They were for East/West records � they were putting together another band just after Another Level had split up. They wanted to do a new band like Another Level straight away� So that�s where I met Simon and Lee because we all got down to the last ten.
Did you have any idea that you�d be as big as you are?
No, I don�t think anyone has an idea of how successful they�re going to be. And it�s very hard these days to put out a single and make it work� but we came through at the right time � Five had just split up and I think timing in general was a key feature in the success of Blue. The fans helped a lot too; they supported us right from the start.
But you were very confident from the start weren�t you?
Yeah, I think to get to that point in your career and have the security of being signed to a record company does make you feel protected and that you have a family behind you. I think we were very lucky signing to Virgin, because our label was quite a small label, but Virgin took us on like their children. We weren�t just another number in the record company books� we weren�t just one of 50 acts� we were actual people.
You said that you are all still the same as when you met, but has anyone changed at all during the time in Blue?
I think the word change is very easily used in this business� people like to brand you by saying �you�ve changed�. But the truth is that everybody changes, we all grow as people � spiritually and physically, and especially in this job where your whole world is taken and turned upside down and shaken around a few thousand times � so you aren�t going to be the same person that you were when you stepped into it, that�s understandable. I don�t think we�ve changed in a bad way. I think we�ve grown with each other, grown within ourselves, and we are the people that we are today because of the backgrounds and the situations that we�ve faced. I think it�s safe to say that we have grown and changed in a good way� I don�t think we�ve become untouchable divas or arseholes that you can�t talk to. I think we�re in our own little worlds most of the time, and I think that the people that know us will say that we are very different to the way the public perceive us � which has a lot to do with the media� they create your character. So I think we�ve all changed, we�re all four years older and in those four years we�ve done so much, it feels like a thousand years.
Do you feel older than your age?
Erm� I think you�re as old as you feel, but ever since I was a little boy I�ve always been mentally older in my head. I remember when I was seven my grandparents took me on holiday to Gloucestershire and there was a family there that were all laughing at me because I�d said something� and my Grandmother said, �Oh, you are funny Duncan, you�re like seven going on seventy!�, but I didn�t know what it meant in those days but I think it�s just that I�m a bit of an old spirit, one of those kids that was a bit old for his time. But it�s a good thing, it�s made me who I am today and it�s made me more aware of myself and my surroundings � I know what I want out of life. And I�m glad I�ve had that insight� a lot of my friends are 25 and still don�t know what they want to do in their life. I�ve always been focused and determined in my goals and I�m lucky that I was made like that (smiles).
Going back to that first album, was there any song that you were particularly close to?
The first album was a very special album because it was our first exciting bit of work that the public was going to see, and the first time they would hear our voices and see what Blue was all about. It was a very scary but fun and extremely exciting point in our lives. It was probably the most fun we�ve had on an album� it became a bit more like work after that! For me the best song that describes the album was �Fly By�, because it really did fly by. And now we�re on our fourth album and the time has really flown by. But �Fly By� is probably my favourite track from the first album and really reminds me of that first album.
And what was your favourite video from that period?
Again it�s probably �Fly By�� it holds the most memories to me personally, and it was good fun to make. (Smiling) I got to drive again, that was the second video in a row that I got to drive in because I was the only mug with a driving license!
Moving on, how was the second album for you?
We released three tracks off the �One Love� album, and to be quite honest for me, even though �You Make Me Wanna� was a great track and the fans loved it, I don�t think it was musically where Blue wanted to go� and it was very much a turning point with the fans and with people, because we were always perceived as quite a cool band making tracks like �Fly By�, �All Rise� and �One Love�. I think �You Make Me Wanna� was more of a typical boy band kind of track which the record company wanted us to release� and even though we had such great fun making the video and it was a great campaign, if I could change anything I wouldn�t have put that single out. I�m not dissing the song - it�s a great song - but I think musically it changed the perception of us and confirmed to some people that we were a boy band� which I think we hadn�t set ourselves up to be� we are a boy band, but we make cool music.
Is there a single on that album that you would have preferred to release?
Probably �Flexin� � a track that Si wrote. I really like that track, I wanted it to be a single, I thought it was really hooky� but it wasn�t to be� I don�t have any regrets though, if I could go back and change it then I would, but everything happens for a reason and it didn�t really harm us.
How would you sum up that period?
That period was tough, it wasn�t as fun as the first album. We knew what we had to do, we had our feet on the ground and we had the success. It was work. It was hard work� but don�t get me wrong, I do like hard work but it just wasn�t as enjoyable as the first album... it�s probably the same for every band though because the first time is so crazy and fun. But the second album was fun, it just seemed like a really long process as we worked on it for ages.
You have worked really hard though during the last four years, you�re on your fourth album whereas a lot of bands would have only done one or two.
One thing I must say about Blue is that we�ve worked really hard. I remember at one point we were one of the hardest working bands out there. When it was kicking off we were out of the country every week, three times a week� flying back home for maybe one or two nights, but not having a day off, just working in England too. And that went on for about 8 months solidly to the point where we were all so exhausted; it was just a complete burnout. We were here, there, everywhere� flying on private jets, helicopters to one place then the next� getting off� smiling, signing, photographs, gigs, back on a plane, same again. It was really tough. I remember one day we actually worked for 48 hours on 2 hours sleep, and I tell you what, there was a lot of Coffee and Red Bull drunk that day!
�probably a few arguments as well I should think!
Yeah, we have arguments, but never anything serious. We�ve never had any big bust-ups or fisticuffs or anything like that. We always have respect for each other and if any of us are tired and ratty then we know to leave them alone � it�s quite normal to be tired and ratty� and sometimes you just want to be quiet, but that doesn�t mean you�re in a bad mood or that you�re angry about anything� yeah, sometimes you just want to be quiet and reflect to yourself. And I think we�ve all been lucky because the people around us respect that.
The video for Guilty was a dramatic affair with the helicopters and all the people scattered everywhere. Was it important to show that you had more of a harder side at the beginning of the third album?
Guilty was a track that I wrote and so I was a key part in writing the script for the video. The words are very poignant, it�s almost like a conflict of interest � feeling guilty about something you believe in, and standing up and saying what you believe in. One of the lyrics are �if loving you with all my heart�s a crime then I am guilty�, and it was written about someone special to me. I wanted the video to be like a riot, where people are standing up and voicing their opinion, but because some people don�t always agree with everyone�s opinion � and quite rightly so � it causes conflict, and that�s what the video was about. So me and the boys are caught up in the middle of all this saying that it doesn�t matter who�s right or wrong, it�s just about respecting each other�s opinion� you may not agree with it but you don�t have to fight about it. The helicopter in slow motion was quite a dramatic scene and it was quite crazy on set, some people didn�t understand it. But I think it was a significantly different video from what we�ve done before, it did look like something out of a an old war film, but it was great fun, we really enjoyed the day, and visually I think that it�s one of the best videos we�ve ever made. I loved what the director did with the camera speed � you could watch a pin drop and bounce really slowly, and also the helicopter blades looked so slow that it should have fallen out of the sky� and I love that, it was great to see the finished product.
Would you say that you have different roles within the band?
I think that people like to say to us, �what�s your role within the band?�, �Are you the one that does the talking?�, �Are you the joker?�, �Are you the leader?�. But we don�t have roles or positions, what we do have is four people who are all very different in character and personality� and everyone brings something different to the table, and those four collectively make one, which is Blue. I think some people do say stereotypically that that one does this and that one does that� but for us we complement each other to make Blue. I do think that some are stronger than others in different areas, and some are creative in different ways and aspects of the broad spectrum.
What would you say are the strongest elements of each of you?
I�ve obviously never worked in a band that have been as successful as Blue, so to work in a band with such creative and talented guys musically and lyrically is great. Anthony is a very funny guy, he�s an entertainer � he may not be the best singer and songwriter out there but what he brings is as an entertainer � he gets on that stage and he�s legendary� he�ll do very well in life because of that. Simon is very good at writing and hearing melodies, he�s also got a bit of a manager�s brain on him� he�s a very cool guy. It�s great watching him write a song because he does it really quickly and he gets on a buzz when he does it which is great to see. Lee is probably the most creative out of all of us� his brain fascinates me, because he�s 100mph, stuff flies out of his head� you just think �where did that come from?�� and I love that about Lee. I could phone up Lee at 3am and sing a song down the phone to him and he�ll say �yeah! Get in the car and come round to mine, we�ll do it now!�. He�s so enthusiastic about everything. Me and him connect on a higher level, we�re both in touch spiritually with stuff that goes on� and musically he�s a lyrical genius � he writes a lot of poetry and he�s written scripts� he�s very creative and talented� I think that a lot of people misunderstand him � listen to his voice, he sings like an angel� he was born to sing, regardless of what people say about him� and he�ll sing for the rest of his life because that�s what he knows and that�s his passion.
What would you say are the highlights and the lowlights of the past few years?
There�s been a lot of highlights, we�ve had a laugh, we�ve had some giggles� we�ve been up to some crazy stuff. There are some really special moments about crazy stuff that we�ve got up to which I don�t really want to share because they�re very personal to me. But on a �work� basis the Queen�s jubilee was a real highlight, it was a lot of fun� to be able to work with Elton John and Stevie Wonder were great highlights� but some of the best highlights are personal to me, and some probably couldn�t even be repeated!
Have there been any times where you�ve thought �this is just not working�?
You get times where you think �I don�t like this�, �I�m bored�, �I hate this job�, �I want out�� but it�s like any job � you have up days and you have down days� you have days where you love it and days where you hate it� but we�re very lucky and we have to remember that. But we�ve also worked very hard to get here, and it has paid off.
What would a fan have to do to impress you?
I�m not sure really� I love fans who are sweet and honest and come and talk to me to share a little moment with me, rather than a fan who is screaming my name� I tend to wander away from fans like that. I much prefer talking to a fan that is just standing there all embarrassed and waiting patiently and quietly� you know they�re really excited to be there and I�d rather give someone like that my time.
What�s the best present and the worst present you�ve had from a fan?
We�ve had so many presents from fans that I wouldn�t want to offend anyone by saying one was better than the rest. Anyone that has spent the time to make something� it�s great that people are at home doing things like that, and it�s very much appreciated � we�ve got a great fan club. Sam who runs it is fantastic, we get to see a lot of letters and presents from the fans, it is all seen and all heard and I have to thanks all the fans for it.
Do you keep any of the presents?
Yeah, we do� we have a big room in our fan club and it�s full with pictures and posters and teddy bears, underwear! We get sent a lot of thongs!
With the greatest hits out, does it feel like the end of one chapter for Blue? Is there any sadness associated with that?
Sadly enough everything has to come to an end and within Blue it is getting to the end of a chapter, the end of four years where we�ve been together. It shouldn�t be looked upon as a negative but a positive � we all want to go on next year and try some other things while we have the chance to do it and while we�re in a position to do it. And if that stuff works then it works, if it doesn�t it doesn�t. We�ve had great memories, a great four years and great fun� and Blue is not going to end now, Blue will be back � I can�t tell you when but we will be back, we�re not splitting up but we do need to move on a little for our own sanity and creativity. I think that is important and has to be done.
