I missed this when it went on the site, so here it is now. NME have interviewed STEPS. Below is the transcript of the interview which can be heard using Real player. http://realmedia.ipc.co.uk:7070/ramgen/nme/video/May01/steps.smi Who are you going to vote for in the General Election? “It’s a bit funny because we’re singers and not really up on politics. But I do think that if you don’t want to vote for anyone, you shouldn’t and it’s a bit mean forcing you to vote.” Compulsory voting is a facet of Australian, not British, democracy… “Well what am I talking about? I’m getting confused with the census. I did that, though. Can we start again?” If the Tories wanted to use ‘Deeper Shade Of Blue’ as their campaign song, would you let them? “If I’d have wrote it, I’d have said yes.” “If he’d written it, if he’d have said yes.” “No, I didn’t write it, written it.” “Have you got any non-political questions?” Yes. Are you looking forward to the Soccer 6 tournament? “I was asked to play in it, but I’m working that day, so I’ll leave it to Lee.” “Me and Faye are doing it for the girls. Claire’s going to be a spectator. She’s going to be dishing out the oranges.” “I’ll be at home, actually. Have I got a magic sponge? No.” Should there be a Netball 6? “I’d love there to be a Netball 6. I used to love netball at school.” “I’m pulling faces? I can just feel my nails breaking, that’s why!” Why haven’t you dated any professional footballers? “We don’t really come into contact with them or go to football matches. Claire’s the biggest football fan.” “I did go out with one once, but he wasn’t the full ticket. Who was he? I’m not telling you. He wasn’t well-known.” Lisa, is there any rivalry between you and your fiance, Johnny from Boom!? “No. It’s nice because we help each other. He helps me with my dancing and I help him with his singing. We write songs together and we’re very much a team, so it’s all about helping each other.” Clarie and H, were you happy with ‘Steps II The Stars’? “It was the number-one-rated kids’ show two years running, so we were happy with it. It did its job and it was what it was meant to be. It’s a kids’ talent show, it’s not going to be some spectacular adult viewing programme. It’s for kids and kids loved it.” Apart from the split rumours, what are the silliest rumours you’ve heard about yourselves? “The girls get paid less than the boys.” “Like we’d let them!” “I’m pregnant. It wasn’t you? You’re damn right. It wasn’t anybody!” “My first ever tabloid headline was ‘Faye Makes Love In Clay Like Swayze’. It’s a classic. My mother takes the piss out of me constantly for that one, so I’m not happy.” H, what happened with Gary Barlow? “We did some sonmgs about a year ago for the album ‘Buzz’, but the songs we wrote weren’t right for Steps, so they’ve been put on the back burner and used for something else. Will I release them solo? Don’t know yet. Steps is still going strong. I think we’d all like to do something on our own in either film, songwriting, singing – doors are open.” “He’s going to do a duet with Gary!” “He’s fantastic.” It might be more commercially successful to do something with Robbie… “Maybe, yeah, but I actually think that Gary’s very, very talented. Just because he’s not the golden boy at the moment doesn’t mean that he’s not talented.” Was there ever an official reason for your split from Pete Waterman? “He was our executive producer for the first two albums and then on the third album we had a bit more control and decided to use not just Pete, but producers and songwriters all over the world, so we travelled and got the best songs we could get. We’ve got a better album and it’s got a global sound.” “Pete just decided to tell everyone we’d split for some reason. Publicity for his book, I think.” “But we understand that, because we have books out as well.” “Did we get a share of the royalties? No! He doesn’t share his profits.” “Neither do we.” What’s the best chat-up line you’ve heard? “The cheesiest one was when one guy came up, licked his finger, touched my top and said, ‘Let me help you out of your wet clothes.’ It didn’t work. I wanted to keep them on.” “I was stood at a bar and this guy came up to me with a handful of ice. He smashed it down on the bar and said, ‘Well, that’s the ice broken. What shall we talk about?’ I was just, ‘Oh my God!’ It was so embarrassing.” “I don’t think people should use chat-up lines, I think they should use their eyes and their personality. I’m not into these cheesy chat-up lines.” What’s the best or worst you boys have used? “I have never used one in my entire life. When I’ve dated people I’ve been introduced to people through a friend, so I’ve never gone up to a stranger and started chatting them up.” “Me too. When I was younger I always used to leave before the last dance because no one would dance with me.” So you’ve never had a slow dance to ‘Careless Whisper’? “Yes, I have, but that was when I was about nine. Guilty feet have got no rhythm? Mine ain’t anyway.” If you were going to become S Steps 7, which 2 people would you recruit? “Ali G.” “People who can’t really sing, so they won’t take over.” “Anastascia, she’s fantastic.” “No, she’ll take the limelight. We’ve got enough.” You’ll need another man to balance things out. “Are you hinting here? Can you sing? It doesn’t matter.” NME.COM can’t sing or dance. We’re probably over-qualified. “Get out! “Some people might think so.” “We could try and teach you, but it might be a waste of time.” Is there anyone you’d like to work with as a special one- off? “Britney. Robbie would be fantastic.” “The only thing is, there’s five of us here and that’s plenty. If you collaborate it’s got to be with one person only.” “Backstreet Boys and Elton John didn’t work.” With five of you, is there any jostling for the limelight? “Always. And H always wins.” “I just let them get on with it.” “We’ve gone four years and each of us knows our place in the band and what we do best.” Are you looking forward to having children? “Yeah, me and Claire are going to set the time. We’ve made a pact.” “It’s like Posh Spice and Mel B – they got pregnant at the same time. It’s so our kids have someone to grow up with.” Was acting in ‘Crossroads’ challenging or cheesy? “It was fun. I met a lot of nice people. They did a whole episode on Steps and asked me to be in it. It was something I was interested in doing and thought I’d give it a go. Have I got any acting plans? Not as such, but I’ve done stage stuff in the past. I’d like to try movies out, just to see if I can do it.” Did you watch Eurovision? “I taped it. [Winners Estonia] had a young bloke and a coloured Tom Jones with a boyband behind them.” “It’s very funny if you watch the Eurovision with the subtitles on and read the foreign words.” Why don’t you enter next year and bring Eurovision glory home? “I’m afraid you’re not allowed to if you’re an established band.” Point of information: Sonia, Cliff Richard, Katrina And The Waves… “Anyone can do it, but most established bands don’t want to.” “When we got together we were going to be the Song For Europe. They wanted to have ‘5,6,7,8’ and enter it for Eurovision.” “That could possibly have been Eurovision’s worst year.” A top tune! “It’s done us alright. We’re here today and we’ve done well around the world because of that song.” A Euro line-dancing classic! “Exactly. It’s in the Guinness Book Of Records.” “The most people line dancing to the same song.” “There were satellites all over the country, about 7,000 people, for Children in Need.” Were they in time? “There were a few cock-ups. They panned to different areas in the country and everyone was looking around chewing. So no. We could have had more.”