GIITV’s own Joe Coyle caught up with Mcfly to talk about their new autobiography ‘Unsaid Things’ and life as a pop band.
What was the inspiration behind writing a book now?
Tom: We have always wanted to write a book. We have always said, over the years, when we would have one of ‘those moments’ that we would have to remember it for the book. It just feels like the right time now. There has been a lot that has happened in the last few years of our career and the dust has settled on that and we are all in really good places in our lives. We are releasing a ‘Greatest Hits’/ ‘Best Of’ soon, so it just felt like the perfect time!
Does it feel surreal that what has happened in your career so far has actually happened to you?
Danny: As a band it just all seemed to fall into place. We are lucky to be here now.
Tom: It does feel like fate sometimes and that everything happens for a reason: something bad would happen, but then something good would come from it. When we were going through the book and all the stories, we reminisced quite a lot and all talked about the same funny stories that happened. You repeat all the ones that you remember really well! When putting the book together there were stories that we hadn’t really talked about or had forgotten about and it was interesting to reminisce altogether, as a band, and hear the different ways that we each remembered the same things.
Harry: It’s a series of events I guess. There are so many highlights and it’s only when you look back on those highlights that you realise how special they are.
How easy has it been to stay grounded as things have happened over the years?
Harry: We were very well managed in the early days. They kept this hierarchy between us and them and we really respected them. If anything we were quite scared of them! Because of that, they didn’t allow us to do too much and they protected us…
Tom: …which was frustrating at the time, but was definitely the right thing to do.
Harry: We did do our little ‘rock and roll’ bit behind the scenes – behind closed doors. We had fun – lived our lives. We were never around people who would try and influence us.
Danny: There was always that thing that when we went on stage we would think we were awesome. But, when we came off the stage, we would always take constructive criticism and try and make it better every time.
Tom: Our management never let anything go to our heads. They were very crucial in shaping who we are.
How do your song writing processes start as a band? Is it just Tom and Danny who start off the process and bring the rest of the band in?
Tom: Well, Dougie writes a lot too. It’s different every time really.
Danny: In the early days we were in hotels quite a lot, so we would have acoustics and we would just jam. James [Bourne – of Busted fame) was about.
Tom: When we first started writing it was more like that. Danny wasn’t into producing then, so we would just sit down with acoustics – or on the piano – and write in that very relaxed atmosphere…
Danny: …just imagining how stuff would sound (in your head)…
Tom: …and then we would go through things in pre-production and work through all the parts. As we got older, Danny got in to producing and it’s kinda different now. We sometimes write as we were recording. It’s different depending on which producers you are working with. On the last album, we were recording a lot as we were writing it. The producer was from a very urban background, so a lot of the time we would start off with a beat and write to that – which was the backwards way round for us! We are normally melody first and then lyrics last.
Danny: The amazing thing about learning to song-write, for me personally, is that it opened my music knowledge. You study and appreciate music for how good it is rather than what it is. If something is a good song then you just like it. Now we all show each other music and if it’s good we appreciate it.
Tom: We listen to absolutely everything. There are no limits to what you like.
Harry: The songs that we have released aren’t the limits of our song-writing abilities. I think we would be capable of writing some completely different stuff, but when you go to writing your album you need to take that time to think: “Right, what do we want to do? What sound do we want to have? “
How invaluable was it, as a band, to be able to see up close what Busted went through?
Tom: I think we were always very different as people to Busted and as a band our dynamic is very close. When we were touring with them and writing with them, they weren’t as close.
Harry: We were kinda always in awe of them because they were really successful and that’s what we wanted.
Danny: They opened the door for bands like us in the pop world….
Harry: … and we closed it!
[Band laughs]
Harry: There was only really us and Busted. It was great for us. They paved the way for us, but I think (as Tom said) we are very different to them with a few similarities. They were great songwriters and good musicians and a lot more talented than they got credit for. They felt the same frustrations that we felt.
Tom: Us and them were kinda the perfect partnership. James [Bourne] co-wrote most of our first album and I co-wrote most of their second album. It all came about at the same time. We toured with them. It was all very natural. I think that quite a lot of people were cynical about it. We both genuinely loved each others’ bands.
Harry: We didn’t really know about that world of new pop bands being signed and then songwriters pitching songs at them. We never knew that happened!
How important are personal relationships within the band?
Harry: It’s genuine friendship. It’s like, if we weren’t in a band and one of our best friends was doing say The Cube or Strictly, then we would go and watch them ‘cause you want to see your mate on TV. It’s natural and genuine. It’s fun watching each other.
Danny: Our friendship – the friends we have outside the band… We all know them as well. It’s a really good circle that we have got.
Do you mentor anyone else?
Tom: It’s interesting when we meet other bands now. We have done a bit of work with One Direction – written a couple of songs for them and worked in the studio with them. It’s a bit weird, especially with Niall. The first time we met him, he sat and looked at us and sung one of our songs to us and didn’t stop. It was one of those moments where you don’t know where to look. He genuinely really loves us as a band; he was obviously very young when we first started!
Harry: He came to watch us supporting Busted 9 years ago.
Tom: So, it’s interesting to work with someone like that – someone who is really interested in what we do.
What do you think has been the key to your longevity?
Danny: I think the dynamic that we have in terms of friendship.
Tom: Friendship, good music and persistence.
Harry: I think that pop bands and boy bands […] People say – in history – that they have a shelf life that is short. I think that’s because they haven’t progressed naturally as a band. Whereas the songs come from within us as a band and it has evolved naturally, you know?
Danny: Our Label and Management have given us quite a lot of creative freedom.
Tom: I think, creatively, there is always unfinished business. We always want to do better.
Danny: The thing is, we go out every campaign and everyone one is like: where have you been? Have you split up? It’s because we go away and work on things and then we go out and promote it. That doesn’t feel like work to us. It’s something that we are proud of and we want to get it out to the world. It’s not like someone has done it for us and we have to work to promote someone else’s idea. It’s ours.
Do you feel undervalued as musicians and songwriters?
Tom: I don’t think so. I’m very proud of the type of band we are – the genre which we are. We are lucky to have the fans that we have. There is nothing better than the feeling of going out on stage.
Harry: Most people in the public eye, in terms of singers and bands, have to take stick everywhere and most of the people who give us stick don’t really know much about what we do.
Danny: In the NME we got called C***, T**T, W***er and D***head. [To Harry] Which one were you?
Harry: Just T**T
Tom: …so you got the least of everyone?!
Danny: I was the C***
Tom: [in mock-offense] Language!
[All laugh]
Do you pay any attention to your press and reviews?
Tom: We ignore the bad ones. It’s one of those things that affected us a lot more when we were younger because, when you are younger, you always want that kind of respect.
Dougie: We were made to feel like Pinocchio when we said “we’re a real band!”
[Band laugh]
Danny: It’s one person’s opinion, as well, on that day or night.
Harry: Sometimes you receive criticism that you can understand
Tom: But, ultimately, as long as we are happy with what we are doing and we are proud in what we do then that’s the key. If you get a bad review on tour, it is one person’s opinion, you can’t go out on stage in front of 10,000 people and have that one person’s opinion on your mind. There are 10,000 people out there who you are playing to. People who are loving you, and you are focusing on the one person who said something bad? You just have to put it out of your mind.
Do you avoid press about you?
Tom: I think it’s good to read. You have to take it with a pinch of salt. I was saying to Dougie, the other day – I couldn’t tell you what the front page of any of the newspapers was about! I read stuff and it’s so disposable…
Harry: …it’s just passing news, so you learn to not let it affect you…
Danny: …in the end, it’s just tomorrow’s chip paper!
[Band laugh]
Tom: …unless it’s really good, and then we remember it, show everyone and get it framed!
Harry: We got reviewed by a reputable music journalist from a major paper and she gave us a great review of our live show: 4 stars, which was good! We then bumped into her a while later and said “thanks” for the review. She said she genuinely loved the show and she gave us 5 stars, but her editor had changed it because he refused to give McFly 5 stars!
Unsaid Things is now available to buy now. Published by www.transworldbooks.co.uk
