Danny Wood

Interviews | Nov 30th, 1998

No Image
Sorry Folks, No Image Is Here.

How difficult has it been to shed the NKOTB image?
It is more difficult for other people. I feel that by making this record and doing live gigs, I have already shed the image. I have been shedding the image since the group broke up.

What can you tell us about your new album, Second Face?
It is basically a rock record with pop flavors. Every song is about something I went through. It’s personal.

Some of the songs on Second Face are about male-female relationships, but they could also be about the record industry. Your thoughts?
That is funny you noticed that because I wrote about one thing and people interpret a completely different way. I love that. That is what good music is about – leaving it up to the listener.

What was it like performing again after such a long break?
I felt complete, finally. Nkotb was a great learning experience and I am very proud of what we did, but creatively it was not the kind of music I was listening to or wanting to do. This record is from my heart, so to get up on stage and be able to have opportunity to make people believe what I am singing is incredible.

What have you been up to these past few years?
Making this record and getting through some tough times – fighting for and winning custody of my son, my mom being diagnosed with breast cancer and passing away. It’s all there in the songs on the album.

What is it like, being in a group like NKOTB, in terms of your creative freedom and dealings with the industry? Did you have any say in regards to songwriting, touring, etc? Were you forced to uphold a certain image?
There was almost no creative freedom. We had a producer who wrote almost all the songs. I took full advantage of learning to engineer, write and produce. With the tour we definitely controlled what we did. In a lot of instances we were forced to do things. For example, our Xmas album.

In the States, NKOTB were considered clean-cut, but overseas, you guys were viewed as a bunch of rowdy hooligans. And apparently you’ve got the stories to back that up. Tell us some crazy groupie stories!
We were always crazy city boys. The media in the States made us clean cut. Once a girl broke into my room and waited for me naked. There are too many stories – we would have to talk about it.

You were always the “quiet one” or the “mysterious one”, like the George Harrison of the group. Is it true that the quietest are the wisest?
I don’t know. I know I learned the most. I can sit in my studio and make music, cut my own vocals, make a finished record on my own.

Which New Kid did you secretly hate the most?
Jon; I never hated him, I just thought he was never cut out to be in the music business.

What was the single greatest experience you had while in the New Kids? And the worst?
The greatest was performing in Chile, for 100,000 kids singing all our songs. It was an Amnesty International show.

Fame is like a reverse bungee chord – you get shot up fast and then snap back down. Was it difficult dealing with the backlash?
No, I am a city boy. We have thick skin.

Do you think young teens should be subjected to that amount of fame and public scrutiny?
No.

Have you spoken with Backstreet Boys or N’Sync about these issues?
No.

What advice do you have for future young pop stars?
Get a good lawyer? People will line up to rip you off.

First thing that comes to mind when you hear:
Britney Spears -pop
Marky Mark – who
Cannibal Corpse – heavy
Ska – reggae
MTV – control

List five things that make you happy, and five things that piss you off.
MAKE ME HAPPY:
1. family and friends
2. performing live
3. music
4. being creative
5. hitting the heavy bag

PISS ME OFF:
1. music industry bull shit
2. unaccountable people
3. lies
4. jealousy
5. closed-minded people

List five things most people would be surprised to know about you.
1. Determined
2. Disciplined
3. Tough
4. Sexual
5. Pissed off

When is the Danny Wood punk rock album coming out?
Never.

Danny Wood’s new album “Second Face” is available everywhere through Empire Musicwerks/Damage/BMG. Visit Danny at www.dannywood.com.

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