by
Ki
tty
Ka t
n io t a s n e S n e e T h it W Q&A
Five’s A Crowd began a few years ago, when the guys realized that life held more for them than the 9-to-5 they all worked together at Kohl’s department store. In the break room, they would flick on the radio and harmonize to the sweet tunes of New Kids on the Block just for fun. They soon noticed that each of them had impeccable pitch and even better physical features that could surely skyrocket them to the top of the boy band charts. Within a matter of months, Thom, Clayton, Vinny, Lester, and Kent had found themselves a manager and started recording their first hit single, “I Only Want U (But U Only Want Him).” The rest is history. I had the pleasure of sitting down with all five of these cuties to hear more about their background and plans for Five’s A Crowd’s future. Kitty Kat: So guys, when did you first realize that Five’s a Crowd was going to be a huge deal? Thom Sparks: Oh, gosh, a huge deal? Honestly, I don’t think we’re that big, you know? I mean, sure, our debut album Just the Boys: Inside Us 5 may have gone multi-platinum in a few weeks, but for me, money has never been a measure of success. We knew we had something special the first time our old manager shut off the music we were singing to while folding clothes in the husky boys section. I’ll never forget what he told us: “I swear, if you don’t turn that goddamn hippie shit off, I’m going to lobotomize myself with a changing room hanger.” Our first fan! Clayton Andrews: For me, it came a bit later. I was drinking a Frappuc-
! d w o r C A s F ive’
cino in West Hollywood when our song came on the radio. It was sandwiched in between a Mariah song and a Whitney song. It was like, the best day ever. I called my mom and my dog walker, Tiffani, and we went nuts. Kent Knight: I’d say that it was when I got my first fan mail. As everyone knows, I adore each and every one of my fans, but that first letter was something special. I framed it, and it sits on my desk so I can be reminded every day of how far we’ve come. Kitty Kat: What would you say are your strengths? What does each of you bring to the table? Clayton: I think it’s all about group dynamics. Kent is really good at pumping us all up. Thom can work it for hours. I swear; he’s a stallion. Lester and Vinny can double-team a harmony like no other. We just play really well together. Vinny Caliente: I would definitely have to say my pectorals. Earlier today I threw up a solid 225 on the bench press and was feeling pretty pumped. I would say my other strength is my biceps. I mean, are you seeing these 26-inch pythons? The reason I always go sleeveless is because these guns don’t fit in sleeves! This is also where we got the idea for our latest song “Wear My Heart on My Sleeveless Tee.” Kent: Well I’d say that my powerful voice and my eyes are my biggest strengths. Not to come across as arrogant, but I could sing the phone book and have ladies swooning. All the other guys have great voices too,
but if you’re looking for something a little different, Clayton’s piano playing is amazing. We’re definitely going to utilize it on our next album. Kitty Kat: There’s been a lot of criticism for your song “Fall Like the Berlin Wall (Get Down Tonight)” for being very ill-informed and disrespectful of a sensitive subject for the citizens of the world. How do you respond to that? Lester Hemings: We initially wanted to go deeper with that. There were walls and barriers in our way, whether it was with our fans or the media, so we just wanted to break that barrier down and explore the existential aspects of communism and public perception. And wanted people to dance along with us. Thom: I mean, who didn’t want to drop everything and dance when the Berlin Wall fell? Well, I guess not East Germany and the Soviets, but they were being bullies anyway! Though, at first, I did see how it could be considered controversial … but then I remember that Clayton is oneeighth German, so I don’t think we crossed any boundaries. I am a little confused as to why the official apology I wrote wasn’t too well-received. What’s wrong with saying that “We’re so U.S.S.Sorry?” I wish we could just put our sensitivities aside and get down to the beat! Clayton: I think people are just, like, hypersensitive especially because we don’t have any concerts scheduled in Russia yet. That song’s basically their anthem, so of course our Russian fans are a little impatient. But don’t worry! We’ll be there soon!