For the four Philly-boys, better known as Boyz II Men, the
past year has been totally amazing. When our reporter Mike
Capazolli checked in with Nathan "Alex Vanderpool" Morris,
the group was on the Hammer Tour... and still blown away
that they had sold close to five million copies of their debut
LP Cooleyhighharmony.
In this honest one-on-one, Nathan talks about the
group's success, their relationships with each other and
even how he feels about fellow-harmonizers, Color Me Badd.
Get ready for flavor....
Teen Machine: Boyz II Men have proved dreams do come true, but what
do you tell others who ask you the "magic formula" for
success?
Nathan Morris: We always try to encourage people to have
something that they're striving for because it can be
accomplished by them and they can have what they want.
TM: Your harmonies are always right on the mark - have you all
always been perfectionsits?
Nathan: When we were in highschool, they taught us to do
everything right. There was a time when we would do things
and we thought that they were right and we weren't. So we
had to go back and do it over until it was right.
TM: With that attitude there's little time for rest...
Nathan: True...
TM: What helps you keep the edge?
Nathan: Well, the thing that makes a difference is the
different audiences in the different markets we play every
night. You get a different response in different cities,
so our whole routine, as far as the dancing and singing,
(has to be the best we can do).
TM: Do you practice your individual roles on stage or right
down the mark?
Nathan: It's just ow it's done-I mean we don't practice it.
When one person comes out with this part, he does what he
has to do. On stage we try to make everything equal. Too
many groups have come out and they have, maybe, two
outstanding people and if it weren't for them, (the group)
may not work. In Boyz II Men, each one of us is important.
Everybody does his share.
TM: What is it like working with Michael Bivins?
Nathan: Great! It's more like a family type thing. We all
get together and we all (express our ideas) so we can
decide what we want to do.
TM: What is it like being on the legendary Motown label?
Nathan: It's nice; they treat us real good. It's a nice
working relationship.
TM: With all the success Boyz II Men has had, how do you keep your
feet on the ground?
Nathan: We always knew if one of us got out of whack, (like
the others were there to) check each other. We know how we
were when it first started, and we are the only ones who
can really tell if someone is jumping out of the way. So
we make sure we check each other.
TM: Boyz II Men have four distinct personalities and the fans can
relate to each one differently...
Nathan: That just comes out naturally. We are all different
(laughs). Nowadays, a lot of groups try to home in on one
image abd it goes that way. In Boyz II Men, we have our image,
but we also let our personalities shine through.
TM: How important is discipline in your life?
Nathan: Very imporant.
TM: Can you give an example?
Nathan: Well, a lot of people ask us whenever we are on
tour, "Why don't you stay and see the other groups in the
show?" Whenever we are on tour, our basic thing is to go
to the venue as soon as it's time for us to go on. When
we're done, we get right off and go back to the hotel and
go to sleep or we travel on to the next city. We don't
stay around the concert hall and watch anybody's show.
It's not that we don't to; it's that when you stay out of
confusion, you can't cause any. So, we just leave when
we're done.
TM: Is there a lot of pressure to do even better on the next
record?
Nathan: Sure. We know that there's going to be a lot of
pressure the second time. There really wasn't that much
(pressure) being put on us this time because we were new
artists. We just want to do what we did last time.
TM: What about the relationship between Color Me Badd and
Boyz II Men - is there a rivalry between the two groups?
Nathan: There isn't any rivalry at all. A lot of people
like to think it's that way, but when we (area) around each
other, we talk and we hang out together. There may be some
friendly competion, but as far as a rivalry, it's not like
that.
TM: How did you pick the songs for Cooleyhighharmony? Do
you know when a song is going to be a chart topper when you
hear it the first time?
Nathan: Believe it or not, we didn't put too much thought
into this album because a lot of the songs were written
before Boyz II Men ever became a group. We just put the songs
together and then we put them out. We really didn't know
anything (about the business). We'd heard about the record
charts, but we really didn't get into it until after the
record was out.
TM: Are you working on new songs now?
Nathan: Yes. We were working on a tune the other day.
Actually, what we are doing is writing the music, then
playing the tune, and then singing it to each individual
and then everybody knows the song.
TM: Is Boyz II Men a "democratic" organazation when you guys get down to writing and performing?
Nathan: Yes, but at times, it's hard because there're four
different individuals and everybody wants to do something
different. It usually takes a while for everybody to come
to an agreement.
TM: Do you guys ever vote on things?
Nathan: Yeah, sometimes.
TM: Does it ever get heated?
Nathan: Yeah, sometimes (laughs). It's usually between a
vote or everybody just decides what we'll do.
TM: What keeps you going?
Nathan: We try to keep each other sane. We always are
thinking about our families and calling them up our
families while we're out on the road. We try to stay
together as a family because that's what keeps us
going.
TM: A brotherhood?
Nathan: Well, it's actually been that way. We all hope that
it stays that way.
TM: And how is Boyz II Men going to stay on top?
Nathan: We'll just keep doing what we're doing...and
hopefully that will work.
TM: Bet it does...Thanks, Nathan, it's been great talking
with you.