Jordan Knight: "I Dress Like a
Bum!"
Number One Magazine, 1991, England
Does Jordan consider himself a snappy dresser? Why is he borrowing Joe's jacket? What is
he doing wearing girlie bodyspray? Would he consider getting his kit off for any of the
mags? When Jordan gave his first interview for 18 months, he gave it to Number One. And he
revealed all!
Jordan Knight greets Number One in the doorway of his hotel room. He's just changed out of
his stage clobber into his swimming shorts and then into his black sweatpants and a
T-shirt. He was planning to go for a relaxing after-show swim in the hotel's pool, but has
changed his mind and decided to have a chat with us instead. He smiles, says
"Hi" and leads the way into the room. Rod Stewart's "Baby Jane" is
blaring on MTV as Jordan slumps into a plush mushroom-coloured armchair and swings his
legs over one of its arms to make himself completely comfortable.
"O God! You got me! You really got me ha! I was a fat little thing. Goodness!"
Jordan has been flicking through Number One's Embarrassing Photos of the Stars bookette.
Fortunately, he finds his baby picture a bit of a gas! He turns the pages. Martika .. ..
Michael J. Fox .. .. Donnie .. " I think my one's the worst! Jeez, that's funny - I
got to show everyone this. You got me good here, haven't you!"
EMBARRASSED!
Jordan isn't at all the shy, retiring pop type he's made out to be. Maybe he's just in
particularly good form this evening. But, even in his scruffy old chilling clothes, you've
got to hand it to him -- he's hardly what you'd call an ugly chap!
"Yeah, I'm often voted Most Fanciable Male, haha!" Jordan blushes while
referring to one of his many recent awards. Doesn't he find himself falling in love with
himself every time he looks a mirror?
"I don't consider myself to be a bad looking guy, but as far as being the sexiest ..
.. I think a lot of it has to do with how popular we are, you know. I was also voted Best
Dressed Male and stuff. But I don't think I dress better than half the people I beat in
the vote! I probably dress worse!"
So do you get embarrassed when you win awards like that?
"Yeah." Jordan pauses. "Well, actually I also quite like it. Let me turn
this down." He wrenches himself from his seat and walks over to the big TV set in the
corner to adjust the volume. "Yeah, back to your question. I'm kind of flattered by
it, but it also kind of puts you on the spot when everyone is looking at you and saying
"Oh, is he supposed to be the best-looking guy?", "What has he got
on?", "He don't look like the best-dressed guy to me", "Look at those
jeans!"
Do you have seven trillion tons of amazing, swank designer clothes at home then?
"Actually, you know what? It's kind of funny on this tour because the wardrobe people
didn't bring any of my clothes over and I had .. .." He begins to chuckle.
"Usually I change a lot during the show but on this tour I'm only changing like,
twice. I hardly have any clothes with me! I actually had to borrow some stuff from Joe's
wardrobe, haha! I'd seen a jacket hanging in there and I said "Joe, you got to let me
borrow this, man" and he said "Alright". But yeah, I guess I do take pride
in the way I dress!"
Jordan is renowned for his clothes-buying sprees on his British trips -- there have been
tales of him virtually buying out the swank John Richmond store in London. "It seems
like I buy clothes and never wear them though," he smiles, sinking even further into
the chair. "Actually, in real life, like everyday life, I don't really care what I
wear!" Ah, c'mon, Jordy!
"No, it's true! I dress like a total bum in real life! Haha! At high school people
used to be like "Jordan, you got to change your sneakers, they're dirty!" And
"Why do you just wear a T-shirt and jeans? You're supposed to be Mr. Big Star!"
I'm not really a person who thinks about dressing a lot. I just have to think about it a
bit when I'm on stage and stuff!"
WOMEN'S BODY SPRAY!
Minor stubble graces Jordan's chin and upper-lip area. Has he really decided to cultivate
a facial outcrop or is he just fed up of cutting himself shaving, as he told Number One
earlier this year?
"No no, of course I still shave! It's just easier to shave when the hair on your face
is longer. I just let a little 'George Michael' stubble come through in the
meantime!"
How often do you shave then? "Ooh, about every four days I'd say." And do you go
for really expensive aftershave? "Oh man, I don't buy aftershave!" No?
"Uh-uh. I just never got into it. I don't wear aftershave or cologne, but I do wear
deodorant. Have you ever heard of 'Secret'?" Erm, no. "Ha!" he sniggers.
"This will probably end up in the tabloids! It's actually a women's brand but the
advertisement says 'Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman'. And so I figured,
well, if it's strong enough for a man then I'm going to use it! And it smells good too,
haha!"
TABLOID SCANDAL!
If you've been reading any of the tabloid newspapers recently then you're probably sick to
the back of teeth of them giving NKOTB a particularly hard time. Jordan, however, tries
not to let the stories get to him.
"When I see a story about somebody else I usually laugh. But when it's about us ..
..! All those stories have a bit of truth in them, but the papers take it to another
level. I mean, I think it's kind of funny and I just trust that people will see it for
what it is -- or just have a good laugh!"
Jordan very rarely talks to the press at all, this being his first proper British
interview for yonks. Does he loathe being put under the microscope of magazinedom?
"Actually, I enjoy interviews and photo-shoots because a lot of times if you get too
far away and don't do too many, people start assuming things and stuff. It's good every
once in a while to come 'back down to earth' and let people know that you're really
human!"
"AM I ROMANTIC, HUH?"
After Britain, Jordan's going home for Christmas before "going back out on the road
to Japan, Australia, Korea, the Philippines and places like that." "While we're
there, we'll probably start working on our new album and, after that, we'll be going into
the studio and record it, which will be late spring or early summer."
What about this so-called tear-jerking solo project we keep hearing about? "I started
experimenting over our summer vacation, working in the studio and stuff, you know, 'cos in
time, everyone's gonna do their own thing. We're not gonna break up or anything though. I
just came up with a couple of songs. I don't know," he grins, "they may even end
up on the next New Kids album."
"If You Go away" is, let's face it, an absolute smoocherama of a slushy love
ballad. Does Jordy go all wobbly at the knees when he sings it? Is he the candlelit
dinner, flowers and cuddles by an open fire type?
"Am I romantic, huh?!" he repeats, emitting another of his cheeky smiles.
"Everyone seems to think that I am a romantic and that someone like Donnie wouldn't
be, but I think that Donnie is more romantic than I am! It's funny! But I do love singing
love ballads."
"I'VE GOT UGLY FEET!"
Jordan has been flicking through the issue of Number One with Take That (minus their
clothes) on the cover. He shows a degree of concern. Would he ever follow suit and strip
off for the cover of a magazine?
"I don't think so. No, I wouldn't do it. Oh, they've kept their shoes on! That's okay
then - I've got ugly feet! Haha! They've kept their underwear on too? That's funny!"
He reconsiders the proposition. "Maybe if I really had to, or needed to take my
clothes off .. .." He gets excited and laughs again. "Nah, I wouldn't do it
because every time you take your clothes off it always hurts you in the end, you know like
it has with Madonna and stuff."
"I WANNA GET MY BRACES OFF!"
Christmas is but a few days and a plane flight away for New Kids on The Block. They've
been bustling along rock's great highway for most of the year and Jordan does admit that
an endless life on the road can get a bit boring from time to time.
"To tell you the truth, I don't really enjoy touring as much now. I used to enjoy it
because it was all so new and exciting. But it's getting to be more of just a job
now."
Be that as it may, Jordan and his chums remain five of pop's most prized possessions.
They've been everywhere and done everything. Does Jordan have any ambitions left?
"Yeah, I wanna get my braces off! Haha! The braces on my teeth, I mean! I've had them
on for a couple of years already, but I think I'm gonna change them for metal ones because
they help your teeth move quicker."
Well, that's good news. So what present would you like Number One to buy you for Christmas
then? "Can it be anything?" Absolutely anything.
"Aw man, see these questions are hard, haha! I don't know. Good health I guess. I'm
not really a material sort of guy!"
Translated by: Barbara van Feggelen, July 1998
