Gale: In tonight's Celebrity Talk, I sat down with the recently reunited band Childish Intentions. This is the first time all five of them have been together as a band since Billy Loman left them in 2008. For two years after he left, the remaining four finished their tour for the Get Back album and released a third and final album titled Forever. They produced several singles from their last album, the most famous being their cover of the song Goodbye as a tribute to Loman. After breaking up as a band in 2011, the band went onto solo careers with brothers Nat and Alex making music together. Six years after their breakup, on June 28, they officially announced their intentions to reunite as a five-piece band, an event that has been rumored off and on for several years. I sat down with each members of the band and caught up with what they did after the breakup and their plans for the reunion.
A/n: From here on out, Gale asks each band members the same question and they are interviewed separately so they all give different answers. Also, she questions all but Billy later on when they discuss what the band did after his departure but he does answer questions about the reunion after they discuss his departure.
Gale: So what have you been up to since the band broke up six years ago?
Billy: I published my book that I told you about last time we spoke in 2014. I also decided to go ahead with a solo career for about a year and a half after my book was published. I released my self-titled album the year after the book was published and did some covers of the songs that were written for Childish Intentions in addition to all of my own music. I toured globally after the album was released and haven't toured in about a year. This time, touring was much easier because I was happy and I scheduled shows far apart enough to give myself time to rest and relax.
Greyson: I've had two albums released since the breakup. They were both very successful and I was very proud of the work I had done. I did some acting work for television, starring as a guest on several TV shows. I toured for both of my albums for about a year apiece and I was working on getting a third album made when we decided to reunite the band. My third album is set to be released in the fall. I also got married two years ago and my wife and I are expecting a child this winter!
Justin: I've released an album every year since the band break-up. The first three were very successful with the last two being only moderately successful. I didn't do a tour with any of the albums because right after the break up, I got married and my wife and I had a son so I stayed home to raise him while still making music for the studio. I did do a surprise appearance at Billy's last show and did a duet with him on Viva Forever. I'm currently working on my sixth album, due out sometime next year.
Nat: Alex and I toured together heavily for our first album together that was released six months after the breakup. We toured for about two years and by the end of it, we were both exhausted so we decided to take a break and focus on our family and friends. I released my own solo album last year and toured for it for six months. I've had a couple of girlfriends, but nothing too serious so far.
Alex: Nat and I did our tour for our album. I then decided to take a break from music altogether while I spent time with my family and met my wife. Three months after our daughter was born, I started working on music for films and my most successful song that I did for movies was Soulless. I wrote the song based on the feelings I think that Billy felt when he decided to leave Childish Intentions. I've been working on my first own solo album for the last year and I plan on releasing it before our reunion tour starts in December.
Gale: Sounds like you've been busy! What is it like being back with the band as a five piece?
Billy: It's exactly like it used to be, but ten times better! I'm having a lot of fun with these guys and it's cool to see what we've all done in just six years! I think now that we are all older, we're able to appreciate each other more than we did when we did in the first times, cause we were only in our teens so we didn't appreciate each other's talents, and abilities and the friendship we had and still have today.
Greyson: Oh my God, it's great! It is actually kind of surreal for me because we haven't been together like this in almost ten years and it's like we never split apart! We still laugh and joke with each other and now that most of us have kids, we introduce our kids to each other and to the other band members so that's just great. I'm really excited to be back together working with these guys!
Justin: This has been coming for many years! I was hoping that we would get together because I was starting to get bored with the home life. My son is six years old now and spends most of his day at school, so it's the perfect time for me to get out of the house and do another tour since I've only done one since the band broke up. I'm very excited for the plans we have for the tour because it's going to be a lot of fun not only for us, but for the fans as well!
Nat: I'm very excited for this! Since I haven't done any work with music since I stopped touring for my album, I've been kinda bored so it's really good that this happened right now! It's great to be back with all of my friends again and it's like nothing has changed except that we got a little bit older and maybe just a hint little wiser (laughs). We still joke around together and make fun of each other, but in the end, it's all just a good laugh.
Alex: Well, we've all be kinda talking about doing a reunion for about two years now so now that it is actually happening, it's really exhilarating. I'm really excited to get back on stage with these guys and see what we can pull out of our sleeves this time around while we perform our songs!
Gale: (voiceover) I then spoke with the band about their feelings of Billy leaving the band in 2008. I asked them 'what were your feelings when Billy left the band?' Before I let them answer, however, I showed them the video clip of Billy's interview with Top Story he did about six months after leaving the band where he opened up about his feelings that caused him to leave the band. I then asked them the same question and got some emotional answers.
Greyson: Oh my God! I can't believe that he was feeling that! If I had known then, I would have been there for him and comforted him. He and I were very close, even though he's the oldest in the band and I'm the youngest. Now about my feelings when I found out that he had chosen to leave, I was distraught. I felt like I had lost my best friend. I literally burst into tears when I saw that news report the next morning before I went back to the airport to continue the tour. It took about a month for me to get over it since I'm very emotional about things like that. I texted him every day and when I learned that he was happy doing what he was doing now that he was no longer in the band, I forgave him, not vocally because I never told him that I was angry with him, and I snapped out of the sadness at once and got on with the tour.
Justin: I had no idea that he was feeling depressed. I wish he would have told us, or even just one of us, what he was feeling and maybe the problem could have been solved. I was really upset when I saw that he had decided to leave us. But, I didn't let my emotions get in the way of what I was doing for the band and I only truly showed my feelings about him leaving when I was alone.
Nat: Why didn't he tell any of us this? I know that we all would have been there for him and would have taken care of him. When I saw that news report that he had decided to leave, I was completely shocked. Alex and I were actually watching the report together and I got up and called Billy to ask him if it were true and he told me it was. I still couldn't believe it then and I didn't really accept it until we got on that plane to New York and there was only the four of us on there and I saw his empty seat on the plane.
Alex: I was just completely taken aback. I was also in denial about it for some time after that. Even though Nat told me that Billy confirmed it to him on the phone, I still had it in my head that he was still in the band. It wasn't until about a month later when I called Billy and I heard what he was working on and that he was happy again that I finally accepted it. After that conversation, I sank into a little depression that lasted about a year. Nat had to take care of me on the tour when we weren't performing because I didn't have the energy to do much anything. I stopped mourning losing my friend when he called me again about a year later to tell me something, I forget what it was, and he asked me how I was doing and I told him about my depression and he comforted me about it and from then on, I was okay.
Gale: (voiceover) I then spoke with Billy about his bandmate's reactions to his leaving. I showed him their answers and asked him what he felt about their answers.
Billy: (tearing up) Wow, I didn't realize how much an impact my departure had on all of them. I knew it would screw up their touring plans but I didn't know that it would affect them on that scale emotionally. I texted and called them as often as I could and they seemed okay to me but they obviously weren't.
Gale: (voiceover) I then asked all of the band members about their feelings about their upcoming tour.
Billy: I'm very excited to be touring again! Even though we're touring almost everyday for six months, it will be worth it!
Greyson: It's a little nerve racking because I haven't seen the large number of fans we attract since the band last performed together as a five piece so I'm a little nervous but I'll get over it.
Justin: Well of course, we're releasing our Greatest Hits album about a month before the tour starts and we have a couple of new songs on it that have never been released! It's all very exciting and I'm looking forward to being back on the road with these guys!
Nat: I'm mentally and physically preparing myself for this! (laughs) Actually, it's going to be a lot of fun touring again especially since we are having professional choreographers working on our dance routines that we will do during the shows! I can't wait to start touring!
Alex: It's about time that I'm touring again, especially with these guys! I haven't traveled since the tour Nat and I did and I've been really wanting to go on tour again! The tour is going to be a lot of fun and I think it's going to be just like the old days again!
(the video interview ends and the program shifts to Gale sitting at her desk reporting like at the beginning)
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