Post by ~Street~Thang~ on May 19, 2006 8:22:13 GMT -5
No need to check your calendar; it is indeed 2006, and New Edition is indeed still going strong. The on again, off again, back on again R&B group has reunited, this time with Bobby Brown, and just wrapped up a U.S. tour.
Ralph Tresvant, the lead singer of this veteran boy band, also recently released his first solo album in 12 years titled, 'Rizz Wa Faire.' In Off Topic with Tresvant we talked Beantown and his favorite Bobby Brown moment. His answer might surprise you.
What are you 'Sensitive' about?
I'm sensitive about family. The world. The state of where I grew up. My kids. They are all beautiful and dear to me. It's those types of things that move me.
Favorite Bobby Brown moment?
I have a whole bunch of Bobby Brown moments. I'm a big Bobby Brown fan. I learned a lot from being around Bobby as far as being assertive and not being too reserved. I also think of Bobby driving past a homeless person and giving them $500, $600 dollars. He's a very, very, warm person. People don't see that side of Bobby.
Will there ever be another group like New Edition?
I think there will be one day. Right now, nobody is doing that. There are a lot of groups that have that swagger. New Edition has a mixture of chicken and champagne. It's like the ghetto meets Las Vegas. Ghetto Vegas.
If you compared New Edition to the Five Heartbeats, we already know who Bobby Brown would be. But who would you compare yourself to? I think I would be closer to Duck (Robert Townsend). He had more of a musical drive. I wasn't wildin out. I wasn't really chasing a lot of the women like some of the other fellas were. I was doing a lot of song writing and learning how to play every new instrument that came out.
What's your nickname?
They call me Rizzo, Riz. Some people call me Riz Trizz. It was something we all did in Boston coming up. If you took the first letter in your name and added Izzz to it, that was your name. Close friends call me Riz or Rizzo. Family members, if you walk up on me and call me Pookie, you either my aunt, my uncle, my cousin, you somebody real close. Depending on what I hear shouted out, I know how tight we are.
What's the biggest difference touring now compared to 20 years ago?
Now we can hear what we are singing about when we hit the stage. Back then it was a constant high pitched scream. The marketplace is different. Everybody is kind of spoiled now. The artists don't have to do as much. I don't see the work, I don't really see it. Back then you had to work. From the time you hit to the time it ended.
