It practically happened overnight. The power-punk trio from England known as Busted stormed out of the gates and into the limelight with a gale force. In 2002, Busted released their self-titled debut album. Their first single was the cheeky “What I Go To School For”, a teacher-fantasizing pop rocket that introduced the world to their goofy meanderings. With their fan base substantially growing after the release of their loopy single “Year 3000”, the album easily cracked the British top 10 chart. If that wasn’t enough, Busted soon after released their number one single “You Said No (Crash and Burn)”. Not only did these successive singles make Busted stars, it also landed them in UK chart history as the only band to have their first three singles chart 3, 2 and 1 respectively. After a year of massive success and accolades, the band toured relentlessly and wrote some new material while on the road. In 2003 Busted followed up their smash debut album with A Present For Everyone, which became yet another U.K. top ten album selling over 2 million copies to date. Needless to say, it’s been quite a ride for the boys in Busted.

Busted seems to going full circle for America as they release their single “What I Go To School For” to the new American audience. In August they also will release an album consisting of songs from both U.K. albums for their U.S. debut. Will they repeat history and take over America the way they took over Britain? Stay tuned..

I recently got the chance to chat with the charming lads from Busted in NYC on their humble beginnings, coping with superstardom and turning down Simon Cowell.

Kiwibox: Okay, before I start rattling off meaningless questions, how about each of you introduce yourselves to the Kiwibox audience?
Matt: Hello everybody out there! I am Matt Jay, the bassist and vocalist for Busted.
Charlie: Hey guys and girls. I am Charlie Simpson, the guitarist and vocalist for Busted.
James: Hello kids! I am James Bourne and I am also a guitarist and vocalist for Busted.

Kiwibox: So how are you enjoying your stay in America?
Charlie: Oh, it’s wonderful. We just got back from L.A., and that was unbelievable. The weather there is just great.
Matt: And New York is just amazing.
James: Yeah, it reminds me of London in a way.

Kiwibox: I’ve always wanted to go London myself.. (sniffle)
James: London is amazing, man. It has the same feeling of New York, with all of the small communities within a big city and what not.

Kiwibox: I know you have probably told the story enough times to make your head cave in, but please tell me how Busted came to be. If you don’t mind of course..
Charlie: Don’t worry, man! It’s perfectly OK.
Matt: Well, it all started a few years ago. I was doing the rounds - you know, auditioning for other bands. I was already in a band with my brother..

Kiwibox: Sabotage, right?
Matt: Yeah, that was our band name.

Kiwibox: How was that experience?
Matt: Well.. let’s just say that we are both doing much better now! He’s now in the band Undesided, and they're fantastic. We only played Green Day covers when we were in Sabotage, and not very good covers to say the least. After that fell through I found myself in a karaoke contest. I did the Oasis song 'Don’t Look Back In Anger' and soon after I got a recommendation from a management team to meet this guy (points to James).
James: I 'met' Matt through a management recommendation as well. The funny part is, we had met previously at auditions for other bands! So in a way, we already had a connection. We would write songs at a remarkable rate. The first song we did together was 'Sleeping With The Light On', which is about stumbling drunk in a room after a late night on the town. It’s much easier to find the bed with the lights on!
Matt: While things were going rather swimmingly, we were in a desperate need to find a third member of the band. We had booked a studio for recording, and we knew there was still something missing from a band point of view. We took out an ad in NME for a band audition. Do you get NME here in America?

Kiwibox: Yes sir! Well, at most large newsstands, that is.
James: It’s a great magazine. So the audition day came, and there must have been over 60 people who came to try out! But it was obvious from the start that Charlie was the one. Charlie’s audition was flawless - truly great stuff. We called him on October 30th, 2001 from the studio Matt and I were working in.
Charlie: I still remember when they called me. They told me that they were putting together some great sounding tracks. I thought, 'Why are they calling to tell me this? To throw it in my face?' But they told me to come on down and hear it for myself because I was in the band. Needless to say, I was relieved.

Kiwibox: In 2001, you guys had the rare pleasure of turning down Simon Cowell at the height of Pop Idol’s popularity. I have to hear this one..
Charlie: (laughs) Our managers set up meetings with many record labels, BMG being one of them. We played an acoustic set for Simon and expected his usual crude sense of humor. After what seemed like forever, he said that he really liked it!
Matt: He enjoyed it so much that he wanted to sign us to his label!
Charlie: We just found a better deal with Universal, and decided to go with them. There were no hard feelings involved.

Kiwibox: Did you ever see him again?
James: Actually we did! A few weeks later, I saw him on the side of the road in his black Porsche, talking on his cell. We passed by his window, and he looked at us and just shrugged! For all of the flack and criticism that gets thrown around, he’s a great guy.

Kiwibox: Lets talk about the single 'What I Go To School For'. Is this song based after a true story?
Matt: Somewhat, but not the racy parts! I fancied my teacher Miss Mackenzie back in school, and the song is based after those feelings. The only good reason to go to school was to see Miss Mackenzie for me, and probably a lot of other mates as well! It’s a fun, catchy song that I think everybody can relate to. Have you ever fancied a teacher?

Kiwibox: Absolutely not.
Charlie: C’mon! You’re lying! I can see it in your eyes!

Kiwibox: Well…there was my art teacher in high school. She was pretty hot..
Busted: (laughing)

Kiwibox: I think I’ll give her a call after this interview. Now what does Miss Mackenzie think of all this?
Matt: She told me that she was flattered that I wrote a song about her. I was rather embarrassed telling her that the song was about her, though it’s pretty obvious!

Kiwibox: I was just about to say that!
Matt: (laughs) You see? Those are the kinds of songs we write. Songs with universal appeal. You can always throw on a Busted track and have a good laugh ‘cause you have been there before.
Charlie: I love bands with a message like System Of A Down or Thursday, but I leave the political stuff for them. People listen to all different types of music to get unique perspectives on life. Our perspective is having fun while you’re young and able.

Kiwibox: On the subject of other bands, I know that each of you bring a unique style of musical influences to the table.
James: Definitely. I am more of a pop listener myself. I think Michael Jackson is tops, as well as Justin Timberlake.
Charlie: I am more of an alternative music fan. My favorite bands include The Deftones, Thursday, Silverchair and the like.
Matt: I’m into Blink 182, Foo Fighters and some hip-hop as well, like The Streets and D12.

Kiwibox: Is there a common thread that binds the influences together? A melting pot, if you will.
James: That would be Blink 182. They are probably the biggest influence on our sound and our lyrics as well.
Matt: Definitely.
Charlie: Agreed.
James: It’s like a circle graph in which our influences meet in the middle.

Kiwibox: ?
James: I would draw it if I could.

Kiwibox: You can!
(I hand a notebook with a pen to James, and he crudely draws a circle graph with the middle area representing the Busted influence.)
Charlie: (laughs) That’s it!
Matt: (laughs) Well done, James!

Kiwibox: ?
James: What, you still don’t get it?

Kiwibox: I’m kidding! I get it!! Ahem. Now, you guys have two successful albums under your belt as well as a U.K. record for having your first three singles chart 3, 2 and 1 respectively. If that wasn’t enough, Busted also won the Brit Music Award for Best Pop Act, facing the likes of Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. So, the question is.. how do you cope with that level of success and celebrity so early in your career?
Charlie: It’s pretty damn crazy if you ask me!

Kiwibox: I am asking you.
Charlie: (laughs) Well if that’s the case, it must be said that I do miss going to my favorite concerts. I mean, I can usually go backstage and stuff, but I enjoy being in there with the crowd and feeling the energy from the other perspective. I miss that. Matt: Yep. And no more landmines, either.

Kiwibox: ????
Matt: You know, like shopping malls, movie theatres, and other places that we could get mobbed at any second.
James: That is one of the great things about coming to the U.S. We can go anywhere without causing a huge stir. It’s a comfortable feeling, although we do want to be as well known here as we are back home! Celebrity is like a chemical reaction - you can’t reverse the effect. Charlie: It’s like trying to turn toast back into bread.

Kiwibox: ..
James: (laughs) Yeah, it’s like that too!

Kiwibox: Is there anything in particular you want to accomplish in New York?
Charlie: I wan’t some New York Cheesecake!

Kiwibox: I can help you out with that, Charlie. No worries.