When you hear the name BELL BIV DEVOE, you think of classics like "Poison," "Do Me" and "When Will I See You Smile Again.' And when you hear from the Boston natives, who along with New Edition celebrates 30 years in the music business this year, you hear the passion still in them to entertain. Just before they ripped the Verses and Flow stage, we sat down with them and talked about their 30 year ride, if they had any regrets, and what there's still left to do before they go out on their own terms.
LA: All right. So welcome to Verses and Flow. Happy 30th anniversary to the other group that you guys are a part of.
Ron: No doubt.
Which songs will you be blessing us with on stage?
Ron: Oh, we're going to take them back and give them the classics, "Poison" and that sensual ballad, "When Will I See You Smile Again?"
Everybody's looking forward to that. And speaking of which, you're here as Bell Biv DeVoe. Is this part of a tour?
Mike: We just move. We started last year and we've been doing shows all summer. We've done the Essence Festival, the BET Experience. We work, man.
Trust me, I know.
Mike: Shows on the books between now and November, as a matter of fact, and they're coming in constantly. It's a beautiful thing, man. People want to see us perform. We've got a loyal following and we're definitely grateful.
I know last year you all did the tour leading up to the 30th. Now that the 30th is here, is there one special gig or is there one place where you're going to film a concert to make into a DVD?
Ricky: Actually, that's a good question. We performed at the Essence this year as well as the BET show out here in LA. But as far as our own New Edition special, that's not in the works right now. We're looking to do a new record as well as a big tour behind that. We're still putting the pieces to the puzzle together.
Is it a New Edition record or a Bell Biv DeVoe record?
Ricky: Both.
Very cool. Now, here's a question that I've got to ask. I'm in my early 40s, right? I can't walk up the stairs without being out of breath, because when I was trying to get up to the interview room, it wasn't working out for me very well...
Ron: Yeah, I heard that. [laughs]
You guys, you all do the moves. Every night, every show, how in the world do you all keep up that stamina?
Ron: Aw, man, just having a love for what we do. I guess it all started before we came out. 1983, of course, "Candy Girl." Three or four years before that, we would rehearse four or five hours a day, man. Any time you're rehearsing something for four or five hours a day, and all you have to do is go on stage for maybe a half an hour, fortyâfive minutes to an hour, you kind of build up the stamina to make that happen. Over time, it's just something that's kind of built in us. But don't get me wrong. I mean, nowadays we got to fall back and hop up in a hot tub or something like that, and slide some Epsom Salt up in that.
But it's a beautiful thing, man. We just love what we do, and don't take it for granted, and definitely want to give the people what they deserve.
30 years ago when you all started this, did you all think it would turn into this? When you all came out in '83, what was the goal? What did you all think you all were going to do before this turned into what it is?
Mike: To be honest, some of the times I wish we never did make it. I think we all share trying to curb this answer, but some things have been good for us, and some things have hindered us. We're just at that point now where we're standing in front of the finish line, and we just hope that we do what we're supposed to do to cross over. To come this far and not to finish out the things that we know we're supposed to do would just be disappointing for all of the hard work and where we come from.
Even in the group, man, the hardest thing is getting everybody on the same page. Sometimes it takes 30 years just to get on the same page.
[laughter]
You mentioned the finish line, but I know it isn't ever going to stop for New Edition. There was talk a couple years ago that maybe you all were going to do a residency in Vegas or something like that. Is that something that you might consider down the road or is it the same thing about being hard to get people on the same page?
Mike: I think what Toni Braxton did, Celine Dion, and what Boyz II Men are doing, I find that it's easy to get in the room, it's easier to play a date. So in order to get in the room, it has to probably be the right hotel and to let them know that our audience will come and support so that the numbers are like Celine Dion. Because you could go get the room, but if you don't have that contract and the numbers and all that, then it's almost like leave it alone. They've got the money and I think once we probably do the movie or the record, something that's a real milestone, it seems like that's the natural...
Progression.
Ricky: There you go.