Bee Gees get chain days off their chests

By Russell Baillie

A big gold chain hung around a neck at the Bee Gees press conference in Auckland yesterday.

But it was worn by Auckland's mayor, not a Bee Gee.

Christine Fletcher turned up in her official garb complete with enough shiny links to have sparkled from the legendary pop trio's hirsute chests back in their disco days.

Barry Gibb, aged 50, and his 49-year-old twin brothers Maurice and Robin turned up in more tasteful black and grey.

Maurice cracked a joke about the mayoral chain looking familiar, and the good humour continued as they dealt with a strange array of questions from local media.

Deep-voiced classic hits radio types asked earnestly about the secret of their on-going success.

Question: "Any secrets to your longevity?"

Robin Gibb: "Sheep cell injections."

Barry Gibb: "I think it's being brothers, perhaps. I don't think a group like us could really stay together as long as we have without being brothers."

Maurice: "I think it's the songs, too."

A wacky teen telly show host desperately tried to make his mark with off-the-wall queries, like "Which of the seven dwarfs would each of you be?"

And predictably, they were asked why they were touring here. Surely with the royalties from all those hits - they had probably made a few thousand dollars in the half hour they were sitting talking - they do not need the money?

Maurice: "It's too long since we've been to New Zealand. We've wanted to come back and the last time I think was 74."

Yes, the Bee Gees generally gave good banter, and in speaking voices where you could almost hear the split in those famous harmonies, from the deep Maurice, the middle-toned Robin to the higher nasal tenor of Barry.

Earlier, Mrs Fletcher cooed a welcome speech and then gave the stars, who play at Western Springs on Saturday night, a city crest each.

The civic souvenir will probably face some stiff competition in the band trophy room among the awards that come with selling more than 100 million albums over three decades.

(Then again, the crest might be just the thing should the fashion for ostentatious neckwear come back.)

Mrs Fletcher would seem to have been at the press conference as the mayor, not a fan. Asked by the New Zealand Herald afterwards about her affection for the band, she offered a terribly diplomatic: "At different stages of my life I've enjoyed music of different kinds."

So Saturday Night Fever is not big on the stereo at home?

"It's not my usual repertoire."

No, she is not going to the concert expected to attract up to 60,000 to the Springs. "But I'm glad they're here."

At the end of the conference, the Bee Gees were given multi-platinum discs for the New Zealand sales of One Night Only, the biggest-selling album in this country last year - and it went back to number one in the charts yesterday.

Each framed disc had in it a carved bone manaia or fish-hook. You can just see the Gibbs being tempted to bust the glass and try them on.

Probably wouldn't be a bad look.