Fergie

SHE SINGS. SHE ACTS, SHE'S BEEN BITTEN BY QUENTIN TARANTINO. SHE KICKED A METH HABIT. AND SHE WEARS CLOTHES FROM THE HUSTLER STORE. DOES IT GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT?

01

I'l.AYBOY: Your most recent stab at acting is in (iriiiiiboiise, a horror movie directed by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodri­guez. Which ot those two is crazier? 1-KIUilK: I play a girl named Tammy. It's not a big role. I didn't know Quentin was going to be there, because I'm in Robert's part of the Him. Quentin showed up and worked with me on a scene in which I'm being chased. I was running, and Quentin was acting it out with inc. At one point he put on a mask and attacked and bit me. They had to redo the scene about 10 times because he kept making all these noises. He bit and bruised me. He gets into the characters. He's amazing.

02

I'l.AYBOY: You discovered show busi­ness at an early age. Do you remem­ber the first time you made an effort to eniert.iin people?

11 KCill-: Oh, it was never an effort. \Lwi;bs\ I would do commercials in my kitchen. 1 saw a lot of musicals when I was young. My mom would take me to the community theater, where I saw West .W<' Stun: ()kUb<mui!. Peter l\m. Annie. Th.it was a big deal for me. When I was about six my mom saw an ad in the paper

for Karen's Kids, a group that performed at malls. She already knew I wanted to he an entertainer, so she asked if I'd be inter­ested in joining. The group performed show tunes, so it was perfect for me.

Q3

PLAYBOY: You also worked on several Charlie Broicn specials, doing the voices of Lucy anil Sally. Give us one of your lines. FERGIE: Sally's main line was [in Sally's voice] "Linus, you're my sweet babu." And Lucy's was \in Lucy's voice] "Charlie Brown, you blockhead." Doing Charlie Brown was fun. It was a creative outlet for me. My mom has them all on tape. I haven't seen them in a while. I should bring those on tour. That would be funny.

Q4

PLAYBOY: You later starred on the 1980s television show Kids Incorporated with lennifer Love Hewitt. Do you cringe when you watch it now? I:ERGIE: Yes, every time I see an outfit I wore and watch my really bad acting. It's actually so bad, it's great. I just saw Jennifer Love Hewitt. I was going to Hawaii for New Year's, and she was on the plane with her mom. It was really cool. We had a moment.

PLAYBOY: Have you ever had a real job? FERGIE: I was a babysitter once. It was only because my friend was doing it, and I wanted to go to the people's house to see what food they had in the refrigerator. But I've been working as an entertainer since I was six years old, so I consider that a real job. When everyone else was going off to the playground, I was working.

Q6

PLAYBOY: Are you thankful you weren't a teen pop star like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera?

FERGIE: Oh, definitely. I at least got to go through my worst times without being in front of the paparazzi. I think there was a plan for me.

Q7

PLAYBOY: You formed the all-girl trio Wild Orchid and released two albums with the group but left after you devel­oped a crystal-meth addiction. When did you know you were in big trouble? FERGIE: Probably when I ended up on the bathroom floor. I hit rock bottom and cut myself off. At that point I was lucky enough to have my mom's support. I moved back home and (concluded on page LI1))

FERCIE

(continued from page 103)

started meeting wilh people and writing and recording. I never lost focus on that goal. One of the songs on The Dutchess, "Losing My Ground," tomes from that lime. I [lulled over to the side of the road and wrote the lyrics in about 15 minutes. It's a strong message.

Q8

pIj\yboy How did you kick the habit? kkki.ik I went to therapy. I still go. I need to. I went to Narcotics Anonymous. I went to Crystal Melh Anonymous. Hypnotherapy helped me a lot. I love it. The firsl time I wenl was hilarious. I I old the doctor I didn't want to do any of that hypnosis shit; I just wanted regular therapy. The next time I went in I was biting my nails, so 1 told her I'd been biting my nails and wanted to try hypnotherapy. I went into the chair, and it was amazing. It completely worked.

I'l-Wiiov What are you working on with hypnotherapy now?

imi.iK That's for my therapist to know. I'll let you know later.

010

1'i.ayhoV: With the last name Ferguson, bow many people in your family have i he nickname Fergie? kkkc.ik It's a family nickname. My sister Dana is Ferg. We all go by different varia­tions. It's a common nickname for the last name. Irrgie was actually going to be used for the name of a solo album, but then I joined the Black Eyed Peas. It was kind of a rebirth for me because I had gotten of]"drugs and it was a new start.

Q11

playboy The late great James Brown appears on the Black F.yed Peas album Monkey Business. What was it like working wilh the Godfather of Soul? hi.Ki.iK Surreal. F.veryone in his entourage was dressed to the nines. Somebody wanted to lake .i picture of all of us. James snapped his lingers, and one of his entourage came out with a comb and handed il lo him. Not one hair was out of'place, but he proceeded lo comb il jusl lo make sure.

012

l'l.-\YBi)Y: The Dutchess was your fust solo album. Why go solo? kkrcik The Black F.yed Peas' music is very parly-oriented. In that context I don't know if people know (he more intimate side of me, the romantic and sensual side. I wanted lo let people in a bit more on lllis album. Next time I might do a reggae or hip-hop album—I don't know what I'll do, but lor this album I wanted to gel really personal with the audience.

013

playboy You worked on The Dutchess wilh Black F.ved Pea Will.i.am. Were

you nervous about doing solo material with a fellow band member? KERtilK: My plan in the beginning was to work with Will; I just stuck by it. It was also convenient because we were on tour and I had to finish the album. We had a bus with a recording studio, so a few hours before we went onstage we could go in and get some stuff done. 1 felt pressured at the end because I had a deadline. If it were up to me, I'd still be working on it, but Jimmy Iovine, the head of Interscope Records, heard some songs and wanted to put it out. You can't argue with him.

Q14

playboy: In the summer of 2005 a photo circulated in which it appeared you had peed in your pants onstage in San Diego. What was your first reaction? Kt.KUK: Embarrassment. Everyone told me not to talk about it, but I wanted to call peo­ple and tell them what had happened. I was advised not to, and I didn't for a while. Now I'm just honest about it. It's embarrassing, but you just have to let it go at some point.

Q15

p[.avbov: What are you allowed to say about it now?

KKR(;|K: I'm allowed to say what I want. I'll just tell you the truth. I was late for the show. It was either go in the dressing room and get glam, get hair and makeup done, or go to the stage. The show had already started. 1 chose to get up there for the people who had bought the tickets.

Q16

pi.ayboY: Have you ever met Sarah Fergu­son, the Duchess of York? fkrc.iK: We talked on the phone, and we're going to meet. She set up a phone call with me, which is very flattering and surreal. I mean, she's royalty. It was cool. I think we're going to do something for charity- It takes a bit of time for these things to happen, but we're doing it.

Q17

playboy: Your boyfriend, Josh Duhamel, stars on the television show Las

legas. How did the two ot you meet.' fkrcik: I met him on his show. 1 had read in a magazine that he had a naughty dream about me. .All my friends knew about him because he had been a soap-opera star. I'm not into soap operas, but they told me, "You gotta go out with him. Do it for the group. Take one for the team." Time went by. and I saw on the schedule that we were taping a show called Las I 'egos, and 1 thought. Is this the show he's on? We met, and I said, "I read you had a dream about me.' He said yeah, and I asked, "Was it good?" He said it was. So we hit it off.

Q18

Pi-AYBOY: Do you make him dance with you to the Black Eyed Peas? kerc.ik: Make him? He wants (o. [laughs] He likes dancing. I slow dance with him, but I have to stand on his feet because I'm too short. He's six-foot-three and I'm five-foot-four. Luckily I took ballet, so I know how to stand en pointe. He just dances for me in private, and I dance for him in private, in some very interest­ing outfits. He bought me these amaz­ing boots at the Hustler store. They're thigh-high black patent leather with a big long zipper. They're hard to get on. but it's worth it.

Q19

playboy: Are any other outfits involved when you and Josh are together? FERGit Oh, I do it all.

Q20

playboy The Black Eyed Peas tour nearly 300 days a year. How do you deal with that much time on the road? KKK(.iE: Recently I took my sister with me. That's a cool thing. It makes me feel a little more normal to have some family on the road. And I call everyone a lot. I have huge phone bills. My iast one was maybe $1,000. It's getting serious.

Read the 21st question at playbay.com/magazinr.