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The Marauders answer the web’s most searched questions | Wired
Britain’s latest heartthrobs, The Marauders, sit down to answer some of the web’s most searched questions. Here to promote their self-titled album, they discuss their upcoming tour, tattoos, and take-out orders.
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“So on a scale of 1-10, how should we behave?” Sirius asks, tilting his face up towards the make-up artist, who dabs some powder under his eyes.
“I don’t think we’re allowed to swear,” Peter replies, getting comfortable in his director-looking chair.
“I think they can bleep it out if we swear accidentally, right?” James asks the man hooking his mic up.
“Yeah, we bleep them out but just as a precaution, we do ask if you could refrain from cursing. Obviously, if it slips out, it’s not a big deal but try not to swear in every sentence.” The mic man replies, clipping the mic onto James’ shirt.
The other three turn to look at Remus, who’s sat on the far right, calm and comfortable. He notices the others staring at him judgingly, but he just shrugs. “I’ll try.”
“Perfect, we are all set. Ready guys?” The lead claps her hands, and they all nod happily.
Show time.
“Hi, I’m Peter.”
“I’m James.”
“I’m Sirius.”
“And I’m Remus. And this is the Wired autocomplete interview.” Remus concludes with a small smile.
“Let’s go!” Sirius yells suddenly, startling the others around him. Remus rolls his eyes, shaking his head but it's clear it's just a front - he looks as excited as the others.
The first board gets handed to Peter, who’s sat on the far left. James next to him and Sirius next to him, finally with Remus sat on the far right. They’re all dressed according to their own style and aesthetics, but they look comfortable. Peter in a simple yellow jumper and jeans; James in a silky red shirt with black pants; Sirius in his signature leather jacket and black jeans and Remus in a baby blue sweater vest with brown corduroys.
“First up, Petey.” James clasps his hands together and the other three turn to face Peter, who’s holding his own board up for everyone to see. The cameraman behind him gently asks him to tilt the board forward, so that they don’t catch any glare coming off it.
“Who is,” Peter starts, ripping off the white strip of paper, “Peter Pettigrew’s mum?” He smiles, tilting the board down whilst he faces the camera to answer. “I have two wonderful mothers, Clarice and Emily. I also have two sisters, and I’m the middle child so I was surrounded by women during my formative years. Fun fact, I was 8 years old when I realised men don’t get periods. Or grow boobs.” The other 3 try their hardest to stifle a laugh. “No, but I loved it. I loved living with women, honestly, when I moved to school and had to live with these lot, I nearly choked. James is incredibly messy.”
“I am not-”
“Anyway…Who is Peter Pettigrew and Adele? Like separately? Not much of a question really. We're both musical artists.”
“Oh my god! This story is so cool. Tell them, tell them!” Sirius practically jumps up and down in his chair, leaning over to slap Peter’s thigh a few times.
Peter laughs bashfully. “It’s not really a story. We were at a charity thing, and I was sat next to Adele, and we’ve become good friends.”
“They’re best friends. We’re so jealous.” James chimes in, looking dejected.
“We’re from the same area and her son likes me. That’s all to it, really.” Peter shrugs.
“That’s a massive lie, they go out to lunch all the time. She’s been setting him up with her friends. For god’s sake, she knows Beyonce, Peter!” Sirius exclaims, falling back in his chair, exasperated.
“I’m pretty sure she’s not trying to set me up with Beyonce. Right, next one. Why is Peter Pettigrew…getting naked? I knew this one was going to be on here.” He shakes his head, looking down at his lap.
“Our dearest, loveliest Peter promised our fans that if any one of our songs lands in the top 10 on the Billboard charts, then he’ll post a risqué picture of himself. And what happened Pete?” Remus explains, turning to look at Peter with a smug look on his face.
“We were at number 1 for 3 weeks.” Peter mumbles, exhaling loudly as he looks up with a flushed face.
“And now what do you have to do?”
“Post a picture. It’s going to be tasteful; I promise!” Peter exclaims defensively, dropping his shoulders. “Right, last one.” He leans the board up against his thigh and rips the white paper off. “Can Peter Pettigrew… do dirty dancing? I guess it depends on your definition of dirty dancing.”
“Oh! Wait, this is so cool. Peter can do the dirty dancing lift with literally anyone.” James says excitedly, tapping Peter on the arm a few times as he tells the camera.
“He’s a natural Swayze,” Remus says, nodding to the camera.
“I guess it’s my party trick. I have good core strength, I think.” Peter explains humbly.
“When you get us drunk enough, it’s quite the view,” Sirius says, winking at Peter, who responds with finger guns and a click of his teeth.
“Okay, my turn!” James says as Peter throws his board over his shoulder. “Alright then, first one. Who is James Potter and…” James rips the paper off, revealing the question. “…Lily Evans?” He says and his face reddens. “Lily Evans is my beautiful girlfriend. We met through the lovely Remus Lupin and she’s the love of my life. I also wouldn’t be surprised if every question on here was about her. I love talking about her.”
“She is pretty great.” Remus agrees with a genuine smile - he'll light up just at the mention of his best friend. “I knew her in primary school and then she moved up to London for university and we reconnected. I invited her to one of the shows and James literally had heart eyes the entire time we played.”
“Look at him! He’s blushing, god, he’s completely gone for you Evans!” Sirius grabs the board from James’ hands and starts to fan him. Peter, on the other end, tries to stifle his laughter.
“Right, next question,” James says, taking the board back. “What language does James Potter speak?” He crumples up the white paper in his hand, whilst crossing his legs. “Well I was born in the UK so my first language is English, but I can speak Punjabi. That’s the language my mum and dad speak. I’m obviously not perfect at it, but I can understand everything and carry a conversation. Watching Bollywood movies and listening to songs really helps.”
“We love Bollywood movies!” Sirius gushes at the camera. “There’s so much that goes on and nearly every single one is a romance. And there’s action and drama and fanfare and did you know, literally, every movie is basically a musical? They have a full-on soundtrack and choreography for every single song. It’s amazing. Genuinely, if you haven’t watched a Bollywood movie, check out James’ Letterboxd, he has a list of his favourites, watch them all; I promise you won't be disappointed.”
“What’s that one song that we like?” Remus asks. “The one that your mum always plays. You sing it really well.”
“She plays a lot of songs, Moony, you'll have to be more specific."
"Go on, sing one for us," Sirius asks in a pleading tone, "Please?"
“Not now kitten whiskers,” James says in an exaggerated accent.
“Is that from Shrek?” Sirius shrieks and then they’re both hunched over each other, laughing loudly and unattractively.
“God, you really are my soulmate, Pads,” James says, wiping the tears from his eyes. "What's the second part of that quote?"
"Not now kitten whiskers, daddy will discuss it later." Sirius barely manages to get out before they both erupt into laughter again, so much so that they're gasping for breath.
“This is what we have to deal with on a daily basis,” Remus says to the camera and Peter nods along, both sharing a quick glance whilst the two middle ones calm down.
James collects himself eventually, slapping his cheeks before pulling the white strips off the next question. “Was James Potter in a Justin Bieber music video?”
“Oh, this is amazing,” Peter whispers.
James exhales loudly. “No, I’m not in a Justin Bieber music video.”
“But…?”
“But when I was 15, I recorded myself singing the entirety of Beauty and the beat by Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj. I even wore a pink wig and it’s out there on the internet for everyone to see.”
“And there’ll be a link in the description below,” Remus adds joyfully, pointing towards the floor.
“No!” James tries to retort but it’s no use, the others start laughing loudly and Remus is still pointing to the imaginary description box. “Okay, last one. What does James Potter…do in his free time?”
“Steal,” Peter replies calmly.
“No! Oh my god, no!” James cuts in, eyebrows flying up into his forehead. “In my free time, I normally hang out with my girlfriend. And I’m a big foodie so I love trying out new places and just relaxing. I am definitely not stealing.” He jokingly glares at Peter who grabs his board and chucks in behind him.
“Gimme, gimme, gimme.” Sirius reaches out with grabby hands to catch his own board.
“Calm down, ABBA.” Remus jokes, leaning back in his chair so that he can get a good look at Sirius holding his board.
“Okay, yay, my turn. How many…siblings does Sirius Black have? Well, I have one brother, he is a year and a month younger than me. He’s actually born on Christmas day which I know he hates but I try and make it special anyway. Um, yeah, his name is Regulus and he’s one of my favourite people on Earth. And when this comes out he’s going to beat me up because he hates mushy cute stuff like that.” He smiles sweetly at the camera.
“Reg, do us a favour and give him a head start at least.” Peter pleads, looking into the camera before his face splits into a cheeky grin.
“Next. What does Sirius Black…wear? Hmm, good question. I think it’s quite telling just by looking at us all that we all have quite unique tastes when it comes to fashion. We all have the same stylist, a beautiful, beautiful woman called Mary. And she’s been working with us since the start. She’s actually dressed us all today and as you can tell; she’s done a wonderful job.”
“The woman is a saint for having to deal with us. Some people,” Remus points to Sirius with wide eyes, hiding his hand away from Sirius’ view, “take 40 hours deciding what they are going to wear.”
“Well some of us want to actually look presentable when we go on a red carpet, instead of looking like a history teacher.” Sirius fires back, tilting his head sarcastically.
“Just answer the question, Sirius,” Remus says, shaking his head, tongue in cheek.
Sirius purses his lips, narrowing his eyes at Remus before turning to look back at the camera in front. “It normally depends on the day or what mood I’m in. I’m almost always wearing a leather jacket and it’s normally black or the burgundy one these lot got me for my birthday. I wear a lot of docs – Doc Martens please sponsor me.” He lets out a little breathy laugh at the camera before taking a moment to think.
“I’m trying to introduce more colour into my wardrobe, but I tend to always lean towards black. I guess…some people have commented quite negatively on the way that I dress. Listen, babe, when you have legs like mine, it would be a crime not to wear a skirt.” He shrugs his shoulders, looking at the camera with a carefree expression.
“That is true, you do have wonderful legs.” Peter agrees, nodding his head.
“Thanks, mate,” Sirius replies with a genuine smile. “Alright. The next one. What are Sirius Black’s…favourite things? Well, this is a bit of a loaded question.” He laughs uncertainly, looking at the other 3 and the crew behind the cameras. “I have a lot of favourite things.”
“Maybe list your favourite movie and artist?” James offers up, leaning back on his chair.
“Uh alright. My favourite movie is…” He pauses to think, looking up whilst he scratches his neck, “It’s probably Pitch Perfect. Although I am a massive fan of Juno. It’s probably one of those two. I’m not a film buff like some people. I am a massive romcom fan. The cheesier the better.” He answers, looking to the side at Remus who shakes his head with a small smile.
“My favourite artist changes a lot. I’m a massive fan of Queen and Bowie and T-Rex. I love music from the 70s; I like music from every decade. I mean I love Led Zeppelin and Taylor Swift. I’m not really fussy in that respect. More recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of Frank Ocean. I think he’s genuinely incredible in everything he does.” Sirius answers honestly and sincerely, nodding his head at the camera.
“Oh, yeah, he’s a genius. We love his music.” Remus adds, mirroring the nod.
“What’s your favourite song?” Someone from the crew asks him.
“My favourite Frank Ocean song? It’s probably Pink White. The violins come in and I feel like I’m floating.”
“Also, Beyonce’s vocals in that are insane.” Remus chimes in and the rest hum in agreement. “Any other favourite things?”
“Hm, well…my favourite TV show is Stranger Things. My favourite food is Indian food, courtesy of James’ family. I love Winter; that’s my favourite season and these 3 people are some of my favourite people in the whole world.”
“Aww, Pads.” James coos, wrapping an arm around Sirius’ shoulder and pulling him for a little side hug.
“We love you too.” Peter chimes in, leaning over to tap Sirius’ thigh a few times. He smiles at the two and then they all turn to look at Remus, who’s smiling mindlessly at the camera.
He suddenly realises that the other three are staring at him and so he rolls his eyes and exhales. “Yes, Pads, I love you too. I know you needed that to satiate your ego.” He raises an eyebrow and Sirius puckers his lips at him quickly before turning back to his own board.
“Okay, last one. Can Sirius Black…speak French?” He says, throwing the white paper strip over his shoulder. “I sure can! Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir, Moony?” He says quickly, leaning into Remus’ personal space.
“No, I do not want to sleep with you tonight Sirius,” Remus replies in a huff, although his cheeks have pinkened slightly.
“I’m only kidding.” He says to Remus, feigning innocence before turning back towards the camera. “I can speak French fluently. However, it’s not my first language and it also reminds me of my parents who I no longer speak to, so you won’t catch me speaking it that often.”
“Unless he’s drunk,” Peter adds.
“Oh, yeah. For some reason, I switch to French when I get really pissed. I’m not too sure why. To be honest, I also get very touchy when I’m drunk, don’t I, Moony?” He grins slyly.
“Your French also comes out when you are angry or when you speak to Regulus,” Remus replies, completely ignoring Sirius’ question.
“And you’ve been teaching Mary-“
“Okay! So it turns out I speak French more frequently than I thought.” Sirius interrupts James, looking into the camera with wide eyes. “I shouldn’t say anything on camera though, don’t want the fans fainting in the middle of the video.”
“Jesus,” Remus mumbles under his breath.
“Your turn Moony!” Sirius exclaims, throwing his board towards an empty part of the studio. Remus gets handed a board and he rests it on his thighs for the others to see.
“Where was…” Remus peels off the white paper slowly, “Remus Lupin born? I was born in a small town in Newport, Wales and then when I was about 6, I moved to Reading with my family. I’ve lost a bit of the accent but when I go back to Wales or speak to my family, it comes back.”
“He’s really sexy when he talks to his parents.” Sirius comments, biting his lip exaggeratedly.
Remus frowns with a smile. “I don’t think the Welsh accent is exactly sexy.”
“Each to their own, Moony. What’s next.”
“How many…tattoos does Remus Lupin have?”
“Is it 9?” Peter guesses.
“I thought it was 10.” James insists and they both turn to stare at Remus whilst silently counting on their fingers.
“Alright, I’ve got the butterfly on my neck. And the little crescent moon on my thumb.” He points to both before taking a moment to remember. “I’ve got the phases of the moon on my back, going down my spine. I’ve also got lupine flowers on the side of my leg. I’ve got my parent’s birth years on the side of my body, under my arm, that one is quite small though.”
“You’ve got the dragon on your hip.” Sirius chimes in.
“Oh yeah, that’s right here.” Remus tilts his hips up and points to the right hip bone. “I’ve also got a quote from the book Emma. If I loved you less, I might be able to speak about it more. That’s just here, on my ribs. Hurt like a bitch, that one. What is that so far?”
“7,” James says.
“Oh, this is spiderman.” He pulls the collar of his sweater down, revealing his collarbones. “I got this one when I was drunk. But honestly, it’s one of my favourites, I love spiderman. I’ve also got a little lightning bolt on my ankle. Lily and I got that one together."
"Juno's tattoo." Sirius reminds him, tapping on his upper arm.
"That's right, I also have a tattoo dedicated to my younger sister, who is also called Juno. Everyone thank my dad for being a nerdy history teacher who's obsessed with ancient Rome. It's just the symbol for her name, up here. I think of her every time I get a vaccine." He smirks. "I think that’s it, so 10,” Remus concludes, pulling his shirt around until he's properly dressed again.
“You also have one in the inside of your lip, Moony. Would you like to show us?” Sirius says, eyebrows raised as he leans his chin on his fist. He's wearing a shit-eating grin on his face and Remus looks as if he's trying his hardest not to react to it.
“Nope,” Remus answers quickly with a neutral expression. “So that’s 11. Next question.” Remus begins to pull the paper, but the camera catches the way the other three smirk at the inside joke. “What…colour are Remus Lupin’s eyes?”
“Moony has heterochromia.” James answers with an excited smile.
“One of his eyes is green and the other is a hazel colour with little gold specks in them. Look here for a minute.” Sirius uses Remus’ chin to tilt his head to the side where he can take a moment to inspect them. “Yep. Green in the right, hazel in the left.” Sirius says voice strained slightly.
Remus swallows hard, his adam's apple bobbing, before turning to the board. “Last question. What did Remus Lupin get in his GCSEs? I got 8 A*s are 1 A. Don’t look at me like that.” Remus doesn’t even turn to look at the rest of them, but he knows they’re all judging him. He gently places the board on the floor.
“What was the A in, again?” Peter asks, trying his hardest to remain innocent. James presses his fingers to his mouth, trying his hardest to hide the wide grin on his face.
“I hate you. It was geography. The mark scheme was shitty.” Remus replies, rolling his eyes and shaking his head, unimpressed.
The last board is given to Peter so that he can hold up the questions for everyone to see.
“Alright. What…instruments do The Marauders play?” He starts, throwing the strip of paper in the air. “We can all play more than one, but we do have our own specialities. I can play the drums, and piano and I’m learning violin. There’s no particular reason for the last one, I’ve just always thought it sounds beautiful.”
“I can play guitar, piano, drums I’m still learning, even though I can play the dhol which is a massive drum that you wear around your neck like a guitar strap and you hit it with sticks. I’m also learning the bass but I’m more into the drums right now.” James replies, wrinkling his nose.
“I mean my voice is the most valuable instrument of all,” Sirius announces and then lets out a little laugh. “I’ve been playing the piano since I was 4 but I don’t play it that often anymore. I can play the guitar and drums I’m also learning with James. I can also play the harmonica so if you ever need someone to do a cover of Piano man by Billy Joel, I'm your guy.”
Remus clears his throat before he speaks. “The first instrument I learnt to play was the bass. I can also play the drums quite well and the guitar. I’m alright at the cello and can whip something up on the piano if I need to. I’m currently reaching into the brass family so I’m learning the trumpet. I want to learn how to play the saxophone as well though.”
“So you can play careless whisperer?” Sirius asks.
“Absolutely, yes.”
"Moony here has perfect pitch," Sirius announces to the camera and Remus turns bright red. Sirius then leans forward and whispers, "But between us, I think he's pretty perfect at everything."
James chokes on a laugh just as Peter rushes to read out the next one. “Right next question. Are…The Marauders going on tour?”
“Yes! We are going on our first, proper, big world tour this year. We kick off in March and we won’t be done until early December. And we are so excited and nervous. We’ve even sold out a few venues.” James beams at the others.
“Yeah, we somehow sold out the London O2 which is amazing, so thank you! We are also playing Madison Square Garden in October which…I don’t even understand how that happened. We are absolutely shitting ourselves, but we promise it’s going to be amazing. We’ve put in a lot of thought for these shows and we want them to be as spectacular for you as they will be for us.” Sirius huffs out a laugh and runs his hand through his hair nervously.
“It’s a really big deal and I don’t think we’ll ever wrap our heads around it so… Anyway. Onto the next. What are The Marauders' zodiac signs? I’m a Leo.”
“I’m an Aries,” James replies.
“I’m a Scorpio,” Sirius says.
“And I’m a Pisces. Our friends say that they are very fitting for our personalities, but I genuinely have no idea.” Remus says, shrugging his shoulders.
“What is The Marauders fandom name? Oh, that’s interesting, what are our fans called?” Peter asks, looking to the others for an answer.
“I don’t think we have a proper, official name. I mean, Taylor Swift has swifties, and Selena Gomez fans are called the Selenators. Would our fans be called the Maraudies?” Sirius asks the camera.
“I kind of like that,” James says, leaning back on the chair whilst he crosses his legs over one another.
“I mean, we could probably think of something a bit more original,” Remus adds, hesitantly.
“Well, why don’t you get on that and let us know what you come up with.” Sirius expresses, tapping Remus’ shoulder before turning back to look at Peter.
“Okay, what are The Marauders'…take-out orders?”
“Alright, we’ve got this one down to a T lads. Let’s do this.” James sits up straight, pulling his game face on. “We normally get an Indian but it’s a proper Indian. It’s been approved by my parents. So we always get 5 naans, 2 biriyanis, one chicken and one lamb.”
“6 seekh kebabs. A mutton korma, a chickpea korma, and a raita which is just a spruced-up yoghurt. We always get vegetable samosas on the side, and chilli paneer for the tall one.” Sirius lists off on his fingers.
“It’s genuinely one of the greatest things I’ve ever eaten.” Remus comments.
“We also get some kind of dhaal, especially if we have any of our other friends over since they’re vegetarian. We also get dessert because we aren’t insane, so for that, we get gulab jaman, normally about 8; we all have massive sweet tooths. And then gajar ka halva and some kulfi ice cream on the side. But that’s like a carrot dessert so it’s basically healthy.” Sirius explains, clasping his hands over his knees.
“No, it’s not.” James huffs out a loud laugh, looking at Sirius pitifully.
“Shut up, yes it is. It’s a vegetable. So that’s a normal take-out order. Oh! We also get either masala fish or a prawn curry as well.”
“Not extensive at all. We’re very humble.” Remus gives his best-posed smile.
“Lovely. Are The Marauders…gay?” Peter reads out, face screwing up awkwardly as he rips the paper off.
Sirius bursts out laughing and the rest follow in succession. It’s only once they’ve calmed down does James answer. “I mean, I understand why they asked the question. We’re sort of the perfect mix. I’m pansexual. Sirius is gay, Remus is bisexual, and Peter is straight.”
“For now,” Sirius says ominously with a sly smile before letting out a little laugh, "Nah, I'm kidding. Here at The Marauders, we respect all sexualities and gender identities."
"Why do you sound like a corporate training video?" Remus asks, looking incredulously back at Sirius.
Peter has to collect himself before continuing. “Alright next question. What are The Marauders’ nicknames?”
“I would like to preface this beforehand and say we made them up when we were literally 13 and they have stuck, even 10 years later. And that we will never give up their true meanings. But I am Moony.” Remus relents.
“Mine is Padfoot.”
“I’m Prongs.”
“And I am Wormy. And no, I don’t hate my nickname – these guys are not torturing me, don’t worry.” Peter rolls his eyes with a smile before turning to the last question.
“Did…” The others wait for Peter to rip off the paper for the last question. It’s the longest question on the board. “Remus and Sirius from The Marauders kiss?”
“What a great question!” Sirius practically jumps in his chair, turning to face Remus with his chin resting in his hand.
“Is that really a question?” Remus frowns, gesturing to grab the board. Peter hands it to him and he looks at it as if he can magically change it. “What an odd question. No.” He replies solemnly, reaching down to drop the board on the floor.
“Oh. Come on Moony, they want us to kiss.” Sirius leans into Remus’ space.
“Sirius-“
“Just one, come on Moony, pucker up.”
“Sirius, I mean it-“ Remus leans back but he doesn’t get far as Sirius keeps leaning closer to him.
-
The shot suddenly cuts to the 4 of them sitting in front of the camera, all with wide smiles.
However, Remus and Sirius look slightly different.
Remus now looks like someone has taken a leaf blower to his hair as it sticks up awkwardly - similar to if a person were to run their hands through it aggressively. Sirius is now fashioning a smug smile as he leans into the back of the chair, looking into the camera as if he is privy to something the audience is not. It also doesn’t take a genius to realise that both their lips are slightly pinker than in the last shot.
“Thank you for watching our wired autocomplete interview.” Peter starts, tapping on his knees.
“Our album comes out February 14th and we officially start our tour on March 4th.” James continues, slumping back in his chair.
“We are all very excited to see your faces, aren’t we Moony?” Sirius turns to the side with a smirk, waiting for a reply.
Remus glances at Sirius and then looks back into the camera, looking half-dazed. “So excited.”
The video then cuts off.