Backstreet Brawl
Source: Backstreet.net and The Globe [June 6, 2000]
May 29, 2000
All that this adoring Backstreet Boys fan wanted was an autograph and a kiss from band member AJ Mclean.
What she got instead was a nasty shove to the face and an over-the-top roughing up by her idol's burly bodyguards!
The Backstreet Brawl erupted when 22 year old AJ turned up for a personal appearance in Cologne, Germany.
Hundreds of the boy band's loyal followers showed up at the city square just to catch a glimpse of the leather-clad crooner, sporting sunglasses, a goatee and long sideburns.
One of them, an attractive brunette in tight jeans and a sexy black tank top, managed to break through Police barriers and get close to the music superstar -- too close for his bodyguards comfort.
"She was clutching a yellow autograph book in one hand and a blue pen in the other," an observer told Globe.
"At first everything seemed fine. AJ even smiled at the girl and took her pen to give her his autograph.
"But at that point, she put her arm around his neck and tried to draw him close to give him a kiss. That's when all hell broke loose.
"AJ put his arm up to prevent her from planting a kiss on him, and as soon as he did that one of his bodyguards- a brawny monster with fists like hams- shoved his hand at the girl's head to push her away.
"The guy's hand was so huge that it completely covered the girl's face. But she was a feisty one and she kept on wrestling with the big guy. It finally took him, two other security guys and a Policeman to drag her off."
The other members of the top-selling group, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson and Howie D. Dorough were enjoying some time off from what had been almost constant touring and recording and were not in Germany with AJ when the heated fan-handling went down.
After it was all over, the bullied brunette gave the brutes a piece of her mind.
"She was furious, " adds the observer, not with AJ but with his bodyguards. " "As they walked away, protectively surrounding AJ, she shouted at them, I just wanted an autograph and a kiss. What's the big deal about that?"
"One of the guards explained to me later what the trouble was. He said, "we have to treat anyone who comes close to our star as a big deal because, in this day and age, you never know which one has a pen in his hand and a gun or knife in his pocket."
When all's said and done they were just doing their jobs but it seemed bit much.
By Neil Blincow
