Kevin on TRL 21st Sept 2001
Source:Submitted by a friend
CARSON: On the phone, our good buddy, Kevin Richardson from the Backstreet Boys. Kevin, are you there?
KEVIN: Yes I am. How're you guys doing?
CARSON: Kevin, thank you for calling in. We appreciate it.
KEVIN: No problem. Thank you.
JOHN: Kevin, I just want to give these guys here a little bit of background cause not all of them may be aware of, uh, the story
that we're about to talk about. Like everyone else who was affected so much by the events that happened here last week, so
were the Backstreet Boys. They had actually just finished a string of shows up in Boston, and, uh, the tragedy that struck
affected them in a very personal way, um, really hit home. Danny Lee, a carpenter who was working on the tour was on his
way to Los Angeles to see his wife and kid and actually lost his life on the first plane that hit the World Trade Center. Uh, in
the wake of this tragedy that's affected us all, a lot of artists have been talking to the press, and Kevin I know that you spoke to
Much Music not too long ago, and there was a quote that was picked up by a number of press outlets, including the New York
Post, and if you guys want to take a look at it here, this is the excerpt that ran in the Post the other day. "I just think we are a
little bit of an arrogant nation and maybe this is a little bit of a humbling experience. It raises questions in my mind what has our
government done to provoke this action that we don't know about?"
Now, I can only imagine, Kevin, that and you released a statement today hopefully trying to clarify this, but, tell me what you
would like to say about that quote, and was it taken out of context?
KEVIN: Well, first, I want to apologize if my comment, um, offended anyone. It wasn't meant to come across
as insensitive, uh, as it may have sounded. That was a quote that was taken out of an interview that we all said a lot of things.
We all were voicing our opinions on how horrible it was, and our sympathy and our prayers with the families of the victims, but,
we've had uh, quite a negative response to it, and I just want to make myself clear that I wasn't being unpatriotic. I am proud
to be an American. My prayers and my thoughts are with all the families of the victims, and it, it just makes me sick to my
stomach to think that maybe some of the families might have heard this quote and were maybe offended by it, and in no way
was I intending on offending anyone. I was just stating that maybe we take things for granted in this country, and you know,
when I fly overseas, we do a lot of traveling overseas, and whenever we land in London, or Ireland, or Germany, they have
armed guards with machine guns, the security is very strict, and that's all I meant to say. And people have been offended and I
apologize if I have offended anyone.
CARSON: Kevin, you know, I know about, uh, your father was in the army, correct?
KEVIN: My father was in the Army National Guard. He was also a fireman.
CARSON: You were enlisted in the Air Force prior to being in BSB, as well.
KEVIN: Yes, I was.
CARSON: And I know you personally, so I know that you probably never meant anything. But, as you, just out of curiosity,
as you look back at that quote, I mean, hindsight is 20/20, do you understand where some of the eyebrows might have been
raised, given those words that were chosen?
KEVIN: I understand, that, that, that it came across as insensitive. That quote was taken out of an interview where a lot of
things were said. It was a discussion, and, you know, I apologize if I offended anyone.
JOHN: You understand that this is probably a time, during which, um, if we're ever going to look at US policies or anything
that would ever motivate people to the degree of hatred that some people in parts of the world might feel for this country, this is
probably not a time that people even want to think about, or discuss what those policies were.
KEVIN: Right, and I mean, I think as a citizen of these United States, we, we have that freedom to ask questions about our
government, about our policies, and I don't think there's anything wrong with asking questions. But, uh, I should've, I should've
been more responsible and maybe thought that my comments could have hurt some people's feelings and that our nation was in
mourning, and uh, it was a little irresponsible of me. I was acting out of emotion. I'd been doing interviews all day and that was
my fifth interview and every interview we were talking about how horrible it was, and at that point, I was just overwhelmed with
anger, and I spoke out of emotion.
CARSON: Plus, I'll tell you what Kevin, really, in Kevin's defense, for those of us, um, who are in this situation where, imagine
being somebody in the public eye that every single word that comes out of your mouth you have to live with and justify, where
everyone else in this room, or watching this show, can sit at their house, in their local restaurant, talk on the phone with their
friends, have their own personal commentary, and mean it a certain way, say it out of a moment of rage, and yet, they'll never
be asked to be responsible for it.
JOHN: Explain it, or.
CARSON: It's unfortunate that certain celebrities just have to, you know, live and die by these things.
JOHN: Kevin, I know you're still out on the road. Are you guys talking about this, addressing what happened on stage every
night?
KEVIN: Addressing the tragedy, or addressing the comment?
JOHN: No, no, the tragedy, the events of the past week.
KEVIN: Well, in our show we have a little portion of the show where we sing "America the Beautiful" and we dedicate it to
Danny Lee, and to his memory. So, yeah, we are discussing it, and it is a part of our show.
CARSON: And I'll mention quickly, tomorrow on TRL we're going to have the video for U2's Bono put together a string of
celebrities and musicians to come together to remake "What's Going On" the classic Marvin Gaye song. We're gonna have it
for the first time anywhere premier tomorrow. I know the Backstreet Boys were involved in that, correct Kevin?
KEVIN: Yes, we were and we're proud to be involved in that.
CARSON: Okay, good.
KEVIN: We're excited about that.
JOHN: Kev, thanks for calling in man, we appreciate it.
KEVIN: I appreciate you guys giving me the opportunity, to, to clarify this.
CARSON: You got it. Send our best to the boys.
KEVIN: Thank you.