ING7.net
First posted Jan 17, 2006
By Pocholo Concepcion
Inquirer
Editor's Note: Published on Page A2-6 of the January 18, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
IT’S been 14 years since an aviation entrepreneur named Lou Pearlman, inspired by the success of the New Kids on the Block, masterminded the creation of another clean-cut “boy band” called the Backstreet Boys (BSB).
BSB is said to be the biggest-selling boy band in history, having broken album and concert sales worldwide. The boy band craze may be over, but what’s confounding is that BSB’s latest CD, “Never Gone,” is still selling by the millions (though not as hot as the previous ones).
The group was not yet famous when it came to Manila on a promo tour in the ’90s, so this will be the first time that Pinoy fans will see the boys (now in their late 20s and early 30s) as superstars perform on Friday, Jan. 20 at the Araneta Coliseum. One of BSB’s original members, Alexander James “AJ” McLean, had a phone chat with Inquirer Entertainment and recalled the early days:
What was your life like before BSB?
I was in Southern Florida doing a lot of musical theater, acting
in plays, modeling in runway shows, joining talent shows, doing stuff for Nickelodeon and Universal as well as Disney. The next thing I knew, I was in a singing group called the Backstreet Boys.
How did you get together?
Nick (Carter), Howie (Dorough) and I met through the Orlando entertainment circuit-whenever Disney and Universal held auditions, we’d see each other. So we got together and soon we met Kevin (Richardson) who was working in Disney at the time. He kept talking about his cousin Brian (“B-Rok” Littrell) who was in the church choir and was also a good dancer and a nice guy. So we got him, too.
How difficult was it before BSB hit pay dirt?
We definitely paid our dues doing small club shows, the grand opening of a pet store and of a car dealership; we sang in airplanes, we did whatever we could to be heard and be seen. We went through a lot until finally in 1995 we got signed to our record label (Jive). We’ve been with them for the past 13 years.
How did you first deal with success?
We didn’t really know what to expect. But once we got their first big paycheck, each one’s first thought was to buy a house and a car. Nick bought a central air-conditioning system for his mom’s house. I myself bought a house for my mom. Things definitely changed for us, a lot, like we were not our former lives anymore.
Kevin says the group lost perspective due to the non-stop touring.
We had been touring for nine years straight and it was just a matter of time before we were gonna be “fried.” Nine years was a long time to be touring and we needed a break. Had we not taken a break, we probablywould have self-destructed and quit the business. We were all tired. I lost both of my grandparents, Kevin and Brian lost their grandfather,Howie lost his sister, I mean, a lot of things were going on at that time.
Then 9-11—it was really kinda crazy. I, for one, got into rehab.”
Could you tell us more about the rehab, what personal demons you had to deal with?
The answer to any pain or anything negative that I was going through was the bottom of the bottle, or cocaine. Now I know that the answer is to let God take over my life and talk things over with my family, my girlfriend and the guys. Communication is the key to any good relationship.
What was the lowest point during that period?
During the “Black and Blue” tour I was drinking onstage. Between songs I was taking shots of tequila and Jack Daniel’s. I would do cocaine before going onstage. I was a mess. I’m on my third-and-a-half year of being sober now. My life has turned around 360 degrees.
How extensive was your involvement in the making of the new album?
We all wrote during the break and I think we submitted something like 55 songs for the album. Took about a year-and-a-half to make the record. We didn’t want to rush it because we wanted it to be the best record possible. We knew that if we had adequate time, we could try different producers, try different sounds and find the direction that we wanted to go. When we started recording in January 2004, we were taking an R&B
direction and then in the summer we tried rock and things began to take shape until it became more of a pop-rock album.