Backstreet bad boy a good boy now

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Sep 13, 2001 Source: The Ottawa Citizen Submitted By: JMW A.J.'s fans forgive his weaknesses Written by Bruce Deachman Breathe easy, kids. Backstreet's back. After a six-week hiatus, taken so that band member A.J. McLean could enter a 30-day rehabilitation program for alcohol abuse, depression and anxiety, the five-man Orlando-bred boy-band is up and touring again. And by all accounts, McLean's stint with frailty, weakness, mortality -- whatever you want to call it -- has turned him into something of a love magnet, as the group's fans, already a fairly adoring lot, have turned to the singer like children to a wounded bird. "Thank you for waiting," said cohort Nick Carter to the massed tweenies at a New Jersey concert last week. "I want you to scream for A.J. My brother's been through some tough times." And scream they did, showing that the bond to a fallen angel can be stronger than the attachment to an unscathed one. "I want to thank each and every one of you for your support," said McLean, 23. "I wish I could hug and kiss every one of you, but I don't have the time. "Today," he added, in a bit of 12-step program patter he's repeating at concert after concert, "I'm 64 days sober." Two days earlier, he told a Long Island, N.Y. audience that "I want to thank each and every one of you and give you all a hug and kiss ... Today is 62 days sober." The support for McLean has been overwhelming. At last week's MTV video awards ceremony, comedian-host Jamie Foxx came under fire, including hisses from the audience, for insensitive remarks about McLean and singer Mariah Carey's recent nervous breakdown. As the Backstreet Boys gave out the evening's first award, McLean thanked MTV and fans for supporting him during his time in rehab. "Today is 64 days sober, and I'm proud of it," he said. But as the group made their way off the stage, Foxx held out a bottle to them. "You want some champagne, some champagne?" he joked. "It's apple cider, apple cider! You can drink apple cider, can't you?" For those counting, it'll be 73 sober days when he hits Ottawa for Saturday's Corel Centre show, assuming, of course, that the wagon continues to roll. Apart from their repetitive, upbeat confessionals on-stage, though, the Boys haven't spoken much about McLean's turnaround since his treatment. In an interview with nationally-syndicated radio host Rick Dees, band member Brian Littrell alighted upon and left the subject with hummingbird-like speed. "A.J. is doing quite well, actually," said Littrell, "which is good news to everybody; for sure all of our fans." The interview then moved on to discuss golf and cologne. A post-rehab online chat with McLean's mother, broadcast by ABC News, sheds a little more light on the subject. Denise McLean believes that her son's recent difficulties resulted from a struggle between his two personalities; the bad-boy onstage image of A.J., and the sweet Alex she raised. "He has rediscovered Alex," she said. "Hopefully now the personalities will be in the right order, so to speak, meaning that Alex will be the primary personality and A.J. will be the secondary personality, or stage persona, only. That is a goal of his." A.J.'s month-long treatment, according to his mother, included not only the obligatory AA meetings (which he apparently attends daily), but grieving sessions to help him work through the recent death of his grandmother. "The rehab has given him more coping mechanisms and tools that he needs to implement into his everyday living," she claims, "so that he can learn to cope with his life and his work and the lifestyle that goes with it. "I believe he realized that he could not cope with the lifestyle and control it on his own anymore." It was likely a long time coming. In an article that appeared in Rolling Stone last December, McLean talked about the depression he suffered during the band's early years of European tours. "The minibar at the hotel was paid for by the record company," he recalled, "and after the show, I would sit up there in my room. "I couldn't go down to the bar; there were too many fans downstairs. I would just sit there and watch a movie and drink a shot of Jack (Daniels) or beer." But McLean, more so than the other four Boys, thrives on the rush of performing, of being front-and-centre. Aside from the Backstreet Boys gig, he does solo performances, under the name Johnny No Name, singing cover tunes by Stone Temple Pilots and Rage Against The Machine. "I've been in this business for ... years," he told Rolling Stone. "I don't know anything else. I don't want to know anything else. I live, eat, sleep, breathe, shit -- whatever -- this business. "This is my life." The Backstreet Boys perform Saturday at the Corel Centre, with Sisqo and Krystal opening. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show are $79 and $99 and are available, with a surcharge, from Ticketmaster, at (613) 755-1111. Comment on this item. Next Item: Backstreet Boys crew member killed in Tuesday's terrorist attacks Prev Item: Backstreet Boys Pay Tribute To Crew Member Who Died In Terrorist Attack