Backstreet Boys article from First Cut (October '98)

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Oct 21, 2098 Source: first cut Submitted By: Thanks to Jasmin D [maydayj@hotmail.com] for sending this in Besides Disney World, Orlando, Florida is home to another international obsession -- the Backstreet Boys. It took the United States awhile to catch on to the phenomenal five -- Europe turned them into superstars well before they ever even went on tour in the States. Twenty-two billion records later, The Backstreet Boys have managed to get even the toughest critics to like them. Nick Dolthée caught up with them on tour. Ten thousand screaming fans can't be wrong. The Backstreet Boys have single-handedly taken over the world, steamrolling the Spice Girls and Hansen and making their debut album the third-best selling of 1998. Rewind to 1993, when these Boys were even more boyish than they are now, and trying to make a living as, well, new kids on the block -- no pun intended. Even then, they knew they'd win people's hearts. "We knew down the road that whoever we were getting out message out to, that we'd continue and that we'd grow with them and they'd grow with us," says Brian. And now, some four years later, the same fans and then some are packing concert halls across the country. Despite their fans -- some of whom get just a little carried away -- they don't consider themselves sex objects. Kevin remembers the time a couple of their fans stowed away on their tour bus. "They snuck on the bus," he says, "and our manager rolled over and his arm fell over on the side of the bus, and he felt something soft and it was a girl's leg. She was standing in the corner and it was her and her girlfriend, and they'd been on the bus with us for probably about an hour or so...that was kind of scary, the fact that someone's on your bus and you don't even know." Not that they don't appreciate the attention. In fact, who wouldn't trade places with them? But it's not always fun -- being this popular takes work. The Boys practice everything -- a lot. Fatima Robinson is their dance coach. "I really admire them for the hard work that they do," says Fatima. "I go out on the road with them, they have so much to do, and then they have these screaming fans, and they are always so cordial with their fans." An airplane hangar in Santa Monica, California, became the set for their video "Everybody." It was a kind of Nightmare on Backstreet, where the Boys got to bare their fangs -- and of course, their chests. "It wasn't too bad, the makeup was very simple," says Kevin. "It took about five to five and a half hours, I would say, to get fully made up, costumes and everything." "Everybody" is their most ambitious video to date -- shot in just three days. It's just one example of the hard work -- and fun -- the Boys have when it comes to making videos. By now Nick, Brian, AJ, Howie, and Kevin have learned the ropes on fame. And they know that -- at least for now -- life will never be the same. If you love 'em or hate 'em, it seems like there's a website for everyone. Type in Backstreet Boys on the Web, and you'll find literally hundreds of sites. Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: johnanz http://imrdsoacha.gov.co/silvitra-120mg-qrms Submitted by: suba suba tIeiMb Remarkable record! I ran across the idea same advantaging. Hard test in trade in a while in the direction of realize if further positions am real augment. Submitted by: Monika Submitted by: Eugene Submitted by: Ann Elisabeth Comment on this item. Next Item: Backstreet Boys - A Homecoming of Sorts Prev Item: Article about Caroline Cochran in the Duke University TIMES Magazine (October 12, '98, Special Issue)