Serious news reporter harbours guilty secret:'The Backstreet Boys are my fave'

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Feb 23, 2001 Source: The Vancouver Sun Submitted By: Gina Sarah Galashan Vancouver Sun As a teenager, nothing looked better than 19, at which point legal age limits no longer apply. Driving is old hat. You can vote, (though statistically it's unlikely you will). And the fake i.d. -- that looks nothing like you -- is but a painful reminder of the night you were kicked-out of the bar while your more clever high school chums hid out in the washroom. Yes, 19 was going solve my problems. But no one told me about the boy band cut-off. That's the age young girls are meant to douse the unexplainable torch they hold for hunky male crooners who generally present themselves in groups of five. It's not clear exactly when our hearts are meant to turn, and the Teen-Beat posters pulled from our walls -- mine still hang from my cubicle at The Vancouver Sun. I am a 24-year-old relatively serious news reporter, and the Backstreet Boys are my fave. That's right, I'm down with the BSB and proud of it. (Never mind that this news will prompt my friends to try and enroll me in some 12-step program.) Perhaps it's somewhere between 14 and 17 that most of us accept the criticisms that plague boy bands. "They don't write their own songs," some will complain, or "the group was assembled by several producers." And, most recently from my colleague Kerry Gold, "They're not even teenagers -- some of them are married." First off, who cares who writes their songs. The tunes are catchy and easy to sing along to at full volume while driving down the Coquihalla. Secondly, those producers are, in my humble opinion, darn good at what they do. And finally, most fans, if given the chance to meet the Boys in person, would likely blubber like fools rather than ask Kevin or A.J. on a date. The idea that any little (or even not so little) girl truly pines for the sexual love of the BSB is akin to expectations for a New Democratic majority in the upcoming election. The band members simply represent the kind of ladies' men that 13-year-old boys aren't. You'd never hear Brian complain of girl cooties, and certainly Nick is not into writing lewd messages on the bathroom stalls. Instead the BSB want to show us "the shape of their heart." They offer a promise to little girls: don't worry, boys grow up and generally become caring men -- and if you're lucky they can sing. So far, I'm not totally convinced. I'm still searching for Mr. Sensitive, singing man of my dreams... and until I find him, I've got my Boys. http://www.vancouversun.com/ Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: johnanz http://imrdsoacha.gov.co/silvitra-120mg-qrms Submitted by: Paula Lack of Flash is a downpoint for IPad, only rsoean Apple avoid flash is becuse then people like me could put Flash on it instead of using there Apps so apple would loose money from the app store. Apple did well to create a new genre of devices but should stop tyring to control the market and move over. Galaxy FTW. Submitted by: Kevin Submitted by: Eugene Submitted by: Paulo Submitted by: David Submitted by: Shawn Submitted by: James Comment on this item. Next Item: OK, I admit, I'm a fan of the Boys (Article) Prev Item: They're larger than life (Preview from Vancouver)