BSB: From boys to men

They have ceased to be boys (some of them have families of their own), all right, but as far as their loyal fans are concerned the lovable quintet will forever be Backstreet Boys maybe even if, yes, as the Beatles sing, they’re 64.

Proof was the throng that filled up the Araneta Coliseum last night at the Boys’ concert, actually their first because when they came years ago they only promoted their first album. Their latest, entitled Never Gone (released by Sony BMG), aptly describes the BSB state of being after all these 13 years. They might have laid low for a while but they were never, never gone.

Brian Littrell, AJ McLean, Nick Carter (Aaron’s big brother), Howie Dorough and Kevin Richardson sat down for an "exclusive" with Funfare yesterday at Crowne Plaza (where they’re billeted) a few hours before they went on the Big Dome stage. Excerpts:

What are your fond memories from your first visit here?

Kevin: We were touring Southeast Asia and I had food poisoning in Hong Kong. But food here was great and I couldn’t resist it.

Brian: We were here for a short time and I remember we were brought to a traditional Filipino meal and I loved the one with a wrap-around (Lumpia. – RFL).

Nick: I was young then, only 13, and the people were very warm. The women were really hot – and beautiful.

AJ: We got some shoes from Skechers. We’re back and Skechers is still here.

Howie: We had a small press conference and the fans were very gracious.

Are boy bands here to stay?

Kevin (With a big smile): I don’t know about the other boy bands but, yes, the Backstreet Boys are here to stay.

What has made you last this long?

Kevin (Still in a joking mood): Viagra!

Nick: We are very passionate about music. We genuinely care about each other’s happiness and well-being. We have chemistry and...it’s destiny!

Howie: We all know each other inside and out, like we do the back of our hands. We know what buttons to push to cheer each other up and to make each other laugh.

Brian: We are like brothers.

AJ: We are family.

How has the BSB music evolved through the past 13 years?

Kevin: The way that we wanted it to. We don’t follow the tides; instead, we set our own trends.

How different are you now from you were 13 years ago (besides having grown older)?

Brian: Traveling around the world has definitely influenced our music and our outlook in life. It has been an education in itself.

What are your fondest memories with BSB?

Nick: Getting gold-record awards, American Music awards, the Grammy nominations...

AJ: Looking back at old footage of us, I realized that we’ve overcome a lot of things. It has been one hell of a roller-coaster ride and we’ve stuck together through thick and thin. We’re still here and we are stronger than ever. We’re blessed and very fortunate.

Kevin: The fondest times were from the very, very, very beginning when we were struggling and trying to make a name for ourselves. Older now, we feel new stresses because people now have higher expectations of us.

Howie: Sleeping on a bus with no air-conditioning during one of our early school tours and we were all sweating.

Brian: When we were starting, there was less pressure. We were like kids going to the big city. That was fun. Now, when we go out, we usually bring our families with us. It has become even more fun.

How long do you think you’ll stick together?

Kevin: As long as we want and as long as the fans want us around.

Howie: Music is everlasting and as long as we’re happy and we’re doing what we love to do, and we are happy with ourselves and with our music, then we’ll stay together.

Reader’s reaction

From Freddie Buan, New York City:

I work in the fashion industry for what seems a like a lifetime and a half now. Back in the early ’90s, I had a chance to see Anna Bayle and her famous walk at a Michael Kors fashion show held at his West 20s showroom in Chelsea. I remember that day very well because it was the first show I attended at a designer’s showroom where the setting is more intimate and one can observe the clothes and the models up close. I was invited to the show because at that time, the company I was working for manufactured a portion of Michael’s bridge line and he was my account.

So I brought along three of my colleagues from work, all Filipinos too of course, to the show. We didn’t have seats (those were reserved for the buyers and the press.....this was the era when magazine editors didn’t have to share front row seats with celebrities and quasi-celebrities like they have to do now) so all we ended up lined up against a wall on one side of the narrow showroom. I clearly remember Anna surreptitiously glancing at us (she was less than 12 feet away after all) many times during the show. She must’ve been thinking "Anong ginagawa ng mga nito dito?" We tried our best not to gawk at her but we couldn’t help ourselves. Forget the Cindys, the Christys and the Lindas. For that 45-minute show, it was all about Anna for us. The show was for the Resort/Holiday season so most of the models came out on bare feet and I think her batis walk came to be called that because she walked on the tips of her toes. It was a little odd to see a model walking and pirouetting on tiptoe but she was such a superb model, she pulled it off so gracefully and so effortlessly. Of course I am biased but we all thought she was the best uber-model that afternoon.

What’s up?

• Corrections: Bebong Muñoz, Jolina Magdangal’s boyfriend, has moved from New York to St. Paul, Minnesota (and not Missouri as mentioned in last Sunday’s Conversations with Ricky Lo...Susan Roces and Charo Santos co-starred in Regal Films’ Paano Kung Wala Ka Na and not in Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita.

•Josie de Leon, a PWU alumna, back from Toronto after seven years, will do a show at the Hyatt’s Calesa Bar on Feb. 4. She was one of the winners of the Fe Panlilio Awards. In Toronto, Josie has been doing a series of concerts with other Filipino artists.

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