BACKSTREET BOYS: Giving Thanks - BOP Dec 99
With Thanksgiving Day drawing near, the "I Want It That Way" wonderboys find themselves reflecting on the things that make them feel most grateful
The Backstreet Boys don't need plates piled high with turkey and pumpkin pie to get into a thankful mood. All year long, the grateful guys behind this year's smash album Millennium make a special effort to acknowledge friends, family and fans for the love and support they've given over the year. But Thanksgiving Day approaching, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean and Kevin Richardson can't help thinking about all about the thanksworthy things in their lives--including the less obvious things that have made them happier and healthier over the past year.
VITAL VITAMINS
You've waited forever to see the Backstreet Boys in concert. So how majorly bummed would you be if, at the last minute, the performance was canceled because A.J. came down with the flu? Not as bummed as the 21-year-old balladeer would be. A.J. tells BOP that the stage is one of his very fave places to be. "Seeing the fans out there singing along with us--is the best," he smiles.
But staying consistently healthy and strong enough to hit the stage isn't easy. "It's hard," A.J. concedes. "When you're on the road, you're so susceptible to getting sick. You're adjusting to new schedules and new time zones, you're not eating right and stuff. Your resistance to germs is low." To keep those germs from getting into his bod and making him miss precious preformances for fans like you, A.J. relies on vitamins. "We take Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, D, all that stuff, every day," he reveals.
BETTER THAN GRAVY: THE NAVY
If Kevin weren't belting out hit tunes with the Backstreet Boys, he'd be cruising around the clouds in the sky. "I've always wanted to be a pilot," the 28-year-old cutie confesses. "I just love flying--the freedom up there in the sky." In fact, Kev had enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, planning to join its elite force of jet pilots, before he decided to try a career in music. (Lucky for Backstreet Boys fans, huh?)
So he was ecstatic when the U.S. Navy called him earlier this year and invited him to fly with the Blue Angels, the Navy's premiere jet performance team, in an F-18 fighter jet in California. "It was unbelievable!" he gushes. Kevin, who sat in the jet's passenger seat, was given a souvenir certificate and cockpit videotape of his once-in-a-lifetime flight with the Blue Angels. He's totally grateful to the Navy for taking him into the skies. "It's a dream come true," he raves.
A BOAT TO GLOAT OVER
Whenever Nick Carter feels stressed or overwhelmed by his busy life, he heads out to sea. "I love the ocean," sighs the 19-year-old songster. "It's the peacefulness that's out there. You go out on a boat, you spend time by yourself, you listen to the water. The wind is blowing, there's fresh air--it's great." A few hours' floating in the waters near his Tampa, Florida home leaves this sweetie feeling refreshed, revitalized and ready to face the world. "It's kind of like therapy for me," he confides to us.
Realizing how great this time at sea is for his mental health, Nick recently bought himself a Ciera Bayliner-Boat. He happily describes the impressive vessel as his "pride and joy"--and something he's totally thankful to have in his life now!
PHAT PHONE CARDS
When you hear him crooning, "I want it that way," you can bet that Howie isn't referring to the time he spends away from his Orlando, Florida family. Sure, Sweet D digs going on concert tours with his fellow Backstreet Boys and performing for his beloved fans all over the world. But this 26-year-old honey admits that deep down inside, he's a devoted "family man" who loves hanging with his close-knit clan. "When we're on tour, the thing I miss the most about home is my family," Howie sighs. "I hardly ever see them. I spend all my time off with my family because I want to be with them."
But Howie has found a surefire way to keep from getting too homesick while on tour. "I bring a nice AT&T calling card with me," he reports. "[And] I call all the time." Thanks to that calling card, Howie never gets the traveling blues now!
EVERYBODY, ROCK YOUR...BODYGUARD
If not for the Backstreet Boys' dedicated bodyguards, Brian would probably be hiding out 24/7 in a maximum-security fortress, where he would be safe from throngs of fans who start riots at the mere sight of him. While meeting these fans is most often a close encounter of the nicest kind for the 24-year-old crooner, he admits that on occasion, it can become scary. "Once, in Berlin, Germany, a bunch of teenagers swarmed around us when our car stopped in front of the radio station we were going to," he remembers. "I was like, 'Oh, no!' We had to make a run from the car to the [radio station] door. I remember tripping and people grabbing hold of me, pulling my hair and my clothes and everything." That's when bodyguards stepped in and saved Brian from being trampled by well-meaning fans. "They get a little adventurous about getting hold us," grins Brian. And he's more than a little grateful that when his type of thing happens, his "Larger Than Life" bodyguards are there for him!