News Wire Articles Leading Up To First Concert
News Wire Articles Following The First Concert
Interview with AJ and Johnny
January 9, 2000 Concert Reviews
Johnny Suede Sound Files
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News Wire Articles Leading Up To First Concert
USA: Backstreet's A.J. tries solo act
The wildest Backstreet Boy is breaking away from the pack.
Backstreet bad-boy A.J., has decided to make his own way in the music world -- when he's not busy with his day job -- as alter-ego "Johnny Suede".
McLean plans to make his solo debut on his next birthday (Jan. 9) at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, VH1 reports.
McLean will perform original songs and covers as Johnny Suede to launch the Orlando chapter of VHI's Save the Music.
Save the Music is a non-profit group that seeks to improve music programs in U.S. public schools.
No one knows how Johnny Suede and the tattooed Backstreet member will differ. Brad Pitt played Suede in the 1992 film "Johnny Suede", complete with a foot-high backcomb.
Tickets for A.J./Johnny Suede's show are $15 each at 1-407-351-LIVE or Ticketmaster.
Credit: Rosie for Beyond Backstreet Source: Allpop.com
Orlando, USA: A.J. - SOLO CONCERT
That album Garth Brooks put out as his pop pseudonym, Chris Gaines, went over like Santa Claus in a blue pin-stripe suit. Yet, up comes the Backstreet Boys' tattooed wonder, A.J. McLean, with plans for a Hard Rock Live benefit concert as his new alter ego: Johnny Suede.
"All I've been able to find out is that he is British and he's going to look different," said Chris Tomasso, Hard Rock International's new senior director of marketing and production and really, really long corporate titles. "He's doing this for Save the Music, so you've got to like that."
You bet we do. McLean's Jan. 9 concert is to kick off a new Orlando chapter so that funds raised locally for Save the Music, which provides musical instruments to school children, can be spent locally.
Lost in the translation?
A.J. was headed to the Backstreet Boys' stylist to talk red leather suits, but we got ahold of his mom, Denise McLean. She said A.J. wanted to do a benefit during the group's tour break, and since it was just him, he thought it would be fun to cut loose under the name he used to book hotel rooms after finding it on a clothing label.
"He'll be doing a compilation of his songs and covers," said McLean, who assures us her son won't have trouble with the British accent because he studied dialects as a kid.
Credit: Loreta Source: Orlando Sentinel December 8, 1999 Issue
USA: What is it with stars and their alter egos?
What is it with stars and their alter egos? Isn't a single large one enough? First Garth Brooks tried to go all Ziggy Stardust on us with his hirsute incarnation, Chris Gaines. Now Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean has had enough of his life as a pop moppet. Instead, call him Johnny Suede.
McLean's birthday next year will see the debut of his new persona. He will play the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, FL on January 9 as Johnny Suede. McLean plans to perform a selection of original songs and cover versions in character. The event will launch the Orlando chapter of VH1 Save the Music.
It's not known at this stage exactly how Johnny Suede will differ from McLean himself, whose favorite ice cream is "vanilla with caramel topping" and whose worst habit is "picking at his fingers." Brad Pitt played a character of the same name in the eponymous 1992 film, boasting a quiff hairstyle nearly a foot high.
It's still bound to be an improvement on A.J.'s first job, when he played Dopey in a production of Snow White. He seems to like changing his appearance, however, having adopted a bizarre variety of facial hair and dying his own locks several different shades. But will he lose the hoop earrings for Johnny Suede?
The VH1 Save the Music initiative is a non-profit organization whose aim is to improve the quality of education in America's public schools by restoring music programs. The initiative organizes donations of instruments, refurbishes donated instruments and works to raise awareness in urban areas.
Tickets can be purchased for $15 each at 1-407-351-LIVE or Ticketmaster. A.J. will be appearing as himself during the second leg of the Backstreet Boys tour in 2000.
Credit: Rosie for Beyond Backstreet Source: VH1
News Wire Articles Following The First Concert
Orlando, USA: Johnny Suede Takes The Stage Who is Johnny Suede? He's better known as the Backstreet Boys' chain-smoking A.J. McLean. McLean unveiled his darker-tinged alter ego at a weekend performance at Orlando's Hard Rock Cafe to benefit VH1 Save the Music.
Any screaming fans hoping to hear that McLean/Suede wanted it "that way" were likely to be disappointed. He opened his short set with his rendition of Stone Temple Pilots' "Down" from their No. 4 album. He was also wearing a Kid Rock-style hat.
Things returned to normal when Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell appeared as himself. Littrell got on stage to sing Brian McKnight's "Back at One" with McLean/Suede.
Any comparisons with Garth Brooks' Chris Gaines character were dispelled when McLean/Suede went on to perform a song while handcuffed to a chair. If that's the way he wants it, it's news to us.
This pop star folly was ultimately for a good cause. At the show, McLean/Suede announced their support for the Central Florida Save the Music Campaign.
VH1 Save the Music was also presented with a $10,000 check from Time-Warner Communication. The money will go towards helping the organization provide instruments and support music education in urban schools. For more information, please click here.
Brian Littrell has his own campaign to promote. When the Kentucky Thoroughblades' next take the ice to play hockey with the Louisville Panthers on January 22, Littrell will sing the national anthem. In return for his warbling, the Thoroughblades will donate a portion of the proceeds from the match to Littrell's Healthy Heart Club.
In 1980 Littrell was hospitalized with Ventricular Septal Defect, meaning he had a hole in-between his heart's left and right ventricles. The hole was repaired in 1998, and Littrell has since set up the Healthy Heart Club to help children suffering from heart trouble cope with surgery.
Credit: Rosie for Beyond Backstreet Source: vh1.com
Orlando, USA: AJ Sings Pop, Blues In Suede's Shoes
'Johnny Suede.' Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean as Suede gets pimped-up and pumped-up with a concert set at Hard Rock Live.
Johnny Suede, the hottest British rock star to launch a career from Nashville - much less a Nashville coat label - sang at his first-ever concert Sunday to an ecstatic sellout crowd.
Not bad for a guy who doesn't exist.
Suede is the alter ego of A.J. McLean, one-fifth of Orlando's Backstreet Boys. It would have been the first solo concert by any member of the pop super-group but it wasn't, everyone insisted. Pay attention now: That wasn't McLean on the stage, it was Suede.
Confused? You should have been at the concert.
It was McLean who presented the evening's take of $27,000 plus a $10,000 donation from Time Warner to VH1's Save the Music Foundation at a news conference before the concert. The oversized check was signed by both McLean and Suede, whom McLean said was getting ready for the show.
"It's the first time he's performed so he's a little nervous," said McLean of Suede. "I'm not, but he is."
Still confused? Keep reading.
The concert opened with a uniformed "police officer" - perhaps a roadie's alter ego - unlocking a handcuffed Suede so he could belt out 10 pop, rock, disco, Latin, R&B and Backstreet Boys songs. Odd that the only style he missed was boot-scooting country, Suede's label being from Nashville and all.
"Our old drummer took us to a clothing store [in Nashville], and made me buy a jacket that had the label:
"Johnny Suede - Dressed to Pimp," explained McLean before the concert. "We dropped the 'dressed to pimp,' but Johnny Suede became a nickname."
Suede strutted and sang like McLean but bantered with a British accent between songs. Suede talked less about himself than one might have thought, but what can you say about a guy who is basically one-step up from an imaginary friend?
"Wassup Orlando! I just want to take this time to thank A.J. for letting me come up here," Suede said after the fifth song. "It's my first concert here for you all so I appreciate the warm welcome, not to mention all the fine looking ladies in the house. I just want to you all to enjoy yourselves on me - It's my man A.J.'s birthday. He appreciates you all coming out."
Suede seemed to enjoy his solo venture throughout the evening, but most of all when "surprised" on stage by one of McLean's bandmates.
Brian Littrell, who came as pop star Brian Littrell - or a guy with a really bad British accent - drove the teen screamers to a frenzy not seen this side of Liverpool or Dollywood by singing with Suede on Brian McKnight's "Back at One" and "6, 8, 12."
Suede diligently - but lightheartedly - kept up the charade throughout the concert. Suede followed that with a song that "A.J. wrote" but Suede sang because "he's not here - he's backstage with his family. I'm going to sing it for him, hopefully better than he would."
McLean said before that the concert could lead to Suede's first album. And if the concert was any measure, there's clearly an audience just screaming for it.
Garth Brooks/Chris Gaines, eat your heart - hearts? - out.
Credit: Rosie for Beyond Backstreet Source: The Orlando Sentinel Jan 10th, 2000
My first official guest on "Kid's Couch" is 'A.J.' of the Backstreet Boys! AJ McLean talks about the end of the Backstreet Boys latest tour, his upcoming solo concert as his alter-ego Johnny Suede and he even grants us the first-ever interview with Johnny Suede.
KID CRUZ: Hi welcome back, welcome back. The tour is done, right?
AJ: It’s officially done. We finished yesterday in Ft. Lauderdale it was two great shows. I’m really glad and so are the rest of the guys that we got a chance to, you know, go back and redo the shows since the whole tornado thing happened and we couldn’t actually do it…or a hurricane, I’m sorry. But you know, it was a great way to end the show. I got drenched with super-soakers last night, so you know…
KID CRUZ: Did someone hand them to the crew, the dancers, or the other guys got you with the super-soakers?
AJ: No, the dancers, the guys, our security cause usually at the end of our shows, I soak the audience and I’ve got my security a couple of times so payback was not good for me last night. I got drenched!
KID CRUZ: (Laughs) That’s funny. Well good for you! We’re going to be talking here in a couple of minutes about a show you have coming up, which is going to be on your birthday.
AJ: On my birthday, January 9.
KID CRUZ: With a friend of yours named Johnny Suede. (Laughs)
AJ: Yes sir!
KID CRUZ: This is Kid Cruz with AJ from the Backstreet Boys.
AJ: What’s up?
KID CRUZ: We’re talking about a show you have coming up on your birthday.
AJ: On my birthday.
KID CRUZ: This is cool. Did you specifically plan it to be on your birthday or did it just happen that way?
AJ: Yeah, I was trying to do it sometime towards the middle of January, but I said ‘you know what, why not do it on my birthday? I could be with everybody hopefully some of the guys will come down and if they wanna come hang out you know afterwards for my birthday’ and whatnot and you know, and I can be with my band and everybody and just have a good birthday. I mean, I’m only 22, so it’s not as cool as 21 you know, it’s aaagghhhh. No one really cares…it’s a birthday.
KID CRUZ: But still, you know, like the first 25 birthdays are really, really cool so you gotta make the most of each and every one.
AJ: Exactly…I’m gonna try.
KID CRUZ: To see AJ perform as um…
AJ: Johnny Suede
KID CRUZ: Johnny Suede. Now, you have to explain it to everybody what’s going on. AJ’s doing this thing as Johnny Suede. Now, what did Johnny Suede come from? What’s that all about?
AJ: (clears throat) Johnny Suede came from a… At the very beginning of this tour back in Nashville in May when we were in Rehearsals, I was told by one of my one of my members of my band to go check out this clothing store. I went and checked it out and bought this jacket and on the inside of the jacket, it had Johnny Suede and…but you know… it was something that kinda fit my whole personality I guess cause he told me to go pick it out cause he thought I would like it you know and I just kinda developed this character based off of Johnny Suede because everybody knows “Bone” and “Bone” is more Backstreet Boys related and this is something kinda like an alter ego I guess I have so you know it’s just like a… He’s just a British pop fiend, just an off the wall crazy guy. He’s got no inhibitions, he’s just off the wall. He makes…he makes me look bad so you know…
KID CRUZ: Oh, ok, so you just needed someone to blame this all on.
AJ: Exactly. So now for all the bad things I’ve done, I’ll say, ‘Oh Johnny did it, it wasn’t me I promise.’
KID CRUZ: There’s a lot of crazy stuff going on in your head I’ll tell you that for sure
AJ: Yeah, yeah, dude (Laughs)
KID CRUZ: I’m just learning that. All the years that I’ve known you off and on, it’s taking me a while.
AJ: I need help man!! (Laughs)
KID CRUZ: So, Johnny Suede apparently is going to be dropping by in a little while.
AJ: Yeah, he is. He’s gonna come by and talk to everybody and say what’s up and a…
KID CRUZ: All the money and all the proceeds will be going to VH1’s Save the Music Foundation, which is incredible, and they’re gonna use this concert as a big kick-off to open up a Orlando branch possibly for Save the Music.
AJ: Yup–yup.
KID CRUZ: That’s gonna be fantastic. Here’s my question and I’ll ask Johnny when he gets here later. I feel silly saying that but… Now, what does Johnny Suede like to perform? Does he care about Backstreet Boys songs or what?
AJ: No, I mean he is probably gonna do a couple a Backstreet Boys’ songs but he’s not going to do them the traditional way, like a we’re gonna flip the script on a… I’ll give away one song we’re gonna do “Hey Mr. DJ”, but we’re gonna do it as a rock version instead of as a kinda reggae version, so you know he’s just gonna do a whole bunch of different types of …a couple of cover tunes here and there and a couple of originals and then a song that I wrote, so you know it’ll be something different!
KID CRUZ: Wow, this is very cool. Will there be an opening act for Johnny Suede? How’s that gonna work out?
AJ: Oh yes, actually there’s going to be a couple of opening acts. One our saxophone player, Mindy Abair, is going to be opening up and on top of which I’m gonna have EYC. My boys are gonna open up.
KID CRUZ: Oh really?
AJ: And then we might do a couple of things together but you’ll see everything from maybe if I have the nerve to let Johnny do a little bit of moshing, maybe we’ll do some moshing. Maybe we’ll smash some guitars on stage…
KID CRUZ: This is gonna be cool, dude. This is gonna be a great time
AJ: Have a major riot, man…it’s gonna be a lot of good
Chatting with Johnny Suede
KID CRUZ: Hey Johnny Suede is here. How are you Johnny?
JOHNNY SUEDE: Doing just fine, mate, I’m doing just fine
KID CRUZ: Hey what’s going on?
JOHNNY SUEDE: Same ol’ thing, different day, man!
KID CRUZ: I like your jacket
JOHNNY SUEDE: Ahh, thank you.
KID CRUZ: Nice clothing you have.
JOHNNY SUEDE: I appreciate it, man, thank you
KID CRUZ: So, where do you get your style? Where do you buy most of your clothes? You’re a flashy kinda guy, dude. You’re pretty slick here.
JOHNNY SUEDE: I try to be man, but um…jeez I’ve shopped in LA, shopped Miami, shopped a little bit here in Orlando, but there’s really not a whole lot to really shop here. I mean, there’s a lot of tourists like me here, so it’s not really my kinda gig, man.
KID CRUZ: So, you’re tight with AJ from Backstreet Boys?
JOHNNY SUEDE: That’s my boy, man
KID CRUZ: So, are you tight with any of the other guys?
JOHNNY SUEDE: I’ve really not really been that close with the rest of the guys. I’ve only met like Kevin and Howie once or twice, but we all went out had a nice blast at a couple of clubs when the rest of the guys were on tour. But AJ and I just kinda clicked, man, he’s got my same kinda vibe except he’s from one side of the, you know, country or whatever you wanna call it, man, and, you know, and I’m on my side, so it’s great. I’m happy.
KID CRUZ: So, you’re gonna be performing at Hard Rock Live on Sunday, January 9 to benefit VH1’s Save the Music and that’s gonna be that’s AJ’s birthday. Do you guys share the same birthday? Or are you just coming out to help him celebrate? Or is it your birthday as well?
JOHNNY SUEDE: We actually do. We found that in common when I was first, you know, when I first met the man. He’s a great bloke. He’s a really nice guy, but you know he’s a little bit younger than me, so he’s not really sure what to do, you know. I can show him some of the ropes about being a good performer and stuff cause I’ve been doing it for a lot longer then he has, but, you know, I think he’s doing a pretty good job with the rest of the guys. He can hang.
KID CRUZ: So that’s why this kid, AJ’s become so twisted cause he hangs out with you wild older people…
JOHNNY SUEDE: It’s probably because, yeah….it’s all my fault, man, but you know I take the blame for everything anyways, you know, so it’s alright. It’s cool.
KID CRUZ: I understand. So well that’s interesting. We’ll see if any of the other guys come out to, you know, if any of the other Backstreet Boys come out to support you or see who shows up. And again who’s gonna be opening the show? Did you hand pick some opening acts?
JOHNNY SUEDE: Well, I talked to AJ about it a couple of times before and he was telling me about EYC, who opened up for the Boys for their US tour and he talked about his keyboard, saxophone, and percussionist, Mindy Abair, who is also a solo artist and she’s going to open up and also a group from Tampa called PYT, so you know it’s gonna be a hype show. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. You better be there, man, or I’m gonna come after you… I’m serious.
KID CRUZ: I promise I’ll be there. I’m gonna be there to support AJ cause it’s actually, you know, I don’t wanna steal his spotlight, but it’s close to my birthday which is like three or four days after that. So it’ll be like a big celebration. I’ll be on stage...we’ll have good time!
JOHNNY SUEDE: Well, there you go. Well, I’ll be there with bells on, you know it.
Source: Cybervenue.com
January 9, 2000 Concert Reviews
If you attened the concert and would like to write a review of it for Beyond Backstreet e-mail it to beyondbackstreet@hotmail.com .
Orlando, USA: Bits 'N Pieces of Johnny aka AJ
Acts who performed before Johnny Suede include PYT, EYC and Backstreet Band Sax Player Mindi.
Johnny Suede, as we all know, is AJ McLean with a British accent, however AJ wasn't the only Backstreet Boy to perform at the concert. Brian Littrell was also there and he sang Brian McKnights "Back At One" and "6,8,12" along with AJ. Nick Carter was also in attendance to support his fellow band members but didn't take the stage.
The night was filled with birthday wishes for AJ (his 22nd Birthday was that night) and Austin Powers sayings. At one point AJ said "Yeah baby, yeah, do I make you horny?" which caused the standing room only crowd to go crazy.
AJ sang "Bad to the Bone", "Lay Down Beside Me", "Hey Mr. D.J.", "Brick House", "Get Naked" and a few more.
Credit: Cassidy
Sound Files
Click Here, then scroll down to listen to the Cybervenue.com interview with AJ McLean and Johnny Suede.
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