KNOCKOUT!

Backstreet Boys may seem like the sort of nice boys you'd take home to meet your mum - but is it all a cover? We pose them some of the toughest questions in pop and watch the fists fly... or do they?

OK, SO WHO'S THE TOUGHEST IN THE BAND?

Nick: AJ doesn't let things bother him that much, but I guess all of us are tough at times...

Brian: Different things affect different people, so I suppose we've all got a tough side.

Howie: We all stand our ground as individuals. We don't let anybody push us around.

AJ: But I feel in our position, if you don't like what someone's saying you walk away, you don't start a fight. You don't argue, you just be grown up bout it and walk away...

ARE YOU TOUGH ENOUGH TO SAY NO TO THINGS YOU'VE BEEN TOLD TO DO IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN THEM?

Howie: I thinkit depends on the situation. We want to be successful so we listen to what people are saying, then we weight it up between ourselves and if it's something we're totally against then we'll stand up and say no!

BUT YOU SEEM TO GET ON WITH EVERYBODY - DO YOU EVERGET CROSS WITH PEOPLE?

Brian: Sure, everybody has their bad days. Sometimes you woke up on the wrong side of the bed and feel like being a grouch, but you try not to let it affect your life, perticularly as our life is our career and our career is our life.

WHAT ABOUT YOU THEN, NICK - DO YOU EVER GET FED UP OF PEOPLE CALLING YOU THE CUTE ONE?

Nick: (going all sweet and coyly looking up from under his fringe) No way, I think it's great - I love the attention!

Brian: Well, you know, he's the youngest, so he's always gonna get that, but I can promise you he doesn't mind it at all - do you Frack?

HAVE YOU EVER HAD TO GET A BIT TOUGH WITH THE FANS?

Kevin: Well, we've had to stop the show a couple of times and get everybody to step back and calm down to stop people getting hurt, and sometimes the fans take articles off your body. I've had a necklace ripped off, my earrings ripped out and once I had a ring taken off my finger. It was really sentimental to me and I was like, 'Please, whoever took my ring, please give it back to me!' Then our security guy, Randy, made an announcement that if someone gave the ring back he'd give them backstage passes - and fortunately they did!

AJ: I'm really shocked, because all the jangly stuff I wear, nobody's ever tried to take anything from me, except one time I got a bracelet torn off, but nobody's ever touched anything else - I just lose stuff on my own!

Brian: We've had a lot of hats taken off us walking out of places! I remember once we were leaving a school in Germany and I was holding my cap on my head and somebody just grabbed it and started stretching it - I kept holding on to it, then the next thing I heard it go, cccrrcccchh (huge ripping sound)! I was real mad by that point, so I pulled it off my head and just threw it! I was like, 'You want it?' I mean, what can you do? Then another time we were running into a hotel and there were loads of girls coming down the street and this girl jumped right in my way! I couldn't go round her 'cause she was dead smack in the way. She went to reach for me to hug me, and I kinda picked her up and kept running then set her down again! I didn't want to rude, but I was gonna either get hurt or knock her flying!

Nick: I remember one time I was running into a hotel and this girl actually jumped on my back! She had her arms round my neck and I just kept running! I got all the way to the elavator with this girl still hanging off my back, and Randy had to come and literally pick her off. It was real funny - she just wouldn't let go, and I'm there walking around with her stuck to me!

YOU SEEM A LOT COOLER THESE DAYS...

Nick: It's not so much cool, it's just a bit more mature, because that's what's happening - we're all getting older and more grown up. Me, I'm not the same 13 year old I was when we started. We're all growing up, and our music's growing older, too. The music will change a little bit at a time, but not too much because things are going great - they're really good right now!

DO YOU EVER WORRY THAT AS YOU'RE MOVING ON YOU'RE LEAVING YOUR ORIGINAL FANS BEHIND?

Howie: As we get older, our fans'll get older too, but we also hope we'll get some new younger fans and older ones as well! There's a lot of new competition out there, so we have to make sure our look complements our music and find some way to keep it all fresh.

BUT DO YOU THINK YOUR MUSIC'S GETTING TOUGHER?

AJ: It's getting better!

Brian: It's a lot more challenging for us! We've all gotten better at what we do, and in order to get better you have to challenge yourself to new levels, new heights, and that's important for us. Tour after tour you tend to grow really quickly - you don't want to get stuck in the same groove.

DO YOU THINK ONE DAY YOU'LL DO THE REAL HARD, SLAMMING, R'n'B THING?

Nick: We have done totally hardcore R'n'B things in the past, but it just didn't suit us!

AJ: We can do it vocally, but it's not us!

Brian: It's just not Backstreet, but saying that, maybe some day it will be, or maybe some day there won't be any R'n'B music - maybe there'll be some Rap-Pop 'n' B or something!

Kevin: People constantly put us in the boy band category, but I think we have a totally unique sound.

A LOT OF A NEW BANDS OFTEN COMPARE THEMSELVES TO YOU...

Brian: Well, I've listened to other songs that've come out after us from other groups that were around even before us, and some of the things I was hearing were sounding kinda familiar - you know what I'm saying? Not that we're bothered - I mean, it's a major compliment!

AJ: It's cool they're influenced by us, whether it's the vocals, or the track, or just Backstreet sounds.

Nick: What we do is different from everybody else so they want to take a bit of that, and that's OK.

SO, HAVE THERE BEEN ANY UNCOOL MOMENTS IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR?

Howie: Erm, some of the European photoshoots have been a bit, er, suspect!

Nick: We've been asked if we were going to put out Backstreet Boy dolls and we're like, 'Noooo!' That's one thing I don't think we'd ever do - dolls or lunchboxes or stuff like that. That's not important thing to us - what you hear on the CD is the important bit.

AJ: It'd be kinda cool, though - you could put Barbie with Brian or Barbie with Howie, you know?

Brian: You can continue to make things better on a CD and it can last a long, long time, but somebody's gonna buy a doll and it can last, like, six months - then they'll wanna rip its head off and throw it away!

Kevin: I mean, we sell merchandise, but we don't want to exploit it. We already have a good thing, anyway - Backstreet Back packs. They're great!!

DO YOU RECKON OTHER POP GROUPS ARE SCARED OF YOU?

Howie: I don't think anyone's scared of us. I've read stuff about other groups looking up to us and that's like, 'Wow!' To us it means so much when other artists respect our ability. It's a small community, the music world, and everyone's real close.

AJ: I think we leave a pretty good impression with artists we meet. We make friends every day and I don't think we come off as anything but real, and I think people really respect us for that.

HAVE YOU EVER HAD ANY RUN-INS WITH OTHER ARTISTS?

AJ: Kev literally did run into someone...

Brian: Kev was in a club back home one night, the music was pumping, it was very crowded, he was minding his own bussiness, when this guy pokes him in the back, then pokes him again...

Kevin: ...pushes...

Brian: ...oh, he pushes you? And Kev turns around and says excuse me, then he realises it's Bobby Brown. He was trying to get by but he was being really rude...

Kevin: He was so rude and pushy, and we exchanged a few words and almost got into a fight...

AJ: Bobby Brown was in Orlando because he had to appear in a court, about a guy he'd hit in another club...

Kevin: Then he walked through with his posse and just tried to push me out of the way!

Nick: He knew who Kevin was...

Kevin: No he didn't - well, I don't think he knew who I was, and it was just rude whoever ever I was!

AJ: I'd like to have a nice run-in with Gwen Stefani...

TVH: AJ, you're obsessed!

AJ: I know, I'm sick, aren't I?!

SO COME ON GUYS, DO YOU RECKON YOU COULD TAKE BOYZONE ON IN A FIGHT?

Kevin: We could take anybody on - would we win? Oh yeah! Hey, are you trying to pick a fight?

TVH: Er, course not!

Brian: (in terrible English accent) 'Ere listen, Boyzone are nice lads - don't you start nuffin'!

Nick: We could take anybody on, no problemo!

AJ: We'll take anybody on, vocally, but not physically!

Nick: Next time you see Boyzone, ask them the same question... we're not going to answer 'til they do - we're not starting nothing!

Kevin: Hey, we're nice guys, but if we have to get tough, we will!

HOW DID YOU GET ON WITH THE OTHER TOUGH AMERICAN ARTISTS, LIKE DRU HILL AND THAT?

AJ: I'd really like to meet them because they're all the same age as us!

Kevin: Our manager was telling us Teddy Riley of Blackstreet wanted us to tour with them here in the States - a Blackstreet versus Backstreet tour, as a promotional thing...

AJ: It'd be the street tour!

DO YOU ALL LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER?

AJ: We've already had to look out for each other in the past - we always look out for each other!

Nick: Oh Kev, can I tell them about that time in a truck - it was so damn cool! OK, when we first got in the group there were these kids in the neighbourhood that I didn't like. This one time I was riding in the back of Kevin's truck and they were driving behind us. We turned off and I mouthed something and they saw me, so they started making hand gestures to Kevin who was driving, and he saw them in the mirror. He stopped the truck 'cause he didn't see what I did, put it in reverse and got out and had a real go at them - man, I got in so much trouble when he found out I started the whole thing!

Howie: Nick, I can't believe you... was Kev mad?

Nick: Oh yeah - Kevin's exact words were (in deep gruff voice), ' I should kick your ass out of the car and leave you to them!'

Brian: And Nick was like, only four foot tall at that time!

AJ: I was in the car with them, so Kevin knew he could get away with it 'cause he was with me, see!

Nick: But that's what little brothers are supposed to do to big brothers, isn't it?!

AJ'S JUST HAD HIS FIRST VERY TOUGH TATTOO, SO WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF YOU?

Kevin: Maybe someday...

Nick: I'd like to get one when I turn 21!

AJ: I always said when we were established everywhere that I'd do it, but now I want more!

Nick: I'd like to get the sun tattooed on my back!

AJ: Now I want my nickname, and I really like the Dru Hill symbol with the little dragon. I also want to get my eyebrow pierced. Three tattoos and my eyebrow pierced - that's be cool!

Nick: Hey, let's all get BSB tattoos!

A huge conversation then takes place about tatoos, particularly Keith Boyzone's, which AJ's v. impressed by...

Kevin: ...but I don't like the idea of having one forever. It'd be nice if you could have one just for a year or two.

APART FROM YOURSELVES, WHO'S A COOL PERSON TO BE SEEN OUT AND ABOUT WITH?

Kevin: Arnold Schwarzenegger - we met him at a Planet Hollywood party and he was real cool!

Howie: Cindy Crawford!

Kevin: We also hung out with Aerosmith - that was cool!

Nick: Aj'd like to hung out with Teddy Riley!

AJ: You see how I threw my voice a little bit there without even moving my lips!

Then they turn the tables and get really tough...

AJ: OK, so Allison, who do you think's cool to hang out with?

TVH: Bruce Willis, definately! I met him at a Planet Hollywood party, too. He was really cool.

Brian: What about Will Smith - what's he like?

TVH: Really nice - he's mad, he just laughs constantly!

Nick: So what do you say about us when people ask what we're like? (all in dodgy English accents again) I bet you say, 'Man, they're stupid!'

Kevin: 'God, they're a bunch of 10 year olds.'

AJ: 'They're really wimpy...'

And on and on they go - talk about ganging up!

HEY, ENOUGH OF THIS ALREADY, HAVE YOU LOT EVER BEEN IN A FIGHT?

Nick: I'm the one who gets in fights the most. I've been in a fight with Howie and AJ and...

Kevin: Nick's funny when he's angry - he just starts swinging. (Kev does an impression of Nick wimpily flailing his arms around!)

SO COME ON THEN, GROWN UP - IS THERE A TOUGH SIDE TO BACKSTREET BOYS?

Kevin: Honestly, if we have to be tough then we will, and once we go it's over! But you know how some people get upset real easy and some are real laid back, but when they do get upset you better watch out? Well, we're like that, but it takes a lot to get us angry!

Nick: OK, if we were dogs, let me give you the defination of what we'd be. Brian, he's a pitbull, AJ's a Great Dane, Howie's kinda sweet and yappy so he's just like a little chihauhau, Kevin's a rottweiler, and me? I'm a Scottish terrier!

So, do we reckon they're old tough nuts, then? Nah, they're a bunch of pussycats - just don't tell them I told you that - TVH