Do the BACKSTREET BOYS Regret or Rejoice in the Past? - BOP Apr 00
They've climbed to the top of the pop world, but is there anything the Orlando, Florida five wish they'd done on the way up?
Ask the Backstreet Boys -- A.J. McLean, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, Howie Dorough and Brian Littrell -- if they'd trade the world-wide fame and fortune they've found with chart-dominating discs like 1999's Millennium, for a different life, and the answer you'd get would be a resounding "NO!" (in perfect five-part harmony, of course!) Twenty-eight-year-old Kevin sums up to his groupmates' feelings when he informs BOP, "I've always wanted to be a performer [and] I'm lucky my dreams came true." But years ago, when the Boys were just boys with a "b", did they ever long to be something other than pop princes? BOP invited the Backstreet Boys to reflect on yesterday's dreams and today's successes.
Growing up in Lexington, Kentucky, Kevin's hopes for the future were high-flying in a very different direction. "I wanted to be a pilot. I was enlisted in the Air Force but my worst subject was math," the fraction-fearing funkateer admits. "I was always afraid that I wouldn't have the math skills that it would take to be a pilot." And so, Kevin soon discovered that flying a jet required more than just super-enthusiasm. "In high school, I really didn't try academically," confesses the gorgeous, green-eyed guy. "It would have been amazing what I could have done if I had applied myself. Because of that, I didn't get a scholarship to the Air Force academy." But even though he never achieved his gravity-defying goal, the 6-foot-1-inch singing sweetie has mananged to log in a few hours as a flyboy. Says Kevin, "They've let me fly 'jump seat' in quite a few private jets [and] I've flown in a lot of cockpits with pilots," including a ride with the legendary Air Force stunt team The Blue Angels!
Make no bones about it, the Backstreet Boy nicknamed "Bone" --better known as 22-year-old A.J. McLean -- is ready, willing and able to take on whatever challenges the world has to offer.
"I will do just about anything," declares the devil-may-care, dancing dynamo. Anything, that is, except sports. You see, the thought of bats, balls or goals makes this undeniably kissable Kissimmee, Florida resident a little uncomfortable. "It would have been cool to be more sportsoriented," the fleet-footed, 5-foot-9-inch fella explains to us. "Kevin and Briain were the big sports guys since they were young. It would have been cool to play with those guys and not be afraid of getting hurt or not knowing what I'm doing, but that's about it."
"performing for people actually makes me happy"
Like his performing pal, 20-year-old Nick's wish list is also sports-oriented. This blond-haired babester would have really loved to have had the opportunity to play his favorite game, basketball -- with the guidance of a school coach and the companionship of teammates. "Everybody knows that I didn't go to high school because I was involved in the group, so I never really got a chance to experience the high school [way] of playing basketball," sighs the blue-eyed Tampa, Florida beach boy. "I wanted to play really, really bad." Thankfully, he's got b-ball-loving buddies like Brian to turn to for a little one-on-one whenever hoop-fever strikes. Does Nick ever wish he hadn't chosen his current path? "It was a sacrifice that I had to make," he says, "and of course, it's a sacrifice I'm glad I took." So are we, Nick!
While Kevin, A.J. and Nick look back with the tiniest pangs of regret, two of the Backstreet Boys' talented tunesters put a more poz spin on the past. Take Kevin's Lexington, Kentucky-born cousin, Brian. Having been through some tough times as a kid with a dangerous heart ailment (now thankfully corrected), the 25-year-old never worries about how things might have been. He's too busy accomplishing his goals in the here-and-now! "Anything that I try to do, I try to focus [on] and excel in," exclaims the babelicious, blue-eyed B-Rok -- who excels equally at sinking hoops and stealing hearts. "If I knew [I wouldn't be] good at [something], I'd just focus on something that I would rather be doing."
The same goes for happy-go-lucky Howie Dorough. The high point of 26-year-old Sweet D's life is the time he spends onstage with his groupmates, casting a spell on audiences around the world. "Performing for other people actually makes me happy," the brown-eyed babe beams to BOP. "Just to see them all as soon as we get out there, and they yell, 'The Backstreet Boys!' and just jump out of their seats and come running right up to the stage -- that's the best feeling!" Whatever their position on the past, we are sure the Backstreet Boys all agree that there's no time like their "Larger Than Life" present!