Synopsis
Book by Rifkin Sherri
Extrait
PROLOGUE: Meet the Boys!
The fans have been waiting outside the hall for hours, maybe even since
the night before. They are with their best friends, and perhaps with a
parent or older sibling who has come along to make sure everything goes
okay. They have been anticipating this night for weeks. Maybe they already
stood in line outside this very hall for tickets weeks before. Maybe they
dialed the telephone number for the ticket agency over and over again
until they finally got through. Maybe they won the tickets in a local
radio station contest. No matter how they got the tickets, the fact is
that they _have_ these precious pieces of paper in their hands,
and they are not letting them go until they must hand them to the
ticket-taker, who will finally allow them into the hall.
At last the gates open and the girls--thousands of them--are allowed
in. The crowd surges forward once the buzz moves back to the farther
reaches of the line that the time has come for these dedicated fans to be
let in at last. After all, haven't they been waiting forever? It seems
that way.
Their tickets are ripped in half, and the fans race into the hall,
cardboard signs, teddy bears, roses, and chaperones in tow. The wide-open
space that was empty and silent just moments before now fills with
thousands of people within minutes. The fans settle themselves in the best
spot they can find, which with some luck has a decent view of the stage.
The stage is set fairly high up, so even though thousands of people will
be standing at the same level, they should be able to see well enough. But
even though they have now staked out their positions, they must wait some
more. It seems like an eternity.
The noise in the hall increases as the thousands of people pour in.
Soon chanting begins: "Back-street Boys. Back-street Boys." It starts
softly, swells, reaches an ear-shattering, floor-stomping pitch, and then
subsides again. It starts again a few minutes later, washing over the
crowd in waves. Some people are singing snippets of songs. Others are
climbing up on their friends' shoulders to get a better view of the stage
and find out what is going on, but the only thing they see is roadies
walking back and forth across the stage, moving equipment around,
seemingly meaninglessly. When will they leave the stage so the show can
begin?
Finally the lights go down and the screaming starts. The fans don't
even realize how loud they are; because they are so happy and excited, the
screams and yells of delight just come out of their mouths spontaneously.
The chanting begins again, only much louder than before. It continues
nonstop for several minutes, people stamping their feet to keep the beat.
They wave their signs high in the air and hold up sparklers and lighters,
trying to will the Boys onto the stage. Spotlights start to pan over the
crowd, momentarily lighting up the thousands of hands waving in the air,
alternating between bathing them in bright white light and plunging them
into darkness.
The spotlights go out and a momentary hush falls over the crowd as the
tiniest bit of music is heard. Ten, maybe twenty seconds of the song
"Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," and then silence. A pause. More screaming.
At last a man's deep voice is heard over the loudspeaker--a thunderous
noise, even louder than the chanting. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!
Welcome to [whatever hall, stadium, forum, or center]! We have a very
special show for you tonight!" Suddenly two huge screens above the stage
light up, flashing larger-than-life baby and childhood pictures of the
Boys as the announcer says the following: "And now we present A.J. ...
Kevin ... B-Rok ... Howie D. ... and Nick! Ladies and gentlemen ...the
Backstreet Boys!"
Screams of joy fill the hall. It's deafening. It rocks the house. It
feels as if the concrete is moving beneath their feet. Darkness again.
Then the voice returns with a countdown: "Ten, nine, eight, seven,
six, five, four, three, two ... one!" The stage lights up and suddenly
there they are--the Backstreet Boys--striking poses, wearing various red,
white, and blue nylon racing outfits. They move around the stage, waving
hello to their joyous fans, the smiles on the Boys' faces matching those
of their audience. They sing a snippet of the childhood favorite "If
You're Happy And You Know It," and the fans scream back in response. Then
the Boys start doing a short introductory rap. The audience goes wild.
The band starts almost out of nowhere, and the Boys launch into their
first song, appropriately "Let's Have A Party," with Nick singing lead.
This show--and the hundreds of others that the Backstreet Boys have
performed in their more than three-year career--is nothing less than a
fabulous party. They are onstage for more than an hour, singing,
harmonizing, dancing, smiling, waving, serenading,_ connecting_--and
the fans couldn't love them more for it.
No matter what country they are in, no matter how many consecutive
days they have been on the road and away from their homes and families, no
matter how many times they have sung "Boys Will Be Boys" or "As Long As
You Love Me" over and over again, no matter how many times they have heard
the delighted screams of their adoring fans, the Boys always give it their
all. And never, ever anything less.
It's no mystery, really, that the Backstreet Boys are a huge national and
international megagroup, adored equally by fans in Singapore and San
Francisco, in New Zealand and New York. The Backstreet Boys have a great
sound; beautiful, sweet, smooth-as-silk harmonies; slamming dance moves;
catchy songs, both slow and fast; handsome faces; positive outlooks; and,
not the least of it, a genuine appreciation for their fans. It's a
lovefest between fans all over the world and these regular, down-to-earth
guys home-grown in Florida and Kentucky. Who can resist this charming
fivesome when they answer that they will stay together and sing for their
fans "As Long As You Love Me"?
For many American fans, it seems as if the Backstreet Boys came out of
nowhere when they started burning up the charts in the summer of 1997. But
the Boys first came together in 1993 and became a major international
sensation in as many as thirty-five countries starting in 1995 before
returning to the United States to conquer their home turf. Theirs is a
Cinderella story of sorts, especially since the Boys first got their start
not far from (and maybe partially because of?) the Magic Kingdom itself.
Ironically, the Boys have a self-admitted reputation as being the
world's most popular group no one has ever heard of. But mention the song
"Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" and people of all ages will start
singing this smash single--"na, na, na, na, na's" and all.
In this book you will get up close and personal with each of these
five funky guys: A.J. McLean, Nick Carter, Brian "B-Rok" Littrell, Kevin
"Kev" Richardson, and Howie "Howie D." Dorough. You will get the inside
scoop on everything from their loves to their dislikes, their individual
talents, their childhoods, their secrets, their dreams, and their hopes
for the future. You will find out how the Boys first came together and
why, where their interest in music came from, how they followed their
dreams without looking back, and how they made it to the top of the
national and international music scene (beautiful voices, talent, and
smokin' good looks never hurt!). We'll follow the Boys' rise to
international stardom (it took a lot of hard work and many nights sleeping
on cold tour buses) and tell how and why the group conquered foreign lands
before they returned to the good ol' U.S. of A.
Follow the Boys on their adventures all over the world. Meet some of
the most dedicated BSB fans (a few of whom have written personal accounts
in this book just for you). Find out to what lengths some daring fans will
go to get a face-to-face with their favorite Boys. Get an exclusive look
at what it is like backstage before the show. Check out the chapter about
the Boys' original sense of style, both as a group and individually. Get
the scoop on each of the guys' love life sitches: whether or not they are
currently involved, what they would do on a dream date, who is the most
romantic of the five, and who has had a touch of not-so-great luck in love
(you might be surprised).
While I didn't actually meet the Boys or inter-view them for this
book, I did do lots of research on the Boys from several U.S. and
international sources--including fan magazines, Web sites, and
newspapers--to give you, the dedicated BSB fan, the best all-out scoop I
could. It's all about helping you keep the Backstreet pride alive.
Now, on with the show!
CHAPTER 1: Coming Together
Flashback to early 1993. The place is Orlando, Florida. No one knows who
the Backstreet Boys are (can you imagine such a time?), because they
haven't all met one another and the group does not yet exist. At this
point, the five future members--A.J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter,
Kevin Richardson, and Brian Littrell--are only cosmically connected in one
way or another. Though they are aware of their own personal dreams, hopes,
and desires, they don't yet know that soon they will be members of what
will become, in just a couple of years, one of the hottest music groups in
the world.
Magical Beginnings
In a way, you could think of Disney World and its environs as the
birthplace of the Backstree...
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