July 28, 1998
YahooChat: A.J. is here! Let the chat begin!
BSBgrrl18: How is your US tour going?
Sweet_girl_for_u99: A.J. i love your tattoos. Do they have any meanings to them?
FrickLuva: Do you believe in love at first sight?
RokPower: What do you order at McDonalds?
HereTitlePlace: What's the best thing about being a Backstreet Boy?
Millaco: When you first started out did you think you would become this successful?
Two_yummy_girls: A.J...are you still close to the friends you had before you became famous??
Danielle_14_98: What is your favorite song to sing?
We_LOVE_u_BSB: Who would be your first choice to do a duet with?
Go_Backstreet: AJ, When and why did you first start wearing your trademark goggles and glasses?
Rosa5_112681: how do feel when u think about girls obsessing over u?
Lokahi_CA: AJ- it has been said you are a great fan of musical theatre, which is your favorite?
Kaoschild9: If you could have any other job besides music what would it be?
ThatGirl83: if you were a spice girl what would your spice name be?
B_rok__98: Are you really a big flirt?
Sweet_D_Girl_1: Since you travel all over the world, do you collect anything from all the different places?
BSboysfan123: What is your favorite cartoon character?
Taurus2nd: Do you guys surf the internet often?
BSB_Pride_4ever: Aj-What is the most important thing in the world to you?
Belle_hi: Have you ever kissed a fan?
Hamlin81: who is the biggest comedian of the group?
Sugear98: Who are your favorite current artists?
Skittles13_98: are any of you virgins?
Jeynne: Why do you change your hair style so often?
Luvbsb11: What is the next music video you are going to shoot??
SomeGirl53: What's the name of the new album?
Jennesa: who were your musical idols
Sandra7584: aj how is your day going today?
Hitz584: If you could have a date with any famous person in the world who would it be?
Bbfrack: who is the most romantic of the group and why?
DEV_LUV_BROK: who is the biggest slacker of the 5 of ya'll?
AJsFunkyGirl: CAN YOU COOK?
Bballfan6: whos your best friend out of your goup?
Uthinkubigtime: Are you wearing boxers or briefs?
Dawni_b: Do you guys ever write poetry???
WAgirl__98: Where is your favorite place to perform?
PinayFSA: How did you guys like VJing for a day on MTV?
I_LOVE_MRCool: What do you think is your best body part,A.J. and why?
Decs6: A.J.--------------DYE YOUR HAIR BLONDE !!!!!!! YOU LOOK SO HOT WITH BLONDE HAIR!!!!!!
Decs6: WILL YOU ASK NICK IF HE'LL MARRY ME???
YahooChat: We'll ask Nick when he joins us on Yahoo! Chat August 11th
Pureas_silk: Do you want to star in movie in the future?
Econoline_Crush_Girl__: Are you guys going for a different sound on your next album? What can we expect?
Danielle___1998: Have u ever skinny dipped b4? When?
Pam_n_Jen: What is one thing that you can't stand about being famous?
Razzleberry21: Do you have any pet peeves?
Giovana_ : Do you have any pets?
Ga_Bu_Powa: If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?
A.J.: Thank you to everyone that was in this room with me today.
Hopefully I'll talk to you when I log on. And I will do whatever it takes to prove that it's me whether it means to call you, write you, or maybe you'll believe right off the bat. Thanks you guys for being so supportive and being there for us, and hopefully being there for us in the future. Without you guys and girls there would be no BSB, so thank you very much!
Transcript of Yahoo! Chat with A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys, live from their summer tour!
A.J.: What's up to all our friends and fans in the chatroom right now with me! Thanks for all of your support and we appreciate it, I mean it. Please ask me anything you want, and I do mean anything! And also sorry for being late guys!
A.J.: So far so good. We've been on tour now for about three weeks. A lot of sold out shows so far. We are in Houston right now and we have a sold out show here tonight. I think our most prestigious show so far has been Radio City in New York. It has been a phenomenal tour so far. This is our first arena tour. We've been selling out, and it's been great. Perfect.
A.J.: Let's see. Currently I have five of them. They all have a meaning to me. I'm not quite done with them yet. The one on my left forearm is a comedy mask which represents comedy and tragedy because I grew up doing theater which is my first love. Right above that is the statement "Laugh Now". Right above that on my left shoulder is my name written in tribal.
On my back left shoulder is a dragon, since I was born in the year of the dragon. On my right shoulder is my nickname written in a cross. We have a show coming up in LA on the 8th, and I want to get a panda bear on my right forearm. Reason being is because in my eyes it combines a non-racist image, black and white together, in a uniform symbol. That's all I have so far!
A.J.: Actually I do. I really do. I've met someone who, it's like, you meet them and you have that connection and that vive. There is a strong possibility of that. It's all about the chemistry. I believe.
A.J.: I order a double quarter pounder with cheese value meal. Number four usually. With a large coke, no ice, and a large fries.
A.J.: I would say the best thing about being a BSB is the opportunity at hand. The opportunity to travel the world. Meet the people we've met. Just do the things we've all dreamed of doing since we were young toddlers. There are so many things that are positive about being where we are. Some of the down sides are being away from family, not getting home cooked meals, stuff like that.
A.J.: You are always hopeful. But you never know. There's not much that you really know. It's just something you can hope for and you give it your best shot. You just have a strong belief that if you do what you've been blessed with to do, and if the fans respond well, then yeah, it can blossom into something great. And so far, it's been great!
A.J.: Some. Not as many as I'd like to be.
A.J.: Ummm, probably, live, "Hey Mr. DJ" and "That's The Way I Like It". Because they're the most hype songs.
A.J.: Either Celine Dion or Mariah Carey. My second choice would probably be Aaliyah.
A.J.: Since 1993. It was just something that I wore in our first video that we ever recorded for "We Got It Going On". Our stylist said pop these sunglasses on. Our management said why don't you keep on wearing them, different styles, etc. It then just became my trademark, and now I don't really go anywhere without them. Sometimes I even sleep in them.
A.J.: I don't know. It's kind of , it's definitely flattering, but it's a little weird. I don't really understand why yet. I wish for five minutes I could get inside a fan's head to see what causes that hysteria or that obsession, you know?
A.J.: Phantom of the Opera. Has to be my favorite. And it's the only show on Broadway that I've never seen. I'd love to see it.
A.J.: Dancing. Or acting. I don't really know anything else. This is my life. This is all I know basically.
A.J.: Probably Freaky Spice.
A.J.: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
A.J.: Sometimes I get postcards or other things. But not a whole lot of souvenirs really. Howie gets more souvenirs than me.
A.J.: I have so many! I love cartoons. I can't even think off the top of my head that I like the most. Now I'm into Ren and Stimpy, and all the really gross, nasty, freaky stuff.
A.J.: Nick does. I know Howie does. Some of our band members do. I just got my lap top. I haven't actually gotten connected yet. I haven't logged on yet. I've done it at other people's houses and at my mom's place. It's so funny, cause when you do it, you spend an hour and a half proving it's you. And these girls ask really complicated questions. And then some of these girls, won't give me their phone numbers and sometimes they do. And I'll sometimes sing onto their answering machines.
A.J.: My mom, and then secondly my career, meaning my life. My family, my grandparents, and then my career.
A.J.: Where? You have to be more specific. I've kissed many fans on the cheek and in passing, but I've never kissed, kissed a fan.
A.J.: Probably a cross between Brian and Nick. Their whole personalities, the things they say and the things they do. Kevin being the most serious because he's the oldest. Howie being the mediator, and me being a complete lunatic basically.
A.J.: Hmmm. Eric Benet. Maxwell. Brian McKnight. Jamiroquai. Prodigy. And BSB! Groups and people like that.
A.J.: I'm not. I'm pretty sure Kevin isn't. He's 27 years old. Myself, Kevin, Howie and Brian are not. I'm pretty sure Nick is not, but you never know.
A.J.: You know I don't know myself. I have to change constantly. I don't like staying the same. Just when people get used to me one way, I have to change to get the m interested in what I'm going to do next. Right now it's bright red. Who know's what it'll be on the next tour. Probably orange or blue.
A.J.: We just finished shooting "I'll Never Break Your Heart" in Los Angeles. That's going to be the next video. Actually I just found out this morning that it got added to MTV in full rotation. We recorded it with a director named Billy Woodruff. He's done groups like Next, Chico Debarge. He's done incredible work, and he made our video look kick-butt.
A.J.: We're looking at releasing the album March-ish. We'll be in the studio for about two months after the tour recording. And there will be stuff hopefully written and produced by us on there.
A.J.: Gee, like Jodeci, Boyz to Men, Shy, all your doo-wop harmony groups. Individually we have a large variety, but group-wise those are the groups.
A.J.: Pretty stressful. Pretty hectic today. We have a day off in Kansas City in two days. I'm trying to arrange a trip to NY for that day. And then we do a lot of press. We just did a shoot for US magazine. We have a meet and greet to do today. And then we have a four hour busday. And then we do a lot of press.
A.J.: Right now it would probably be either Jennifer Love Hewitt, or Aliyah. There's one more, but I don't know her name, maybe you can help me out. The girl that was the bad guy's girlfriend in the movie Face Off. She is absolutely gorgeous.
A.J.: I think, geez, probably myself, I've been told. Just because I don't do big, huge glorious things for a girl right off the bat. I like to do the simple things. Like if a girl likes Reeces peanut butter cups, I leave it with her at work, with a note saying I love You. Another girl I'd like to date, but she's busy right now is Gwen Stefani (lead singer of No Doubt).
A.J.: Slacker? Don't know if you'd call it slacker, but the most late, last person downstairs or something, would probably be Howie or Kevin. I'm always first. Always. I might look like hell, but I'm always there first.
A.J.: Yes I can. I cook Italian, Mexican. I can cook a little bit of Chinese, but not a whole lot. I haven't gotten my wok yet. I need to get one to make my stirfry at home.
A.J.: Hmmm. It kind of varies weekly or daily. But maybe Howie, I've known him the longest, for ten years.
A.J.: Ahh, really, ummm, neither right this minute! Cause it's so damn hot over here. But generally, boxers.
A.J.: I do. I've been writing since I was about ten. And I still write on occasion now which is how I get the inspirations for the songs I write.
A.J.: Now, my favorite place has been Radio City because it's probably the most prestigious place we've performed. It's also been the smallest and most intimate, but also the most prestigious. Just being there you can feel the presence of all the other artists that have been their, the Rat Pack, the singers, all the award shows that have been there.
A.J.: Pretty cool. Since I've watched MTV since I was a kid, I've always wanted to be a VJ, not permanently, but a guest appearance every so often. I'm just a ham, I love being on camera somehow. I'm just a ham!
A.J.: Hmmm. LOL! A dangerous question. I've been told my eyes. And I've been told by many fans, "Dammit would you take off your glasses so we can see your eyes!" I have long eyelashes, which are a little feminine for me, but people like them. I would cut them off, but if it works....
A.J.: I'm considering going back to it. I went to red, but I'm considering going back to it, maybe, over the next couple of days. Maybe, maybe not!
A.J.: Yes I will. I'll ask Nick, but Nicks not around me now, but I'll ask, me. And if Nick says no, then I'll say yes!
A.J.: Heck yeah! Definitely. But I want to be a bad guy. Everyone likes the good guy, that's a given. But everyone likes the bad guy if he's a good actor!
A.J.: I think a little more R&B. A little more adult. A little bit more adult comtemporary. Stuff like that. Basically a growth period for us.
A.J.: Yup. I often do it at my house now. It's just me living there with my roommate.
A.J.: Time. Basically not having enough time to do much. And not having much of a personal life any more. Just talked to my roommate last night. She said there's girls coming to the house every day now. Everyone in the community knows it's me. You don't even have privacy at your own home. It's kind of weird. But I love the attention, I really do.
A.J.: I hate people who are liars, that's the first thing. People that can't look you in the eye when they talk to you drive me nuts. Or people that are figidty drive me nuts. People that sit there and start tapping on a table with a pen, that drives me crazy.
A.J.: I did. I had two dogs, one being a tea cup chihuahua, and the other one a German Shepard. The chihuahua died five days after I got it. And then I gave the Shepard back to the family I got it from because I didn't have time to take care of it.
A.J.: Longevity and success, that's one. To be able to take care of my family for the rest of my life. So they were comfortable and set. And to be happily married with a family and to be a wonderful father some day.