* January 2000; Orlando Florida; Universal Studios Hard Rock Cafe*
AJ on "Johnny Suede"
" Johnny Suede originated in Nashville, Tennessee. Um..it's actually a really funny story. Our old drummer took me to a clothing store in Nashville Tennessee and I bought a jacket that he told me to buy, and on the inside it said "Johnny Suede- dressed to pimp" (he laughs) and, uh, we dropped the "dressed to pimp", but, uh, that kinda became my new nickname. I guess Bone, which is now permanently on me, has kinda been kicked to the way side and Johnny Suede arose, and, uh, I just kind of gave him his own personality. You know, he's from England, he was raised in Nashville (rolls his eyes), yeah, that makes a lot of sense! (everyone laughs) but, he's just like the alter-ego of me, he's the me that I can't be as a Backstreet Boy, he's the me that's completely free and wild, and you'll see tonight every little bit of me that you don't see with the Backstreet Boys." It shows AJ wearing a trench coat, a hat and rose-tinted glasses, singing with a female back-up singer. He is singing a cover of Stone Temple Pilots, but he does many other rock covers, as well.
January, 2000; Howie on Johnny Suede
" I really don't know Johnny suede. I don't know him. The only Johnny Suede I know is AJ's code name at one time was Johnny Suede. And this character that he's taken upon himself, I don't know what the heck he's doing, and I'm really looking forward to seeing those tapes of what happened last night."
Recently, Johnny Suede went on tour during the Backstreet
Boys' downtime. He traveled all across the United States of America
AJ has had to make a change to his name, as the clothing
company has threatened to sue him if he continues using "Johnny Suede". He
is now working as Johnny No-name.
