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The Orlando, Florida-based bandmates share some of the most treasured things in their lives with BOP, and then we give you the chance to win one of five special gifts from them!
It might be a beloved doll you carried everywhere with you when you were a toddler, a bracelet your best bud gave you way back when you were in the second grade or even a book that you've read so many times, you have it memorized. Whatever it is, we're betting you have something special tucked away in your room or in your memory that will always be one of your favorite things.
So what are those treasured items for the Backstreet Boys? As we discovered when recently sat down to chat with all of them, it is something different for each of the five singers behind the hit single "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)."
Kid Comforts
For A.J. McLean, it's a much-loved and well-worn blanket that was given to him the day he was born. "It was my blankey," he shares. "And I had it for, like, 15 years, until some maid took it from my hotel room when we were in South Carolina once. She must have thought it was a rag, because after all those years, it sure looked like one. It was this bluish gray color.
At first, the 19-year-old singer tried to console himself by saying it was time to get rid of his blankey anyway. "Maybe it was like someone saying, 'Grow Up! You don't neeed a blanket any more! You're a grown man now, so get over it.' But, honestly, I'm not over it. I miss it like crazy, because it was my favorite blanket. Now, it's gone for good," he sighs.
Like A.J., it is something sentimental from his childhood that Kevin Richardson lists as one of his treasured things: a series of books he read as a little boy back in Lexington, Kentucky. "When I was little, I absolutely loved The Cat in the Hat books," the 24-year-old performer recalls. Kevin is referring to the classic series of children's books about a wachy cat written by Dr. Suess. This series instilled such a deep and lasting love of books in him that even today, whenever the Backstreet Boys hit the road on one of their tours, he says, "I always take books to read."
Treasured Tokens
It was something that was given to him on one of their tours that became one of 22-year-old Brian Littrell's most prized possesions. Several years ago, Brian recalls, "There was a little girl named Brittany. She was about 4 years old and she just fell in love with us when she and her mom saw us at a show--I think it was in Miami because she lived in Florida." Through the Backstreet Boys' fan club, Brittany and her mom managed to get a gift to Brian and his bandmates. "They had made thse cute little T-shirts--Backstreet Boys T-shirts with our names airbrushed on them--for each of us," reveals Brian, who was deeply touched by the thoughtful, handmade gifts. "It was just so neat to know that they went to all that trouble for use, you know?"
Howie Dorough can totally relate to little Brittany's devotion to the Backstreet Boys, because back when he was in elementary school, he was way into pop superstar Michael Jackson. "Michael had a big influence on my lif, in terms of inspiring me to sing," the 24-year-old Florida native declares. "He's a great artist. He's incredibly talented." So, it's no wonder that one of Howie's favorite things in Michaels's 1982 album, Thriller, which contains classic singles like "Billie Jean" and "Beat It." "When I was a little kid, I had the album, I had the Michael Jackson glove and I even ahd the Thriller skateboard," Howie fondly remembers.
Family Faves
More than an album, a T-shirt or any ohter prized possession that you can set on a shelf, what Nick Carter loves more than anything in the whole world are his beloved brother and sisters--16-year-old Bobbie Jean, 12-year-old Leslie and 10-year-old twins Aaron and Angel, with whom he has always had an especially close relationship.
Growing up, the 17-year-old performer shares, "I did a lot of baby-sitting, but it was always a lot of fun because I really love my brother and sisters." And, when he leaves home to tour with the rest of the Backstreet Boys, what he misses most are "my brother and sisters."
...and you!
But aside from their siblings, albums, T-shirts, blankeys and books, Nick and his bandmates tell BOP that their fans will always top their list of favorite things. Howie sums up the band's feelings best whe he says: "Fans are really important to all of us. They're the ones out there supporting the Backstreet Boys and buying the records. We're so grateful for that." BACKSTREET BOYS: A Few of Their Favorite Things
Bop: November 1997
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