June 30, 2001

Celebrity Album Review
source: nme.com

By Larry Flick

A few weeks ago, NME.COM trumpeted the return of *NSYNC with a review of 'Pop' which concluded that if 'Celebrity' followed in that first single's footsteps it stood to be the most sophisticated pop album ever made. Well, the results are in. And...

Well, 'Celebrity' fails to disappoint on virtually every level, and if *NSYNC are really following in Jacko's footsteps as much as 'Pop' suggests then they won't have any problem emulating his technique of releasing six singles off one album. 'Celebrity' will leave Jive spoilt for choice while other pop acts' greatest hits albums will suddenly seem like a shoddy collection of B-sides.

In fact, it's not too much of an overstatement to say that 'Celebrity' could very easily be one of the most exciting, futuristic pop albums ever made. Talk of rivalry between *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys must stop now: *NSYNC have set their sights even higher, and if the Michael Jackson album is better than this he's a very, very lucky man.



1: 'POP' (3.57)
Written by: Justin Timberlake/Wade J Robson
Produced by: BT/Justin Timberlake/Wade J Robson
You may already have heard this one. Apparently MTV have played the video once or twice. Here 'Pop' takes its full-length form - ie the one in the video - which means we get (a) More gratuitous axe action in the middle eight, (b) More chorus at the end, (c) Justin's human beatbox extravaganza shoved on the back of it all. All three of these are very cool indeed and since the length of the song is still only four minutes you kind of wonder why it wasn't the single version. There are some strange people at work in the music industry.
*NSYNC-type asterisks out of 10: **********

2: 'CELEBRITY' (3.17)
Written by: Justin Timberlake/Wade J Robson/J Valentine
Produced by: Rodney Jerkins/Justin Timberlake/Wade J Robson
As the Spice Girls proved, any old fool with a bit of cash in their bank account can wheel out Rodney Jerkins for a bit of knob-twiddling, but this mid-tempo number comes off better than a lot of the Jerkster's recent offerings, and Britney's already had him (on the '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' cover) so it's about time Justin and co. got a bit of his attention. "I've been thinking about the things that satisfy you," Justin muses at the start, "I'm beginning to wonder what you see in me." Turns out it's all about Justin being famous! "If I couldn't buy you diamond rings and all those other expensive things, would you be so into me, if I wasn't a celebrity?" he continues. Now nobody needs paranoia in a relationship but Justin is quite famous and quite rich. Then again so is Britney so the argument sort of falls a bit flat. There is much scratching in the background, there are camera sound effects (because celebrities very often have their photographs taken), there is crowd noise, and there's a bit where they sing "j-o-b" like Gwen Guthrie in 'Aint Nothin' Going On But The Rent', which of course is a masterstroke. Anyway by the end of it Justin decides that he's had enough of it, concluding "Now I'm leaving you behind - I've found somebody who can love me for me". Which is nice for him.
*NSYNC-type asterisks out of 10: ********

3: 'THE GAME IS OVER' (3.25)
Written by: JC Chasez/Alex Greggs/Brad Daymond
Produced by: Riprock 'n' Alex G/JC Chasez
Game over for the Backstreet Boys! Produced by top-notch remix outfit Riprock 'n' Alex G (their 'Oops! I Did It Again' reworking is a blinder), 'The Game Is Over' is one of the highlights from the current Pop Odyssey tour and stands up just as well without all the bells and whistles. (Not that there are many bells on Pop Odyssey. Explosions, yes. Bells, no.) "You act like everyone revolves around you," sing The Sink. "Baby, you're droppable and the game is through... You're tryin' to play both sides, you got caught up in your lies and now you're running out of time." All good. Also: vocoder bits of a man repeating the phr! ase 'Game over, game over' in the chorus. Then there's a sort of 303 axe solo in the middle eight as the band wail "how could you think that you do me like that?" over a mental breakdown bit which collapses and then kicks back in for a load more chorus at the end. One of the various good things about *NSYNC is that they know precisely how many times to do choruses at the end of the songs. 'The Game Is Over' comes complete with computer game blips - but not just any computer game. Oh no. It is the daddy of all computer games, ie Pacman. *NSYNC actually credit the sample! How cool is that? (Answer: almost unspeakably.)
*NSYNC-type asterisks out of 10: **********

4: 'GIRLFRIEND' (4.13)
Written by: Justin Timberlake/Chad Hugo/Pharrell Williams
Produced by: The Neptunes
Peculiar song: if you're expecting The Neptunes ' production on 'Girlfriend' to be the big old spaz-out hiphop stomperama that frequently makes them so ace, you could be a little disappointed. BUT! If you're hoping for a nice little mid-tempo number about nicking someone's girlfriend then you're in luck. "He doesn't even know you're there," *NSYNC declare. "He don't love your eyes and he don't love your smile. The middle of the night, is he gonna be by your side?" A good question. *NSYNC suggest no. "Does the man even know you're alive?" *NSYNC's plan here is to get the girl to dump her current boyfriend. "If you were my girlfriend I would be your shining star," *NSYNC announce. Possibly a difficult offer to turn down, to be honest.
*NSYNC-type asterisks out of 10: *******

5: 'THE TWO OF US' (3.50)
Written by: JC Chasez/Alex Greggs/Brad Daymond
Produced by: Riprock 'n' Alex G/JC Chasez
Jordan Knight's 'Give It To You': unexpectedly ace. *NSYNC's 'The Two Of Us': expectedly ace, and rather a lot like 'Give It To You'. Though we can probably sleep safe in the knowledge that *NSYNC will not be appearing in woolly jumpers if this ends up having a video made for it. "When we started baby we were friends, but that's not how this fairytale is gonna end. I was think then it clicked one day - that no-one else has ever made me feel this way." This song appears to be about deciding that you fancy your best friend which isn't really a terribly bright idea unless, possibly, you happen to be Justin Timberlake and/ Britney, in which case shacking up with your childhood chum has numerous plus points. "I toss and turn when I'm alone," we are also informed. Which, if you're going out with *NSYNC-type asterisks out of 10: ********

6: 'GONE'(4.51)
Written by: Justin Timberlake/Wade J. Robson
Produced by: Justin Timberlake/Wade J. Robson
You sometimes wonder whether, apart from the fact that they give you a chance for a bit of a breather when you're performing live, *NSYNC actually like doing ballads very much. They can be a little boring. However! This one is not boring. Starts off with lots of vinyl popping noises - not a particularly innovative idea, but you can't really go wrong with them - and a snatch of the music that accompanies the silent movie they play before performing this live. Fairly stripped- down production (acoustic guitar, pattering beats, violin during middle eight) works well with the theme of the song, which is basically that a relationship has gone tits up. "I've been sitting here, can't get you off my mind, I try my best to be a man and be strong. I drive myself insane wishing I could touch your face, but the truth remains. You're gone." A clock ticks about two minutes into 'Gone'. Nice effect.
*NSYNC-type asterisks out of 10: ******

7: 'TELL ME; TELL ME ... BABY' (3.36)
Written by: Max Martin/Rami
Produced by: Rami
Basically as we know, Cheiron (the team of writers and producers responsible for most of the greatest pop music of the past half-decade) have gone their separate ways now but the Max Martin/Ram! i duo have come up trumps here. Obviously the familiar stops and starts, enormo chord changes and ringtone factor are all in place but Rami's obviously having a right old laugh producing this. The intro, in particular, is an all-effects-blazing blinder (including a bit where it whirrs to a halt and a Syncer chirps "Hold on - you know what? Can we back it up just a little bit?" before it all kicks back in again) while the song itself is a lot more sophisticated than even Cheiron's later output. You will also notice that the title 'Tell Me; Tell Me ...Baby' employs not only a Britney-esque '...' but - that holy grail of all pop punctuation! - a semi-colon. Semi- colons are brilliant.
*NSYNC-type asterisks out of 10: *********

8: 'UP AGAINST THE WALL'(3.36)
Written by: JC Chasez/Justin Timberlake/Alex Greggs/Brad Daymond
Produced by: Riprock 'n' Alex G/JC Chasez
Upbeat, spunky, full of twinkling sound effects and wibbly bits; one of the best tracks on 'Celebrity'. (Note use of semi-colon in last sentence. See? We were right! They're ace!) Storyline thus: *NSYNC go to nightclub. *NSYNC notice beautiful lady. Beautiful lady "took my hand, never said a word at all". And bangs *NSYNC against a wall! Now there's a thought. In another bit, "she turned around and worked in the worst way". NME.COM is unsure precisely how! to interpret this line, but if it's what we think it is then we have only one word, and that is crikey. "What more do I have to say?" they sing. Well, quite. Loads of "we don't, we don't care at all" chanting, then the song goes into a big old "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the cutest one you saw?" nursery rhyme bit, concluding "She's underneath the disco ball, disco ball, standing next to strobe lights". Disco balls? Strobe lights? Surely second and third only to dry ice in terms of brill things that can happen in nightclubs!
*NSYNC-type asterisks out of 10: **********

9: 'SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOU' (2.52)
Written by: Justin Timberlake/Larry 'Rock' Campbell/Wade J Robson
Produced by: Justin Timberlake/Wade J Robson
Another standout track on 'Celebrity'. Seems a lady of some sort has been cheating on *NSYNC (perhaps she's been grinding up against blokes in nightclubs). Chorus: "Look into my eyes, tell me what you see - you see a man who thought you loved me, you played me for a fool but I see right through you. I look into your eyes, I'll tell you what I see. I see a girl who ain't been lonely, you thought me had me fooled but I see right through you." Good lyrics. But they get even better! "These games they've got to stop. About to get pissed off." Yes, hold every front and/or homepage on the planet - *NSYNC use the phrase 'pissed off'. By this point in the album you sort of realise that *NSYNC are getting a bit moody these days, which is brilliant becaus! e most pop bands are so busy smiling and jumping off chairs in photoshoots that they forget they're real people who get annoyed - or, indeed, pissed off - about things. This is another upbeat number, and it instantly sounds like a classic. Imagine, if Dane Bowers had managed to get hold of this song he'd probably be able to get a hit single without having to witter to the press about 'haters' in a desperate attempt to generate publicity. Then again, The Bowers Boy wouldn't be allowed within a million miles of a song this good, because he is quite literally Dane Bowers , ie Not The Sink. To be honest the only bad thing about this song is that it's so short. Bring on the extended 12" version!
*NSYNC-type asterisks out of 10: **********

10: 'SELFISH' (4.19)
Written by: JC Chasez/Jolyon Skinner/Veit Renn
Produced by: Brian McKnight
SOUND THE BALLAD SIREN! Not much to say about this little number, really: could have appeared on either of *NSYNC's other albums, but would have been better served as a b-side. Quite a good chorus ("You can call me selfish but all I want is your love, you can call me hopeless baby 'cos I'm hopelessly in love") but it does rhyme "love" with "love" (SOUND THE COPOUT SIREN!) and the verses aren't up to much. There's one bit where the line "If love is a crime, punish me" comes up and you think for one awful moment that the line "If loving you is wrong I don't want to be right" is just around the corner. It isn't, fortunately. No! t a future single, one would hope.
*NSYNC-type asterisks out of 10: ****

11: 'JUST DON'T TELL ME THAT' (3.02)
Written by: Kristian Lundin/Jake/Andreas Carlsson
Produced by: Kristian Lundin/Jake Schulze
Look, this is just a bloody corker. More of *NSYNC's old Cheiron chums, which should already start 'TUNE' signs flashing in front of your eyes, and yet more grumpiness from The Sink. Another end-of-relationship effort, and "even if you did say you were gonna be there I don't want you back cos it's not about love - just don't tell me that." If it's not about love, what could it be about? Could it be the ice around the collective *NSYNC neck? Or could it all be about sex? Obviously not, as nobody in their right mind would want to do rumpo with Justin. THEN! The song pretends it's Air's 'Sexy Boy' for approximately two and a half seconds. The best bit is when the backing drops out and the chorus "You're. Not. Going. To. Love. Me" is spelt out with a big bang for each word. Probably the track on 'Celebrity' that most resembles anything from 'No Strings Attached'.
*NSYNC-type asterisks out of 10: **********

12: 'SOMETHING LIKE YOU' (4.14)
Written by: Justin Timberlake/Robin Wiley
Produced by: Justin Timberlake Robin Wiley
Ballad. Stevie Wonder on harmonica. Blahdy blah.
*NSYNC-type asterisks out of 10: ******

13: 'THAT GIRL (WILL NEVER BE MINE)' (3.24)
Written by: Kristian Lundin/Jake Schulze/Andreas Carlsson
Produced by: Kristian Lundin/Jake Schulze
Not ballad. No Stevie Wonder. Bring it on. Kicks off with trademark *NSYNC harmony showy- off bit then sets the scene - collective *NSYNC monster sees a woman "six feet ... from the catwalk". ie Not ugly. How will they get the girl? Well that's the problem. "How can I get next to her? Tell me how it's gonna be done - will I win or lose this one? Don't care about the fact that she's in a different league. Say it's no use but I try." Now let's just take a short reality check here. Justin Timberlake: the man who has snogged Beyonce and done all sorts of things that aren't sex with
*NSYNC-type asterisks out of 10: **********

14: 'FALLING' (3.48)
Written by: Chris Kirkpatrick/Bryan Poppin/Gary Brown/Ira Schickman
Produced by: Roy 'Royalty' Hamilton
Well, we're heading towards the end of the album now so things have slowed down a little bit for all the lovers in the house, or whatever. The best! ballad on 'Celebrity', 'Falling' does quite bizarrely actually sound like the PJ & Duncan song of the same name, which you'd imagine is something of a coincidence. You can probably guess the lyrics but the chorus runs a bit like this: "I'm falling, falling, girl I'm falling for you and I pray you're falling too. I've been falling falling ever since the moment I laid eyes on you." Notable for the line "I don't know what's come over me," which is something we can all associate with.
*NSYNC-type asterisks out of 10: ********

15: 'DO YOUR THING' (4.19)
Written by: James Moss
Produced by: PAJAM (Paul 'PDA' Allen & J. Moss)
All in all quite a peculiar end to 'Celebrity', a sort of half-ballad half-stomper which has vocoders and includes a spurious bit of harmonising, which maybe isn't such a bad thing. This is a 'Pop Ya Collar'-style song about getting on with what you want to do and not letting the haters get you down. "You're doing your thing and you're doing it well," they insist, which is quite nice. Good rap bit at the end.
*NSYNC-type asterisks out of 10: *******

CONCLUSION
Not much evidence of Joey contributing much to the writing or production; perhaps he fell down a trapdoor on the way to the studio.

NSYNC GET DOWN & DIRTY

May 26, 2001

source: Seventeen Magazine

Typed up by: ButtaBedazzler

July 2001

Moments ago, NSYNC were behaving like the professionals they are. Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, and Joey Fatone patiently posed for shot after shot on a Universal Studios soundstage in Orlando at what must be their zillionth photo shoot since the band formed in 1995. But someone discovers a bag of paddle balls-those plywood party favors with strings (and rubber balls) attached-watch out! The guys' concentration crumbles, and they're transformed into rowdy kids. A crazed Kirkpatrick smacks Fatones butt so hard with one of the paddles, it actually cracks in two. Then Kirkpatrick starts whacking himself on the head like a masochistic karate master. "Do I have a red spot now?" he asks. Well, duh. Timberlake grabs this reporter's recorder and begins a play-by-play from the sidelines. "Everyone is playing paddle ball. JC is particularly good, Joey sucks and Lance is mediocre. I, on the other hand, am the most mature of the group, so I'm going to stand here and say everything I think about the guys on this recorder. Chris-short; Lance-idiot; Joey-big idiot; JC-really good at paddle ball. Uh, gotta go! Joey is chasing me with the paddle ball." As you undoubtedly know, NSYNC are the biggest band in the universe. They sold a record breaking 2.4 million copies of their last CD. No Strings Attached, in one week, and are currently on a massive stadium tour to promote their upcoming album, Celebrity, due out June 26. So if our photographer has to wait a bit for Kirkpatrick's forehead to return to a normal shade, he will. These guys are superstars. Not that you'd know it from hanging out with them. In spite of their pop preeminence, NSYNC are amazingly down to earth. They show up for the shoot on time. (No stretch limos; Timberlake and Kirkpatrick arrive on flashy motorcycles). At lunch, they eat burgers and sandwiches from a food truck and are disarmingly warm to everyone around them-even the reporter, whose job it is to dig into their private lives. How is it there's no ego tripping, spotlight hogging, creative conflicts, or scuttlebutt about solo albums? "We're brothers," says Timberlake. "I wouldn't change the friendship I have with them for anything in the world. We like to pick on one another, but it's all in good fun. There's still a level of respect that we have for one another." R-E-S-P-E-C-T, at least from outside forces, hasn't come easily to the band. There are web sites devoted to dissing them (NSYNC Nsux, NSYNC Nduces Vomiting, etc...), and the critics haven't always been kind. Entertainment Weekly single out their "hammy agonizingly contrived African American vocal mannerisms" when reviewing NSA-only to later out them on the cover. Not that the guys let naysayers bother them much. With their blockbuster sophomore studio album, the fab five left Svengali Lou Pearlman behind and gained creative control of their career. The struggle made them stronger: Now even skeptics are coming around. Says levelheaded Bass, "The people who we really respect in the music business know what we can do. Listeners consider us a real group. I don't think they use the term boy band nearly as much as they used to. Throughout their ups and downs, the guys have always been willing to poke fun at themselves. Remember the skit as 7 degrees Celsius on SNL? The new album's title track is in keeping with the same self deprecating spirit. On the twitchy "Celebrity," the guys ask whoever's listening, "Would you be so into me if I wasn't a celebrity?" "We're not complaining," says Timberlake of the lyrics. "'Celebrity' is about the ironies of being a star." But despite its lightheartedness, the song reveals the boys vulnerability. "People will sometimes do things-like not let us into a club-because we're NSYNC," says Kirkpatrick, "just so they can say they turned down NSYNC. It makes us feel like idiots, because all we want is to have a good time." More vexing are the rumors that come with star status. Timberlake tends to catch the most flak-just cutting his curls made headlines! And this past December, the sultry-voiced singer was slapped with a lawsuit by the mother of a fan. JoAnne Mcguire alleges that her 15 year old daughter Danielle suffered verbal and physical intimidation from Timberlake. He allegedly berated Danielle for shouting 'I like JC better anyway-he is cuter,' after Timberlake ignored a group of fans outside a St. Louis hotel. Timberlake is under a gag order from his lawyers but says, "I have nothing but love for the people who come out to see us." Chasez is quick to defend his bandmate. "It's a shame, man, because that girl is headtripping and the truth will come out. I feel bad because the lawsuit has kind of given the fans a bad name, and our fans are great." Another subject Timberlake would prefer to steer clear of is his much speculated-about relationship with Britney Spears. "What are you talking about?" he asks, feigning ignorance when first asked about her. He then offers a diplomatic response; "If anyone is going to understand my schedule and demands, it's Britney, because she's in the same business," he says. "Going public with our relationship was a choice that she had to make. Britney didn't want people to say, 'Oh, that's Justin's girlfriend,' because she has her own thing." Chasez, who's also in the room, starts jumping up and down behind Timberlake. It's not the most subtle way of distracting a nosy journalist, but it's touching to see him helping his buddy out of a tight spot. The other NSYNCers are more open about their romantic status. For the record, Chasez and Fatone are both taken, which Bass and Kirkpatrick are free agents. Bass, for one, is lucky if he has time to brush his teeth, let alone take a girl out on the town. For the last few months, the ambitious Mississippian has been juggling his hectic filming schedule with NSYNC's promotional commitments. "It's hard to meet people," he says., " I don't even know what a personal life is. My bus is my home." Bass says he'd eventually like to date someone who isn't in the business. Kirkpatrick, meanwhile prefers to remain on his own these days. "I'm just not a relationship person," he says. Kirkpatrick and Danielle Raabe, president of his burgeoning clothing company FuManSkeeto, broke up in October but remain close. "Since we work together, I have to find out who she's going out with now," he says. "It's really hard because I was in love with her. We were together for 2 years, and I still love her. She's a great person." And this will tear up your heart; Chasez has been dating the same woman (he won't name her, in order to protect her privacy) for more than a year and a half. "We met a bunch of times through friends but never noticed each other," he says. "And then one day we were playing cards and everybody was hanging out, and we clicked." He says his girlfriend, who writes about women's issues for a living, isn't threatened by his sex-symbol status. "I don't walk around thinking that I'm sexy. I just do my day-to-day stuff. I try to learn the next dance steps, to sing the best I can. She sees that in me and respects me. You can't be sexy forever-unless you're Sean Connery." Which brings us to the self-proclaimed fun lover Fatone. When asked about his love life, he proclaims, "I'm single and ready to mingle, baby." (This elicits a big "EWWW! That's cheesy," from Chasez.) But then Fatone backpedals a bit, saying, "I'm kind of dating somebody, and I have been for a while." It's understandable that he's a little cagey. Gossip columnists have erroneously linked him to several celebrities, including WWF star Chyna and actress Minnie Driver. "My girlfriend knows not to take the gossip seriously," he says. Hey, did he say girlfriend? The dishing comes to an abrupt halt when the entire band runs outside the sound stage. What's going on? Fire? Hurricane alert? Obviously, we're curious and follow suit. "Uncle Justin is here! Uncle Justin's here!" Timberlake yells. What? As it turns out, the guys are all ogling at a beautiful baby girl-and it's Fatone's! he and Kelly Baldwin reportedly became the proud parents of Brianna in late April. As thrilled as the guys are about being uncles, what they really want to talk about is music. You'll have the new disc any day now, so we'll skip the flowery adjectives. Let's just say if any doubt remains as to whether these guys are the real deal, Celebrity will erase it. The band wrote the bulk of the CD's songs themselves and co-produced the rest. The growth is undeniable-some tracks are rough R&B others are super smooth ballads and the peppy lead single "POP" even find the guys experimenting with the futuristic electronic beats. Any way you cut it, NSYNC has undergone a stunning evolution. "I don't think about what I've done," says Chasez, who along with Timberlake shares the most song writing credits. "I'm proud of Justin-he's probably done the best stuff on the record." Spoken like a true brother. If you were married to: Justin Timberlake Hope you can sleep with the light on. Like girlfriend Spears, Timberlake is diving into the literary world. His first novel, Crossover Dribble, comes out in September. So he may keep you up by writing into the wee hours. Still, Timberlake isn't your typical bookworm-he's obsessed with his HondaCBR600 motorcycle and has even gone skydiving. Pack a helmet and a sense of adventure. Chris Kirkpatrick He digs spunk women, like Cheri Oteri, formerly of SNL. To make it to the altar with this guy, you'll need to tickle his funny bone. He also likes artistic girls-when you're hanging out backstage at NSYNCs shows, pull out your sketch book. Maybe you'll dream up cool designs for his FuManSkeeto clothing line. Joey Fatone It would take a high energy spouse to keep up with this nightclub loving globe-trotter. Though he has serious acting ambitions, Fatone is hardly all work and no play. You might want to set aside a room in your mansion for his superman memorabilia collection. Lance Bass To be sure, you've bagged the nicest guy in the world. But will you ever get to see him? Bass is a hard core career man. When he's not with the band, he's busy acting; looking for movie scripts to develop for his production company, A Happy Place; and managing the careers of up-and-coming artists like country crooner Meredith Edwards. You may want to consider a business degree-together, the two of you can take over the world. JC Chasez He's a strict music man. if you can't find your hubby in the middle of the night, he's probably in the home recording studio. Chasez had a blast producing some tracks for a girl group Wild Orchid, but he's really more into song writing. To be his muse, you'll need to be smart and secure. And it wouldn't hurt if you were also a good cook-Chasez, who loves grilled cheese sandwiches, is psyched that his current girlfriend's parents are gourmet chefs.



BOYS OF SUMMER

EW.com talks with 'N Sync. The band opens up about its new album, Lance's movie, and Britney by Chris Willman


5/20/01

It's almost a given that 'N Sync will have the biggest opening sales figure of the year with ''Celebrity,'' due out July 24. But will they beat their own first-week record of 2.4 million copies, set with last year's ''No Strings Attached''? Ahh, now THERE'S the question. But with their upcoming release and an all stadium summer tour that starts May 23, it's a sure bet that the group will be 'N-avoidable. EW.com sat down for a memorable interview with Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass, all of whom -- bowing to fan custom -- we'll refer to by first name.


How disappointed will you be if the album only sells, oh, 2 or 2.1 million its first week?

CHRIS Are you mocking us?
JUSTIN Honestly, if we sell 2 million records in the first week, and some newspaper comes out and says we're falling off, I'm gonna laugh the s-- - out of myself. I can see it: ''NSync's fallen off!'' The thing about us that people really don't understand, and I think they will when they see how many songs we wrote ourselves, is this: We've been happy doing the music we're doing. We don't go, ''Oh man, I hate doing this song 'Bye Bye Bye.''' We like that song. That's why we released it.
But the media will be obsessed with your sales record.

CHRIS Hey man, all I gotta say is, 'N Sync's a tough act to follow. I don't know if we can beat their record or not, but...
JC I don't know how close we'll come at all.
LANCE I think it was a fluke.
CHRIS It was subliminal. It was ''Buy buy buy,'' and they went and picked it up.

                What do you think is the difference between you guys and other groups?

JOEY Chemistry.
JUSTIN Our work ethic is still what it was two years ago. Another thing, though, is that we're actually friends, and we actually do like each other.
CHRIS Well, not each one individually. But we have cliques. Like, JC's not in my clique. Joey's in my clique. Lance is in my clique sometimes. Well, Lance has his own clique that I'm not allowed in.
LANCE It's a force field.
CHRIS Sometimes when it comes to dental hygiene, some of them aren't in my clique. But other times they're in. So it's like, when are they and when are they not?
LANCE You know what you need?
CHRIS Ritalin?
LANCE A sitcom. To get out all this stuff. So we wouldn't have to deal with it.

It hasn't been that long since the last album came out. Doesn't it seem kind of soon to release another?

LANCE Actually, it feels like we've been away for a little while. We average an album a year, basically, and it's been working for us so far, so why not? Right now, in this time, if you disappear for too long, you kind of get forgotten. Or someone will step in and go, ''I can do it!''
CHRIS We're on a roll, and one of the most important things that pushed this album was the tour this summer. We wanted to do all stadiums this time, so we wanted to keep the hype going, and we wanted to get this album out to help.
JC We love being on tour; we feel like that's our strong point. And we couldn't really tour with the same stuff. We had to come up with something new to keep the audience interested. So that's when we decided, ''Okay, it's time to make the new record.'' That's why the album is not coming out before the tour. We're not trying to shove albums down people's throats this time. They actually get a chance to choose whether they like the new songs or not, which is pretty cool.

        Is there a theme behind the title ''Celebrity''?

LANCE Yeah. Everybody knows we like to make fun of ourselves, so we're taking a stab at the word ''celebrity.'' The cover is very glammed out and ''ooh, superstar.'' And then on the inside it shows what the real ''glamorous'' life is in this business -- sleeping in airports and all of that.

What's the sentiment behind the first single, ''Pop''?

JC It's old-fashioned in a way because it's an anthem. You know how Joan Jett had ''I Love Rock & Roll,'' or Twisted Sister and Kiss had their anthems? It's always about rock & roll. And pop's never really had an anthem. As far as the description of it, honestly, it's like nothing I've ever heard. I would say that it's a mix between pop music, blues, and electronica.

And is there a concept for the tour itself? Was PopOdyssey just a catchy name?

LANCE It was a play on ''2001: A Space Odyssey.'' We wanted to do 2001: A Pop Odyssey and pay tribute to pop icons. So the whole tour revolves around the meaning of pop and what was popular from the '40s till today.

In the ''Making the Tour'' videotape about your 2000 outing, Lance, you said you were putting together your dream tour. How do you top that, a year later?

LANCE Now we're dreaming bigger. Right now this is the biggest tour ever in the history of touring -- the most people, the most trucks, the biggest stage. It's insane. This time we get to really play and imagine things you would never think you could ever put in a show. We've been writing this treatment for many months. But even though this is the biggest tour ever, it doesn't cost the most. It's like a fourth of what Michael Jackson's HIStory world tour was.

                    Everyone knows that Justin and Britney Spears are an item. Are there areas of your lives that you try to guard and others that you just let out because people will find out anyway?

CHRIS I'm dating Kathie Lee.
JOEY I'm dating Chynna.
JUSTIN I think for me there has to be something that's mine. And I make that my family. You have to have somewhere to go where you feel independent and not have to share everything with everyone.
JOEY I don't tell anybody you sit around all the time in your underwear with a bowl of Jell-o, watching TV. JUSTIN Exactly. I mean, those are the things that make me happy. That's why we called the album ''Celebrity.'' Everybody wakes up and puts their pants on the same way. We don't look at ourselves as celebrities by any means.

Before ''No Strings Attached,'' there was the idea that the Backstreet Boys were the Beatles for this generation and you were the Dave Clark Five. But now it's you who've become the Fab Five.

[Chris walks around the table and kisses the interviewer on the forehead, to much group laughter.] JOEY Oh, could you feel the scrub? That's an awkward feeling, man. The Beatles comparison mostly just has to do with the hysteria that comes around us.
CHRIS We haven't gotten into the drug phase yet. [Laughter.] We have always told ourselves, we just want to be the first 'N Sync and the best 'N Sync. Because I know if I ever heard another group say, ''Oh yeah, we're like the Beatles,'' I'd hate 'em, no matter how good they were.

      Talk about the movie Lance and Joey are making.

LANCE It's called ''On the Line.'' I have five more days on it -- 'N Sync guy on the weekends and movie dude during the week. It's a romantic comedy we've been shooting up in Toronto and Chicago for Miramax. It's a Happy Place Film -- that's my new production company. Actually, I was just gonna produce it; I didn't want to be in it at all, but our managers gave me a month and a half and said, ''Go do the film.'' Joey's in it, and Jerry Stiller and Dave Foley. I'm very proud of it. It's my first one. I've never even been on a movie set before!

Are you part of an ensemble?

LANCE I have the lead, which is very ballsy, and I can't believe I did it. I'm not an actor, I'm saying that right now. But I totally did it for our fans. They've been asking for us to do a movie so bad, and we couldn't find a great script for all of us.
JC We were actually talking about doing a musical. It's not like we're all great actors here. Joey's a good actor, Lance is a good actor, Justin's a pretty good actor. Chris and I, we struggle a bit, so we're going to stick with our strength, and that's singing and dancing. The only reason we would do it is for goofs and laughs. But we got sidetracked with this whole tour thing.