Paul Tells All!
Paul is the manager of NYPD, a pizza delicatessen in downtown Orlando, Florida owned by Lou Pearlman, CEO of Trans Continental Records and the steam that set off Backstreet Boys rocket to success. Paul's been friends with BSB since their humble beginnings, going on tour with the guys and serving them up the best New York-style pizza in Orlando for years! But Kevin and Paul, who are about the same age, have a special bond. Read on as Paul tells all about what it's like to be best friends with aa Backstreet Boys!
What's Kevin like as a friend?
Paul : Very sincere. He's to himself. He doesn't get involved in other people's quarrels and stuff like that. He's a one-on-one person, he's not one to speak in groups. And he's very private.
Such a private person must have trouble dealing with fame?
Paul : No, he's very professional. He doesn't really - certain people just flaunt who they are - he doesn't. And we go out downtown, we still go out if he's intown. He doesn't gloat. There's certain people that really push to be stars, and there's other people that, "This is who I am", and he's that. He's basically one of the people that he's the same person he is now as he was. He hasn't changed. He took me out for my birthday when he first started making it, and he said :"This is your night" He goes. "Whatever you want I'm taking you out." And I'm like : "Naw" and he's like : "No, you're not paying for anything." And I found that to be very sincere, very nice. Last time I saw Kevin it was Kevin, Brian - we were over Kevin's house, watching the fight, that was the last time we were all together. This was about two months ago, when there was a big fight on television. We rented it as his house, and he has this huge screen television so we watched it over there.
So what is it like when you guys go out? Does he get stopped by fans a lot?
Paul : Yeah, but it depends where you go. Some places we get stopped a lot, and a lot of places we don't. It seems over in Europe, it's much worse. I mean if we go to the mall, yeah, you're gonna get swamped, if we're going out at night, you'll have people that walk up, and he's very sincere, he'll give autographs out.
What does Kevin like to do in his spare time?
Paul : Laundry, shop, get everything done in the limited time he's there.
What does he eat?
Paul : Pizza! A lot of times he's very conscientious about what he eats. Stay trim. He always has a salad with it. Kevin's a good person. Very good person. Private person. You got to admire that. It's hard to be private when you're at his level.
Kentucky natives Trey D and Kevin met when they were just 12 years old at the summer camp Kevin's parents camp. They bonded over their love of music and became best buds. Years later, after kevin had joined BSB, he helped Trey hook up with the gang at Trans Continental Records so that he could begin his own career as a rapper. These days, Trey's self-titled debut is out on Edel America ica Records. He's also known the fun of opening up concerts for both N'Sync and Backstreet Boys. And trey and Kevin are still as close as ever. In fact, they're not only best friends, they're roomaates too!
What were you and Kevin like when you first became friends?
Trey : Both of us wrote songs and played the piano. We bumped into each other playing the piano and from then on we wrote together. We wrote our first song together when we were 13. Every summer from that point on through high school, I would go up to camp. He and I were counselors for girls, and he and I would work on our music. We developed a relationship and became best friends from that.
How did you get started in the music business?
Trey : I went to the military straight out of college. I was there for few years. Kevin gave me a call. I hadn't spoken to him in two years. And he called me and said :" You are never going to believe this, but I just signed a record deal. I'm working with this new group called Backstreet Boys. You got to fly down and check it out. We're a singing group." So when I had a free weekend, I went down and checked it out. I met the Boys. I met his management. Met the record company people. I emphasized that I was a songwriter and had aspirations of becoming an artist myself. So they told me when I got out of the military to come down, and we would start working on some demos and getting my stuff together. I went out once I had my songs done. While we were shopping for a deal, I was on tour with Backstreet Boys. I was opening up for their first European tour. That was about four years ago.
Did you guys ever feel competitive toward each other?
Trey : No, there wasn't any competition at all. We just clicked. I went to a different school. He waas a year older than me, and he was going to graduate before me. Not necessarily a big brother type of thing because I was always bigger than him. It was cool. We just grew into each other.
Is Kevin a good friend?
Trey : Yeah, a very good friend. We're roommates.
How long have you been living with Kevin?
Trey : Two years. We've been in Orlando for five years, and we just got a house tow years ago. Everyone knows where we live.
I guess you guys can't walk down the driveway in your pajamas to go pick up your newspaper?
Trey : When Kevin's home, he's home. He could care less what somebody is thinking about him. Or how they are seeing him. He'll walk outside to get the mail or do some yard work, he's a normal guy.
Has he given you any advice about this business?
Trey : Yes. The fortunate thing for me is that I've been there since day one. And I've seen what they had to go through to be successful. I've been all around the world with him. I learned a lot. His advice to me is you have to be careful. Make sure you meet people in this business that you could trust. Trust is a very important factor in this business, or in life in general. You can meet a lot of people in this business that you think are your friends. Then you find our later that they had other intentions. So that's the most important thing.
