Superstar

Circa '89-'90

Danny Wood's Secret Success Formula!

In the beginning, outgoing Daniel William Wood, Jr. didn't think New Kids on the Block would become a successful band. "Our first album didn't do very well and I didn't know what to think," admits the May 14, 1969 birthday-boy. "I decided that I wanted to be a good singer and we all got together and really worked on our second album, 'Hangin' Tough'. We all set out to create the best album we could."

And they did. With fellow New Kids members Donnie Wahlberg and Jordan Knight, Danny takes associate producer/songwriter credits. The trio dubbed themselves "the Crickets" and co-wrote 'My Favorite Girl' with producer Maurice Starr.

The nickname "crickets" derives from the street lingo where a gang is called "posse" or a "crew".

"We're not a crew or anything," laughs Danny, "we're like nice guys, so it was funny. There's one posse called the Jamaican Dog Posse, so we were saying, 'Let's be the Mice Posse.' We just came up with the Crickets - and

Crickets make music, too."

These Crickets plan to continue behind the scenes - producing, engineering and writing. They already spend whatever time they can spare in the studio working on their own material or helping out friends.

Right now, Danny is interested in learning to play the piano and has diligently put in whatever extra time he can practicing. His interests are mainly in songwriting and engineering. "I'd like to be able to help other kids get started in the business someday," says this sensitive guy.

When he isn't hard at work, the son of Elizabeth and Daniel Wood, Sr. can be found at home in the Dorchester section of Boston, Mass. It is here that Danny unwinds. He shares the old Victorian home with five brothers and sisters (Beth, Melissa, Pam, Rachel and Brett) and says the Wood clan are all super-close.

"Our house is pretty big, but I share a bedroom with my brother Brett," says Danny.

When he's got some time to himself, Danny likes to spend it with friends. "We usually go to a local dance club or play basketball or soccer," he says.

He'll also go see a horror movie with his friends because "they're my favorite kind of movies if they do scare me sometimes." This sweet guy doesn't often admit his sensitive side, like the fact that he travels with his fave teddy bear and is a little bit superstitious. But when you get to talk to Danny, he will reveal secrets to you.

This adorable brown-eyed guy gives off the impression of being super cool when on stage. But don't let him "kid" you. Danny does get nervous once in a while.

"When they give our shows a lot of hype, I'll get scared and feel those butterflies in my stomach," he smiles. Usually the audience will put Danny at ease right away.

This friendly guy remembers one funny experience during their concert tour with Tiffany. "We didn't have cordless microphones and the cords were everywhere," he begins. "Jordan began to sing his lead part on 'The Right

Stuff' when I stepped right on my mike cord, which made it real tight – and my mike went flying out into the audience!"

Danny, who is sometimes called Woody the Woodpecker by his friends, add grinning, "When we go out and the crowd reacts with screams and claps, I feel like we've really succeeded at this. And that's a great feeling!"