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BACKSTREET BOYS: Before They Were Stars -- taken from BB, May 1998 -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It's hard to imagine a time when Nick, Kevin, Howie, Brian and A.J. weren't huge successes being totally idolized by girls around the world. But there was a time when these cuties were the kind of regular guys you might have spotted at the mall or drooled over in class -- and they had the same day-to-day hassles and heartbreaks as you! With their way-romantic hit songs "As Long As You Love Me" and "Quit Playin Games (With My Heart)" topping the charts, it would be easy to put Backstreet Boys babes Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough and A.J. McLean on a superstar pedestal. But you better believe that before they were household names, these fab five guys were going through the same growing-up stuff that everybody does. And even though they're way-cool now, it wasn't any easier for them than it is for anyone else. Don't buy it? Well, Nick sure can set you straight. Even though he was as adorable in junior high as he is now, he was completely dissed by his classmates. "I had a pretty hard time in school," the blond and beautiful 18-year-old tells BB. "I was doing a lot of acting and stuff like that and I always had to leave school. All the kids would wonder why I left. I wasn't quite respected by any of them because they were jealous." Ouch! A.J. probably wouldn't have won any popularite contests either - with his schedule, he wouldn't have had time to enter one! "I was doing a lot of musical theater and modeling and I was in school as well," the 20-year-old babe recalls. "I was in regular school and I was in FADA, which is the Florida Academy of Dramatic Arts. I did everything." Even though A.J. was majorly busy, that didn't mean he didn't have the time to fall in love. The only problem was, the girls he craved woulnd't give him the time of day! "It happened all the time," A.J. groans. "Back in high school, I can think back on how there were a lot of girls that I really liked that didn't want anything to do with me." Of course, you know those gals are kicking themselves now - and don't feel too bad for A.J. On the bright side, going solo just meant the future superstar had a little more time to practice his singing. You see, before he became a Backstreet Boy, A.J. was more interested in moving to the music than singing to it. "I did the singing thing just to have something to fall back on in case the dancing thing didn't work out," A.J. admits to BB. Sounds like it was a good thing that when his chance to join the group came around, A.J. had spent more time working on his back-up plan than he had dating! A.J. isn't the only one who discovered it was easier to strut his stuff on stage than go one-on-one with his classmates. Howie had his hard times in school, too. Even though he's an outgoing guy nowadays, the Orlando, Florida native wasn't always that way. In fact, Howie feels that part of the reason he was so shy as a kid was that he spent so much time performing, he didn't have time to shape up his social skills! "I had kind of an awkward childhood," the 24-year-old hottie confesses. "I've been in the business since I was 6 years old, so my free time, after school or during weekends or whatever, was always tied up doing auditions, plays or voice lessons. I didn't really get into dating until my last couple years of high school." Speaking of bummers, even when Howie wasn't performing or practicing, he still didn't get much of a chance to slack. Like most other kids, he had to spend his time off from school earning a paycheck. "I was working during the summertime at Universal Studios," he tells BB. Of course, Howie wasn't the only future Backstreet Boy who was working for a living. Brian had his fair share of jobs, too. "Ever since I was 15, I've been working," the just-turned-23-year-old shares. Even though blue-eyed Brian was just a teenager, the jobs he landed weren't necessarily easy ones. "One of my first jobs was working at a church that I went to, organizing the sanctuary when people would have weddings," he says. Not only would Brian set up the church and make arrangements, but he would sing, too! Performing at a wedding is a big responsibility, so it's no wonder that Brian's so cool and collected on stage these days. Sadly, not all of the jobs Brian had let him show off his natural talents. Just before he joined the Backstreet Boys, Brian groans, he was working "part-time at Long John Silvers." If feeding folks fish sounds like hard work, though, listen to what Kevin almost found himself doing after high school. "When I graduated from high school in Kentucky, I enlisted in the Air Force," the 26-year-old remembers. Kevin, who had also worked at a fast-food restaurant and even picked tobacco to make money, had dreams of becoming a pilot someday. But as luck would have it, Kevin got involved with a local band in Kentucky just before he was supposed to report for duty. The green-eyed babe was stuck with a tough decision - should he give the band a chance or follow his flyboy dreams? "I asked the recruiter if I could get a little more time to see how the band was going to work out, and he said, 'No, you have to go now or you don't go at all,' " Kevin recalls. Of course, you can guess what Kevin said! "I was like, 'Fine. Then I'm not going to go, because I want to see how this works out,' " he shares. "This was my number one love, music." Even though that band didn't work out, it was Kevin's first step toward fame. And Kevin did see some of his Air Force dreams come true - he travels all around the world and he's even been able to take some flying lessons! So, if you were wondering how all five of these swell guys could be so sincere and sweet, just remember that they used to be just plain old regular Joes - they certainly do!