AJ Interview with KIIS (LA) October 18, 2002

I don't have the interview word for word, but I have the main points.

Sarah doesn't want AJ's help on a record deal and he said he called different record labels for her but he wants her to stand on her own feet and he wants to see her succeed but not on his behalf.

He's going to his AA meetings every single day and he's got 16 months sober. He only watches golf and not paying attention to the World Series.

AJ played Jojo a few demo tracks a while ago that may or may make album (not on the air). He's been writing non stop everyday and he doesn't want to piss off any of his boys but he's working on stuff for his solo album and that won't be released anytime soon. He has a studio in his house so he's been doing his stuff as much as possible. And they're letting "Nick get his solo thing out of his system" and March of next year they start working on the new cd. There will be a single out next spring and an album out next summer. He sang a part of this song called "Back in the day" that he's been working with Matrix and his wife.

He talked about how he met Sarah. He was sick with the flu and he didn't want to go out clubbing and his friends took him to a karaoke place on Sunset and he saw Sarah there in neon pink boots. She got up to sing Aretha Franklin "Respect" and was like "oh god.. this white girl is going to sing Aretha Franklin" .. But she started singing and he was floored. A week later he had his birthday party and they hung out there and got to know each other.

He didn't decide he wanted to go to rehab. They had a day off on Sunday in Boston. The night before he was up partying but he didn't drink or do coke like he did in the past. The next day he didn't want to wake up and Kevin broke his door down and had a fight with him and told him that he hates him and that he's worthless and never wants to speak to him and he said it out of anger..

He said Kevin is a perfectionist and AJ said that he's lazy and laid back and he was always partying and his voice wasn't the same anymore.. He was too busy "popping pills and doing blows" and he was bringing everyone down including his girlfriend. So he was shocked to see Kevin react like that but it was a wake up call for him.

He had his shrink on the road with him.. He's on anti depressants now which is better for him since he's more happier and if he could go back to rehab, he would go back since it's more peaceful and happier. He said he could have left rehab the night he checked in since he went in and gave his blood tests and most people have to be there for days/weeks to detox. He didn't have to detox since he didn't have anything in his system. So with him, it wasn't that bad in terms of what was in his system at the time..

In rehab, they separate the men from the women because there's "sex, love, relationships addicts." People who excessively masturbate and watch pornography constantly. He went under a different name, Robbie Thompson, for privacy reasons and because he wasn't happy with himself and didn't want to be known as AJ or Alex. So he would have to introduce himself at meetings and people started calling him Rob Thomas and he was like "Hey ya'll can't call me that!!" since that's the Matchbox 20 guy and he didn't want any confusion to go around. So then they called him monkey boy etc..

And rehab taught him so much and they label you based on the condition you are in and by the end, he would introduce himself at meetings saying "Hi I'm Robbie Thomas, excessive alcoholic, sex , love, relationship addict, depression, compulsive spender etc.." Before he didn't know he had all those problems and so the rehab process made him learn so much about himself that he never knew before.

In rehab, they go in for 28 days and to break the ice and people come out and say they were abused and some have to go into the trauma track and they have to stay another 30 days. He said he's glad he didn't have to go in the trauma track. He said one girl (he won't say her name) who went through the track was raped by her dad at 14 and they had her reenact the scene with another guy to show how she would fight back because that helps her deal with it. Jojo was shocked this girl was raped and AJ said he's glad he didn't meet her father because he would have wringed his neck. He was disgusted.

They had him take an anger management class because he has a bad temper (not anymore though) where he had to take out his frustrations on the padding and pillows about his dad and stuff. So while doing that, he was crying, screaming, laughing.. all these emotions were going through him.

Jojo played the Ketchup song and he said when he first heard it, he couldn't tell if it's a joke or if it's real. He gave a shout out to Corky, Rene Elizondo (his golfing buddy and his sponser), his future mother in law, and Daisy, Tank but they don't know what the radio is and his bird who flew away.

"Help me" was number 2 on the countdown. He thinks Nick's song is cool and he wishes he did it first. He said "the kid wanted to do it and he's been want to do something on his own for a while." He doesn't know about the other guys since he doesn't know their honest feelings but he supports him and he loves him like a little brother. He said initially he was pissed off at Nick because they were supposed to start recording in April. Because their record company decided to work on his solo album, Nick was tied up and "they can't do the record without all 5 of them since it just doesn't work that way." So that's why they don't have a cd out this year. He didn't seem to happy with Jive and he said the reason the cd is not out now is "not because of Nick but because of our lovely record company". He said Nick spoke to AJ and Kevin and Nick has learned his lesson and got it out of his system and he told AJ and Kevin he doesn't like being on his own and he misses his brothers. And that's where he thinks Nick belongs.. with BSB.

Told his story with the bees. He went out in the forest/retreat area with Sarah and his machete. She would walk like 20 feet in front of him and he would start chopping trees and branches as he walked and she told him he didn't need to do that because she was so far away from him. He grabbed onto a tree and he dropped 20 feet onto the pavement and there were covered with bees and stuff and he started screaming "what the hell is that?" Turns out they fell in a hive and they started screaming and taking off their clothes in the middle of the retreat and bees were in his underwear as well as her hair. So they were half naked in the street and AJ is running around trying to get cars to stop but nobody didn't want to stop for him because he had no clothes on and a machete in his hand. So they called Sarah's bridesmaid who helped them out.

He asked Jojo if single people have dirty backs. Also asked if a duck eats before it goes in the water, does it get the cramps? Why is it that the people have to take a newspaper, magazine to the bathroom when they do number 2?

He respects Eminem and he thinks he's a genius and an amazing writer and when he comes out solo, he wants to release stuff as Eminem did where he's real and everything and honest about how he feels. He wants to tell people what they want to know and don't want to know. His first single he would love to be a single with Eminem. Jojo asked what his album would be like and he said he doesn't want to do rock, pop, hip hop.. but would like to do something that strictly for himself and his fans and he would love to do "rock funk"

He talked about the music industry and was asked if music lacks a reality factor. He used American Idol has an example. He said as much as he loves the show and loves Kelly Clarkson, shows like that can leave a bad taste in people's mouth because now you go back to the manufacturing process and it's like a pancake. He said there are bands that are manufactured like BSB and 'Nsync and it's a messy business with the industry. And now these days he said there's 2 of everything. He said there's BSB/ 'Nsync. Monica/ Brandy. Christina/Britney, Vanessa Carlton/Michelle Branch. He thinks record companies like to have a back up plan in case one fails and he doesn't like that and it's really stupid..

Jojo talked about John Edwards show with AJ and Sarah. He said Sarah has been an avid watcher of John Edwards show because 6 months before he met Sarah, she lost her sister Becky so she was drawn to the show. And he said when he's at home, he sneaks off into his bedroom to watch the show because he was intrigued by it. So he called up his managers and told them if they could get on the show since it really would mean a lot to Sarah . 3 days later, his managers called him and contacted the show and set a date for their appearance. They said they didn't meet with John before the show so John knew no info on them. And prior to the show, John goes into a room by himself and medidates.. Also AJ said that when he met John, John said his nieces were big fans of BSB and there were going to freak out.

He said Enrique is with his former management and Jojo mentioned how Enrique brings girls on stage asked if BSB pick who they bring on stage. AJ said security picks girls on stage and sometimes on tour, security and crew used to play jokes on them and dress up in drag. And when they would bring girls on stage, it would really be like a 40 year old crew member dressed like a girl and AJ said it was hard to sing INBYH to them in cases like that.

He wouldn't change anything in his life because this is the path God has chosen for him and it's the path he's supposed to remain on and he's grateful and lucky that he didn't kill someone or kill himself during his addiction days. He said he was meant to find his future wife. And he said if "you can't learn from your mistakes then you're clinically insane."

He said he does go to BSB chats and the easiest way for people to believe it's him is if he gets their phone number and calls them at like 3 am on the east coast and say it's him. He said he's getting married on Valentine's Day in California and there will be press and media and they're trying to send out invitations now.

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