Backstreet Boys Gossip from the script writer of the popup video version of

Thanks to Backstreet.net reader broman@gateway.net for sending this in.

I know what you're thinking. You're in love. And you just sat through the popped version of "As Long As You Love Me" to absorb snippets of information and insight into the object(s) of your affection. And - I know, I know! You sat there saying "No sh#t!" each time a pop crossed the screen, right? Well I'm glad you're reading this; it's the REAL story. Everything I learned while researching the making of this video, so too shall you soon know.

The original script I wrote was, well, different. I thought, "Everyone must know all about these guys already." Wrong! The script came back from VH1 with these words written at the top: "Who cares? Why are we doing them?"

Fathomless, corporate ignorance, wouldn't you agree? And of course the answer is that probably a few of the millions people who bought Backstreet Boys and made it the 2nd biggest selling record of 1998 would count themselves among those who care. (For those of you who've never worked for the man, or found yourselves caught in the addictive, cushy tentacles of a gargantuan corporation, with its easy hours and free long-distance phone service, the regular paycheck is the bottom line. VH1 signs mine.)

So, for those 30 or 40 people living in cardboard shacks deep in the Amazon without electricity or antibiotics or subscriptions to Bop magazine, I am the welcome wagon to the Backstreet Universe, and it's nice here.

For those of you who are more - ahem! - familiar with the group of men we call Boys, my humblest apologies. I didn't mean to insult your BSBQ because I know that you know everything.

First, I called Nigel Dick and despite his name this video director is friendly and helpful and professional to a fault. You've seen him in All Access, right? I also popped another video of his: "How's It Going To Be" by Third Eye Blind. (Wake me when the singer shaves, please.)

Everyone loves Nigel BUT I hate one thing: he NEVER gossips. If A.J. was sneaking away from the set to smoke crack, Nigel would never tell me. If he knew whether Howie prefers boxers or briefs, that information would go with him to the grave. I tried! Nigel told me the guys were very nice. Hmmm.

So I left a message for the makeup artist, Natalie, and tried to beep the guys' choreographer, Fatima, and call all the girls in the video. And I asked our super researcher Bob to find me some information on Kentucky and on Florida and Louis Pearlman as I excitedly noticed that Nick was the only boy in the Boys when they made this video - the others were over 18. Ha ha.

Nigel told me he had actually written the concept for this video for "All They Have to Give" and the label hated it and he did something else for them; but when Jive asked him to do this one they wanted the "audition" concept. He didn't think it was right, but he adapted it and they went ahead with his first idea.

Nigel hired 5 of these girls and the record company hired the 6th. Each works in in L.A. modelling or acting or both. Shawnee, Shazia, Claudia, Elisa, Marisa and Leann were given fake names, as you know from Pop Up. Nigel chose names of some of the women on the set that ended with A, since all their real names end with A. Nina is Nigel's producer, Linda works at the record label and Fatima, is of course the choreographer. Gina and Jana are just made up.

Let's talk about Marisa, my darlings. It's been suggested that she and A.J. - you know! Well if Nigel cannot confirm it and I don't read it anywhere credible, it won't go in the script. Sorry. Other things that didn't go in the script:

Nick's nipples

Brian's birthday (Yes, I noticed they wished him a happy b-day in All Access, but Nigel said it was summertime. What can I say)

Nick's Beanie Babies

The girl that no one liked

Natalie's agent called me back - yay! But she said Natalie had to have surgery on her leg and she would call me next week. Damn! And still no answer from Fatima after many beeps. She travels with the band, so I figured I'd keep beeping and beeping. I had to ask about the chairs! Nigel said they rehearsed for a few days before the shoot, but how many days? How many hours? Where did they rehearse?

Then, my friend Laura told me an excellent BSB story. She saw Pearl Jam (Ssshhh! I know, Eddie Vedder, ho hum, but just listen!) Pearl Jam were on tour and they were kind of surprised at how tight the hotel security was. Turns out it's not to keep Pearl Jam fans at bay, but to prevent YOU Future Smoochers of Nickhowieajkevinbrian etc. from overrunning the place because BSB was staying at the same hotel. Well, naturally the guys in PJ said, "We want to party with BSB!!" and who doesn't? So they left their big, sumptuous fancy hotel rooms with whirlpools and open bottles of Jack Daniels and asked: Where's BSB? No one would tell them. So finally they figured out BSB is in the ultra-fancy rooms up on the upper floor. They go up. The security guard won't let them.

BURLY SECURITY GUARD:

I'm sorry, you can't go in there.

EDDIE VEDDER:

What are you - blind? I'm Eddie Vedder and I want to see Kevin. In person. Express my love. I've been having trouble with my metal folding chair. Maybe it's not lubricated enough. Out of my way!

BURLY SECURITY GUARD:

Rules are rules, artiste. Get lost.

EDDIE VEDDER:

But I ache for him! I want to have his baby. OK, Just tell them it's me, I wrote [singing] 'Jeremy spoke in CLAY-ASS today.' I just want to SAY hi.

Guess what happened then? NOTHING! Maybe BSB thinks Eddie is merely a self-important over blown histrionic sulker, no one can say for sure, but that's not the end. PJ went back down to their rooms on a lower and not as fancy floor and were kept awake all night by screaming fans outside the hotel. (nice job, ladies.)

Anyway, Dearest Sisters United in Love for Florida's Most F***able: I tarry from the subject. "Here's what you've got to remember," Nigel told me, "No one knew who they were. The crew had never heard of BSB because the album hadn't come out in America yet." Nigel knew. He's English.

Nancy called! Her surgery went ok and she's ready to talk. Yay. Unfortunately she doesn't remember anything. The guys were all really nice (yeah, yeah. They guys were nice. I know!) I asked her "Who has the most zits?" But she can't even remember their names. They all had zits, she assured me. Whew! It's sure good to know that no matter how successful you become, zits may still plague you. Hire Natalie; I saw not a pimple on any of Your Future Lovers.

Here's everything else I hammered out of dear Nigel. (Just imagine how close he got!!))

1) Psychology of Backstreet

There is no lord of the jungle. And it's interesting from a sociological point of view. Most bands have a boss, but this was a democracy.

2) Hanging out on the set

They were always verbalizing and vocalizing and singing together.

3) Visitors to the Set

I can't remember, but someone's mum looks after them on the road. Brian's or Nick's? [Probably A.J.'s, actually] A Japanese TV crew showed up and Aaron Carter, the Sexy Little Party Boy himself, showed up for a visit. No girlfriends, Nigel told me.

Most of all, he said, they loved dressing in the different costumes. Nigel says it's hard to get artists to break out of their image, but once one of them does it, the rest will follow. In this case the groundbreaker was Howie. And as you can see from the video they had fun with the wigs etc.

God, how desperately I wish that I had more to tell you, but it's been my experience that 2 types of people DO NOT generate the good gossip: 1) nice people 2) really really powerful people. Guess which category The Future Fathers of Your Children fall into.