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+++ NOVEMBER,
2k +++
The Boys
Are Back In Town
Source: World
Pop
11-23-00
When Backstreet
Boys made a whistle-stop visit to the UK, they chose to speak exclusively
to worldpop. Here, Nick, Kevin and Howie discuss their new album Black
& Blue and their favourite UK memories in part one of this world exclusive
interview …
Brit invasion
worldpop: Backstreet
Boys were famous in the UK and Europe long before America discovered you.
Do you have fond memories of this area of the world?
Howie: Always.
Nick: Yeah,
I remember PJ and Duncan!
Kevin: We toured
with PJ and Duncan, we did the Smash Hits tour in '95; we've been all over
this place. I remember PJ and Duncan had some hot dancers!
Howie: We've
eaten a lot of fish and chips - and we just had some recently as well.
Nick: We did
some theatre tours with a bunch of people at small little theatres, back
in the days of East 17, Peter Andre, MN8, Eternal and we're still kicking
it!
Black &
Blue
worldpop: Your
new album doesn't have your picture on the front cover. Was that to get
away from the stereotype of a pretty boy band?
Howie: It wasn't
so much to try to get away from it; we just felt that this album didn't
need a picture on it. It's titled Black & Blue so we've gone with that
image, but there's a picture on the back of the album. It's not just to
strike away from the whole stereotype as a boy band, but we are growing
and we have creative ideas of our own now.
worldpop: Are
you worried that decision might affect sales, because your image is so
well known?
Kevin: If it
effects sales, that's pretty sad. Our record company was battling with
us on that. The artwork for the album inside has pictures; the album cover
doesn't have to have a picture. Our fans know our music, and I think our
fans want to hear the music.
Same Old Brand
New Website
worldpop: What
can fans expect from your new, revamped official website?
Nick: We did
a whole overhaul and redid everything from our old site, to update things
and make them more accessible for our fans so they can be closer to us.
We've got a person out here every single day with a camera taping stuff
and then shipping it back to the website, so they can get updated stuff
every single day. Our old site wasn't that good, compared to some of our
fans' sites, but this one will give our fans a run for their money!
Shape Of My
Download
worldpop: Before
Black & Blue was released, some fake songs were downloaded onto Napster,
with your name on them. What are your views on free downloads via the Net?
Howie: It's
great that people can go to one source to pick things up, instead of having
to shop around, but unfortunately as the artist we don't get compensated
and that's how we make a living, besides touring. So we're the ones that
get the short end of the deal. If there was a way for compensation, I'd
be all for it. I'd probably be losing it myself.
Kevin: It needs
to be regulated with a royalty rate. I'm sure soon you'll be able to download
movies on the Internet, and when that happens I'm sure all hell will break
lose. It's like cheating the artist.
In Part Two
of worldpop's Backstreet Boys interview, the guys hit back at some of this
year's biggest BSB rumours
Interview:
Colleen Last
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