News and Gossip

Back on the street
RITCHIE YORKE
22jan06

THERE'S a popular misconception that there are no second acts in American showbusiness.

You get one chance and that's it.

But that doesn't take into account the recent comeback of the Backstreet Boys, the quintet of singers from Florida who were among the forerunners of the widely denigrated boy-band movement which has dominated popular music in recent years.

From 1995 through to the close of the century, the Backstreeters notched up world-wide album sales of more than 70 million.

Even Wendy Tucker, a promotions person at the Queensland branch of record label SonyBMG, has been a fan for more than a decade.

Back in the late 1990s pictures and posters of the Backstreet Boys decorated her bedroom walls.

Now she's leading the promo charge for the Boys in this state.

Perhaps then, the title of their new album Never Gone is particularly appropriate. Sales are closing in on platinum (70,000) and a second single Just Want You to Know is swamping radio.

So now the Backstreet Boys are back in a big way.

On the phone from Korea, en route to Australia, Nick Carter, 25, is none too comfortable with that little word "comeback".

"In a way, I suppose it could be seen as a comeback – being that the whole boy band thing, which we'd helped pioneer, had died out. And then it came back," he said.

"We just wanted to make a great album for the fans who wanted to hear us again. For people to call that a comeback, maybe, maybe not – whatever."

On hearing the comeback album, one is tempted to draw the conclusion that the band was on some kind of greater mission in making this recording.

"I don't think we set out to make a point: it just kind of happened that way. A lot of critics and whatever didn't want us to come back. But it's not about them – it's about what we want and what the fans want," said Carter.

The critics have traditionally imbibed angry pills in evaluating the Backstreet phenomenon. "We were never accepted by the critics. And we don't care any more."

Surely some of the barbs must have stung a little, when they were younger?

"I'm sure it hurt a little bit when we were younger and we didn't understand. Now we do understand. Critics are never going to like stuff done from a pop standpoint. Who cares? We'll be outsiders. It's fun to be underdogs."

But a career record aggregate of 70-odd million precludes anybody from claiming any underdog affiliation.

"Well it just shows that the people who listen to our music don't care what the critics write."

Carter says the band is acutely aware that they underestimated both the size and voracity of their Australian audiences in waiting so long to perform here.

"All I can say is that we're bringing a great show for you guys to see. We're very excited about being there. We love performing for people who haven't seen us play. We have a great vibe on everything about Australia."

Asked to select the track of which he was most proud, Carter was quick to identify Larger than Life.

But questioned about how his band's creative output stacked up against boy band contemporaries, he was less forthcoming.

"I think you should let the public decide that. I could tell you something and then get a huge backlash for it.

"I will say that I'd put our stuff – things like I Want it that Way – up against anything else. Song against song, tell me what it makes you think and what it makes you feel."