Thursday, April 10, 2008

My Celebrity Make Out

So...the Backstreet Boys. Right. Story coming up.


It is a little known fact that the BSB are not actually a product of the boy band generation. Their fame (circa 1997) most definitely is, but they actually were a band years before they ever became well known. I know this first hand, because when I was in 6th grade (circa 1993), and akwardly trying to navigate the treacherous terrain known as bratty preteen girl world, they came to my school and performed. They were part of the infamous magazine sales spoils world tour: bands that performed for school that sold a certain amount of magazines for some greedy company. So when they first showed up, we were all pretty pumped, because concerts were few and far between in the center of the heartland. Plus, there was this dreamy boy who was our age named Nick who sort of resembled Jonathon Taylor Thomas and everyone knew that JTT was the hottest thing since sliced bread. So they performed and they were just okay. I don't remember having my striped gym socks rocked off or anything.

Fast forward two years to 1995 and guess who's back? That's right the BSB were back for another middle school concert. We were all much cooler then being top dog eight graders, and so we didn't show our excitement as openly for the concert. Been there done that, they weren't that good. So they show up, and bam. The had upgraded their wardrobes, gotten haircuts and were suddenly much more cuter. Mr Nick Carter (who was still our exact age) was suddenly wayyyyyy dreamy and their music was actually pretty good. They won us over with one concert. After the show, the clamor for autographs was insane, but since I was a top dog 8th grader, a couple of us stayed after for some alone time with the band. Now Nick was a regular casanova, even at a young age. He lined up all the girls (like around 15) and told them to stand in line for autographs. Each girl would get their autograph and then recieve a small kiss on the mouth as a token of his appreciation for our reverence. You can be sure I got in that line and got my kiss, and I think that he may have let it linger for a second or two longer than the others, if you catch my drift. The BSB left that day and we figured we would never hear from them again, but I kept my autographed photo of the band in my special box right beside my other autographs from bands that came that I never heard of again.

Fast forward two more years to 1997 and my sophomore year of high school. I am flipping through my Seventeen magazine, enjoying the latest gossip when I see an advertisement for a band. It's the Backstreet Boys! I remember running to show my sister and then calling up my friend, the same friend who was pulled on stage for a serenade during the concert. If the BSB were in Seventeen Magzine, they must be making it! And sure enough, they made it all right. Right to top of the charts and the whole time, I just shook my head and laughed as I remember what they used to look like. I admit to enjoying some of their music and they were good dancers, but in our town, you can't talk about the BSB without making fun of them because afterall, we knew them first.

Fast forward to present day. The reason I want them to break through the ceiling once again is purely selfish. I have an autographed picture to sell on Ebay of a very young version of the BSB with bad clothes and hair, and if I can get $100 for it, its gone. Should have done it last time, but I was still grasping at straws of the great love affair with Nick Carter that should have followed our great kiss of 1995.

My claim to fame, ladies and gentlemen, and my two degree connection to every famous person they have ever known.

PS, Nick. if you are reading this, you are still a cutie honey, way cuter than JTT.