Beyond Backstreet

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Jun 19, 2000 Source: YM Magazine, Aug 2000 Submitted By: Sue Backstreet's A.J. McLean has been making a new name for himself- Johnny No Name, to be exact. Under that mysterious monkier, A.J.'s alter ego headlined a solo tour across the United States this spring, covering heavy tunes by Rage Against the Machine and Stone Temple Pilots as well as the usual swoon worthy Backstreet Boys ballads. Here, A.J. reveals his plans for 2 new solo projects and his future with the Backstreet Boys. What can you do as Johnny No Name that you can't as A.J.? A.J. : Johnny and A.J. are like night and day. Johnny has no fear. He says and does whatever he wants on stage. It's a whole different vibe than the BSB thing. But I did ask all of them of they were okay with me doing this during our downtime. They were very supportive, especially since the proceed are going to VH1's Save the Music Foundation. Do you think Johnny No Name's fans are any different from A.J.'s? A.J.: They're raunchier. Onstage at the Backstreet Boys shows I usually get teddy bears, candy, and flowers thrown at me. Johnny gets panties and bras. How did you come up with Johnny No Name, and why does he speak in a British accent? A.J. : Our drummer had bought me this cool velvet jacket, and the label read, "Johny Suede, Dressed to Pimp." Then, on the last tour, people caught on to the Happy Gilmore alias I use in hotels and I had to change my code name. I started going by Johnny Suede when I was playing small shows with BSB's backing band. Johnny Suede just evolved into Johnny No Name, 'cause he's an "every guy" type. As for the accent, I just wanted him to be different from A.J. You make jokes about BSB in your show. How do they feel about that? A.J.: It's all in good fun. Johnny disses everyone in the intro song "Bad to the Bone" and talks about how their nicknames are stupid. Brian's is B-Rok, so Johnny says stuff like, "Why would you want to be a rock? You get stepped on where ever you go, run over, and dogs poop on you!" All jokes aside, is it rough not having the rest of the guys on tour with you for support? A.J.: This first couple of shows it felt really weird. I'd turn around thinking that Brian would come and sing his part, Kevin would tell a story, or Howie and NIck would do a dance. Without them, I really have to rely on myself. As you can tell by my (scratchy) voice and hot tea in my hand, it's killing me! How will the Johnny No Name album in the works be different from the A.J. McLean solo album you're planning? A.J.: As A.J., I want to do more of an R&B pop thing, like D'Angelo. Johnny's will be more like Limp Bizkit, with a hip hop feel. There will even be a difference in the pictures inside each album. On Johnny's, I'm thinking the band will be sitting on a white furry couch, with a black carpet going up in flames in front of us. They'll be dressed but I'll be naked, holding a pillow in front of my crotch! A.J.'s will be more conservative. I'll just wear a cowboy hat and have crazy hair. Which album will you record first? A.J.: Probably Johnny's, because it's easier to write rock songs, which are more about getting people pumped up and jumping around. It's harder to write R&B songs, because they are more spiritual and from the heart. When can we run out and buy them? A.J. : It'll probably be awhile. Backstreet Boys will be in the studio- in New York, in Sweden, or at home in Orlando- until the end of August. Then, in September or October, we'll probably release the first single and launch our world tour, which will last through December 2001. So it would be after that before I'd be able to do anything on my own. What is the vibe going to be like for the next Backstreet Boys album? A.J.: We're going to the Bahamas for 10 days to start writing and producing it. It will be interesting to see what we come up with without our girlfriends, fiancees, and security around. We'll be moving away from the computer generated stuff. Nick is really adamant about playing live drums, and Kevin would like to play the piano more, so we'll probably all pick up instruments this time around. We'd like to try beat Millennium, but it's more about the quality of the album than just wanting to sell 15 to 20 million albums. Do you feel any pressure to sell more albums than 'N Sync did with No Strings Attached? A.J.: I know it bothers some of the other guys more than it bugs me. I do hope we beat their record, but I don't want anyone to think it's a Backstreet Boys vs. 'N Sync. There's subtle competition between us, but behind the scenes. we're all friends. When it really comes down to it, I think the Backstreet Boys stand alone in our singing ability, and our next album is going to blow everyone away. When it comes out, all the other groups are going to go bye, bye, bye! Which BSB member do you think will be the next to do a solo project? A.J.: Probably Nick, 'cause he likes the spotlight as much as I do. He really loves Nirvana and other rock acts, but I don't know if he'd do the rebel thing or go the mature route. Speaking of maturity, do you think that Kevin's and Brian's marriages will mellow the group? A.J.: Of course getting married will change their perspectives. It might have an impact on our style, but we'll still be the same group. We want to settle down, have families, and just be normal. I'm not ready for that yet, but I do have a girlfriend. Rumor has it you're shopping for a ring, too. A.J.: That's what everyone's saying. It started in Tampa (where Nick lives), so I blame Nick for that one! If your solo career takes off, would you abandon the Backstreet boys? A.J.: I do some solo stuff and everyone thinks I'm quitting the group! 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