Closet rocker

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Sep 13, 2002 Source: Toronto Sun Submitted By: Gina Cates Nick Carter, in town promoting his solo debut, is a bona fide ... By KIERAN GRANT, TORONTO SUN It may be a while before Backstreet's back. But breakaway Backstreet Boy Nick Carter says his departure from the group isn't permanent. Probably. "I see myself going back," Carter said in an interview at MuchMusic yesterday while he was in town to promote his upcoming debut solo venture Now Or Never, due Oct. 29. "I really enjoyed what we do as a group. The one thing (Backstreet Boys) have is being able to sing together and create a magic with five voices. "I want to go back and do that. But right now I want to do what I want to do." And what that is, he said, is to release and tour his rock-tinged new album. Now Or Never was recorded in various studios with a long list of producers that includes Backstreet Boys mover Max Martin, The Matrix, and Teddy Riley. Carter, now 22, said he was a "rocker in the closet" throughout his 10 years as the BSB's youngest song 'n' dance man. He cited Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi as influences. "I'm excited," Carter said. "The easy route for me to go would be to do another pop song and dance up on stage. Man, the hell with that. I want to do it the hard way." Carter's groupmates in the Backstreet Boys have appeared less comfortable with their youngest compadre's solo venture. They were reportedly riled by Carter's decision to stay with major U.S. management company The Firm after the group itself was released from its contract. "Managers are managers," Carter said. "It doesn't interfere with your relationship as a group. Solo wise, I had reasons I stayed with The Firm, and it had nothing to do with their reasons for leaving. They respected that." That leaves things up in the air for now. Is Carter under pressure to rejoin the Boys soon? "Not really," he said. "In the beginning it was a little bit difficult and odd for them. Now they're realizing it's something I have to do. It's kind of like if one of the guys wanted to get married or have a baby, anything personal, I'd have to respect that. This is so personal to me. This is my dream." As for his nightmares, one thing you won't see Carter attempting is a ride into space like his 'NSYNC counterpart Lance Bass, who was just ejected by the Russian space agency after missing the deadline for the $20 million US fee. "All I've got to say for him is 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch, buddy,' " Carter said, laughing. "I think what happened was that he really thought somebody was going to bail him out with all the press around it. "I'll get ridiculed crazy for saying it, but sometimes you do weird stuff for certain reasons. You try to separate yourself from your image. "Personally, I'm happy with my feet on the ground. When I heard about that whole thing with Lance, I had a nightmare that I went to space and I was floating in a capsule by myself. I didn't know nothin' about the controls, and I had to land the thing. I couldn't do it." Comment on this item. Next Item: Bradenton drummer joins Nick Carter's Band Prev Item: Baby Backstreet