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 http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/194/living/Backstreet_fans_are_not_that_innocent%2b.shtml McLean struggles with past By Erika Gimenes, Hollywood.com Staff HOLLYWOOD, July 12, 2001 -- Sometimes even famous people need to take a break. That is the case of Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean, who is currently spending time at a rehab clinic to fight depression and alcohol problems. But the root to the 23-year-old's emotional despair goes back to the death of his grandmother and the absence of a father figure during his childhood. "I think when [A.J.'s grandmother] passed away, that just sent it over the edge," fellow Backstreet member Kevin Richardson told MTV News on Monday. "But...he has internal demons he has to deal with that happened before this." As a child, McLean shared the house with his grandparents and his mother after his parents divorced when he was four. Last year, the singer told MTV News that when his father showed up after years of separation, it was difficult to accept him. "My father was never really talked about a lot growing up," he said. "[When he returned], it was kind of awkward, but he kind of expected me to jump back into it and just become [his] son all over again. I couldn't do that." As for the rest of the group, they believe that his tattooed, bad boy image hid his inner demons. "I think A.J. through all this was looking for support and trying to find himself," Howie Dorough said. According to Richardson, the group had a "big powwow" during tour rehearsals in June, where they approached McLean and urged him to get some help. But ultimately, McLean had a tearful meeting with his fellow group members on Sunday and told them he was admitting himself into a rehab center. "He cried to us. He said he was scared about all this but that he knew it was the right thing to do and he didn't want to let us down," Dorough said. With McLean in rehab, and Nick Carter healing from a broken hand, the rest of the Backstreet Boys are postponing their Black and Blue tour for 30 days, picking it up in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Aug. 7. McLean's mother told the Orlando, Fla., television station WKMG on Wednesday that she is glad that her son is seeking treatment. ``I was very proud of him for realizing he had a problem and doing something about it on his own,'' Denise McLean said. ***** McLean's problem often comes with territory Linda Shrieves Orlando Sentinel July 11, 2001 10:30:00 A.J. McLean is living a fantasy life - singing in a boy band that hopped an elevator ride to the top of the charts, accompanied by throngs of adoring girls, wads of cash and a limousine lifestyle. So what could be wrong in the pantheon of pop-stardom? That's the question millions of Americans are asking themselves after the announcement that one of the Backstreet Boys - the one known to parents as the Boy with the tattoos - is going into rehabilitation for depression, alcohol abuse and anxiety attacks. "Naturally, most people think, 'What the hell does he have to be depressed about?' " said Sheldon Miller, chairman of the psychiatry department at Northwestern University in Chicago. "That's the common reaction to this kind of thing. "The fact is that depression is an illness, just like any other illness, heart disease or diabetes. And these illnesses happen to successful people, they happen to failures and they happen to people in between." From Marilyn Monroe to Matthew Perry of "Friends" fame, a growing parade of celebrities are trouping off to rehab - proving that fame and happiness are not inextricably linked. As they watch a parade of stars seek treatment for a host of addictions, the public - astounded by the problems of people with money and power - just shake their heads in amazement. "People don't understand why celebrities would have any problems - especially when they're rich and famous and beautiful," said Beverly Hills psychiatrist Carole Lieberman. "But the truth is that celebrities often bring their childhood baggage with them. And it is often this childhood baggage, the traumas of childhood - not getting enough attention, not feeling lovable - that drives a person to become a star in the first place. They want to feel that love from the audience." The pages of People magazine are filled with stories of rehabbed stars' rocky pasts, from "Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer - whose father and sister were murdered in separate incidents, and two half brothers were killed in a subsequent scuba accident - to child star Drew Barrymore, whose pre-teen drug and alcohol exploits are Hollywood legend. Many overcome their problems and go on to lead happy, stable lives. Right now, only time will tell how McLean's story will play out. At 23, Alex "A.J." McLean has spent much of his youth in the limelight, starting when he joined the Backstreet Boys at age 15. The Orlando-based group, formed in 1993, toured heavily in Europe before rocketing to the top of the U.S. charts in 1997. While the other Backstreet Boys came from families with two parents, McLean grew up in Kissimmee with a single mom; his parents got divorced when he was 4. But the recent death of his grandmother may have triggered his depression, say his fellow Backstreet Boys. "It seems as though she was a mother figure, not just a grandmother," said Beverly Hills psychiatrist Carole Lieberman, whose patients include celebrities. "When you lose somebody, when a parent dies, that loss translates into depression. But someone in the group has mentioned that he was actually depressed before her death. And that leads to the question - what did he have to be depressed about before his grandmother died?" In a statement, band members said McLean is undergoing a 30-day treatment for "clinical depression, which has led to anxiety attacks and excessive consumption of alcohol." Meanwhile, the band has postponed its concert dates until August. "There's an old adage that money doesn't buy happiness," said Dr. Sheila Blume, a psychiatrist at the State University of New York at Stonybrook. "In fact, some of the most famous and creative people have been depressives and alcoholics and sometimes both." Life on the road may have contributed to an emotional breakdown. The touring life is hellacious on even the most well-grounded individuals, and takes an even greater toll on someone who's fragile emotionally. "Stresses can trigger (alcoholism and depression) - they don't have to be bad stresses. If I ever heard of a life that's stressful, these guys are living it. They're not sleeping, probably not eating very well, days and nights get mixed around," said Miller. "The thing the public sees is all the glamour. But what's behind that is a lot of stress - to make the show look good." Add the tension applied by managers, promoters and the money-counters and the pop band's lifestyle becomes a pressure cooker. Just ask Joey McIntyre, former member of New Kids on the Block, who experienced both the highs and lows of a boy-band career in the late '80s. "Sometimes it's not about touring or records, it's about having a life - and sometimes you're burned out," McIntyre said in a recent interview. "When I look back at our craziness, getting there was a ball, then it just blew up and we had to get away. We all had to," said McIntyre, who's now working on his solo career. "You have to have some time to get away. Those guys are probably going to need it, too." After a 30-day break from touring, the Backstreet Boys plan to go back on the road. That will be a trial, Miller said, noting that McLean will need follow-up treatment that addresses not just depression, but alcoholism. "Often, these two diseases - alcoholism and depression - happen together." In fact, in about two-thirds of men suffering from both alcoholism and depression, said Blume, it is alcohol abuse that triggers depression. "The alcoholism comes first and as the person who is suffering from this disease finds his options closing in - they can't live without booze, they can't stand life without it - this brings on a depressive mood," Blume said. In women - and about one third of male alcoholics - depression sets in first, "and the drinking is a kind of an effort to escape," Blume said. "Alcohol is not a good anti-depressant, however. It causes depression, but what it does for people is give them a ticket out, for a moment, to get away from the feelings that are engulfing them." At 23, McLean is a classic candidate for alcoholism, experts say. "Twenty-three is an absolutely peak year for alcoholism in men," Blume said. "The average alcohol intake peaks in their early 20s. So his age is not unusual. Many men continue to be alcoholics and don't come to treatment until they're 30. But I guess when you're so visible, you cannot hide your problem as easily." But for A.J. McLean, it's unlikely that his troubles will end quickly or quietly. Although he can be treated for alcoholism and depression, he may also face coming troubles. Such as, what does the future hold for a troubled teen-age heartthrob? Will he be yet another David Cassidy? Another Bobby Sherman? "If he's been with this band since he was 15, he really hasn't had a childhood or adolescence," says Beverly Hills psychiatrist Lieberman. "The fantasy is that once I get to be a star, I'm going to feel loved and I'm going to be happy. Well, how much more of a star could he be? And he still doesn't feel whole." Source: Entertainment Weekly (Tenth Anniversary) Submitted by: Abby 1994: Boys Will Be Boys Formed in Orlando, Fla., in 1993 by aviation magnate and Art Garfunkel cousin of Lou Pearlman, the Backstreet Boys (named after a section of downtown Orlando) spend their early days singing at shopping malls and Sea World. But given grunge is at its peak, record labels aren’t interested in five guys who harmonize. Eventually, then managers Donna and Johnny Wright (who worked with New Kids on the Block) find a champion in David McPherson, a 27-year-old A&R exec at Mercury Records working with Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight. Though a deal with Mercury falls through, McPherson jumps to Jive Records, taking the quintet with him. “I had never heard a pop group that sang as well as these guys,” he recalls. “Each kid represented a different guy in society that people can relate to.” After contracts are signed in March 1994, the group hit the studios, where they vie for singing parts, develop their group dynamic, and generally show their age. Johnny Wright (former manager): A lot of that album was demo’d in my closet in Orlando. I’d taken my master bedroom closet and put insulation and a microphone in there. We put mattresses up on a wall to try to give it better audio. It was kind of comical. Howie Dorough: We could hear between the walls. We had to tell people to be quiet when they were playing pool. David McPherson (former A&R exec, Jive Records): Everybody was happy ecstatic. Everything was lovely between Lou, Johnny, and the Boys. There were no problems yet. We played basketball, we shot pool, we’d go to this steak place, Del Frisco’s. Me and Howie used to go to the Florida Mall. Kevin liked going to the black clubs. There was a small club that we’d go to… Kevin Richardson: Heroes. I was the only white boy in there. McPherson: We recorded at Park Studios in Orlando and another studio called Platinum Post. The only people that had really been there were Shaquille O’Neal and Matchbox Twenty. Howie: Nick and them would bring their Nintendos and play games galore. At one studio, they only had this golf game. Nick Carter: It was one of the first CD-ROM systems. It sucked. But we’d be there ‘til late hours of the night, me, Brian, and AJ, sitting on the floor in the lobby playing the video games. Howie: All they did was play that golf game. I got so sick and tired of seeing it. I wanted to shoot it- and the guys! I’d sleep a lot. The guys used to put stuff in my mouth ‘cause I sleep with my mouth open. Nick was hyper. He was always all over the place, playing practical jokes. Kevin was the worrier. Nick: Kevin couldn’t stand it, man! I was, like, this little kid, running around, causing havoc. Brian would help me out, too. Kevin: We’d be in the booth, all five of us, trying to cut these vocals. And Brian and Nick are, like, smacking each other. McPherson: I said to them, “ In the majors, there are other people who aren’t as talented as you but are going to outwork you.” Nick: Back in the day, we were scrappin’ for parts. We’d compete. AJ McLean: Everyone would go in and sing each part. Nick: I never sang on “ We’ve Got It Goin’ On.” That pissed me off. McPherson: Nick’s voice started to change so much that we couldn’t use him a lot. Nick: I was going through puberty. I was cracking. Howie: Kevin would rag him so badly. Nick would get pissed off. McPherson: Lou’s vision of the group was to keep them as wholesome and clean-cut as possible. He didn’t want any facial hair, he didn’t want them to have earrings or tattoos. Kevin: He was on this whole New Kids thing. We were like, “ We want to take it edgier.” Brian Littrell: We recorded this song called “ Never Find Someone Like You.” McPherson: It had that Boyz II Men, “End of the Road” feel. Kevin: It was going to be our first single. Brian: One day I jumped into my Honda Civic, turn on the radio, and hear, sings “ I’ll Never Find Someone Like You,” and I’m going, “ That sounds familiar.” I died. Howie: We were frantic, calling up Johnny: “ What’s going on?” Brian: Later that day we found out. McPherson: An artist at Sony had snatched the song at the last minute and put it out. AJ: Keith Martin. It’s on the Bad Boys soundtrack. Howie: Jive had just slept on it. They didn’t give the writers an answer whether it was going to go on the album. Kevin: When they finally decided, it was too late. Nick: To this day, we still want to do that song. Howie: “ I’ll Never Break Your Heart” ended up replacing it. Brian: It took us two weeks to do it because AJ and I had colds. Wright: A lot of stuff being dictated to us as far as what we could record. There were things we wanted to record, but there was a lack of faith that we could pull them off. Kevin: We used to fantasize about how cool it would be to fly in a private plan, hear our music on the radio, have a video on TV. Spring 1995: The Swede Smell Of Success Looking to round out the Boys’ sound, Jive hooks the group up with the suddenly hot Swedish team of Max Martin, then 25, and Denniz PoP (who died of cancer at age 35 in 1998), who’d just had a hit with Ace of Base. The plan is for the group to travel to the pair’s Cheiron Studio in Stockholm and record one song, “ We’ve Got It Goin’ On.” But so much for the plan. Howie: We had gotten the tape of “ We’ve Got It Goin’ On.” I remember it sounded like “ My Prerogative.” We were like, “ Uh, we’re not sure this is the direction for us.” Kevin: The others had never been overseas. We were intimidated because everyone at the record company was like, “ Oh , you’re going to go work with these incredible European producers. Just make sure that you’re…” Nick: “ …on point!” Kevin: “ On point”- just be responsible and behave. Howie: We met Max and Denniz at the Strand Hotel in Stockholm- we had lunch. They had long hair. Max was like a hippie. Brian: They were a lot younger than we thought. Nick: The first time we went to the Cheiron Studios, they had this F-15 Hornet game. It was the first time we had ever seen a flight-simulator game. Max Martin: In the basement, there’s three studios. It’s very cozy. It’s not like you come to a huge building and there’s a doorman asking you who you are. You’d probably think it was a car dealer. Howie: The control booth was full of smoke ‘cause those Swedish people were chain-smoking like crazy. AJ: They would be in there playing video games on their break. Denniz, Nick, Kevin, and Brian would always get on these four computers and play… Kevin: …Duke Nukem! We hit it off immediately. Wright: They knocked that record out in two days. Howie: It was the fastest recording session we had ever done. We were like, “ Is that it?” Wright: We were scheduled to be there a week. I was told, “ When you get there, concentrate on this one song. If they ask about doing any more records, say no.” The first day there, Max and Denniz came with another producing team and said, “ They have a song.” We were like, “ No!” But when we got through “ We’ve Got It Goin’ On” so quickly, it was like, “ Well, what are we going to do for the next few days? We might as well make the cut.” Which happened to be “ Quit Playing Games (With My Heart).” Kevin: The only people on that record on the background vocals are me and Brian. Everybody was on a lunch break, and we wanted to get it done. Brian: Nobody really thought anything of it. September 1995: Let’s Go Europe The group releases their first single, confident that the CD will soon follow. But their music falls deaf ears in the U.S. McPherson: We put “ We’ve Got It Goin’ On.” It didn’t connect. Howie: It was so miniscule. It made it to No. 69 or something. Nick: But it blew up over in Europe because pop was really big. Barry Weiss (president, Jive Records): So we devoted our energies to breaking them overseas. Brian: We had to go where we were needed. And that happened to be Germany. Then it started in Switzerland and Austria, and then bled to England. Nick: They had all these wack boy groups. Brian: They were sticking microphones in our face, like, “ What makes you different than all these other groups?” I was like, “ What do you mean, all these other groups?” Howie: We were constantly trying to get Jive to get us back over to America. They were like, “ America’s not ready for you.” AJ: I don’t think we expected to stay there for two solid years. Wright: There was a lot of fear. We were hearing things: Jive thought maybe they made a mistake here, yada yada. Weiss: That was never the case. We were going to break this group come hell or high water. Half the trips I made to Europe in those early days were to chill them out and say, “ Guys, just relax. We’re going to break you in America. Just calm down. Nick: We were doing so much. We would be in the middle of a 50-day tour, and on the days off, we’d jump into a recording. Brian: In Zurich, we did “ Anywhere For You” and “ I’ll Never Break Your Heart” in Spanish. I broke out with all this crap on my face and had to go to the doctor ‘cause I was stressing out. McPherson: There were some times where Kevin looked like a skeleton because he wasn’t eating properly. These guys were just going from town to town. Brian: We were doing 15,000-seaters over there and then we’d come back and do, like, a club… but it was cool to come home and be normal. Go to a restaurant or the mall. Howie: America was like our safe heaven. Nick: We called it “ No Fan Land.” 1996: In the Nick of Time While America seems like the land of no opportunity-Jive doesn’t even release an album in the U.S.-the boys continue to take Europe by storm, winning MTV Europe Viewers’ Choice Award over the Spice Girls and Oasis. Better still, Nick’s, um, time to change has come and gone. McPherson: By the time we released the album overseas, Nick’s voice had evolved into this really great-sounding voice. Clive Calder, the chairman of Jive parent company Zomba, recognized Nick’s star potential as a young cute blond guy in the group. Howie: We started noticing that he had a major fan base. Weiss: The first European version of “ Quit Playing Games” had Brian doing all the lead vocals. McPherson: Clive said, “ We gotta get Nick on this song because it’s gonna blow up.” We were in England and we flew Max Martin in and we went into Battery Studios in London. Nic |
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