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Q: You've been seen in Huntsville often during the last year or so,
what's the connection?
Richardson: Howie and I have flown into Huntsville quite a few times
because a good friend of ours, a songwriter, Gary Baker, lives in
Muscle Shoals. So, we come through Huntsville when we go over to do
writing sessions with Gary. Also, our investment brokerage firm is
here, so we have that relationship, too.
We've been blessed with a lot of financial security and we're trying
to do the smart things, the right things, becoming businessmen and
coming into our own and diversifying.
Q: What business lessons have you learned so far?
Dorough: We're blessed with God-given talent, which helps us create a
great show. But at the same time we try to be good businessmen as
well. There are a lot of entertainers out there who never keep track
of their money, and lose a lot of their money after all their hard
work, with bad investments.
Richardson: We're approached with investment opportunities so much,
you just have to sift through them. We're fortunate being in the
entertainment business and having celebrity status that we get a lot
of opportunities, whether it be in the movies or to have a
collaboration in music or take our own money and invest in something.
So, we just want to be careful and choose our relationships and
investments smartly.
Q: How successful was the ''Black and Blue Tour''?
Richardson: It was great, everything went really good despite
everything with Sept. 11. It was kind of hard a couple of days after
that to get motivated and go out on stage after so many people where
hurt and suffering. But at the same time, we continued and didn't
cancel any shows and it's been like therapy for us (a show in San
Diego was canceled so the group could perform in the New York
fund-raiser). To keep going for a couple of hours to help the audience
forget about what's going on in the world and to help us forget about
it and let us get absorbed in the music and performance was good.
Q: How special was performing in the fund-raisers?
Richardson: We did the benefit concert for the firefighters and police
at Madison Square Garden, and it was an honor to be part of that. And,
we did the show in D.C. the next day. We just wanted to be part of it,
especially since it affected us in a different way - one of our crew
members was on the first plane that hit the tower.
Dorough: The gentleman we lost, Daniel Lee, was one of our crew
members, one of our carpenters. We've got at least 160 people on our
production every day, not including the locals. To lose somebody like
that is tough, and brings you back to banding together for the
country. For us, our roles were trying to make something better out of
the situation.
Q: Much of today's music is criticized for negative lyrics from guys
like Marilyn Manson and some of the rappers. Yet, you guys try to keep
in clean.
Dorough: The Backstreet Boys pride themselves on being wholesome guys
with family values. We want to do a concert and record that anybody
can listen to, whether it's a mother, father, daughter or any
nationality. So much time is spent on music and negativity.
Unfortunately, a lot of rap musicians diss each other. It's times like
this, Sept. 11, that makes you feel you can provide a positive
influence.
Q: So, where does the band's career stand at this point?
Richardson: A lot of people don't know it, but we've been together
going on nine years. So, being together almost nine years, and since
this is our fourth album, fifth internationally, we would have
probably preferred to put the greatest hits album out next year when
we celebrate a decade together. But we thought putting out a greatest
hits now would give the fans some new music and give us time to get
back in the studio and really take our time for a new album the third
or fourth quarter of next year.
From here on out, I think we're at a crossroads with the fact we may
not tour quite as much as we used to and not be on the road as much
during the year. We're on the road 10 months out of the year and have
kept a pretty steady tour schedule for the past seven years now. We
kinda want to slow it down a little bit.
Q: You guys were quite forthcoming publicly when A.J. had to go into
rehab. How are things now with him and the band?
Richardson: It was a difficult time. We've been through a lot of
trying times. This wasn't one of our proudest moments, but I am proud
that A.J. got help and we were honest and didn't try to hide it. We
were honest with fans and he's really doing good. He made it through
the tour. Ideally, you don't want to go back into an environment like
that, especially on the road. The doctors wanted him to go 90 days
after rehab for outpatient care, but he's doing good now.
Dorough: Hopefully, our fans will look at A.J. and realize nobody is
too big to have problems. It's a lot to handle. People think it's all
glitz and glamour, you sleep half the day and then just get up and
perform. But it's a lot more. More goes into it if you're going to
have a successful group.
Q: Obviously fame has a price, your privacy. How has that affected you
guys?
Richardson: Our lives are no longer our lives. But none of us would
trade it for anything. We feel very fortunate. Besides, we like to
sneak around. We just put on a cap and go out.
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