god I love this fandom

[erilyn]

Popped over to Borders this evening to use a $10 discount before it expired (got an older Pratchett I didn't have, couldn't find anything else), but I browsed through an unauthorised biography of Justin that I haven't seen around before. It's published recently, but my main interest was in the early Nsync stuff.

Have I mentioned my unholy love of the Creation Myth? I love it more than I can put into words. The endless variations, "Lansten", the omissions (hi Jason!), the bullshit, the pentegram and JC's hand analogy from N the Mix (heh, thinking about it makes me want to watch it), just...everything.

Well this book had yet another variation I hadn't heard before. Apparently, before Lance, before Jason, there was...Charles Edwards. Proto-Backstreet Boy Charles Edwards. He and Chris were friends, you see, and I think Charles was actually in the group before Justin, from what I can recall, but leaves very early on to get married (it was the rampant homoeroticism that drove him away and into the arms of a woman!), so they got Jason, and then Lance. Has anyone heard this variation before? Sadly, as it was new, it was fullprice. If it had been $5, I might have bought it for that gem alone. Though the author seemed to have way too much info about Justin's girlfriends from when he was a teenager.

There's always another Creation Myth, and that's why I love popfandom *g*.

Comments

[digital-diva.livejournal.com]

Oooh, that's new to me. Strange how they never mentioned him before.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

I wonder if Chris makes up crap and tells it to journalists, just to see who will fail to do research and print it?

[digital-diva.livejournal.com]

I don't doubt for a minute that at one point he did, just because he got tired of getting that same question over and over again.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Of course he can't tell the truth - the other four are actually robots he built to form the perfect boyband.

Now I really need to rewatch N the Mix, for Chris's piano headbanging during the Creation Myth.

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

Everyone also forgets about Sam Licata. The very first song that AJ, Howie and Nick recorded together was with Sam and Charles, before one decided to go country, and the other one just wanted out.

Man. I think I know too much about boyband history.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

I think I know too much about boyband history.

Nah, there's no such thing as knowing too much ;)

Have you read "Backstreet Mom"? I have issues with some aspects of the book, but the part about the formation of the group is probably the most detailed account I've read.

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

Yes I have! I have some issues re: Denise and all, but I still love her the most out of all the moms.

The BoxTree biography (Boys in skiwear for the 97 European tour with BRIGHT RED background) was actually quite information, albeit leaving out all the nasty parts about Lou and all. And the interviews with the Boys and the people they knew were just too...happy? Too perfect. Ugh.

Ah, The Creation Myth. How I love thee. They should make this a university course. Someone somewhere already has a Madonna one.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

I wanna do that course! With Backstreet, I feel the only mums I've really seen are Jane and Denise, so of course Denise is gonna be my favourite *g*.

[emmuzka.livejournal.com]

Arhg, now I have the urge to surf on eBay for them!

My only Justin biography kinda jumps over Nsync really fast (Lansten!), which is, in my oppinion, unprofessional from the author, since, hello, he has only made one solo record!

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

This one did have a lot of stuff about Justin growing up, MMC (mentioned how a lot of the MMC people are still in touch and show up to support each other), Nsync, solo career, even through to the Superbowl and dating Cameron. Don't know how accurate/readable it is, I was mostly skimming and flipping around :)

[trickyjazzer.livejournal.com]

I think I have that book. lol Is that the one that Denise did or the one that Nicks mom did?

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

Backstreet Mom's by Denise. The one by Jane *shudder* is Nick Carter: Secrets Only A Mother Knows, or summat. Jane gives me the heebie jeebies. Ick.

[trickyjazzer.livejournal.com]

Yep that's the one I have then. :) I don't care much for Jane either.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Heh, I don't think anyone (including her sons) care much for Jane. Scary scary woman.

[marrymehowie.livejournal.com]

I forgot about Sam Licata! Wow, that was so long ago.

[turps33.livejournal.com]

The creation myth is a thing of wonder. In that you wonder how they thought anyone would ever believe it. I mean, Lansten!

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Heee, excellent point!

It's such an unlikely chain of coincidences (ok, some of them might be true) and half-lies and bullshit, it's amazing they sold it as convincingly as they did *g*.

[withdiamonds.livejournal.com]

The endless variations, "Lansten", the omissions (hi Jason!), the bullshit, the pentegram and JC's hand analogy from N the Mix

The bullshit? Wait, are you saying that parts of it may not be true? I'm crushed.

Someday, we're gonna know everything. And then it won't be nearly as much fun.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Do you think that we will ever know the complete truth? Would we recognise it if we did? *g*

But yes, this is way more fun.

[charlidos.livejournal.com]

Interesting!

It's weird how much they've lied about this. But then, the object, I suppose, was to make them look like friends, just getting together and singing. That Lou just happened to be there to help them along when they were already a group. It seemed important that there weren't any auditions but that they were friends and brothers since forever! And probably they were hoping that no one would be listening to that part much anyway. They were counting on the screaming girls. :)

Will we ever know the truth? Actually, what I'd love to know is the story of how Justin & JC ended up together after MMC. Because that story has 765364 variations too and it never makes much sense.

[swabian.livejournal.com]

Actually, what I'd love to know is the story of how Justin & JC ended up together after MMC. Because that story has 765364 variations too and it never makes much sense.

::nods:: I'm curious about that one too. Also, JC's "lost" months (year?) in LA. Anytime somebody says, I don't want to talk about it, I'm intrigued. I can't believe that nobody has tried to dig up information about that time.

[callsigns.livejournal.com]

A Scottish journalist who interviewed JC last year said that he said he spent that time touring US bases in Europe with a traveling performance company! I emailed her to get more details, but she never coughed them up, the bitch.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Damn her!

JC seems to have done a lot of stuff between MMC and Nsync, it wasn't that many years *g*.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Ha, or little details like how well did Chris and Howie actually know each other? That's another part that intrigues/amuses me :)

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Yes! That's another part that has many interesting variations, like JC ending up in Memphis writing with Justin.

But they definitely wanted to avoid looking "manufactured" at all. BSB did the same thing, they never mentioned the many rounds of auditions, and that before Kevin and Brian there was Sam and Charles.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bettina_/]

If we will ever get to know the truth? ;-)

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

In a way, I hope not, this is more fun!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bettina_/]

It is more fun, but still. It makes you wonder. Just like with Take That. There was always this "they were friends" thing and then Robbie "revealed" in his book that they all had to audition. No one knew each other.

[wistfuljane.livejournal.com]

Charles Edwards? Y'know I'm not too familiar with Backstreet's Creation Myth beside the one they feeded us. Did Charles leave/was cut from BSB and later join *N'SYNC? It doesn't make sense.

Rough BSB history

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

They auditioned a lot of guys for BSB, and the original lineup was AJ, Nick, Howie, Sam Licata and Charles Edwards (there was also a sixth guy who got told he was the substitute, so left shortly after that). They'd even started performing/recording demos together, when first one left/was pushed and was replaced with Kevin, and then the other, and after another round of searching and auditioning, Kevin called Brian.

Charles being an early member of Nsync is something I've never heard before, and don't really believe, it's a big detail to have never heard before *g*.

[lucylooo.livejournal.com]

I actually had a bookmark once upon a time to an online interview with Chuck where he talked about being kicked out of choosing to leave both groups, and how he was going to bust a move with a group of his own. That was from 2000 or something.

yeah, nobody's ever heard of him since. I think he's managing a Pizza Hut in New Mexico. . .

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Very interesting, I'd guess that was probably the same interview that the author of the biography was referencing. Given they eventually owned up to Jason, any involvement by Chuck must have lasted about 30 seconds ;)

[boozlebomb.livejournal.com]

I've seen that book too! There's another thing that I think is weird about it. The guys have always talked about how they weren't put together by a record company, but from what the author of the book was saying, it seemed like Lou pretty much put them together.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

I think Lou was quite involved in the formation. They're correct in that they put themselves together, there weren't ads in the paper, and mostly they seem to have found each other through knowing each other (or knowing people who knew them), but Chris was putting together the group because Lou said he was interested in backing another boyband. As far as I understand it.