Backstreet Mom: A Mother's Tale of Backstreet Boy AJ McLean's Rise to Fame, Struggle With Addiction, and Ultimate Triumph by Denise I. McLean
Authors: Denise I. McLean
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around and saw Alex standing in the lobby, wearing only his
boxer shorts, white socks and a big smile.
The next day was a long one. The boys sang and danced hour after
hour for anyone who showed up at the showcase. I was a little disappointed at the small number of record executives who accepted our invitation to meet the boys. Based on the responses we had gotten from the
school tour, along with the feedback from everyone else that had heard
the boys sing, I assumed that they would be knocking down our door.
It was just a bit hard to watch the boys' faces when they were told
that they had received no offers, but Lou gave them a pep talk and made
sure they understood that this was only the beginning. He made it clear
that he had no intention of giving up. That made all of us feel better.
CHAPTER FIVE
Jive Talk
LESS THAN SIX MONTHS AFTER THE SHOWCASE, we returned to
New York City, where we met with executives at jive Records. It was
actually the second record company to make an offer. As Lou had predicted, a record contract did come through following the showcase. The
boys were signed to Mercury Records.
However, as the weeks went by, it became obvious that Mercury had
no intention of picking up its option to record the boys. They let the
offer expire without ever sending the boys into the studio. As luck would
have it, the Mercury executive who signed them subsequently resigned
and took a position with jive Records, where he found co-workers that
believed in the Backstreet Boys as much as he did.
All of which landed us in the conference room of jive Records. There
we sat gathered around the negotiating table, hacking through mounds
of legal mumbo-jumbo with an attorney that Lou had hired for us. As
the saying goes, "If I only knew then what I know now," that scene
would have ended quite differently.
I learned a few very important things as a result of that meeting. Never, ever sign a contract without having your attorney look at it and without having a complete understanding of the document. Never allow yourself or your child to be bullied into something without having all of
your questions answered. By that point, we had put all of our trust in
Lou. He had taken a big risk financially and, by that time, we felt that
we owed him so much. On more than one occasion, Lou told the boys
how he was going to make them into millionaires. The way he lived was
the way we all wanted to live. Nice house, nice car, fame, fortune. What
parent would turn that down for their child?
After we signed the contracts that day at jive Records, we went out
on the town to celebrate. The celebration lasted well into night. It began
with a wonderful dinner, after which we went to the Copa Cabana and
then strolled through Times Square. It was a night I will never forget.
The boys stopped in front of Virgin Records and began harmonizing
right there on the street. Lou grinned ear-to-ear as passersby formed a
crowd around them.
When they finished singing, the crowd applauded.
With that, one of the boys yelled out, "There will be more to come
from jive's newest recording artists, the Backstreet Boys."
Once the record company took over, life became a whirlwind of performing, recording and "imaging." The main goal was to have that wholesome boy-next-door look at all times. They were expected to adhere to
that image, even on their days off. The Jive stylist helped us a great deal
when it came to the look and feel they wanted to portray. However, the
task of running from store to store with the boys, hemming pants and
putting buttons back on, still lay with den mothers like me.
From the word go, Alex wanted to be the odd man out when it came
to wardrobe, hair and personality. He wanted to be the bad boy. Every
time we went into a store there would be an argument between him and
Kevin. Why did Alex need that extra piece of clothing? Why didn't he
want to wear the same colors as the other boys? Whatever
boxer shorts, white socks and a big smile.
The next day was a long one. The boys sang and danced hour after
hour for anyone who showed up at the showcase. I was a little disappointed at the small number of record executives who accepted our invitation to meet the boys. Based on the responses we had gotten from the
school tour, along with the feedback from everyone else that had heard
the boys sing, I assumed that they would be knocking down our door.
It was just a bit hard to watch the boys' faces when they were told
that they had received no offers, but Lou gave them a pep talk and made
sure they understood that this was only the beginning. He made it clear
that he had no intention of giving up. That made all of us feel better.
CHAPTER FIVE
Jive Talk
LESS THAN SIX MONTHS AFTER THE SHOWCASE, we returned to
New York City, where we met with executives at jive Records. It was
actually the second record company to make an offer. As Lou had predicted, a record contract did come through following the showcase. The
boys were signed to Mercury Records.
However, as the weeks went by, it became obvious that Mercury had
no intention of picking up its option to record the boys. They let the
offer expire without ever sending the boys into the studio. As luck would
have it, the Mercury executive who signed them subsequently resigned
and took a position with jive Records, where he found co-workers that
believed in the Backstreet Boys as much as he did.
All of which landed us in the conference room of jive Records. There
we sat gathered around the negotiating table, hacking through mounds
of legal mumbo-jumbo with an attorney that Lou had hired for us. As
the saying goes, "If I only knew then what I know now," that scene
would have ended quite differently.
I learned a few very important things as a result of that meeting. Never, ever sign a contract without having your attorney look at it and without having a complete understanding of the document. Never allow yourself or your child to be bullied into something without having all of
your questions answered. By that point, we had put all of our trust in
Lou. He had taken a big risk financially and, by that time, we felt that
we owed him so much. On more than one occasion, Lou told the boys
how he was going to make them into millionaires. The way he lived was
the way we all wanted to live. Nice house, nice car, fame, fortune. What
parent would turn that down for their child?
After we signed the contracts that day at jive Records, we went out
on the town to celebrate. The celebration lasted well into night. It began
with a wonderful dinner, after which we went to the Copa Cabana and
then strolled through Times Square. It was a night I will never forget.
The boys stopped in front of Virgin Records and began harmonizing
right there on the street. Lou grinned ear-to-ear as passersby formed a
crowd around them.
When they finished singing, the crowd applauded.
With that, one of the boys yelled out, "There will be more to come
from jive's newest recording artists, the Backstreet Boys."
Once the record company took over, life became a whirlwind of performing, recording and "imaging." The main goal was to have that wholesome boy-next-door look at all times. They were expected to adhere to
that image, even on their days off. The Jive stylist helped us a great deal
when it came to the look and feel they wanted to portray. However, the
task of running from store to store with the boys, hemming pants and
putting buttons back on, still lay with den mothers like me.
From the word go, Alex wanted to be the odd man out when it came
to wardrobe, hair and personality. He wanted to be the bad boy. Every
time we went into a store there would be an argument between him and
Kevin. Why did Alex need that extra piece of clothing? Why didn't he
want to wear the same colors as the other boys? Whatever
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