person. My party-hearty lifestyle stayed under wraps for a long time because I did my drinking and drugs out of public view most of the time. Then, when I finally reached legal drinking age, I began my headlong dive into that deep dark hole Howie referred to.
My downward spiral became news when I was arrested in January of 2002 at the Pop City bar in Tampa. I’d gone there with a group of local friends. We hit it hard and then things got out of control near closing time. We were just a bunch of normal guys doing the things guys do to get in trouble. Of course, I should have been more aware of my responsibility as a member of Backstreet. I should not have been acting irresponsibly or doing unhealthy things, but I was trying to fit in with a group of friends who were not really the best influences. I was a product of my environment at that time. After touring with the group and living in that warped reality of being a celebrity and traveling constantly, I wanted to return to a more “normal” lifestyle, but in truth, the binge drinking, drug use and partying all the time wasn’t really a normal existence either.
THE HEADLINE IN THE NEW YORK POST LATER READ, “BACKSTREET BOOZER BUSTED FOR BRAWL.”
My memories of that night are very hazy. As I recall, we were at the bar and getting ready to leave because it was closing time. We were drunk. I yelled something at a bartender that was rude and they kicked me out of the club. People messed with me on the way out, yelling things, and it caused a scene. Once I got outside I headed to the valet parking area. I really was trying to avoid trouble and just get my car and leave. But then this guy came up and started hassling me. He was probably just trying to get me to clear out, but I didn’t care. He was wearing a jacket and I couldn’t tell if he had a uniform on or not, but I later saw that he had a badge. He was telling me to get in this car and I was very, very confrontational with him. I kept asking who he was and why I should listen to him.
My friends were yelling, “Do what he says, he’s a cop!”
I was so drunk. I didn’t realize he was an officer until it was too late and he slammed me up against the vehicle telling me that I was under arrest. People from the bar were laughing at me and it was this big scene. It was so embarrassing.
After the cop said I was under arrest, I tried to act tough to impress my friends. At first, I thought being arrested was sort of cool, but once you get thrown into the backseat of a police car and they lock the door, you realize what’s really happening and your view quickly changes. This was just another example of my not caring enough about my responsibilities and not learning from my mistakes.
I realized that I’d lost control of myself and I remember crying on the way to the station. I was so embarrassed. I said, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t do this.”
The headline in the New York Post later read, “Backstreet Boozer Busted For Brawl.” The tabloids portrayed me as doing everything from grabbing a security guy by the neck to exposing myself—none of which was true.
The police charged me with a misdemeanor of “resisting arrest without violence” apparently because “drunk and belligerent” wasn’t a category. My memory of that night is fuzzy, for good reason. The Tampa police said they asked me to quiet down more than ten times and I refused each time. They claimed that they gave me a three-count to get out of the bar and I still didn’t leave. So they handcuffed me and put me in a squad car.
I was ashamed, of course. I defended myself on MTV’s Total Request Live (TRL) and on other occasions, saying that I just didn’t move quickly enough when an officer told me to clear out of the bar. I apologized to the Tampa Police Department, the members of BSB and our fans. Basically, I was just trying to uphold my reputation and do whatever damage control I could. TRL host Carson Daly said being arrested
My downward spiral became news when I was arrested in January of 2002 at the Pop City bar in Tampa. I’d gone there with a group of local friends. We hit it hard and then things got out of control near closing time. We were just a bunch of normal guys doing the things guys do to get in trouble. Of course, I should have been more aware of my responsibility as a member of Backstreet. I should not have been acting irresponsibly or doing unhealthy things, but I was trying to fit in with a group of friends who were not really the best influences. I was a product of my environment at that time. After touring with the group and living in that warped reality of being a celebrity and traveling constantly, I wanted to return to a more “normal” lifestyle, but in truth, the binge drinking, drug use and partying all the time wasn’t really a normal existence either.
THE HEADLINE IN THE NEW YORK POST LATER READ, “BACKSTREET BOOZER BUSTED FOR BRAWL.”
My memories of that night are very hazy. As I recall, we were at the bar and getting ready to leave because it was closing time. We were drunk. I yelled something at a bartender that was rude and they kicked me out of the club. People messed with me on the way out, yelling things, and it caused a scene. Once I got outside I headed to the valet parking area. I really was trying to avoid trouble and just get my car and leave. But then this guy came up and started hassling me. He was probably just trying to get me to clear out, but I didn’t care. He was wearing a jacket and I couldn’t tell if he had a uniform on or not, but I later saw that he had a badge. He was telling me to get in this car and I was very, very confrontational with him. I kept asking who he was and why I should listen to him.
My friends were yelling, “Do what he says, he’s a cop!”
I was so drunk. I didn’t realize he was an officer until it was too late and he slammed me up against the vehicle telling me that I was under arrest. People from the bar were laughing at me and it was this big scene. It was so embarrassing.
After the cop said I was under arrest, I tried to act tough to impress my friends. At first, I thought being arrested was sort of cool, but once you get thrown into the backseat of a police car and they lock the door, you realize what’s really happening and your view quickly changes. This was just another example of my not caring enough about my responsibilities and not learning from my mistakes.
I realized that I’d lost control of myself and I remember crying on the way to the station. I was so embarrassed. I said, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t do this.”
The headline in the New York Post later read, “Backstreet Boozer Busted For Brawl.” The tabloids portrayed me as doing everything from grabbing a security guy by the neck to exposing myself—none of which was true.
The police charged me with a misdemeanor of “resisting arrest without violence” apparently because “drunk and belligerent” wasn’t a category. My memory of that night is fuzzy, for good reason. The Tampa police said they asked me to quiet down more than ten times and I refused each time. They claimed that they gave me a three-count to get out of the bar and I still didn’t leave. So they handcuffed me and put me in a squad car.
I was ashamed, of course. I defended myself on MTV’s Total Request Live (TRL) and on other occasions, saying that I just didn’t move quickly enough when an officer told me to clear out of the bar. I apologized to the Tampa Police Department, the members of BSB and our fans. Basically, I was just trying to uphold my reputation and do whatever damage control I could. TRL host Carson Daly said being arrested
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