Read Online 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 - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Denise I. McLean
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always dreamed of being in a group like
this and he was very excited to be auditioning for it. That was news to
me! Alex had never mentioned this to me before, so I had no clue that
he had any interest in this type of thing.
I just sat and listened to my son go on and on about himself, his
career and his dreams of becoming a pop star. It was all very revealing to
me. When Alex was through we were told, "Good job. We'll call you
soon."
Those words had rung in our ears so many times before, with nothing coming of it, that I could see the disappointment in my son's eyes as
we left to get into the car. On the way home he confessed that he had a very good feeling about all of this. I tried to be just as positive, but [ was
very confused about the whole situation. My mind kept going back to
the reading and the psychic telling me how this man was going to change
my life. I just kept praying it would be sooner rather than later.
After a few anxious weeks of waiting, Alex convinced me to call for
an update. Gloria informed me that Alex had definitely been chosen for
the group, but had to wait while they continued their search for the rest
of the members. At that point I felt it was necessary to have a serious
talk with my son. We had to decide if this was going to be a genuine
opportunity or just another dead end.
I told Alex the good news about the phone call with Gloria but then
asked him to think long and hard about the direction he wanted his
career to take. Up until now his goals had been on theater and his dreams
had been Broadway bound. Alex thought for a moment and then looked
me straight in the eye as he told me how it had always been his secret
desire to dance and sing on MTV, just like all his pop idols. "The theater
is a nice goal," he said, "but music has always fascinated me in ways I
can't really explain."
Alex said that being in a group with other guys like him would be
like having the brothers that he never had; it would be an extension of
our little family. At that, my heartstrings gave a tug. Alex was as serious
as I had ever seen him. He wanted to do this more than anything. It was
almost like he instinctively knew what was ahead of him. I got a very
weird feeling about that conversation. It was like the feeling I got when
we drove up to that big white house.
CHAPTER FOUR
Reality Check
SEVERAL FOLLOW-UP PHONE CALLS with Gloria revealed a bit more
about the mysterious Lou Pearlman. He was cousin to pop legend Art
Garfunkel, but the references were so vague that we never knew for
certain. For years Lou had written music with the hope of breaking into
the industry, but with no success. Luckily, he had another passion: airships, commonly known as blimps. With the help of a financial backer
in Germany, Lou had built a successful airship company.
Originally from New York, Lou and a few childhood friends moved
to Orlando to start up a billboard business that used airships. They
worked with theme parks and large companies until the company began making a profit. Despite that accomplishment, Lou's real dream was
to enter the music industry Before we met him, he had spent much of
the previous year researching how the New Kids had become such a
household name. It was obvious to him that a winning formula was at
work. All he needed to do was copy it.
In his opinion, the timing was right for a new boy band. Lou did his
homework and decided to pull in some shareholders to front him the
money he needed for the venture. Most people were skeptical. It was hard
to believe that this man, a titan in the airship industry, could deliver the next teen sensation. But he was persuasive and managed to raise the
initial capital he needed.
After learning about Lou and his dreams of stardom with this boyband idea, I decided not to quit my day job just yet. I continued to plug
away with my kids and computer classes. Alex kept up with his acting
and singing lessons. Not much changed
this and he was very excited to be auditioning for it. That was news to
me! Alex had never mentioned this to me before, so I had no clue that
he had any interest in this type of thing.
I just sat and listened to my son go on and on about himself, his
career and his dreams of becoming a pop star. It was all very revealing to
me. When Alex was through we were told, "Good job. We'll call you
soon."
Those words had rung in our ears so many times before, with nothing coming of it, that I could see the disappointment in my son's eyes as
we left to get into the car. On the way home he confessed that he had a very good feeling about all of this. I tried to be just as positive, but [ was
very confused about the whole situation. My mind kept going back to
the reading and the psychic telling me how this man was going to change
my life. I just kept praying it would be sooner rather than later.
After a few anxious weeks of waiting, Alex convinced me to call for
an update. Gloria informed me that Alex had definitely been chosen for
the group, but had to wait while they continued their search for the rest
of the members. At that point I felt it was necessary to have a serious
talk with my son. We had to decide if this was going to be a genuine
opportunity or just another dead end.
I told Alex the good news about the phone call with Gloria but then
asked him to think long and hard about the direction he wanted his
career to take. Up until now his goals had been on theater and his dreams
had been Broadway bound. Alex thought for a moment and then looked
me straight in the eye as he told me how it had always been his secret
desire to dance and sing on MTV, just like all his pop idols. "The theater
is a nice goal," he said, "but music has always fascinated me in ways I
can't really explain."
Alex said that being in a group with other guys like him would be
like having the brothers that he never had; it would be an extension of
our little family. At that, my heartstrings gave a tug. Alex was as serious
as I had ever seen him. He wanted to do this more than anything. It was
almost like he instinctively knew what was ahead of him. I got a very
weird feeling about that conversation. It was like the feeling I got when
we drove up to that big white house.
CHAPTER FOUR
Reality Check
SEVERAL FOLLOW-UP PHONE CALLS with Gloria revealed a bit more
about the mysterious Lou Pearlman. He was cousin to pop legend Art
Garfunkel, but the references were so vague that we never knew for
certain. For years Lou had written music with the hope of breaking into
the industry, but with no success. Luckily, he had another passion: airships, commonly known as blimps. With the help of a financial backer
in Germany, Lou had built a successful airship company.
Originally from New York, Lou and a few childhood friends moved
to Orlando to start up a billboard business that used airships. They
worked with theme parks and large companies until the company began making a profit. Despite that accomplishment, Lou's real dream was
to enter the music industry Before we met him, he had spent much of
the previous year researching how the New Kids had become such a
household name. It was obvious to him that a winning formula was at
work. All he needed to do was copy it.
In his opinion, the timing was right for a new boy band. Lou did his
homework and decided to pull in some shareholders to front him the
money he needed for the venture. Most people were skeptical. It was hard
to believe that this man, a titan in the airship industry, could deliver the next teen sensation. But he was persuasive and managed to raise the
initial capital he needed.
After learning about Lou and his dreams of stardom with this boyband idea, I decided not to quit my day job just yet. I continued to plug
away with my kids and computer classes. Alex kept up with his acting
and singing lessons. Not much changed
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