Backstreet Boys Rule!
Sweet Howie!
Backstreet Boys' Howie Dorough can always be counted on to say the nicest things! He talks all about life on the road and what being a Backstreet Boy means to him!
QUESTION: How has life changed for you now that you've become big stars all over the world?
HOWIE: We're still normal, everyday people. We go shopping, we still have chores at home to do.
Q: Did you ever think you'd get this far?
HOWIE: I think we all hoped and dreamed about it. You can never expect it. But I think it's a blessing. We thank God every day for helping us.
Q: What do you love most and least about being a Backstreet Boy?
HOWIE: Getting a chance to travel around the world to see new places, see new cultures, try new foods. Um...the worst thing is being away from our families.
Q: When you're on the road, you don't share rooms anymore, do you?
HOWIE: Now we've gotten to the point where we've made a little bit of money so we can finally afford out own rooms (laughs). It's good because we're with each other 24-7 so we sometimes need just a little bit of time for ourselves.
Q: What do you bring with you when you travel?
HOWIE: I bring my book bag, which has my whole house in it! It is so heavy, nobody wants to carry it. It has everything from my CD player, CDs, cassette player, Spanish books, sunglasses--I have just about everything and anything in it.
Q: What's the thing you miss most about being away?
HOWIE: Mom's home cooking, our beds...
Q: How do you guys go about choosing the songs you record?
HOWIE: We have a lot of say so, but the record company usually uses its good judgment about what fits for us. Then amongst the five of us, we decide if something is right for us, because we don't want to do something that's not us. You gotta feel comfortable.
Q: What's it like performing a new song for the first time onstage?
HOWIE: It's nerve-racking. Depending where we're at, what the situation is, every situation is different, you know. If you've been in a place that we're performing at several times before, then it's not as nerve-racking.
Q: Do you read music?
HOWIE: Yeah. I went to college to study music for two years. I got my Associate of Arts degree. I'm learning (to play) the acoustic guitar, too.
Q: What's your dating status at the moment? You're single, right?
HOWIE: Yeah. We date and stuff like that. Like meet other artists and other entertainers. When you're in town you want to hang out. It's always good to have company out there, especially when we're away from our families. It's very hard to have a serious relationship, but we definably like girls!
Q: How would you describe your style?
HOWIE: I'm kind of a little bit conservative. I'll wear jeans. Sometimes I'll wear slacks, a nick shirt or something like that.
Q: Who do you admire musically?
HOWIE: I like Jon Secada, Philip Bailey from Earth Wind & Fire, and Al B. Sure, I like a lot of artists.
Q: Here are some fun questions. What's the first album you ever bought?
HOWIE: Michael Jackson's Thriller.
Q: Are you a morning or evening person?
HOWIE: An evening guy, definitely!
Q: What's your favorite thing in your room?
HOWIE: My bed! It's all mine and I can sleep in it when I'm home--which isn't often!
Q: What's the sweetest thing you've ever done for a girl?
HOWIE: A while back, before I got into the group, I was dating this one girl. It was her birthday, so I asked my parents if I could cook at the house. I cooked a grilled dinner, had a candle-light little thing. We ended up going from there over to the airport and there's a strip right near the runway where you can watch the planes take off. So we drove over and I had a sunroof and we just watched the planes go by.
Q: Sounds pretty sweet! You definitely live up to your nickname, Sweet D!
HOWIE: Thanks.
...back to the party!
