'New Kid' back on the block Jordan Knight to play at Floyd's Music Store Wednesday

by Lynn Wallace/ November 01, 2004

After a crazed adolescence piled high with No. 1 records, chart topping singles, and a steady influx of merchandise such as dolls, books, videos and comic strips, former New Kids on the Block member Jordan Knight has seen it all.

With five of the group's albums simultaneously appearing on the Billboard 200, NKOTB realized fast that success had finally knocked on its door. So much that, in 1990, the group earned more than $850 million in sheer profit. But the story doesn't end there.

Now well into his solo career, Knight continues to release albums on his own terms. Most recently, Knight appeared as a cast member on the VH1 hit show "The Surreal Life" alongside "Full House" star Dave Coulier, Public Enemy rapper Flavor Flav, actress Brigitte Nielsen, "American Idol" contestant Ryan Starr and Spanish guitarist Charo. The FSView & Florida Flambeau recently conducted an interview with the megastar to discuss his latest VH1 fame, life with New Kids on the Block, and what to expect from his current tour.

FSView & Florida Flambeau: What was your most memorable experience while you were on "The Surreal Life"?

Jordan Knight: Probably when we did the haunted house. That was probably the most memorable. It was just fun to see the reaction of the other cast going through the haunted house with the paranormal guy that we had. Yeah, it was just fun to see everybody's reaction 'cause three of 'em got really scared ... Like Charo and Brigitte and Ryan. In fact, Brigitte ran for the door. So I think that's probably the most memorable. I think with Flavor Flav, there's just too many to go through.

FFF: Were you surprised by the behavior of your housemates?

JK: You know, not really. I liked everybody in the house. Flavor Flav ... we had a relationship before we went into the house because he used to come on the tour bus with the New Kids all the time. And he actually sang with us at the American Music Awards back in the early '90s. So it was cool when I saw him walk in the door. I was like, "I know somebody." You know, and Charo ... she's hard to understand, she's got energy. But still, she's a sweetheart. And even with Brigitte with all her weirdness and running around naked and doing what she does, you know, deep down she's still a good person. Dave's the most normal in the house. And you got Ryan, Ryan is just ... I don't think she really fit in with everybody, but it didn't make her a bad person. I just think we were maybe just much older than she was, with more life experience.

FFF: Did your housemates turn out to be different than you thought they would be, as opposed to when you first met them?

JK: Yeah, it's probably just like with you too, 'cause you're in college. It's like, you know, when you first probably got to school and you start to see people, you're like, "Damn! What is going on around here?" Because you're taking people from all different walks of life and you put 'em on one campus. It's the same with "The Surreal Life." They went for shock value. So they just found six totally off-the-wall people that (aren't) crazy in their own world, but when you put 'em together, boy it makes for one crazy experience in the house. So I think that's kind of what they went for. And yeah, they did turn out differently because you got to see they all have big hearts and we're good people. ... Even when you get past the horns on Flavor Flav's head and all that other stuff.

FFF: Who out of the house do you feel that you connected with most while on the show?

JK : Probably Flavor Flav and Dave Coulier. Yeah, I love being with those two guys. I had a good time. I still talk to Dave all the time. And he's a good guy. ... He's really funny and just a warm guy.

FFF: Was New Kids on the Block the first boy band?

JK: People ask that. I'd say we're the first with what people call boy bands now. 'Cause that term wasn't around when we were out. People try to say, "Well, there were the Beatles, there was the Jackson 5," but the thing is, I didn't really consider them boy bands ... like what America thinks boy bands are now. So if you go by what people call boy bands, then we were the first. And yeah, it's kind of cool to see what came after us. But, you know, the thing with New Kids is we weren't the best and we weren't the worst. We made some pretty good music ... and what came out of New Kids was great because we're still the only group today in music history to put our first seven consecutive singles in the top 10. And that's something to be really proud of. And we've had a great run and I really can't complain. We all had good lives out of it. We traveled the world many times over and we have some great, loyal fans that still to this day come out to the shows. I'm really proud of the accomplishments that I did with New Kids.

FFF: Looking back on the New Kids era, does the experience seem surreal?

JK : No, because it's still going on now. That's the funny thing. I've been on tour this year and it's been crazy. The responses are crazy. I just got back from Anaheim a couple of days ago and L.A. and we did the whole West Coast run and stuff and we sold out all the venues and the mayhem was there. And it was so fun to look out into the audience and see fans singing "Please Don't Go Girl" and "I'll Be Loving You Forever" and see not only the fans that are 25 plus now, but to see girls that are like 12 years old, 18 years old ... it was very, very cool.

FFF: What is your favorite memory from New Kids on the Block?

JK: Probably hearing "Please Don't Go Girl" go top 10 and knowing that it was a top 10 record after we worked all those years and almost got dropped by our record company ... to know that we finally made it.

FFF: What's the craziest thing a fan has ever done, whether it was in New Kids or in your solo career?

JK: Probably asking me to sign her breast when her fiancŽe was standing right next to her.

FFF: Oh ... that's interesting. Did you still do it?

JK : Oh, yeah. (Laughs) That actually happened in Toledo, Ohio. They've done crazy things over the years. But, oh man, wow. And the guy next to her was like, "Yeah, yeah, go ahead!" And I did.

FFF: Can you tell me about the New Kids on the Block remix album?

JK: The remix record was kind of something in between just to kind of do. The fans were getting restless so that was just kind of something to put out in the meantime. It was fun to do, too. It was fun to remix those songs and give kind of a new millennium twist to them. It was a lot of fun; I think it turned out great.

FFF: Are those songs true to the originals or drastically different after the remix?

JK : The melodies are pretty close to some of them, but the sound is definitely for today.

FFF: What kind of songs will you be performing at the Floyd's Music Store show?

J K : I'll do everything from New Kids to my last solo record to stuff from now.

FFF: Does it bother you when people remember you more for being in NewKids on the Block than for what you have accomplished in your solo career?

JK : I look at it like this: I'm a big Paul McCartney fan. If I was to go see Paul McCartney and he did not sing any Beatles songs, I would be one disappointed fan in the audience. So if people come to see my show, they expect to hear those songs because those are songs that were hits and made my career. So there's no way I could not play those songs to a fan. And believe it or not, I like performing them.

FFF: So how does it feel to be out on the road touring again?

JK: We're doing a lot of press. I'm doing like 97 interviews a day. It feels like back in the day again because this schedule is so crazy. I'm in a different city every day and I'm just doing it all. I'm enjoying it. My favorite part of it is actually getting up there and performing for the people.

FFF: How long has it been since your last tour?

JK: Before we went out this year ... four years.

FFF: What is it like performing to former New Kids fans that have grown up and are now in college or college aged? Do you see a lot of people from that generation coming out to the shows?

JK : I do, I do. The coolest thing is just seeing all the different age groups out there. I love it. And people are there for different reasons. Some people are there because they're New Kids fans, some people I picked them up on my last solo record ... and some people come out because they like the show. So it's a wide variety of audiences.

FFF: Are you surprised at all by the loyalty of your fan base, that the same people are still coming out to your shows?

JK : I think it's wonderful and I'm very thankful. I'm honored that they would keep me in their lives that long. Sometimes it's hard to explain to people that type of love, and I certainly appreciate it and I won't take it for granted, that's for sure.