Source: Orlando Sentinel That album Garth Brooks
put out as his pop pseudonym, Chris Gaines, went over like Santa Claus in a blue
pin-stripe suit. Yet, up comes the Backstreet Boys' tattooed wonder, A.J.
McLean, with plans for a Hard Rock Live benefit concert as his new alter ego:
Johnny Suede.
``All I've been able to find out is that he is British and he's going to look
different,'' said Chris Tomasso, Hard Rock International's new senior director
of marketing and production and really, really long corporate titles. ``He's
doing this for Save the Music, so you've got to like that.''
You bet we do. McLean's Jan.9 concert is to kick off a new Orlando chapter so
that funds raised locally for Save the Music, which provides musical instruments
to schoolchildren, can be spent locally.
Lost in the translation?
A.J. was headed to the Backstreet Boys' stylist to talk red leather suits,
but we got ahold of his mom, Denise McLean. She said A.J. wanted to do a benefit
during the group's tour break, and since it was just him, he thought it would be
fun to cut loose under the name he used to book hotel rooms after finding it on
a clothing label.
``He'll be doing a compilation of his songs and covers,'' said McLean, who
assures us her son won't have trouble with the British accent because he studied
dialects as a kid.
Pony up $15 for a ticket and you can tell your friends you not only attended
Johnny Suede's debut concert with the Backstreet Boys, but also McLean's 22nd
birthday party.
By Leslie Doolittle
Of The Sentinel Staff
