What have you all been up to in the last few months?
AJ: "I'm feeling kinda tired actually. We've been really busy lately."
Nick:(wearily) "Busy, busy, busy. .
Kevin: "We shot three new videos for the new album Backstreet's Back in Los Angeles, California. We've been doing a little promotion in the US.
Brian: "We're really excited about our success in the States."
AJ: "We've also been designing our stage and getting ready for the next tour thing. It's gonna be kind of like a mid-evil set-up, but also half of the stage is done up like The Enterprise off Star Trek - superhuman, futuristic type stuff.
Have you changed since we last saw you?
Kevin: Yeah, our whole stage show's different, we've go some new songs in the show. Personally? Mmm, I've cut my hair.
Nick: "I kinda did my hair more sophisticated. I'm kind of sick of the old blond parted down the middle kinda rubbish."
Brian: "I grew some sideburns out. I've no tattoos yet. I've seriously thought about getting one maybe sometime next year."
Howie: "I'm still in the process of growing my hair long, I'm at that transitional stage at the moment - I want it past my sholders."
AJ: "I'm back to my normal hait colour. What I'm gonna do is grow it another inch, inch and a half and then by August I'm gonna have twists - braids in my hair. I had some tattoos for the Backstreet's Back video shoot, but they weren't permanent
Is there anywhere that you've been last year that you'd like to visit again?
Brian: "I like Australia a lot. I don't really like the flight over there. I like Los Angeles a lot and I like Hawaii too. (laughs) Hawaii I would definately like to go back to. It's just gorgeous. It's got mountains on one side of the island and beaches on the other, so it has the best of everything. It's very tropical and warm."
Nick: "I'd probably say Hawaii, Hawaii was beautiful."
Kevin: "I'd love to go back to Italy. The people were just really cool, the food was incredible, the wine was good, the women were beautiful."
Howie: "I always look forward to coming back to England. The rest of Europe is good to us too, Italy and Spain were nice. It'll be cool to go back to Australia - and I wouldn't argue at returning to Hawaii."
AJ: "Hawaii for me too. I really, really liked it. I really wanna go back and do some things I didn't get a chance to do last time like swimming in seve pools and really get a chance to see the island."
What one word would you use to describe the other members of the band?
Brian: "Howie is the peacemaker of the group, Nick's nickname is chaos - he's just out of control, AJ is Mr. Talkative and Kevin is Mr. Big Brother. I'm the comedian."
Nick: "AJ - different. Brian - funny. Kevin - sophisticated. Howie - unpridictable. Myself - I don't know. I just try to be myself."
Kevin: "Howie's very laid back, Howie's probably the easiest going of the group. Me, I'm a perfectionist, I just want things right. We have rows sometimes because of that. Brian - jokester, likes to play around, but he's got a serious side as well. We've all got a serious side, you gotta make time to be serious about what you are doing. AJ is very laid-back as well, talks a lot - especially around women."
Howie: "I'm called Sweet D, I'm sweet with the ladies, I guess. Brian is, of course, known as B-rok for his basketball playing. AJ is the skinny one. Kevin is the most focused. I call Nick and Brian 'Frick and Frack' as they're such a double act when they're together."
AJ: "Brian's the clown, Howie's really sweet, kinda like a sauve character, Kevin very professional and serious, yet with a very sensitive side. And me, jus' crazy!"
Is it really bad having mad fans on your "back" all of the time?
Howie: "No, but they do get mad sometimes. Back in the States some fans have found out where I live and have been camping on the front lawn waiting for me to come home. On mother's day they bought my mum flowers and chocolates, she was so embarrassed she invited them in for dinner!"
Brian: "We were on stage in Manchester and some interesting objects came flying up on stage - I think you call them knickers - and a red bra came up, so I grabbed it and threw it at one of the security guards!"
Nick: "I've been seeing some weird stuff on the internet. Like funky stuff, but nothing too bad. There's been some fans following us on our tours and following the bus."
Kevin: "Sometimes you get letters that seem really serious, girls talking about suicide and stuff, and that, to us, is scary. Those letters we take really serious, we try to do what we can."
What's your biggest unfulfilled ambition?
Brian: "To get married. I would love to have a big family in a house and some kids and dogs."
Kevin: "I wanna have a family. I'd like to have a wife and kids. Settle down eventually. I wouldn't mind getting back into acting."
Nick: "I wanna get really, really good at basketball. I try to practice every time I get the chance. I wouldn't say I'm good, but I try really hard. If I got really good, I'd go to college to play."
Howie: "To conquer America musically. I'd really love to get back to my acting - be an actor, singer and dancer."
AJ: "To perform in the US MTV music awards. To di a show with No Doubt - 'cos I'm head over heels for Gwen Stefani. She's everything I've ever wanted in a woman."
Where do you see yourself in ten years time?
AJ: "Still together. Being more involved with our production and stage shows and maybe even writing for other artists."
Kevin: "I'll probably be starting a family. When I want to settle down, that's something i want to dedicate my full attention to 'cos I wanna be with my kids and my wife."
Howie: "Hopefully, by then I'll have a bit more money, so I can buy nicer clothes."
What's hot at the Backstreet Boys camp at the moment?
Brian: "I'm always into basketball. I just done playing about 30 minutes ago because we have a basketball hoop that travels with us on the road. We set it up in the venues and play before the show. Am I the best?(consults Nick, Nick laughs, Brian is hurt) I would have loved to have played professional basketball, but God didn't make me that tall."
AJ: "Actually we're about to have a celebrity basketball game, us with 'N Sync and a couple of other artists over in Europe. We're gonna do it in Berlin on September 10. There's gonna be 18,000 seats and they're all sold out, so it's gonna be a real basketball game. I'm gonna be playing against the BSB, on 'N Sync's team, so I'm looking forward to kicking BSB's butt!"
Kevin: "Some of the albums we're into are Nitorious BIG's Life after death, tracks on that album - though they're not very 'family orientated' - are really phat. On the bus we listen to Heavy D, Blacksteet, Maxwell."
Howie: "I'm still into Tommy Hilfiger clothes. What I like and can afford are very different."
AJ: "Fashio wise we're stepping a bit more to the hip-hop scene. I've been wearing a new brand name called Dada owned buy a guy who's only my age, he's just 19."
Nick: "Everyone knows I'm a video game freak! I've just got a new game that isn't out here yet. I love every kind of music - old rock 'n' roll, R 'n' B, rap."
Any new pop pals?
Brian: "We all get along with Boyzone. You run into people a lot. They'll come by to see your show and you'll go by and see theirs and stuff like that. It's good. We're like one big family."
Kevin: "The Spice Girls are pretty cool. We shared a dressing room with them at a show in Germany. They've always been really cool with us. They say: 'how's it going? How've you guys been?' Stuff like that.'
AJ: "When we were in LA we met Quad City DJs, Dru Hill, Joe, Blackstreet, Salt 'n' Pepa, LL Cool J... all staying in our hotel. shooting videos! It must have been 'shoot your video in LA week."
What are your plans for the next 12 months
Nick: "We're dong a big open air tour around Germany and Europe, and Easten Europe. We'll be over in England as well."
Kevin: "We're going to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland, and them we'll be heading back home to the States for even more promotional stuff. We're gonna be busy."
Have you got a message for the readers of Smash Hits?
Brian: "I'd just like to tell all the Smash Hits readers don't forget the Backstreet Boys. We started off with you guys about two years ago on the Smash Hits tour and we're still the same guys. And we love you."
Nick: "I'd just like to say Smash Hits has been there ever since we won that first award, we just hope everyone enjoys our music."
Kevin: "Thanks for all your continuing support, there's been a great turnout on our tour, the crowds have been incradible."
AJ: "We're sorry we can't spend as much time in the UK as we'd like to. Everybody's been giving us a whole lot of support. To all the British Artists - Peter Andre, Boyzone - thanks for al their help and advice, and see everyone soon!"
Howie: "Backstreet's Back and we're here for good. To all our fans for their support - big thank you! Keep the Backstreet Pride alive!"
THE HOT DEBATE: IS NICK REALLY THE NICEST MAN IN POP?
Nick: "I don't know, I've never... I try to be nice to everybody...
Brian: "Hmmmm. Well, I haven't met everybody in pop, but he is very nice."
Kevin: "Yeah. he used to play tricks a lot at first, but now he's not into that anymore. He used to try to put itching powder and stuff like that in the blankets on the bus and mess with your drinks and stuff."
Howie: "I think I'm the nicest man in pop. I'm trying to think of the last time he was nice to me. hmm, he bought me lunch the other day. He doesn't help old ladies over roads or open doors though!"
AJ: "I think, yeah. He's bought me lunch a coupla times, he's bought me a shirt. He's bought everybody stuff. He's been really cool."
VERDICT: BY 4 VOTES TO 1 NICK IS THE NICEST MAN IN POP. HURRAH!
