***NOTE: This column was all preset to go but at the end of this column (that is marked) will be the addition to it since I went on Saturday to Union Square.***
Ok well to take care of a few questions I've gotten in the two email boxes, I'll answer them now before I get into a fresh column k? Well, the purpose of the column is hard to describe in a way that makes sense. Both Holly and I thought it would be cool to interview a "veteran." I got lucky when Tony agreed to do it one day after Holly and I decided it would be cool. It's "cool" because he's seen the sun rise and set plenty of times and still loves what he does. Being the fact that our guys are at the stage that Tony and All-4-One was at nearly 10 years ago, Tony offered great insight to the buisness and into the possible future! Will there be another interview with Tony? Well, I haven't asked Tony about it yet, and I can't think of any huge pressing questions. If YOU have any questions email me at Townsendette_Kristen@yahoo.com and I'll try to give you an answer or refer to my guru Tony if he can answer it. Also, one of you commented on the fact that you don't remember All-4-One but admitted to being born in 91' and said you went out and bought A41 and liked it! That's awesome and thanks for doing it...hopefully you're going to be "the new wave" that Tony talked about in the interview.
Some of the comments I've gotten from you was that you were able to identify with some of the questions or you got something out of it and you totally remembered the days of "I Swear." I'm glad you do because now I dont' feel ancient. I was talking to my older cousin with my younger cousin near about All-4-One and he asked "You know one of the musketeers?" We both felt really old, we told him that the song was made the year after he was born and he said, "Wow I was 1" well he said to the two of us who were already doing multiplication and long division in grammar school. One of you even said that you even had the first All-4-One album and your favorite song was the "Skillz" and was just as excited as I was when it was used for the Starburst commercial. Very cool. Very cool.
Okay now onto other things. I went to the baseball game on Wednesday to the PacBell game against the St. Louis Cards. We won...6- 4. Even though JT Snow (who's my man Courtney...) wasn't playing, Bonds wasn't playing, and Santiago wasn't playing. Not like some of you care but for the few of you that do, there ya go. The day was Townsend oriented, a guy that looked like Todd was sitting 3 rows in front of me, Tony La Russa was there (he owns the Cards) and recieved a generous check for ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation) that the guys performed for many moons ago...or at least it seems. I also so a car like Ryan's as it almost ran me over (it wasn't sweet...more like scary), and we parked at the intersection of 5th and Townsend. Oh yeah, and I would just like to add that the one day I decide to look like trash and not put on a lick of makeup and wear my sweats to a game...ALL the cute guys are out and about along with my old semi- flame PT Gabe (haha ok not semi-flame...more like my old injury exercise slave driver from Freshman year) and his hottie security guard. Life's a pooper sometime isn't it?
But really the day was almost an annoyance for me...not because of the hott guy/ugly me factor, but the most ANNOYING people were at the game that day, and 2 sat around me. Ok hecklers are people I could care less about, so what you enjoy a game and yell...not my problem if you embarass yourself. But if there are 2 kinds of people that annoy me most next to egotistc people are people who contradict everything said to them and people who know it all. While walking to the park there were two people behind me talking. It's not like I was ease dropping but after a couple beers and a 4:05 game, everyone is kinda loud. (Right Meg?) One guy said, "Yeah I heard Bonds is back, good thing since we lost last night." His friend said "No he's not I checked the rosters online, he's still out." Ok 2 things, not only is the guy a big enough nerd to actually check instead of waiting, he could've said something less belittling and said "Oh really I didn't think so." Then there were 2 other guys sitting behind me, clearly drunk off their butts, they were completely smashed. EVERY Cardinal player that came up to bat he had something to say about him. Like "Oh this guys a *$%( he was on Fox Sports and said 'yeah i do what i can to get on base' blah blah blah" "Oh Vina's a %&*($% he was drafted and they're paying half of his income." I'm sorry but it's not like his friend cared and it's not like the entire section cared to hear him tell all of us about how much of a jerk the next player is. I was tempted to turn around and say something like "Hey if you wanna see a jerk go to the men's bathroom and look in the mirror you smashed idiot." But I refrained.
Nothing annoys me more than people who go out of their way to be jerks to be one step ahead of everyone else, people like that really bug me and the fact that I have had more than one encounter with that in a matter of probably 3 or 4 days reaaaaaaaaaallllllllly bugs me. I was telling my dad in the car ride to the game that I was actually purturbed about a conversation I had with someone contradictive the other night and that I'm beginning to have a lower patience for this person and I''m thinking of just calling off the friendship because I can't waste my time on someone who plays the "It's all about me/Poor me" part everytime we talk. And then I have the annoying people encounter. If you can't tell...it put me in a poopy mood until I ran into the younger twin brothers of one of my classmates at the game and they told me that their brother was going to call me to go out and see Austin Powers 2 within a few weeks. (Sure hope they don't tell him I looked like the boogie man that day.)
Hopefully the next game I go to won't be like that. I'm going to sit the furthest distance from anyone in the bleacher section that is annoying and if anyone annoys me I'll throw a garlic fry at them...no those are too good to waste...I'll throw an A's cap at them.
Anyways, I had a nightmare the other night. I dreamt that I was at the new house and was having a halloween party. On a norm I have fond memories of my halloweens. I used to go to my friend Lawrence's with my other classmates and we'd go trick or treating. He lives in the same area i'm moving too so it's bringning back the old times. The ENTIRE class would have parties at Lawrences house (we were a really close class) and we'd play at the school playground across the street from his place and we'd all hang out in the basement playing video games and starting food fights with cereal I'd bring. (I was the "serial cereal girl" I ALWAYS had cereal for break snacks and we'd go through like a box a week eating every sugary cereal you could think of. Anyways the halloweens I spent at Lawrence's house all of us would go house to house in rounds to gather as much candy as we could to trade and bet with when we played video games. We'd walk down the middles of the streets talking and laughing since there were no cars and would always laugh our way down the streets of Daly City causing a rutkus but be fun.
Anyways, I had this dream that this year I had the party at my house (we don't do it anymore since we all go to high schools and have gotten to old to trick or treat, instead we stay in the basement playing games and teasing each other about how we all looked in 7th grade). The bizzare thing? The guys were there too. I can only remember Nick, Todd, Dom, and Ryan I don't remember Matt...but he was probably there too though. We were all walking like the guys were part of our class and it was no big deal down the middle of the street. I was REALLY scared of being alone. I remember in the dream clinging to my old classmate Thomas (who was like a good guy friend for as long as I can remember my junior high years) and my old girlfriends Samantha, Vicky, Christine, Christina, and Caroline. I refused to be alone. It seemed like it was Halloween but NO one was in costume (I remember thinking that Nick was really hott in a suede jacket and jeans). All of a sudden there was a MASSIVE bang. A large crash and explosion over in the distance. All of us stopped and looked at this big plume of smoke exploding into the air. Then on these speakers (which Daly City doesn't have on every street realistically) someone brought a public service announcment to everyone to say to lock down in shelter. We all ran for our houses and all of a sudden one of the fears I had earlier got 10x worse when I was ALONE in the middle of some horrific event. I tried looking for my house but it was so hard to find in the dark. All of a sudden in the shadows I saw it and ran to it.
You know how some dreams you cut to the next scene? I dreamt that everyone from earlier was at my house and we found out that it was a terrorist attack on America and they would be drafting everyone, everyone in my room was drafted. It was the scariest thing to look at people I have built friendships with for up to 11 years and to know that not everyone in the room would be around for the next Halloween party. All of a sudden I woke up from the dream. Some dreams are nightmares you know? My heart was pounding. Not because of it being so unrealistic...the fact that it IS so realistic. a year ago this time the nightmare of a terrorist attack seemed only minute...now it's huge and even CNN said that there's plans of another attack on America.
Times are completely changing. My nightmare wasn't one of those sci-fi things where something hits America and we all become mutated aliens or something, it was realistic and it scared the heck out of me. My heart was pounding and I was in a cold sweat, I couldn't sleep for about 45 minutes. I was thinking about how much my life would change if I was drafted. One of my cousins is in the army, he's going to be deployed to Kuait in a few months. "Deployed" there's a word I never knew the full meaning of UNTIL just last year when my Pops was telling me about being deployed to go rescue people. When I say times have changed I don't just mean new websites, new models of a Motorola 2-way, new DVD players, and some brillant design in a TV you can hang on your ceiling, I mean times change in the WORLD, not some other trendy world where you need to have the new Benz SL5000 or whatever. I mean the world that the entire population changes.
In this tiny section of the world called the Bay Area, one of those changes have come. Personally we've all experienced changes. I think this for me personally has been the summer of re-evaluating my relationships. I have had the long amount time to think about probably each and every one of them while painting every square inch of our new house. I've realized that there are people that I can only take in short doses. I've also realized that I'm in some friendships that just simply aren't frienships and they're just things of well, meaningless things. But I've also realized how much I love everyone else in my life though. Just the other day for example I was thinking of how lucky I am to be running this thing with Holly. Not only do we get along and have NEVER and i repeat NEVER had a disagreement on ANYTHING and work as a team we also are good friends. We've gone through the motions of a lot of things together, guys, guys, school, even reading the same book at one point. We refer to each other for advice and share how excited we are on things or how nervous we are about things. Everytime I've ever needed some sort of favor Holly has always asked how she could help before I could even call on her for it and when Holly needs help with anything she knows she can ask me to help her out. Working with Holly is like one person, you can't walk if one leg isn't there or not working (or if one's alseep...right Joy?), you can't go anywhere if you don't have both moving. Other people for example are the people that make life more enjoyable such as Amy. I can't think of any girl more random sometimes in the world but she's the damn coolest girl ever. Same with Sara and Kaitlyn, they're like the sweetest things since chocolate. She is probably the most patient and loving being...enough to be loving and patient for both her and myself. Then there's Courtney who is cool to talk to when I'm hyped and when I'm bored, she's always got something fun to talk about and being the fact we're both the same year we both share a hate for the same things in school more or less. Haha and then there's Joy (JJ) who only her I come up with stupid sayings and ideas. I think every time I've seen her or talked to her we come up with something so rediculous (or I do something so stupid) that only WE will find it funny...except for the time that I hit on the guys by the Myra table with Courtney, Amy, Sara AND Joy all together...haha. To me though there is a fine line between people who I totally love like that and a few other people I know that have been on like my last nerve more than once this summer.
On a less wierd topic for all of you to relate to, the guys. I mean they're wierd but more of a general less personal topic for all of you. Don't let their weirdness be a factor in relating ok? Haha ok don't hate email me...they're not THAT wierd. But no really, i mean the times have changed the guys. Look at their outfits, it's forced me to believe that local designers are vying for their buisness but a bedazzler and Mr. Georgio Armani has won...to the guys' advantage. Someone tell me how to get all that and an EP along with hott people of the opposite gender asking for my autograph...I promise I'll pay. Their hair has also changed. Except for maybe Todd. He dyed it brown and that was it...now the only change has been a haircut. The big decision in the morning for him is gel or cap? Same with Matt...but he's a special case. We've gone over his hair already. The twins and Ryan probably go through the most hair changes. I think it depends on the phase of the moon or something.
But on a more serious level, their styles...besides their appearances have changed. Think about it. Remember when "Understand This" came out? It was flat out "Understand This" not Just Understand This! Understand This? Understand This! or Understand This (Drop All The Buisness). It had NO stressed guitars and the "Uh Townsend, watch this" has been pulled from the current version. (Which in a way makes me sad since Ryan did that.) They've turned more rock if you haven't noticed. Their dancing is a world's better and more elaborate. They even have costume changes on full sets.
Plus have you noticed how they've ALL matured in some way? Ryan went out and got a freakin Boxster...that's past maturing to me that's a freakin manhood chick magnet. Not like he even needs it if you think about...you're not deaf and you're sure as heck not made of stone...the last thing he would to attract girls is a car...all he really has to do is stand there and smile. He doesn't even have to be wearing nice clothes...a burlap sack would work just as good as a suit. (Except for maybe the smell of a burlap sack.) You've got the twins who are simply day and night but both maturing. Dom's getting into pleasures of show buisness by sticking his hands in jobs that didn't even know how much he'd help until he's helped. Then you've got Nick who's sticking to what he knows as life but getting into the swing of the life of a rock star. You have Todd who's got the mind of a buisness man, he knows what's good, what's bad, and what's down right evil. Sometimes I wonder if it's some 6th sense he has to sort the good and evil of everything he knows, sometimes something new. Then Mr. Yoakum, I don't think he's matured. I honestly think he was built for the buisness and he was just waiting for it to happen. To him it wasn't a matter of being ready for it, it was a matter of doing it to satisfaction, not just for a crowd, but to himself. I envy Matt for the attitude he has towards life. He always knows that God has a plan and doesn't forget that...even when it seems like there's rock bottom and then some, for him rock bottom doesn't even exist, that's one of the most important parts of the engine that keeps Townsend going.
So they've matured and gone through a few changes of clothes and taken on a rock sound. They make it look so easy. I admit it...I was THE HUGEST Backstreet Boy FREAK back before all of you knew me. I think only Kaitlyn and I know each other's compulsiveness towards the BSB. But for me it was HUGE. I don't even want to get started on the memorabilia and video tapes I have. But the point is, as much as I love them, their transition to pop rock wasn't so peachy. Let's face it, "The Call" was their transition to Pop/Rock. By the time they attempted it their shelf life dwindled and they'd been on the MTV Fan market long enough to collect dust on the last Plaitnum album they recieved because of their music, not who they were. I love the BSB like you don't even know, I wish you could see all of the stuff I've collected up to their action figures for Burger King my freshman year, but let's face it, the next time we'd be willing to spend $75 on a ticket it might as well be the Backstreet Men Reunion Tour.
Time isn't graceful to boybands. In all honesty we've seen it and haven't admitted it. Some boybands have just decided that they can't change with the times and ended up to do what seems like falling off the face of the planet like 5ive. 98 Degrees tried to be part of the Latin sensation and then after that they had become too soft to try out rock. Then you've got NSync. I'm not sure where they fall because you've got one guy doing a solo CD, another doing a movie about Greek people, another working on a clothing line, another writing songs for other people and then shooting another member out into space...literally. Time's made them go different directions, in every direction imaginable. It's not like they couldn't pull off the transition to hip hop, they were more than half way there...but once again, time's a pooper and you can't stop, freeze, or rewind it...sucks huh? The guys went pop to hip pop, to hip hop to rock...in a matter of two years. It's not them being fickle and unable to make up their minds, it's them moving as fast as the fickle tastes of listeners are. The public gets fickle and you definetly can't please everyone. But knowing the guys for this long, I also know that they refuse to accept that. I know that they want to please everyone, and as impossible as it seems, they come close to it.
I noticed when I talked to Matt that he wants to please people. I saw it in his eyes. He wanted everyone to like the music. He wanted to do well. Matt wanted nothing more than to make sure that Townsend was pleasing. I think he saw how fickle I can be with entertainers and music groups. I think I worried him into thinking that I was one of those critical people who have one of those selective ears. When he asked me what I thought Townsend was good in (looks or sound) I told him he was well rounded. I don't know if Matt ever takes the time to feel like he's accomplished something. He's one of those work-a-holics that takes the time to feed off of everyone else as adrenaline to keep going rather than to bask in the social spotlight as Mr. Showstopper. That quality feeds off to the other guys like sun on a warm summer's day. The guys get like that and it makes you want to be around them, whether they're performing, signing autographs, swimming in a lake with seaweed, or just plain eating. It's one of those vibes and energies that the guys have that's so rare that it's like a treasure when you find it. You want to do nothing more than to watch it, touch it, and be with it and you also wonder...is this treasure real or is a load of 14 karat aluminum gold with cubic zorconia? Sorry critics this is is all real. The guys are real, everything they are is real. And as far as time goes, I think we've found an acception to the unwritten rule of boybands...Dreamstreet! Haha JUST KIDDING...Townsend...Townsend is an acception to the unwritten rule of boybands.
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Ok ok so I was telling Joy that I had the above column done and now I'd have to put a little of a already long addition since I went on Saturday. First off the show was great. And to settle anything else that may pop up, I'm going to stop you..i mean IT in it's ground....EVERYONE WAS POLITE. The performers got better and better. I enjoyed seeing Lyka perform. She's talented and it's nice to see some of the Asian community perform for such a diverse crowd. And to EVERYONE I saw at the show, Holly, Mina, Amy, Megan, Amber, Joy, Jen, Sheerin, Stella, Jennifer, Kaitlyn and Dream Team, EVERYONE I saw, I'm SOOOO sorry i left so soon and didn't say goodbye! I wanted to give all of you hugs but due to the fact that I broke the stove at the new house (or so I'm told) I had to go over to the house to beat traffic and see what needed to be done. Unfortunately the kitchen doesn't like me, except the microwave...we get along just fine. But I do hope to see all of you soon, I miss you all everytime I have to walk away!!!
The show was good, I got there about half an hour before festivities were scheduled to start. It was kinda hard finding my peoples in a sea of people. But I foudn them, they found me and the happy ended proceeded. On top of it all...free ice cream...which Joy enjoyed but I ended up throwing out when I realized that it was just getting gross. I guess I should be going in chronological order of what happened instead of skipping around to confuse you. Anyways yea I saw everyone and it was nice to see them in my town! This is the guys' first hometown performance...or at least for the twins. DOWNTOWN! For me it's huge since I've lived here forever and such and it's blocks from my school...my school will come into play later...remember...chronological order.
Freestyle Franco came out yaddah yaddah, Regina performed...then Lyka...the dancers and set in general for Lyka was highly impressive and I enjoyed her performance, she seemed really sweet. Then after a few bizzare money games, the guys came out. The first person I saw was Matt...who doesn't love Matt really? I looked at Ryan and part of me was drawn to him...surprise. He had this vibe goin' something I could get drunk offa ok let me find a better choice of words...not DRUNK offa but um...a vibe that I could get giddy over? Joy do you have a better choice of words?
I have to say, before I went downtown I was REALLY tired, it all changed to a completely neurotic tired when I saw everyone. Everyone at the events that I know always bring out the best in me...and I didn't even have caffine! (Friends. The healthy choice.) The guys sang Understand This, then straight into Jealosy, Just Say Goodbye, Tonight is for you, and then they left the stage...after the crowd got some bit of I guess you could say ROWDY...they came back out for Pour Some Sugar On Me...after sugar packets and chants I think that Radio Disney just waits for us to chant it at this point. During the show I kinda wanted to cry. After Understand This, I kinda clammed up, before I would make conversation with Joy, Amy, Sheerin and Stella, and Kaitlyn but clammed up once this weird feeling came over me. Yeah you could call it the "Proud Mom" feeling. I wanted to cry, not because of the lyrics, not because there was glitter in my eye, but because I was just taking in the fact that the guys are performing, finished a video, the whole bag of chips, THEY have it. I know people who HAVE it. Wierd. But more than weird it was an emotional stop for me. In the end, I was satisfied with everything and walked away from it.
In the end of the show I saw my volleyball team...well most of them. They were wearing their sweatshirts and I don't know...I didn't even tell them, they just showed up. That was another hallmark moment I gave them all hugs and sent them off to Macy's even though I don't know if their parents let them wait in line. I also saw a BUNCH of my classmates. Some of them knew the guys were performing and others were down there for the ceremonies and when they found out that the guys would perform they actually stuck around for it, most of those people were the guys. Afterwards they left because they had either practice back up at school (a 5 minute bus ride or 15 minute walk away). I talked to one of my friends and about it on the phone. He apologized for giving me trash about a "boyband." He said that him and the guys (who also gave me trash) didn't realize how much hardwork went into it until they actually saw the guys perform. They said they have a respect for the guys and support them. Yay.
So all in all it was a good day minus the fact that I had to leave early. And although I personally didn't get to hug them due to my early depature, Mom and Mel told me in the car that Todd and Matt came up to give them a hug and say hi really fast before they went on stage. So that makes up for it...but not all the way. (I got a conselation prize...She She lipgloss...a free sample courtesy of She She make-up @ Nordstrum). But yeah it was nice, their harmonies were incredible and their dance routines...very sexy. Ladies, I think we have some sex symbols on our hands. Once again to everyone I saw Saturday i'm so sorry and I'm looking forward to seeing you soon! I miss you already!
Stay Safe & Stay You
Love Always,
Kristen
Townsendette_Kristen@yahoo.com
xoxoxo