Yes, yes it is! It’s also the twentieth anniversary of Nick’s first solo album, Now or Never! There’s a part of me that can’t believe it’s been twenty years since that album came out. I don’t want to accept it because it came out my senior year of high school, which means I’ve been out of high school almost twenty years. How can that be? But then I remember using my boombox to dub my Now or Never CD onto a cassette tape to play in my first car because it didn’t have a CD player and am forced to admit that, yes, it really has been that long, and I am, in fact, old.
The Now or Never era is an important part of my personal fandom history because it’s when I fell in love with Nick. I had been a BSB fan for almost five years by that point, but Nick used to be my least favorite member of the group. I know – shocking, right? Teenage Nick never really appealed to me; I found him annoying in interviews, and his yellow curtain hair was not attractive to me at all. But by the time Now or Never came out, he had grown up a bit and cut his hair, and gradually, I began to realize how hot he was. I think it helped that I also started reading more Nick-centered fanfics around this time because most of my fanfic friends were Nick girls, so that’s what they wrote. I know I became obsessed with the Swollen Issues series around this time because that inspired me to write Broken, which turned me into more of a Nick writer. Now or Never certainly influenced Broken, too. I remember watching the “I Got You” music video frequently for “inspiration” (okay, eye candy) and wrote a lot about Nick walking on the beach and taking his boat out on the water because of it. And, of course, there’s the scene of him singing “Who Needs the World” to Claire in her hospital room. Those two tracks, along with “Blow Your Mind,” are still some of my all-time favorite Nick solo songs. I’m listening to the album as I write this post and, overall, it still holds up well. (Though, ironically, the one song I still hate is the title of this post, “Is It Saturday Yet?” Sorry, Nick, but that song belonged on your brother’s album.) Happy anniversary, Now or Never!
Now for the update! Chapter 5 of The World Will Be Waiting is up! This story also makes me nostalgic for Broken and its sequel, By My Side, because it reminds me of them – especially BMS. My writing style has evolved since then, but otherwise, this story has a similar feel in a lot of ways. I don’t think I’ll ever be as obsessed with a story as I was with Broken/BMS, but I’m absolutely loving writing this one so far, maybe even more than My Brother’s Keeper? I always felt that the fun of Broken/BMS was knocking Nick down so I could build him back up again (and then knock him down again… and build him back up again… and again…), and that’s how I feel about Kevin in this story. It’s like he finally made it to the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel, and I’m enjoying letting him bask in its warm glow, while occasionally still looking back at the darkness. Like I said in my last update, it’s been refreshing to write something relatively light and fluffy for a change. That being said, this chapter is a little angstier than the previous ones. I hope you enjoy it!
Wow, 20 years since that album came out!!! I can’t believe it’s been that long.
I actually got that album the day after it came out. I really wanted to get it on the day it came out.
The first copy of the cd I got, skipped on track number four, so I took it back and got a new one.
I was obsessed with all of the things that you didn’t like about nick, but to each their own.
My least favorite track off of that cd is track number four; Do I Have To Cry For You. I guess what I don’t like about it was the way Nick’s voice sounds on the bridge. I know he has a scratchy voice, but the way it sounded in that song just got on my nerves. So, maybe I should have just held on to my bad copy? Haha!!
Who Needs the World, Blow Your Mind, and I’ve Got You, are some of the standout tracks for me on this album.
Like you, I can also remember making tapes of Nick’s album as well as other BSB songs to play in my mom’s car.
I know, how did 20 years fly by so fast?! I love that you also made tapes of the CD! So old school!
LOL Aww, I love “Do I Have to Cry For You,” but like you said, to each their own. The only track I have never liked on this album is “Is It Saturday Yet?” Always felt like it would have been a better song for Aaron than Nick.
Yeah, I know I’m in the minority when it comes to not liking Nick in the ’90s. He just didn’t do it for me back then, but as he grew up, I began to understand the appeal. Adult Nick is 😍.
If IIISY is your least favorite song on the cd, then why did you make it the title for the post?
I wanted to see Nick on his Now Or Never tour, but my parents wouldn’t let me because the place that he was playing at was some sort of club I think and at the time, I was 14/ 15, and I was sooooooooooo mad.
Have you ever seen BSB/ Nick Carter in concert? It’s one of my dreams to see them in concert.
I wish the BSB web site would sell all their murch from when they were in their hay day.
Because it fit the best LOL.
I didn’t see Nick during the regular tour, but he ended up doing a random performance at a fair near where I live that summer, so I got to see him then. I’ve been to all of his solo tours since – all great shows! I’ve seen BSB in concert a bunch of times. I hope you get to see them someday!
There is some throwback style merch on the official site, but I think you’d have to go to Ebay for genuine vintage stuff.
How is the murch throwback?
Nick has about three solow albums to his name, and I actually didn’t know about them till years later.
When I was 13, my favorite member of BSB was Nick and now I like both Brian and Nick.
Who is/ was your favorite member of BSB?
Did
A lot of the current merch has old ’90s throwback pictures of the guys on it.
Have you heard all Nick’s solo albums by now? They’re all great! All American is my favorite.
I’ve always been a Brian girl first and foremost, but Nick is up there too now. I love all of them, to be honest.
I haven’t really listened to Nick’s other solo albums.
What’s your favorite BSB album?
Did you ever read the book Nick’s mom write about him? I think it’s called something like The Heart and soul of Nick Carter. My mom had started reading it to me when I was a teenager, but I don’t think we ever finished it. One of my best friends said that she had read it; and some of the stories about some of the BSB fans were quite scairy.
Oh, you should; they’re all great! Even the “Nick & Knight” one he did with Jordan Knight grew on me, although it wasn’t my favorite at first.
My favorite BSB album is a tie between Millennium and In a World Like This. What’s yours?
I never read Nick’s mom’s book, but I believe it about the BSB fans being scary. I remember hearing stories about fans pulling grass from their front yard. And I also remember when fans kidnapped Brian’s chihuahuas. They were returned safely, but still… that is insane behavior!
Holy crap!!! I never heard those stories!!!
My favorite BSB albums are both their self titled ones, and up through Never Gone. I haven’t listened to all of In A World Like This, nore have I listened to DNA and This Is Us. I do have those last three albums though.
I used to own BSB Home Coming, The Hits Chapter One, and Backstreet Boys Around the World VHS’s, and with the latter one, I couldn’t watch it sometimes without having to wear headphones; because my dad would get tired of hearing all the screaming.
Watching that back now, you wouldn’t have known that in 2001, the BSB’s album Black & Blue wasn’t as big as their last album, because the out pooring of love from all those other countries made me feel like they were still in their hay day.
Oh girl, you should catch up on their “new” music! I don’t love the two albums they did without Kevin (Unbreakable and This Is Us) as much as all the others, but every album has some great songs on it. DNA is similar to Black & Blue for me; there are a few boring tracks, but the good tracks are REALLY good. As far as Black & Blue goes, Millennium was always going to be hard to beat in terms of album sales. It still did really well! The Around the World tour was such a cool way to promote it.
Yeah, that tour was a really cool way to get mor e buzz on the album.
When I was really into my BSB obsession, I really didn’t read fanfiction about them; however, I do rmember going on this web site, I think it was called something like “Splendid Nick”? Does that ring a bell?
I was also looking at some of your old web site links. How far do those sites go back to?
When I watched the Around the World again, I found myself wondering what happened to all those crazy obsessed BSB fans? Did they ever stop being into their music, or are they still fans of them today? I know you can’t answer this question, but I’m still asking it just the same.
I don’t remember a site called Splendid Nick, but there used to be so many different sites, it was hard to keep track of them all. Some of the ones on my links page go back to the ’90s. The Angelfire and Tripod sites are pretty much guaranteed to be 20+ years old at this point.
I would like to think at least some of those people are still fans! I’ve never understood how someone can be SO obsessed with something and then just completely move on and never come back to it.
Yeah, who knows though.
That’s what I guessed, but I wasn’t sure.
I was on one those sites, I think it was the classics one? And it’s not as easy to use as this one.
Random question, but can you still find BSB posters today?
I had a few when I was a teenager. I had two of Nick, and another one of all the boys. The poster looked like all the boys were on their backs on a white floor, and Nick had one of his hands on his face like he was thinking about something. The name Backstreet Boys was in red lettering acroos the four sides of the poster. I think it was ment to hang it in such a way so you could look at whoever you liked the most.
The official site usually has some. I’m sure you can find vintage ones on Ebay, but it’s not as easy to find current ones. The most recent one I have was from doing VIP during their Vegas residency. The last one I bought was a This Is Us poster that looks like a movie poster; I love the design of it but don’t like that it doesn’t have Kevin. Back in the day, I had two Brian solo posters, an AJ solo poster, and several group posters on my wall. I didn’t have the one you had, but I think I’ve seen that one before. I like the idea of being able to hang it in whatever direction you want.