Let me clarify...

Wow! Who knew that I could be so controversial?

The comments on here really don't reflect what it is that I'm talking about, but I posted a link on the New Kids fan forum and the responses there were extremely interesting. Apparently I deeply offended a few people. I can assure you that this was never my intention.

Yesterday I sat down at my computer to write because I had all of these thoughts swirling around in my brain that needed to be released.

My intention was to write something that would express how excited I am that NKOTB is back, and to explain just how proud I am to be a fan.

Unfortunately, in my haste to get everything out of my head so that I would be able to sleep, I was not able to clearly express myself about a few things.

The first point of contention was my statement about Jon and Danny not having IT.

I can understand why people misunderstood what it was that I was trying to say. I made the statement that the two of them are basically "along for the ride", and I must apologize for that. It was a very poor choice of words, and it really wasn't what I meant to say at all. Let's see if I can do any better...

What I was trying to say is that I feel like if things had been different, and NKOTB had never existed... Joe, Jordan, and Donnie would still have been performing in some way simply because that is who they are. It is in their blood. The three of them need to perform like they need to breathe. There is something about them that just draws people in and makes them want to be near them. I am not saying that Jon and Danny don't have that same quality, but I don't think they have it in equal measure. I think that the two of them could be just as content doing something else with their lives, and I don't believe that the other 3 could be. I was not trying to imply that they are any less important, talented, attractive, or anything else. There are, and always will be 5 members in the group and each one of them plays a vital role in who they are as a group. If you were to remove any one of them it would destroy the magic.

Now, let's move on to the second point of contention, shall we?

I said that it was never about the music...and this was also a poor choice of words. I needed to say much more than that in order to fully express what it was that I was trying to say.

What I meant to say was that I don't believe it was the songs that mattered originally...it was what those 5 individuals brought to those songs that was important. The songs themselves are mostly total fluff. There is very little substance to them, and that is what the critics have always loved to point out. Does that mean that I don't love the music? NO! I do love it. I play it all the time and sing along at the top of my lungs. However, what I was trying to say is that if some other group had recorded those very same songs...I'm not so sure that I would love them the way that I do.

Back in the beginning the guys really had no creative license at all. Maurice Starr and the record companies had all of the control and Donnie, Danny, Jordan, Jon, and Joe pretty much had to do whatever they were told. As far as the people in control were concerned, they were a product to be sold. They have said repeatedly that the music that they recorded and performed back then was a huge departure from what they would have liked to have done.

I was trying to say that the fans saw past all of the BS that was shoved down our throats and loved the guys for themselves. One of the commenters on the forum said it beautifully, so I'm going to quote her...
It really is about THEM--about the wonderful people they are and about the amazing role models they were for us. They were my friends when I didn't have any friends. And although I got seriously harrassed day-after-day for liking them (I think a lot of people at my school thought "New Kids Freak" was my actual name), my belief in them never waivered. They taught me to stand up for something and made me a better, stronger person...someone who believes in herself and isn't afraid to speak up and say what's right, even if what's right isn't popular. For that, I cannot thank them enough.

Once the guys got a little bit older and a bit more famous it was clear to me that they wanted to have a lot more say in what they were doing. Unfortunately the marketing machine was well established, and there was just no way that the powers that be were ever going to let that happen. But the guys never gave up the fight. They battled not only the people in control, but also the critics and haters who claimed that they had no talent...that they were merely Maurice Starr's little puppets. We fans were right there in the trenches with them. Many of us were probably fighting similar battles in our own lives as we were growing into adulthood at the very same time. We saw the guys for who they are and knew that the music was nothing without the 5 of them.

Eventually they won their battle and gained creative control...but by then it was too late. The world was ready to move on to other things, and they had sustained too many wounds and needed time to heal.

Having said all of that, I need to make it completely clear that I think now it really IS all about the music. Which is really the point that I was trying to make all along.

I am so happy that these 5 amazing individuals finally have the opportunity to prove everybody wrong. To come back on their own terms, without anyone else telling them who to be or what to do. This time it is for them, and for us. They FINALLY get to show the world who they really are. There is no more BS. This time it is just 5 guys from Boston who want to get up on that stage and have some fun and share something special with their fans who have been waiting for a very long time to see this dream come true.

I am so proud of them, and so happy to be around to enjoy this.