Beyond the obvious

I'm going to go ahead and warn you in advance that this is yet another New Kids inspired post. It is also going to be long and I completely understand if you are not a fan and don't want to continue reading. I will ask you to reconsider the decision just this once because this post is actually more for you than for my fellow fans, but I will still understand if you choose to go. I promise there will be plenty of non- NKOTB posts in the future, and I hope that you stick around to see them.

I am writing this post because for some odd reason, I just feel the need to explain exactly what it is that makes me so smitten with them. I have always had a difficult time dealing with the haters. People like my husband who simply hear the words "New Kids On The Block" and cringe. The ones who have decided that they are automatically going to hate everything about them, without ever even listening or giving them a chance...just because of who they are.

I don't think that it's just because I like them so much. I think that it's the close-minded attitude that bothers me the most. I don't understand how anyone can be so negative about something they know absolutely nothing about.

I have certainly been guilty of it myself over the years. For a long time I had an extreme prejudice against country music. I had it in my head that all country music was whiny and that all country singers had an annoying nasal twang. I was particularly hardened against Randy Travis. Then one day my sister told me that there was this song that she wanted to sing at my wedding and she wanted me to listen to it...and then she told me that it was Randy Travis. My immediate reaction was "Hell no!"- but then I decided to give her a chance. She played the song for me and I loved it. I'm not saying that I became a country music convert on the spot, because I definitely didn't. I still don't really listen to country, but I am open to the possibility of enjoying it. I guess I really just want other people to do the same for my favorite boys from Boston, because I really feel like they deserve it.

I'm really not asking anyone to love them the way that I do. Everyone has different likes and dislikes, and that is one of my favorite things about life. How boring would it be if we were all exactly alike? All I want is for people to give them a break. They are totally different from what they were 20 years ago. The music really isn't even similar.

I absolutely believe that there are still going to be a LOT of people who totally hate the new stuff. I understand that, and I accept it. I'm not asking anyone to like it, I just want people to give it a chance. I honestly believe that if you played many of the songs from the new CD on the radio without telling anyone who it was, there would be a bunch of people who would love it who would have said they hated it if they knew who it was ahead of time. Personally, I like the new stuff. Most of it is not particularly deep, so if that's what you're into you probably won't like it. If you're looking for something lighthearted and fun... give it a listen. You might be surprised.

Now that I've gotten the preaching out of the way, let's move on to my original purpose...explaining what it is that I love about them.

As I stated in a previous post, for me it is more about the people than it is about the music.

As with most things- it all started with a first impression. I saw them perform Please Don't Go Girl on Don't Just Sit There...my early-teen hormones went into overdrive and I was completely smitten. Eventually it turned into much more than that. During the early 90's you couldn't walk 2 steps without running into something New Kids related. One of the benefits of this (for fans) was that there was more to the hype than just products. There were constant interviews with the guys, both on TV and in magazines. Plus they kept releasing the "behind the scenes" mass-produced videos. We fans really felt like we got to know who they were as people. They have always been very silly and open with us. I'm sure part of that was due to the fact that they were just teenagers themselves. They just wanted to have fun!

I really identified with their positive attitudes and their ability to remain "normal" people throughout the chaos. I wanted to know everything I could about them because they seemed so kind and genuine. The concerts were the best thing in the world to me because the 5 of them have always had this unbelievable ability to connect with the audience. I will never forget the moment during the one concert I went to when I swear Joe looked right at me and laughed at me even though I was in the nosebleeds. I saw a recent interview with them in which they say that they hated it when they got so huge and started playing stadiums. It wasn't fun for them because they lost the ability to really connect with the crowd.

I have to admit that I was never one of the fans just dying for them to reunite. It's not that I didn't want to see them back together, I just didn't want to see them make a mockery of themselves. Coming back on any terms but their own or without new material would have been a disaster. I am very happy and proud that they stayed true to themselves and didn't sell themselves out.

I would not be a fan if they had reunited under any other circumstances but the current ones. The way that they have handled the reunion and themselves has proved to me that everything I have always believed about them is true. They really are just 5 regular guys trying to have some fun and put on a good show in the process. Even with all of the fame and fortune and craziness- they never lost what it is that makes them so special.

This post started to form last night as I was reading posts on the NKOTB forum. There was this one post that asked about Joe's blue eyes. The question got me thinking about the day that I "met" him. I started thinking about the moment that he looked up at me (I can still see the expression on his face clear as day in my mind) and what it was about that look that made me weak in the knees. The smile was unbelievably sexy and the color of his eyes is definitely striking, but it was more than just that. It wasn't the way his eyes looked that did it- it was the way his eyes looked at me. He really locked eyes with me in a way that let me know he was really seeing me and that he cared.

I don't think that you get that with many people. I'm not even just talking about celebrities. I think it is unusual to find that even just talking to people that you see every single day. Most people are so caught up in themselves that they don't take the time to truly connect with people when they are talking to them. We have a tendency to only half-listen to each other. I think that it is especially unusual for a celebrity to be able to maintain that ability. It has to get boring to sign autograph after autograph for people for hours on end. It would be very easy to become jaded about it and do it with half a heart. The thing about Joe that was so staggering to me that day was that with just that one look, he let me know that he honestly cared that I was there. He understood how important it was to me and he wanted me to know that he understood.

He said it all without saying a single word. That look made me want to return the favor, but I just didn't know how to say thank you to him and make him understand what I was thankful for. I only had seconds to let him know what was in my heart and it wasn't nearly enough. So I said the only thing I could think of that came even close to telling him what it was about him that kept me coming back for more..."Thanks for keeping it real Joe". It sounds so silly and trite and I laugh at myself for saying it, but it really was kind of what I wanted to say to him.

I know that it is silly to be so obsessed with a person I don't know. I understand that I know only what he wants me to know about himself and that what I know is the celebrity and not the person. I get that. I honestly do. It just doesn't stop me from wanting to know the man behind those sparkling blue eyes. I know in my heart that he is a truly beautiful person and knowing that helps to give me a sense of hope. Knowing that there are people like him in the world makes me happy.

I guess I just want to share that feeling with as many people as possible.