Nick Carter Discusses Backstreet Boys Documentary ‘Show ’Em What You’re Made Of’: Idolator Interview

Jonathan Riggs | January 28, 2015 7:32 am
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The biggest-selling boy band of all time, Backstreet Boys have never been more honest and revealing about where they are in their now 22-year-long career than in their new documentary, Show ’Em What You’re Made Of. Opening in theaters (and also available on iTunes and VOD) on Friday, January 30, the documentary paints a revealing picture of AJ, Howie, Nick, Brian and Kevin’s lives onstage and off, as they reminisce, write music and prep for the 2013 release of both their album, In a World Like This, and subsequent reunion tour.

Through vintage footage, unguarded moments and more access to the band than has ever been available before, Show ’Em What You’re Made Of is a record of where the BSBs have been, where they’re going and why we still love them so very much.

We stopped fanning out long enough to grill Nick Carter on staying passionate about music, keeping five alpha male egos in check and a zombie Western movie he’s written for himself.

What made you guys want to do the documentary in the first place?
NICK CARTER: I brought the idea to the guys when Kevin returned to the band, but we hadn’t recorded any new music yet. I’d seen the Tribe Called Quest documentary, which really rekindled my love for that group. I said, “Guys, maybe we could do the same thing.” We decided to dedicate it to our fans because they’re the reason we still have a career. We’re always grateful and appreciative of that and of them.

In addition to the showmanship we’ve come to expect from Backstreet, the documentary allows us to eavesdrop on a jam session where you guys are playing instruments. Why did you guys feel like it was important to include that?
NC: That’s who we are. Creating music is freedom and when we’re in the studio, we mess around. We’ve all played instruments together — I play drums and guitar, for example—and even did it on the last tour when we did an acoustic set for five songs.

One of the coolest things about that scene is how you all build off each other’s creativity to write a song. Is that what it’s really like behind the scenes?
NC: Totally. For us to be together this long, there’s got to be a common ground, a love, a magic. There’s just something synergistically that works with us — it’s almost like we’re one person. That doesn’t mean there aren’t fights, though.

Maybe the most surprising scene in the documentary shows you and Brian screaming at each other during a meeting with record executives. How do you guys keep the balance and the peace?
NC: There’s a respect there because we all are very opinionated. We are all alphas and that makes us challenge and question one another. That, in itself, makes us better. I can be really, really passionate about something, but if the four other guys aren’t feeling it, then my logical mind will come in and say, “Damn, maybe it’s just my ego talking.” Everyone checks one another. I’m not stupid — okay, I can be stupid, but I don’t want to be stupid — so in order for me to learn, I have to be open to other people’s judgment and opinions and weigh those out. That’s why we run the band as a democracy.

Even during those tense scenes, everyone’s affection for each other is really obvious. Did it help having each other for support when you guys took the often-painful trips in the documentary to places like each other’s childhood homes, the warehouse where you first started rehearsing and to Lou Pearlman’s abandoned mansion?
NC: It was easier together and we all really allowed ourselves to be vulnerable and open. We were the only people who could empathize with each other in those situations. There’s only four other guys on this planet who went through this extraordinary life and can relate.

Maybe the most emotional moment in the entire documentary occurs during a visit to Miles Elementary where you first started performing. When your teacher gives you a gift and tells you how proud of you she is, it seems to open your emotional floodgates. Why?
NC: Growing up, before I had done anything in the entertainment business, my household was so full of negativity, fear and drama. School was the only place where I was able to escape and find freedom with performing and the arts and singing. My teacher ended up being more of a parental figure than my mother or father at home. That’s why it was so emotional — seeing her again brought it all back.

More than any other guy in the group, you literally grew up in the spotlight. The documentary shows all these fantastic, candid clips of your younger selves being really, really goofy. Were there any moments that were too embarrassing to be included?
NC: There were a couple. [Laughs] But for me, I was like, “Just bare it all.” It can be tough to do that — there are a lot of things we’re insecure about. But I’m always a believer that if you put it all out there, people understand you more and appreciate your honesty.

More than two decades in, what does the current success of the BSB mean to you guys?
NC: We realize how blessed we are that people still trust and believe in us to put on a good performance. It’s great when fans come and bring their kids, too. We come from that old mentality of putting the work in first, then whatever happens after is just icing on the cake.

In the documentary, we get to see some footage of you singing in your elementary school’s production of The Phantom Of The Opera. Any chance you’ll return to musical theater?
NC: Absolutely! I’m passionate about all kinds of art: acting, musical theater, writing, directing. Right now, my agent and I are exploring a possible role for me on Broadway, which would be a great transition into acting, which I love. But, at the same time, I wasn’t able to wait for other people to cast me in their things, so I wrote a zombie Western and just had a meeting last week with a company called Asylum. They’re the guys who did Sharknado — they’re a quirky, strange bunch but I love them to death—and we’re working on a deal together to start filming in March. Sure, it might be a B- horror cult movie, but my dream of making a movie is finally coming true. I want to do it for the artistic expression and for the love of it.

Finally: in the documentary, you mention that, at age 11, you had to make the choice between taking a $50,000 guaranteed contract on The Mickey Mouse Club or total uncertainty with a new group called the Backstreet Boys. Did you make the right call?
NC: Absolutely! What I have been lucky enough to be able to do on this planet up to this point has been extraordinary. The music I have created with my band, I’m proud to say, has made a mark. It struck me when we got our star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. I’m very proud of who and what we are. We have a good family of guys and we still treat one another with respect and love. It’s like I’m in a really cool gang for life.

Backstreet Boys: Show ’Em What You’re Made Of opens in theaters and will be made available on iTunes and Video On Demand this week, on January 30. For more information, visit Backstreet Boys’ official site