#230 - Chris Kirkpatrick from NSYNC on The Untold Story of the Band + Will There Ever Be A NSYNC Reunion? + Meeting Michael Jackson

Chris Kirpatrick from NSYNC stops by to tell the story of how NSYNC formed. We find out about the original members and their early connection to the Backstreet Boys. Chris formed the group and even made a cold call to talent agencies to find a then 14 year-old Justin Timberlake. Chris also talks about growing up poor and now getting to give back to kids like him and if NSYNC will ever reunite with all 5 Members.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
About to hop in with Chris Kirkpatrick from in Sync,
who I just met last week or so. That was
a real cool guy, and said, hey man, I'd love
to talk a little more about the in Sync stuff
and he was like, yeah, sure, why not, which is
cool and so you know you're gonna hear us. We'll
get into a bunch of stuff. But he came and
filled in for the radio show. We referenced that in
our conversation, but yeah, I just really enjoyed the guy.

(00:21):
Thought it was a real cool dude. So that's coming
up in a second. We got a new logo, new Images.
I wonder it'll be up soon. It should be loaded up.
I just put it up so I saw it on
my phone. Very proud of it. Yeah. Well, the thing
is with this podcast, I think people just think it's
me talking. We really do have a general idea here.
It's about music for the most part. You know, we
want we do nine percent of the time talk to

(00:42):
people who are creating, have created, are thinking about creating
music in some way. And then if we don't even
we'll ask what's all you like? Right? So, uh, yeah,
we're pretty proud of that. Check out Amy's podcast four
things with Amy Brown, faith, family food. She just needs
another f Yeah, then you can just do all f

(01:05):
um Our Studio went here too. We we've had some
shelves built. One award that I put up on the
shelf is actually not an a word that I got.
It's an award for Andy Roddick. Well once they do
this thing in Austin called the forty and under. It's
right there, and they were and he wasn't able to go,
and I was up against him in the award, and

(01:26):
he goes, hey, if you win, great if I win,
and just go up and accept it for me. So
I said, okay, cool. Well he won and I went
up to accept it for him, and I gave a
speech though, and my speech was well, and he's not here,
but he wanted me to read this, and I've opened
up his paper and I went, well, hey, it's me Andy.
I first like to say I don't deserve this ward.
Bobby Bones does. And I just talked all the great

(01:47):
things that I thought would be funny to mention about me.
And then I said, even though I'm going to take
this award, and but then it sits here. I never
gave attempt it. I also kept the award. UH. So
you'll see that in the video too. You'll see a
lot of uh, we're trying to make the studio call
like we really are proud of this podcast. UM. Speaking
of that, UM and being proud of something, Caroline Hobby

(02:08):
did a really great live podcast where they went to
Drek Smiley's bar, sold out the place, and it was
we may have mentioned this in the last podcast. It
was brittany Al Dean and it was Caitlin Brown who
Kane Brown's wife and and Jason Aldian's wife, and she
is the wife of the lead singer of Thousand Horses.
But she was like, you know, but she was also

(02:29):
in a band, and so they did a live podcast
and it's up. It's called Get Real with Caroline Hobby.
And I do hope you checked that out because I
know she's proud of it. We're proud of her, and
you know, if you're looking for a cool podcast, check out.
I think that's a good one. Shucks to a lot
of wives of country singers. But she also now was
talking to really empowered women, which is cool. She kind
of has found her niche over there. UM. And if

(02:50):
you go and rate us, we appreciate that. I think
you're gonna like this next podcast. You can follow me
on Instagram. If you don't, Mr Bob Bones, you can
follow Bobby Cast though at the Bobby Cast the Bobby
Cast on Instagram. We love that we don't have many followers.
We started it late. Yeah, that's a pretty good amount.
What do we have now? I think it's like twenties
something people not that'd be awesome at the Bobby Cast. Um.

(03:19):
All right, appreciate you guys, talk to you soon. Here
is me with Chris Kirkpatrick. All right, welcome to episode
two thirty with Chris Kirkpatrick from in Sync and also
from the depths of our new friendship Chris. Chris came

(03:39):
by and did the radio show last week. And it
seems like it's every day, just all the time, just
hang out. You're busy taking up each other. Well, I
mean we're we're all working. Yeah, apparently not as much
as you you're I just still I don't have a
definable skill so dancing. No, I'm not No, I'm not
a go I didn't look for the mirror ball. You

(04:02):
would have seen it, Yeah, you would have seen it.
I thought you said, I wouldn't have seen it. That's
the reason you put it where it was. Well, maybe
when you walk through the living room and we just
had to take my table. It's my table in two
parts in there too. That I was all embarrassed. Yeah,
a dog pooped all over the rocks. But to remove
the rug, oh nice, took the table in two parts
that broke in half. I've got a really good cleaner
for that because I have a big dog that likes

(04:23):
to do things like that too, and I have a
good cleaner to dude. It's a very valuable thing to have. Yeah,
that in a handyman, you know, So I use zero
rest for cleaning. And you know what I used for
a handyman that's been good? Is that app um? Oh yeah, tackle.
This is not a commercial for either one of them.
Who's your cleaner? Who do you used? Um? We just

(04:46):
found that my wife found this company, um that like
you know, deep cleans the floors because we had a
you know whatever, the big generic people that come in
and they actually almost ruined our carpet like trying to
do the cleaning thing, and we're like we couldn't get
some of the stain up. So we called this other company. Man.
They came in and I couldn't believe what they got
out of that carpet. You can tell we're getting older

(05:06):
because we're both excited about carpet clanking about, like, oh wow,
tell me so, yeah that and then we'll you'll delete
that out right, just to bleep it. Yeah, yeah, every time.
We won't even delete it, will just bleep it. Yeah,
just rawn uncut. Uh, you're going to a show after
this podcast. Don't don't do that to me. Don't do it. Well,

(05:30):
I soul decision. No, we were debating which soul soul asylum.
Soul decision was collective soul. And now I wouldn't know
soul to soul like that. That one I's definitely different,
and that one I would know less of. Really, So,
mikee people pull these up. I think I'm a little

(05:50):
older than you though, right, So that's like eight nine
years old. Okay, but so not enough. Let's just walk
through them. Soul Asylum is runaway train, never gone back,
no one no, no one way track. That was big
in the nineties. There you go, souls jammed right. It

(06:13):
was a great song soul decision, Mike. If you can
pull that down was like a knockoff of you guys
those late nights that they opened up for us. Yeah,
and they had one confused, really big song's my place,
so um soul decision finding that they don't pop up

(06:34):
owner streaming service and what really I want to say,
I ran into one of those guys the other day. Yeah,
they definitely had a big song, like a beat. Yeah,
let's a soul decision radio, but there is no soul
decision that comes up except for a song, and Soul
Decision Radio is all in sync Jordan's Night, New Kids,

(06:56):
So it's definitely a thing. Um so okay, And then
they have and there's Collective Soul, which is December. Oh
why drink the water from my hand? You know what this? Yeah?
And they have uh you Mike, will you what's their

(07:17):
second biggest song they have listened on there the world?
I know this was a big jam. Um. When I
walk upon Hick, they're very much like um toad the
wet sprockety Yeah yeah, a little same area, right, Wasn't
that the same? It was that still mid nineties told
maybe a little earlier. Maybe a little earlier. I think

(07:39):
you guys a little older and live, Yes, they were
also kind of this who is college rock kind of
eat stuff? Who was your like when you were growing
up and you're into like when music started to get
really important to you, who was it for you when
I was when I was young. I mean, my mom
and dad really influenced me with the Beatles, and they

(08:00):
weren't together, but you know, it's crazy separately. Like my mom,
you know, was always listening and that was her almost
her like teeny Bopper Years was the Beatles, even though
my mom was sixteen when I was born, so I
was her teeny Bopper years. But uh, and my dad
is a big you know, Beatles head. And actually, when
I first started playing guitar, I would play guitar left handed,

(08:20):
and I couldn't figure out why it took me so
long to pick up the guitar because I always watched
Paul McCartney and he was like my idol. And if
I was air guitar, I still do this day if
I air guitar guitar left handed sometimes, but yeah, so
I had to. I flipped all the strings on the
guitar and started playing left hand, and then I realized
I'm right hand. See I'm left handed and I play
left handed right, but I tried to play right handed

(08:41):
for a long time because there everywhere there is no
left handed guitar. That just chills. You can't be somewhere
and you grab a guitar that you do the thing
where you switched the strings around and the it was
so hard because they did the nut. Because then so
I did two things. One, I tried to just flip
it upside down, take a right handed guitar and just

(09:02):
play it upside down, which means no changing of strings,
just play it the other way. Didn't work, so then
I would remove the strings myself. Those chords must have
been there were Well, when you don't know any chords,
you're all weird, right, But I couldn't like learn from
people or even watch just put your finger here, No, no,
gonna put it down here. It's And then I tried
the nut. There's a little nut on a guitar as

(09:24):
a holder for each string, and as a string it's bigger.
The bigger stringers in. But then you have to put
the big string in the tiny nut and then as
you always out. But then I just was like, screw it.
I went to Walmart, got a chord sheet, went to
a pawn shop, paid fifty bucks, bought a left handing guitar,
and I just played for comedy. You know, I do
music and stand upp but uh but yeah, so what
but what was you have the Beatles? But when you

(09:45):
were like sixteen or seventeen, I mean like the pop music,
just because for me it was nineties grunge and Garth
Brooks was kind of the two lanes when music started
to be important. That's when you can tell that there
is just a bit of a difference between us, because
mine would have been like like to me, I look

(10:05):
back on music and in nineteen eighty four, for some reason,
I was eighties baby, So I mean grew up in
the eighties. But nineteen eighty four and nine eight had
some of the best. Usually if I hear like a
great song, like I'll listen to the eighties or Classic
Rewind or something, though, so what I was listening the
way here and you listen to it, and I'm like,
if it's a really great song, I mean, you know
Van Halen the album was. But there's like, you know,

(10:30):
there was something about the year nineteen eight four and
in year nineteen eight eight that just all this great
music came out in those years. Was it was that
election year? Maybe? I don't know, that's the theories. I
didn't think about that. I mean, I don't know if
that makes any sense or any any difference. So we
should be listening to some good stuff. Here was that
BST Boys guy at all? Oh? I love the BST Boys.
I actually I was into a lot of hip hop

(10:51):
when when pop music I started really getting into pop music.
I mean, we grew up really poor, like I couldn't
we didn't have anything, you know, we were my friends
were taping on the radio doing the record I didn't
couldn't afford a cassette player to record off the radio.
So I was I was getting music anyway I could
get it. But the only music I could ever find
was pop music. So I really got into pop music.

(11:12):
Um I I really liked some weird stuff too, like
the Ramons, Adam and Uh Billy Idol was really pop
and and Billie was cool. Um I like David Bowie.
There were some bands It's funny to me looking back
on how like like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. When
I was a kid, I hated Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

(11:34):
Now it's like one of my favorite bands to listen to.
It's like once you understand music and you really, you know,
grow into your musical self all your music things change
and who I love. I'm I'm definitely a real poppy,
poppy guy. Like I really even think the Ramons are
real poppy beastie boys were you know. But I remember
when the run DMC Walked This Way came out. When

(11:57):
that video came out, I remember asking somebody, who's that
rock band? Or who are these actors that are singing
with run DMC because I listened to, you know, a
lot of hip hop at that time, and I know,
you know, Aerosmith and then of course later eighties it
was all you know, hair bands and rock and how
did you feel about that? I loved it, man, I
loved it. Def Leopard you know, I had everything from them,

(12:18):
And um I was one of my first shows I
ever went to. The first very first concert I went
to was weird Al Yankovic and the New Monkeys, which
will just tell you like where my weirdness is. But
um my first concert, like with my buddies in high
school was Poison and Tesla, and then we went to
like def Leopard, Kiss Motley Crewe. I mean we saw him.

(12:39):
We were I was in Ohio at the time. We
went to like Cleveland, you know, whe They're like, what's
up Cleveland, and it's like it was like the middle
of that show the Dirt, Like we were right there
when Tommy leaves upside Down. I was living through that,
and it was just you know that that music was
just so popular. It was just so catchy, and again
it was all pop music. I love Madonna, I love Prince,

(12:59):
I love Michael Jackson, but all the real poppy stuff
when you talk about Poison. I got to know Brett
Michaels a little later on after obviously Poison had done
their thing, and even after Rock of Love when he
came back and kind of started again that I even
met that guy. We act. Actually, that's funny he said that. Um,
in December, Joey and I do this boat parade in

(13:22):
in uh Fort Lauderdale and he was the host, the
big the host guy, and we just basically take down boats,
like down the causeways and stuff. And the night before
he was having a show and he invited us out
to a show, and um, he asked us to come
out and sing the last song with him, and I
was just in heaven because we met him way back
in the day and when we were on tour, he

(13:42):
came out to a show, and I know he's a
Pittsburgh guy, so you know, we were talking about the
Steelers and stuff like that. But like to be out
on stage with him and like thinking back to like
that was one of my first concerts and here I
am like, I don't know if it equal, but you know,
just on that level was pretty cool. He's a nice guy. Really.
He was so nice and a great athlete, oddly because

(14:02):
we played softball together and he would show up in
blue jeans and a cutout shirt and his cowboy hat
a different cowboy had every time and just dominate center field.
You would hit anything by him in blue jeans, diving.
Did you have cowboy boots on? He would he would
switch the boots alutu before he went out, but that
would be impressive. A super kind guy and then was

(14:22):
and I was just struck at his athletic prowess, even
because he's in his forties now and the guy was
run around like there's twenty two years and know he's
in his fifth gott to be in his fifth. I'm
in my forties, Like that was like when I was
a kid, So he's got to be probably mid the
later fifties. Even when you have those moments where you go, wow,
this is cool, like something I looked up to and
now I get to be a part of it. Did

(14:44):
you have a lot of those when you were or
was it happening so fast? Could you appreciate him? I
think he's still appreciate him. You know, there's there's there's
no way some of the stuff we do could just
blow by. But I mean, you know, hanging out with
Michael Jackson, performing with my with Jackson. Did you ever
did you meet him talk to him? What was that like?
What was he like? Um? It was it was strange.

(15:09):
It was like it was I felt there was this
weirdness like around him. You know, I don't think a
lot of it was really him. I think it was
what was around him. I think he had a lot
of yes men around him, and I think there was
a lot of people just like feeding into what he
was and not who he was. And it was kind
of it was kind of strange because it almost was

(15:30):
like you were just talking to an icon instead of
a human. For a little while, but you know, really
really generous guy, really, you know, very very soft spoken,
just like you would think somebody like that commands you know,
attention or whatever. But you know, he just was very
soft spoken, you know, and he let all his singing

(15:50):
and dancing and and his stage stuff speak for him normally.
Was it a while to watch someone be so soft
and his man rhysms and speech, I think, get on stage.
It's it's it's insane. I mean again, kind of going
back to what I was just saying, I'm a Steelers fan,
it's it's like Troy Paula Malo. I don't know if

(16:11):
you're a big football guy, but he was a safety
defensive back for the Steelers, and he was the same way.
He was very you know, hey, you know, quiet whatever,
and you see him on the field and he's jumping him.
That's the way Michael was. You know, Michael's just very
hey guys, you know, thanks so much for coming out whatever,
and you're just like, this is Michael, Like I thought, Michael,
come in, hey this, you know, I mean I'm doing

(16:32):
a lot higher than that doing his little front kicks,
and so that's cool. So Michael Jackson is one of
those what's another one You look back and go, man,
that's freaking cool. Paul McCartney. Paul McCartney was big. Um.
He came. I met him in an award show and
then I went to one of his shows and sat
with him backstage. I mean, it's he could have been

(16:54):
a jerk and I would have been like, he's a god,
you know, but he was really really nice and and
I think one of the coolest though, it was Phil
Collins because we actually did a song with Phil Collins
and there's a part in the song where it's like
in in the band, I do the harmonies, you know,
Justin and j C usually do the leads, and then
I would do their harmonies on the verses and a

(17:15):
lot of the harmonies in the in the choruses. And
he's like, well, okay, so who does like the harmonies?
And I think Justin or something Chris usually does like
the harmonies. Goes okay, well, then you guys go in
and do this part, and then me and Chris will
go in and sing this part. And I was like,
why don't you you want to go in and then
I'll go in because and we went in and I'm

(17:36):
standing there at the mic. I don't even remember what
I was singing. I'm just singing into the same mike
and Phil Collins is right there, and I'm just like,
you know, first cassette I ever had was no jacket required.
So that was another big moment. That's cool. And his
daughter is really sweet too. She's an actress, um uh yeah,
and she's super hot. Yeah, and she she was there

(17:57):
that day. I was very young. She was very young,
and she was there that day. And I remember sitting
in the booth while the guys were in there and
she looks over at me she goes, I can't believe
I'm sitting in the same room with you right now.
And I'm like, your dad is Phil Collins, you know,
like it's crazy. And then I went and saw her
a couple of years ago at Justin show in l A.

(18:17):
And she was there and she goes, oh, do you
remember me? And I'm like, yeah, you're like famously Lily
And I was like, yeah, you're like famous now, it's crazy.
What was cool was I remember I'm just going from
memory here. There was an award show, maybe one of
like the v M A s because you guys were
a lot of those, but you came out and there

(18:38):
were these TV screens with your head m TV Awards,
I think, and you guys did the dancing behind TV
screens of Gigantic your own heads. Like really one of
the coolest perform that I remember ever. It's it's crazy.
That's the one. That's the performance that a lot of
people talk about and they're always like and at the time,
it was weird because Wade Robson, who was our choreographer

(19:00):
at the time, said he's got this concept and I think,
you know, flat screen TVs were not the thing yet,
like they were just coming out and you know, you're
talking two thousand maybe, and uh, He's like, we're gonna
film this thing where your head's on the screens and
you guys are gonna be dancing below. And I was like,
it's crazy because you think to yourself, yeah, that that
would be cool. That makes sense, that's that's gonna be cool,

(19:21):
But you don't have any idea the impact and like
when when you see it and when people watch it,
that's all they talk about. But I think it's also
the way he choreographed it and the way he filmed,
the way he filmed what our faces were doing, because
sometimes our faces would all switch around, and you know,
when we were doing the choreography, we were just doing

(19:41):
what we were doing. But when I watched it again,
it made a lot more sense. You mentioned earlier that
your mom was sixteen, which you had to you. Mine was, oh, yeah,
so I know what it's like. You know, you said
something at the radio station too. I mean, I know
you're kind of joking around about the government cheese or
you were talking about stuff like that. It's really weird because, like,
especially in the industry, you find people that actually really

(20:02):
know where you came from. It's really kind of a
cool moment and you're just kind of like wow, man.
Like I went back and I think I told my wife.
I was like that, that's really kind of cool because
he gets it and he understands that, you know, what
we have now is all icing. You know, it's not
something that we worked for and we deserved. You know,
from day one, it's been icing, and you appreciate it

(20:24):
and you look back and you know, all my I
did a foundation in Orlando when we were there, and
it was all for you know, underprivileged kids, and we
used to do some crazy fun stuff, and we do
it around Halloween because to me, Halloween is a time
that people don't think about, you know, charities, you don't
think about giving, But especially for kids, it's really important.

(20:45):
For people, it's really important. Everybody likes to dress up,
Everybody likes to be somebody else. So do those kids.
And those kids get a chance to, like even for
a day, be the Hulk or be Iron Man or
or whoever. And it was fun. We'd always buy them costumes.
We used to throw like big Halloween bashes in my
exclusive like gated community, but just for the kids. We'd
have the neighbor kids come in, but all our kids

(21:07):
had the v I P bracelets on so they could
get into certain things and they were the coolest ones
and the little rich kids, which were nice kids too,
but it was nice for a change to just kind
of flip it on them. And and another time, I
remember we got some food. And every time we go
like shop for a family whatever, and we'd get them
food too. We'd always buy the good stuff because when
I was growing up, it's like we get a knock

(21:29):
on the door around Christmas time and it's two grocery
bags from the from the church and it's creamed corn,
and it's like and you think about it, it's like
what you don't want from your from your cover. You're like, oh,
we're not gonna use this. Give this, give this, because
beggars can't be choosers, and we never were. But when
I went out, I was getting like Hawaiian punch. And
we went to this house and one house and gave
this stuff out and this kid grabbed like the sere

(21:50):
or something and he just starts looking as mom, Mom,
it's the good stuff, you know. And that's the point
where you're just kind of like, wow, that was cool,
Like that's why you do it. I remember Christmas one
year because church would bring us gifts to if we
didn't get gifts, we can afford gifts, and so they would,
you know, beat on the door. It's funny because that
when you said that, I know exactly what that feels like.
And I got a Paint by Numbers duck picture, which

(22:14):
I would have looked at and thought, never in a
million years what I want that, But it was the
only gift I got that and I think it's one
of my favorite gifts that I ever got. And it
was a crappy brush with a bunch of greens and
yellows and a duck and I painted that thing and
I was so proud of it. Do you find yourself like,
now you know, now that you've got money, and now
that you've got it, do you find yourself going back
and finding like some of the stuff either you wanted

(22:36):
or maybe something that you had that meant a ton
to you, Like like I had a bunch of G
I Joe's. I think, you know, maybe you know a
couple of handfuls of G I Joe's. And obviously, you know,
we moved around a lot too, so we lost a
lot of stuff. But I've gone back out on eBay
and bought those again and sat there and my son
actually was playing with them the other day, and I
was kind of like, yeah, this is cool. That's pretty cool.

(22:56):
I find what I tried to do, and as I all,
it's selfish charity because for example, my high school basketball team,
I couldn't afford the shoes, and you had to have
the shoes to play, and it wasn't a thing where
it was like only the kids that can afford the
shoes can play, but it was just understood that everybody
could afford sixty dollars and I couldn't. So I just

(23:17):
didn't play basketball. And I really wanted to, but not
because I wasn't good enough, but because I couldn't afford
the shoes, and I just didn't want to be a
charity case all the time. So what I do now
is I buy the whole team shoes, so not one
kid has to feel that, right, I just want to
eliminate how I So it's almost like I'm selfishly going
back in and helping me. Isn't it funny though? How

(23:37):
sometimes you look back and you feel so sorry for
that kid, but then you're like, no, wait, that kid
was me? Who cares well what I do? In a way,
I go, you know what, the best thing that ever
happened to me was the struggle. Yeah, because I am tenacious,
I'm resilient. I like, I'm built for whatever you put
in front of me. So tell me this, this is

(23:59):
that's the same. But it's kind of a catchway too
with me because now I have a little I have
a son. My son, whatever he wants to a point
he gets. I mean, obviously we don't spoil him, but
everything we give him, we let him know that you
know he's getting this. You know, we try to. He's
still young enough. He doesn't have a lot of friends,
so he can't you know, he's not acclimated with kids

(24:20):
yet to really understand how other kids have it. But
how do you teach that now to a kid that
never has to worry about it? How do you teach
that that wanting to go out wanting to fight for
everything you have to a kid that doesn't have to
fight for everything. You know, you can't you can't not
give him things. You know, you can't say no, you
know you're not going to have this because I didn't
have it, and I want you to learn. You know,

(24:41):
you still try to do it, but at the same
time you have to. It's this balancing act of trying
to teach him that all kids don't get that, you know,
and I'm I'm already like trying to distill a him
when he goes to school. Make sure he befriends every
kid in school, even the quiet kid, the dirty kid,
you know, whoever. Make sure every kid eels special in
school because who knows, you know, possibly you know, being

(25:04):
my son or being around it, that he might you know,
be kind of popular, and I'm hoping he is, because
if he is, I'm gonna say, you know, at that age,
you already have to understand you have to use that.
You know, you have to understand it. You were just
in a situation not because of you, but because of
the way you were brought up. You know. It's what's
interesting about you is you were able to break the
almost impossible generational cycle of what we struggle with in

(25:29):
America of poverty. And it's hard to get out because
if you're impoverished, and I'll put me in that too,
there's not a lot of resources that go into us
and into my friends and and myself, and so it's rare.
And thank god, I was blessed to just be real
smart and standardized tests and I could you know, I
was good. It was quick, um, And it's hard to

(25:51):
break that. But you have one of the rare tasks
of now being a father going through that situation because
you know what it was like and what it to you,
but you also knew what it felt like to go
through that. And they have those kids that my son
will become talking to you like you're you know, just nobody,
which is funny to me. I love my class reunions,

(26:12):
you know, because those are great because I go back
and here I was this kid that you know, couldn't
afford my class ring. We didn't have a car, we
didn't have electricity a lot of the times, you know,
we didn't have a lot of things. So you know,
they were like most likely to never hear from again,
even a class reunions, I would have won it, you know.
But then to you know, come out and do this stuff.
It's it's it's so strange. It's just almost surreal. Like

(26:36):
a lot of times, I feel like I'm living in
out of body experience and looking at my life through
what I always wished it was as a kid. You
didn't have Facebook when instinct was blowing up, not because
it wasn't a thing yet would you have people like
reaching out to you because you said high school reunion

(26:58):
and I go through this little different now, but we're
how did people get ahold you and be like he
remember me? We were best friends back in the day. Um,
I mean we had a website and uh, you know
it was funny back then with even just with the
website of how we were trying to be progressive with
it and we had this whole idea about this like
three D market and you know, everything where it was

(27:18):
all inclusive and you know, not knowing that cell phones
would be what they are. But um, I've there's a
lot of ways that happened. I actually, you know, I'm
still in touch with some friends, you know, from way
back in the day that I saw their sign at
hershey in the audience saying hey, Chris, it's these people,
and I had security I go out and get them,

(27:40):
and um, you know, a lot of some of my
I've stayed in contact with a lot of most of
my high school friends, you know, at least a couple
of them, and they know how to get in touch
with a couple of them. Or they'd say, hey, so
and so wants to know if if they can come down,
and you know, it's it's it's really kind of cool
because I think a lot of my high school friends
that are still my friends now were my friends in
high school. You know, we were all I wasn't. I

(28:02):
wasn't the you know, I wasn't a popular kid. I
wasn't I said, like the least popular. But it was
just kind of like I was just like everybody's little
brother like I was little. That's another thing I had
not gone in physical stature and physical stature because I
was five hundred pounds my junior year of high school.
So I grew about nine ten inches after my junior

(28:22):
high school. And I went to my five year reunion
before in Sync blew up, and there were guys coming
up to me going, hey, who are you here with?
And I'm like, there were seventy kids in our class.
I know you, Tim, remember it's Chris kp. Patrick. They're like, oh, yeah, wow,
you're bigger. You've changed. When you say before instinct blew up?
Did people feel like that that was? Did anybody go, man,

(28:44):
you guys really hit a hard quick and you're going
if you had any idea what we've been doing? Work
like because people because for me, people will go, boy,
in the last year, you've the last couple of years,
you've really bla And I'm like, man, I guess I'm
a fifteen year overnight success it because you only see
like when the fruition. I think the difference is um.

(29:05):
I think blowing up isn't the right way to talk
about it, because it was blow It was almost blowing
up overnight. It was the overnight success story. That's you know,
that to me is different. That to me is you
know that you just you know, it's like, hey, hi,
justin my name is Chris and I said, oh, we're famous.
You know, it's like that was There was a lot
of work into that. There was a lot we did.

(29:27):
There was you know, obviously a lot of but when
we released the Disney Special in the States, that was
the first time any kid in the United States. We
were all getting on an airplane and some girl goes, hey,
that's those guys on the Disney Show. Can I have
an autograph? And we all like stopped in the jetway
and went running back out because we're like, wait, you're American,
you know us? And she's like, yeah, yeah, I saw

(29:48):
you in the Disney Special. And it was so weird
because that girl was the first one and maybe you know,
the next day it just became all over, like everybody
would start stopping us and it just became because then
that Disney Special was you know this, It started this
whole trend and that's what kids were watching. That was

(30:09):
the That was the blippy, that was the you know
whatever um Barney or whatever. You know that Disney Special
was what all kids focused on. So when kids get
onto something, I mean, it's crazy how they run with
it and and you know, they want to be an
adult and so they take it and make it in
And that's what happened, was I mean, they just took

(30:31):
us as their band and blew us up. You had
been performing and had music released overseas though, right, so
when they go, hey, let's do a quick infancy story,
you actually were the guy that was first when when
in things started to come together, right, I put the
band together. Right, so you're the guy. So you go,
all right, we're gonna find and in your mind were

(30:51):
you putting together a band, a boy band, a singing group?
What was the idea? So when I when I first
started music, um, I fell into music. You know it
was like I was, I always wanted to do something.
I want to be a football player, I want to
do all these other things. But I kept falling into music.
Um I landed uh the lead role of Oliver Twist
in our high school production when I was in sixth grade?

(31:13):
Could you sing at that point in your mind? Like,
were you a good singer? I still don't think I'm
a good singer. You know, it's like I mean, I
could stay on key and you know, it's and and again,
you know, talk about five hundred pounds my junior year.
Obviously my voice didn't change until you know, about two
weeks ago, but you know, it was there was a
lot of um I. I enjoyed music. I always kept

(31:37):
falling into it. UM. I moved to Orlando and started college.
And so that's why I was one of the older
ones in the band. Like I was already I graduated.
How we how we from the Battery Poison I were
in college together and UM I was just there and
I was, you know, taking random classes just so I
could say I went to college and you know, I
learned a trade or something, and there was a there

(31:58):
was an ad for a choir, and I didn't went
to the ad and I got a scholarship. And the
next thing, you know, I got another scholarship. And then
I went to a prestigious school, Rollins, with a scholarship
in music. And it just kept following me. But the
whole time I was doing um acoustic guitars with a
buddy of mine, like we'd play it coffee shops or

(32:19):
whatever it was, and then when I was in high school,
we did these quartets, and I loved acapella. I loved harmonies.
So I put together a quartet and at all these
coffee shops and things we were doing, me playing the
guitar with my buddy Steve, was like, okay, I col
driving and crying cool Indigo girls, all right, whatever. But
then when we go out and do this acapella stuff,

(32:40):
like everybody just went nuts. I mean, girls were just like,
oh my god, this is the best ever. And I'm like, wow,
like that there's something to this. So I was trying
to do the acapella thing. And I even remember when
Howie and Charlie came to me with their pictures with
the Backstreet Boys. I was like, how's that gonna work?
You guys are like singing the tapes, you know. I'm like, oh, so, Charlie,

(33:04):
Charlie is a great story. Charlie Edwards was one of
my really close friends. Is a great guy. He uh.
He's how I got connected with all of it, all
the lou Perlman and all that. So I had a
quartet at school. Charlie was in my quartet. How he
was in my class, How he came into school looking
for kids for the Battery Boys, and he went to Charlie,
so him and Charlie joined the Battery Boys. Um, Charlie

(33:26):
had a falling out, I guess with a producer. So
Charlie came to me and called me and said, hey,
you know, I want to be involved, but could we
bring your group that you have to this guy Lou
Perroman And I was like yeah, sure. So then you know,
it's probably about a year. We were just grinding and
and I had like three jobs and full time school
and it was like I'd be late for some rehearsals

(33:47):
and they were just like, you know what, I can't
do this anymore. And he quit and I said, but
I had the introduction with Lou. And that's when you know.
Lou was like, I need you to get the band,
like I want another band. I've got Backstreet, I want
another band, which sucks for them him like, and you know,
in hindsight, it really sucks for them because here was
this guy who they looked at as their their brother,

(34:07):
their papul Lou and he's out there as a business
guy going and he even said it. He'd say it
to us all the time, you know, I've got Burger king,
I want McDonald's. You know, they get along, they coexist.
And you know, if he would have been an honest
guy and just one that you know, who knows where
he'd be. But this Charlie guy just to go back

(34:27):
for one second, Yeah, you're telling me that, yes, in
both backstraight and instinct, and then what what is he alive? Still? Yeah?
And what he did, I'm pretty sure I even't talked
to him. And then I used to run into him
a lot. That's crazy. But and he actually left my
band to go teach golf in a club med and

(34:48):
I was begging him. I'm like, dude, you know, I'm
holding on the strings here like I would. I mean again,
I had so many jobs, and I had, you know,
full time school, and I was like still trying to
arrange music and teach people parts and put together um
rehearsals and all this stuff. And when he quit, I
was just I mean, I remember, you know, just being
in the lowest, one of the lowest places of my life,

(35:10):
laying there thinking that I had a potential with this
loop Roman guy. And the guys in my band would
keep quitting, you know, dropping out or quitting so who
was the first guy of of of the band. Now
the group that you were like, all right, come do
it just and you met him was this Mickey Mouse
Club no post. So, so the story, the real story is,

(35:31):
I was I was making cold calls. I was just
calling people. I'm like, you know, I need to find
you know, parts, I need to find guys that saying
I need to do whatever. So I don't remember. I
think I went through the paper or something like that,
and I called I think I called agents. I called
like nineteen agents. I'm like, listen, I'm putting together this group. Okay,
thank you so much. It's my number, this my address click,
you know, I did nineteen agents. One person got back

(35:52):
to me and I went over I remember it like
it was yesterday's Studio Plaza in Orlando, and pulled up
in my little Nie Song Center or whatever I was driving,
and he gave me this Manila envelope and I went
out and you know, put it popped in this cassette
tape into my player and heard this voice and I'm like,
oh my god, like this is unbelievable. This is better
than anybody that's been in my band yet. And I

(36:14):
pulled up the head shot and I'm like, Justin Timberlake,
is he an Indian? Like I didn't you know, I
didn't get I didn't know if that was a stick
or what was going on. And UH called his mom
and that was a tough call because they were back
in Memphis, and I was like, hey, uh, I'm this
twenty four three year old guy, and I want to
put your fourteen year old son in a band with me,

(36:36):
and you know, and and they had this thing where
it was like they went down for Mickey mouse Club
and they said, well, if we got to go there
for Mickey mouse Club and we don't get it, at
least we'll go to Disney. So, you know, they kind
of said it again. They also suggested, they said, well,
he's been working with j C. So j C came
down and I actually met j C first because Lou

(36:57):
went and picked j C up at the airport and
they came to my work and I met j C.
And then Justin came and the three of us are
out one night and we ran into Joey randomly, and
I knew Joey. Joey is the only one of them
that I knew prior because we worked at Universal Studios
together and uh, I knew Joey and we're like, dude,
you know, we're looking for a band, you know, can

(37:18):
you do it? And he's like, yep, I'm in because
he was in this group in high school called the
Big Guys with the Luis Fonzi Oh yeah, yeah, which
was in and they were like this. They were like
this high school band. It's so weird to see Fonzie,
you know, doing so much now. And his brother John
is amazing too because his brother John was in my group.
But that's I'll just make the story really long, but um,

(37:39):
but yeah, So then Joey got in the band and
he brought in this kid, Jason, and that's how we
got the name because uh, Justin's mom was looking at
all our names and Justin, Chris, Joey, Jason, and j C.
The last letter all spells in sync, and that's how
we got our name. And then um, the night we
were signing the deal, Jason quit left and it took

(38:01):
us a year to find Lance and night you were signing, yeah,
we ended up signing the next day, just the four
of us. But we needed a base, like we knew
we needed a base. You had. You know, Joey was
the lowest singer. And Joey's a good baritone, but he's
no base and we had no low end. And I
remember when Lance came over to the house and we're
like his vocal. Our vocal coach was like, we think

(38:22):
we like him, and he was in there and Justin
and I were listening in the door, just like high
five because Lance just kept going lower and lower and lower,
and I was like, man, this is unbelievable. So when
you guys get together and when Lance finally comes in,
had you decided how you wanted to present yourselves or
you were going to or are you still going we're
a pure vocal group? Because when did the rest come in?

(38:43):
The dancing the stage we call it stage. But I
think I think that was slowly, you know, weeded into
what we were doing. I mean, I think at some
point we had to realize that we couldn't just be
an acapella group doing what we did. You know, we
wanted up tempo songs, and acapella up tempo you can't
really dance to. It's it's more of you know, listening.

(39:04):
But um, you know, then we just kind of we started,
uh Justin and j C had been writing some tracks
and uh, our vocal coach who was actually really big
in Nashville, Like, I I've running to people all the
time now that that knew her, Robin Wiley. Um, she
was real intricate in helping us with our sound because

(39:25):
she knew right away. Like we were like, oh well,
Chris will sing the high stuff, and Lance will sing
the low stuff, and Joe will sing the middle stuff,
and Justin j C will do the leads. But she
really kind of you know, formed our sound and and
her arrangements and and things. She wrote. One of my
favorite songs we ever did to this day was a
song called I Thought She Knew and it was I mean,
it was all her arrangement, and it was just so

(39:48):
intricate and so unbelievable, and it was so fun to
do because here I've got four other guys that are
talented enough to know parts. And that's that's a big thing.
Like there's so many times you'll start singing something, everybody
jumps on whatever you're singing, you know, but to sing
your own part, even when it's rubbing or doing whatever,
it's like, it's it was it was really cool we
used to find anywhere we could sing and just sing together.

(40:10):
And then who goes we should take this overseas first?
Well that was Lou was always involved. Like Lou was
involved in that at that time. As soon as Justin
and JC came down, Lou was like, all right, I
can be involved. Because even before, like I said, when
I was calling Justin's mom, Lu said, don't Sam involved,
And I'm like why, why is that? Because he didn't
want to upset Backstreet Boys and and his whole company,

(40:31):
who Backstreet was their baby. He didn't want to go
to them and go, well, I got another one. So
they didn't know you guys were forming and you started
to actually be No, they didn't know. I think the
guys kind of new because you know, I'd be at Brian's,
I'd be at Lou's house and you know, talking business,
somebody be leaving Brian or somebody be coming in, and

(40:51):
they're always like what is he doing? Like why is
he here? What do they you know? What's the what's
the deal on them? And and that's again why I said,
it really suck for them, like they were treated unfairly
in the whole situation because it's not our fault here.
We are. We just we just wanted to work, you know,
we just wanted to be a band. And they're the
ones that were like getting like the rug pulled out
from under him by him going by the way, I

(41:13):
got another one just in case. Did that ever happen
to you guys? Oh? I mean, but but the difference
is we knew he was doing it. You know. It
was like we we already assumed that's who Lou was,
that's what he's gonna do. I mean, it happened like
thirty times for us, you know, and it was just
like we just we just with each other. We just
have to say, listen, we're just gonna work. We have

(41:33):
to work a thousand times harder, you know, you have to.
We have to. We had to work a thousand times
harder just to be equal, you know. And that was
great because again it goes back to that drive we
were talking about it. It gave us our drive. And
what are people back home, like mom and Dad, they're there,
there's there's split at this part, and so are they
encouraging you to continue pursuing music where let's be honest,

(41:57):
if you're gonna pursue music, there's not a lot there
people who do it. It's just it's hard to pay
the bill as much less thrive. My family has always
been supportive. I think the fact that you know, they
had nothing, like I didn't have anything else, Like I
wasn't like I'm gonna be a zoologist or you know,
a marine biologists or something. It was like, I'm doing

(42:19):
this if it works. And you know, my family is like,
if it works, great, They're not going don't do this,
go find a job. And I had three jobs, so
they're like, you know, we're they're all behind, and they
were really really encouraging, and it was it was a
lot of a lot of um. It felt good because
you know, I knew I had that safety net. When
did you feel like you were going to be able

(42:41):
to pay the bills singing? Uh? Well, I mean after
the first gig I ever did, I got like fifty
bucks or something playing acoustic guitar and I'm like, man,
this is unbelievable. I can't believe I just got paid
for doing music. And you know, we got a chet
X And did you get a signing bonus when you

(43:02):
guys all signed? And think when you did the four
of you. Oh no, oh no, there was there. There
was so much. Someday when the After School Special movie
or whatever the ABC movie is out on us, there
will be the first check presentation, which is hilarious because
we've been on tour for I want to say, going
on two years. Maybe we've been opening acts, We've done

(43:24):
countless radio shows, all these things, and are our label
was giving us checks. And they got off these big
checks and you know, little gold records and everything, and
they brought out these checks for like ten grand each
and Justin and I are like high five in each other,
like I've never even seen that much money in my life.
This is the best day. And j C is like,

(43:44):
hold on a minute, you know this, something's not right here.
We've been working for two years. And I looked at
him like, dude, why are you being a Debbie Downer?
And he's like, how much money did you make bussing
tables at the Outback? And I was like, I don't know,
twenty thou a year? He goes exactly. I was like, uh,
was j C? That guy at the Great Book jay C? Smart?
J C? J C knows his stuff and his uncle's

(44:05):
a lawyer, and and you know, his family's really into that,
so j j C j C wouldn't let it. Jac
didn't let it get by, and we let it fly
right by us. But j C j C catches that
is it because there's so much going on that the
tornado is happening. Oh yeah, yeah for sure. I mean
we had you know, we had no time to ourselves.
There was no time to even think about things. There
was no time to think that. When we signed our
first record contract. Um Lance wasn't in it yet, so

(44:28):
it was it was just the four of us, but
we signed it. We signed our contract. Five people, you know, me, justin,
j C, Joey and Louke Proman. He was the fifth
member signed on our record. And and um, I just
heard somebody talking about this the other day. You know,
it's it's your first record, your first contract. You know
you're gonna get screwed. But that was like proper. Do
you know how many how many records you had to

(44:50):
give in that first deal because now standards five I
think it was five, Yeah, it was five. It didn't matter.
We got out of it. I mean it was we
broke the contract because we just went and signed with Jive.
We they signed us, ended up signed us to our CIA.
It was after our first big record in the States
came out, and right before our huge record, we actually
went over to Jive because we broke at the very

(45:12):
beginning because we signed the six of us then signed
to Lou. Lou signed us to b MG in Germany.
BMG signed us to our c A in the States.
So we broke it off with Lou. We broke the
whole chain and it was like we had to start
all over. When you say the big record, no strengths
and we're about to have an anniversary on that twenty Yeah,

(45:38):
it's insane. How I remember I was working on pop
radio when the record came out, nineteen years old, and
I remember the record coming out and I remember just
everybody going to buy it. It It might actually still be
the record for most. No, it just was just broken
three years ago. Adele really, but it lasted that long

(45:59):
seventeen years, lasted a long time. It's old. You may
help to point something million in a week now. I
think it was one point one point three or one
point four the first day, which was you know, I
mean it's again, it goes back to it just happened

(46:19):
to be our market and those our market buy CDs
at the time. So that's one of those records that, like,
you know, we didn't sell as many vinyl as. But
to be fair, did you ever read Outliers many chance? Okay,
there's a whole chapter and Outliers where they talk about
people like a Bill Gates who happened to be someone

(46:40):
interested in computers in a city where they had a
computer at a time when a computer. So much of
life circumstance based on um timing and the people willing
to do the work timing circumstance. Person. So I don't
think that it's fair to the work that you guys
did to go well. It's only because because somebody was
gonna do that right well. And also too, you know

(47:02):
the way the way you say it like that too,
there was a lot of like with us, we knew,
like we knew that it was gonna be a lot
of luck, a lot of timing. No matter what we did,
there were a lot of other things had to fall
into place. All we could do was work and we rehearsed.
I mean, we had we knew every dance move, every

(47:24):
song up and down, back and forwards. We knew every
scenario about you know what if it's this, you know,
it's like we just we were so prepared because you know, um,
I don't remember the exact saying, but it's like, you know,
the prep when preparation meets opportunity, Yeah, that's that's luck.
And so we were like, we're going to be the

(47:45):
most prepared on the planet, Like we're gonna if if
we get one little shot, we're gonna blow that shot
up and and do do the best we camp what
would be the luckiest moment where you look back and go,
holy crap, that wouldn't happen. I don't know the Disney special.
I think how you got honor how how I blew
up or a little of both, a little of both,
because I think Backstreet got offered the Disney special and

(48:06):
turned it down. And so that's when we had Johnny
right at the time too, who's I think he's kind
of managing them, and um, he's like, you know, we
got offered this Disney special, and we're like, you know,
Disney specials weren't this thing yet. It was just like, oh,
well we'll do it. You know, of course, we'll try anything.
And once we did it, and it just I mean,
it exploded. It was. It was. It was the moment

(48:29):
we did stuff overseas. We were over there touring with people.
We did our own tour over there. We had you know,
shows over there, and we'd go over there and it
would be mayhem and stuff. But honestly, in Europe, a
lot of our beginning stages was kids would come up
to us all the time and be like, the only
we're here, the only reason we're here listening to you
guys is because the Backstreet Boys aren't here, And that

(48:51):
was of our Our fans would say that, you know,
of our fans were in sync. Fans were Backstreet fans
that were knew that Backstreet wasn't coming to their town
for another two years or something, so they came out
to see us. So that was, you know, it took
a while for us to get out of their shadow.
When they would bring you, guys songs all through your career,

(49:14):
what was the song that you heard where you were like,
holy crap, that's a great freaking song. Uh I love
Bye Bye Bye. I knew that was going to be
a big one. What did that demo sound like? Um?
Similar production? When thinking back, some music guy singing it
was I want to say it might have been, might
have been Max, Max, might have been at Max has

(49:37):
got a Max is hilarious. Max Martin, who produced a
lot of our you know, Dennis Pop, did our first
couple of hits, and there was this whole collective in Sweden,
this this group share on studios and they did the
big Backstreet hits. Um. But Max Max is He's something. Man,
He's just he's just fun to amazingly sick talented guy.

(50:02):
I really think Max is a right brain guy. The
way he looks at music, it's I think he looks
at it as zeros and ones because how he knows,
you know, the intricacies and the things that he puts
into it. It almost seems right brain to me. It doesn't.
He still has a lot of you know, creativity. I'm
not taking that away from him, but it just seems
like he has such a grasp on music itself that

(50:25):
it seems right brain. But he always when he's singing
and stuff, it's just it makes me laugh. He's got
this little, you know, the sweetest voice, and especially when
he's trying to, you know, tell justin, hey do this,
you know, and Justin's like, okay, I'll do what you
were trying to do. I was looking at the track
list from No No Strength attached the four massive singles

(50:45):
Bye Bye Bye, It's gonna be me. Well this, I
promise you when I look back at my because I
was much more. First of all, I was a dude,
so I was but stuff. But I loved in sync
more than the Backstreet Boys because of the ballads. I
just slow songs anyway, like wow, that's always normally I
thought it would because the up tempos always the slow
stuff like this I promised, which by the way, was

(51:07):
not from No Strength, but this, I promise you. God
must spend a little more time on you. Um dried
myself crazy. That I dropped myself crazy video was one
of my favorite favorite videos that you guys did. My
wife hates that one my girlfriends in the video. I
probably wouldn't like it either. Yeah, but I think that's

(51:28):
why I was a big fan of you. Get Gone
was like and Gone slower than amid not quite about
It's it's kind of in that that, but I think
this is possibly one of my favorite songs. Which is
an interesting story and you can tell me if this
is true or not that it was written from Michael Jackson,
just orther from Michael Jackson. And then they said ended

(51:49):
up saying no. And then you guys took it. And
did you guys get to write a lot? Did you
try to write? Or were used on the road too
much working that there wasn't time to hop in a
room and try to We tried, I mean I tried,
you know, I had I think one or two songs,
and I think they were nice enough to put them
on our European albums or something. But um, you know,
I tried. Justin did a great job at j C

(52:12):
is a great writer as well, and uh, I mean, yeah,
it was. It was we'd have to bring stuff on
the road with us, Like I remember, I still have
a rolling rack on the road, and I'd bring it
up to my hotel room. Had and that this is
this is how old school, like had an mp C
and all that stuff in it, and you know, I'd
roll up there and record little ideas or whatever we had.
And and and at the time, you know, now we

(52:33):
could do a whole record, you know, on the road,
but at the time it's like I gotta do an
idea at the right on the road because you'd have
to go to a studio to record the actual song.
But uh, yeah, as as often as we could, you know,
we'd try to work and and try to get songs done.
But and there were always a lot of songs out
there that people were offering to us as well. So
when did it become the most mayhem for you to

(52:56):
even go to out back? You mean, uh, the popularity
was people would and you definitely had a distinct look
the braids and so would you hide your hair? Like
what what what precautions were you taking? How crazy did
it get? Um actually, like you know, with the braids
and stuff. I don't even know if I went out

(53:17):
that much. I mean, if I did, it was to
a club where we had you know, security and you
know you're in a section and all this stuff. Like
it's definitely not like now where you know, I go
do whatever I want and not worry about anything. But
you know, there there was a time where, you know,
especially if if we were in town playing a show. Um,

(53:38):
you know, I tried to go to a mall or
something and we'd have to get escorted out a side
door because it just became insane and um, you know so,
but but it was always during the band, like it wasn't.
I think the longest break we ever had was, you know,
maybe a couple of weeks where we had they said,
go ahead, take a little time off, and a couple

(53:59):
of weeks it was couple of weeks. We're like, woh wow,
what happened. Was ever a time where one of the
guys like, you know, I don't want to do this anymore.
You don't have to say who? And you were like
you had to like talk to each other through it
because I would assume at some point, yeah, not really. No.
We we loved doing what we did, and you know,
and and the only reason um, I think Justin you know,
started doing his stuff was because we had taken a break.

(54:22):
And then you know, management was like, we're gonna take
some time off for a while. You know, let's let's
let us set it in. Justin Justin's workaholic. He's like
you you know, he just doesn't stop. He went in
and and did a records like I'm not gonna, you know,
take a break. I'm gonna keep going. You know, you
have the greatest Christmas song of our lifetime. What about
Ryan Carrey I prefer I've heard this over that this

(54:43):
is a good Christmas song. Argue, Okay, I'll say this.
Arguably our generation is great this Christmas. Yeah. Yeah, it's
pretty cool that it's an original Christmas song too, And
now like, um, you know, people are covering it, which
is so cool. I'm just like, wow, that's pretty cool.
We have an original, Like we're we're old school. When
people think about somebody being this famous and having all

(55:04):
the success that you guys have, they just they picture
you're making two hundred million dollars, like a billion dollars.
They do you feel like there's a finite amount of
money that we were making. It wasn't. It wasn't. It
wasn't open ended with heavy back end. Uh no, no,
because you got you gotta remember too, there weren't the

(55:24):
avenues as there are now, Like you know, back then,
it was like you know, you we made our money
off of record sales, off of merchandise, and off of touring.
You know, bands today don't make their money off of
record sales, and and you know they're they're getting it
all through these three sixty deals and all this stuff
like that. But at the same time, their social media's

(55:44):
are huge, and you know, you know, millions and millions
of followers gets you, you know, sponsors get you people,
and and that's how they make their money, you know,
whether or not it's for what they're doing, it's for
who's paying attention to them and how many eyes we
can get on our product, you know, get you know
money that way. And I'm not knocking it by any means.
I think it's I think it's amazing. And you know,

(56:05):
same thing with all the shows that are out now.
I've talked about those before, like The Voice and American Idol,
Like what a great opportunity it is for America and
for us to actually find talent again. You know, they're
not just not just some guys singing that. You know,
somebody stumbles across and says, hey, I just happened to
be here. You're pretty good. Let's sign you and see

(56:25):
what happens. It's it's the best of the best. And
and you know, these kids that come off of they
are just unbelievable. Yeah. I tell the kids an American
Idol a lot that because some of them will come
on to go I don't know if I want to
do this, And I'm like, do what be seen by
nine million people a night where everything is so oversaturated
everywhere that everybody is just it's hard to be seen

(56:46):
at all because there's so many people being saying I
think too. I think what's getting in their heads though,
is that they're gonna they're not making what they think
they should make off Like I think, don't the American
Idol people and stuff, they take a lot of their
more they did more so now that probably scared people
off of it. Like that's probably what it was that
they're like, Man, I want to I want control of

(57:06):
what I do and I don't want to be an
American Idol kid that wins and then get shelved. You know.
I want to use that platform and actually do something,
which is you know, great that they're doing it. But
some of them, you know, have come out of there.
I mean, you know, Kelly clarkson Geez or even like
a Gabby Barrett who was my first season three years
ago on that show. You know, she came out and
and what I think, if I'm hopefully'm speaking right here there,

(57:29):
they can like two or three of them, they can
like take and go, hey, we'd like to sign you.
I think they only have rights to one or two
of them. Then they can offer they can offer the
eleventh place person to them, but they don't have to
take it right right, That's good and it's not as
iron clad like you have to do everything. What great
promotion too, I mean even and that's one pace, yeah,
even even get ten place. It's like, you know, wow,

(57:50):
you run National TV one of the biggest shows, American
Idol for the longest times, you know, with the v show,
and then the other shows come out and you know,
now the still the voice all these shows are um
even Massinger, which is just a platform. Yeah, you can
just be on there, you can be anywhere that a
bunch of eyeballs will see you. That's a win. It's

(58:10):
what you do with those eyeballs because now you're trying
to create your fan base, like your money is creating
a niche, super serving them and letting other people come
into your niche, and then it's not a niche anymore.
The most successful distinct artists started as a super niche
and they were different, and you're so different, but people

(58:31):
start to see what you're doing and be into it
that so many people follow it. Billie Eilish for example,
she was just making weirdo songs to you. I remember
talking about on a ratio a couple of years ago,
was like, she is going to be so big, and
now we went from like a niche, dark sounding young
girl that's what people want to sound like. And it
happens in country music to where these artists will be

(58:52):
so different that people go that will never work, But
when they blow up, they create a whole lane that
everyone then gets behind. That It's like you were talking
about when Backstreet and you Guy and all these other
pearlman was doing, and what what happened to pop music?
I mean, look, because you know when us in back
Street came out, Brittany'd come out, and Christina had come out,

(59:12):
it was almost always like they were. They were coming
out in groups, you know, like it was us in Backstreet.
It was even ninety degrees to throw them in and uh,
you know Christina and Brittany, and it was just like
this thing because then you had the the um, the
actress what's her name she's on I can't think of

(59:34):
it right now, but you've got like all these all
this pop music and all this sound and all the
all the hype behind what it's doing. I mean Orlando
Orlando was hilarious because we all came from Orlando. You know,
back Street was in Orlando, we were living in Orlando,
and um here we'd all go downtown. It was the
same time all the wake boarders started to get popular too.

(59:54):
So here we are in this little town where we'd
always gone out and done stuff like this, and now
suddenly came this little microcosm and this, oh man, where's
the next pop actor? Who are we signing here? And
like friends of ours would be like getting record deals
or this guy that we know that works that always
just as a hanger on or is like, yeah, I
just got a record deal. You know. It's it's crazy
just the way it all all came out like that,

(01:00:16):
and to be in in in that moment and to
be there and look back on it, like you imagine
where if you were in Seattle during the beginning of grunge,
right and you're going to see some of these bands
play in these little, tiny, you know, clubs or whatever,
knowing that this is gonna be huge, and then suddenly
boom it becomes this microcos everybody, what's the next band
out of Seattle? Where some band in Seattle was probably

(01:00:39):
sitting there, you know, making eight dollars and sucking and
getting a record deal because they were around at the
right time and that That's kind of what it was
like with us. I mean, we were the band that sucked.
So I was like, so what do you do? Because
I see you have a show coming up in Tulsa. Yeah,
it's funny. When you were talking about that on the
radio too, I was like, man, I only do like
one or two of those a year. I buddies of

(01:01:00):
mine I golfed with the other day and they were like, dude,
we heard you on the Bobby Bones Show. You said
you were doing nothing this week. I was like, I'm
not really doing anything this week. There's like you're golfing
with us today, and I'm like, that's that's something like
you really, you know, talk about no I've got um
Like this weekend, for instance, I go to I'm going
to Ohio, I host a uh with Arnold Schwarzenegger. I

(01:01:24):
do like the Arnold's Got Talent and then I do
this miss teen Arnold over there. I've done it for
like five years already, and it's a lot of funs,
you know. Columbus so we get to go home and
see in laws and um, I'm doing uh, I do
this show called just started, This a t c K
thing all the cool kids that um A J. From
the Battery Boys also is a part of and we

(01:01:46):
like switch Off. Um. You know, there's just a lot
of I do. It's weird because like my schedule is
like my schedule. It's not like I'm gonna post all
these appearances and what I'm doing. It's just like it's
just my schedule, like oh, I'm flying up and hosting
this thing or or doing this. I don't think about, oh, well,
maybe somebody would want to come out to that. I'm
horrible with social I'm learning and learning to be better.

(01:02:08):
Who is the most nineties celebrity that you were meeting?
The most nine meaning man, you get it, the most
nineties That would be tough because there was just so
I mean you know that man, I don't even know.
I mean I would almost say us, you know, or

(01:02:30):
like seeing each other, yeah, seeing seeing the other guys
in our hair does and outfits, or or the Backstreet
Boys or Brittany, Um man, I don't know, like, uh,
it was lou Bega, Oh yeah, Mombo number five, number
five good ones something like that there was. I mean,
you know, we were all kind of it's weird because
we were all around it, you know. Oh, No Mercy,

(01:02:50):
remember I love those guys. Those guys are amazing guys.
I love those guys. Um, they were just reproducing you
guys like crazy. But well, No Mercy was before us,
but no Mercy, but New Degrees was before us. But
to us the fan, we know as first what blows
up first? So no Mercy blew up. I mean they were.

(01:03:12):
They were kind of dancy though they were like I
think blow up is not fair because it wasn't. You
guys didn't maybe as songs, maybe as as songs go
they blew up, maybe not as the band like they weren't.
You know you I couldn't name them all because I
know him, but you probably couldn't name could you name
any of the guys the guys, no, right, I mean,

(01:03:33):
but that's my point, right, That's that's why I'm like
with the New Kids, it was always you know, Joey
Jordan's you know the other guy. I mean, I wasn't.
I wasn't a big than Actually I actually opened up
for them, which you a funny story. A funny story
in Columbus, Ohio. UM I made the all Ohio State
Fair Youth Choir, and uh our choir was sitting on

(01:03:56):
the sides of the stage during the show, and we
started out like we sang first, and then the new
kids performed and we got to sit like in our
choir sacred off area and watch the thing. And I
was like, oh my god, telling everybody like they're like, oh,
you open up for the new kids. I'm like, man,
I could dance better than new kids. And I was
like doing flips off the trees and landing on my

(01:04:17):
head and you know, break dance and doing I was like, man,
I could beat the new kids whatever. Because I was like, you,
you know, I was in high school. It's like boys,
new kids were not the thing that you go, oh
my god, new kids is that the best ever? You know,
it was tough. I appreciate them. I think they're great guys,
but when I was in high school, I couldn't. It
was just weird for me, you know, to be listening

(01:04:38):
to them all the time, which is why when people
come out to me, they're like, hey, man, you know
I didn't listen to you guys whatever. I'm like, hey,
that's totally fine. I get it. Guys do that, right,
because they'll do that to me, and I'm sure on
on a lesser level of like, hey, listen, man, I
don't even like your show, but my wife loves you.
And I'm like, you don't have to say you don't
like the show, just say hey, you mind if I
get a picture, you can eliminate all. I don't think

(01:04:58):
less of you. Actually I like you more, right right.
I think I think it's just kind of for themselves,
like or maybe it's one of their friends is looking.
They're like, dude, you were all over Bobby Bones. I
saw that. Man, you totally you totally think he's the
coolest guy in the planet, don't you. You know he
and I wish that wasn't Some of the people will
make fun of right when you tell me about it.
Try being in a boy band. How rough was that?
Because at at times it was awesome? But if you're

(01:05:20):
like around a very man because you're a sports guy,
masculine guy, and in that world at times you could be.
But you know what, though, I think I think that's
another reason we kind of change things, because first of all,
the word boy band wasn't. I don't hardly ever remember
hearing it used when we were in a band, Like

(01:05:42):
maybe it was a European thing, like because in Europe,
you know, you talk about a bunch of boy bands,
there was you know, tens and tens of boy bands
over there. But um, I think I think we changed
that a little bit, you know, Um with the dancing
that we were doing, and you know, we were doing
acrobat we were flipping, you know, we were I think

(01:06:04):
it was like a it was. It was a little
we tried to make it a little tougher, a little
bit you know, more edgy, I guess, And hence that's
why we came up with dirty pop and things like that.
It's like, you know, we made it. We made it
to where it was one of those things where well,
I mean, I don't tell my friends I listened to it,
but I listened to it, you know kind of thing.
And I mean now it's now it's changed, because it's

(01:06:27):
definitely changed for me. Like I don't mind running around
saying I loved one direction. You know, there's so many
great songs that they've had, you know, but I'm also
a dad and a husband, now, and I'm not a
teenage boy going I can't like one direction. They're like
guys and I'm not into guys. It's and it's it's
that funny going going back to what we were talking

(01:06:47):
about earlier, about like the eighties and stuff like, look
at those look at those hair bands, look at what
they look like. They looked like girls, you know, all
the hairspray, the makeup, everything like that. But every guy
was like, dude, guys the coolest. I want to be
like that when I grow up. I want to get
all the girls like he does and everything like you're
sure you're not saying she because you know you never know. Well,

(01:07:10):
I'm gonna end with this question that you get asked
all the time, but if I don't, people get hit
me up. Any talks about you guys getting back together,
even for a thing after after your show, And I said, um,
what I said, I've already gotten flak. But you know,
there was there was a lot of talks for a
lot of different things, but there's nothing in the future

(01:07:32):
as of as of right now, you know, not saying there.
There's so many fans out there that take every little
thing we say, and if we say you know, well
we're talking. Suddenly they run with it and you know
they're getting back together. They're doing something. And then if
like I say, you know, we're not doing anything, they're like, oh, Chris,
I hate Chris. He said, they're never doing anything. Whatever.

(01:07:52):
But you know it's I can guarantee you that someday,
you know, we'll do something. There's nothing as of right
now that we're all planning on, you know, doing something
together as the five of us, the four of us
or whatever. Was awesome. Cella was so much fun, and
you know, it did give me for the first time

(01:08:13):
I actually looked at it and said, you know, the
four of us really aren't that bad like that. We could,
you know, we could do it because you know, Justin's
Justin's Justin just released trolls now to Justin's busy, Justin's
got his own thing going, and it's it was never
you know, it was never just Justin. Everybody always blames
Justin or it's not true. It's it's not it's not

(01:08:33):
just him, you know, it was it was all of us.
We there was a point where a lot of us
really couldn't get along that well and really not figure out.
Now we get along greade again, you know, so are
we gonna together? Yeah, we're probably gonna get together real shortly.
You know, the five of us to hang out and
be brothers because we're best friends and we're brothers. So
getting the five us together is one thing. But it's
tough to do that because even if the five is

(01:08:54):
get together, somebody sees the five of us or somebody
says something like, oh, I think they're doing something and
if they're not, they're is teasing us or whatever. It's like,
they're my brothers. When you go to Collective Soul later,
is that who I'm going to see? It is right mine? Well,
you know most of the songs, and I'm sure I will.
I'm sure I will. I have. My buddy asked me
to go and I was like I thought we were

(01:09:16):
doing this tomorrow and I was like, yeah, I can go,
and he said this and I'm like, oh, I can't go.
And I was like, you know what, I want to
go see Collective Soul. It's not gonna be till later
and go. That's Shine too, and yeah, I think that

(01:09:37):
the Red album. This is back when I used to
do BMG or Columbia house and help me for it. Yeah,
you get like eight c ds. We signed our first label,
We signed to his BMG, and the first thing I
said was, Hey, do I still owe you guys that
six dollars for all those CDs? They would come in too,
They would just I just get a stack of them,
and my life was mad. The cheap ones were great,

(01:10:00):
but it's when they started you forgot to say no,
I don't want the monthly selection for thirty eight dollars
or whatever. Yeah, what are they gonna do? I didn't
know this at the top. I was going to jump
in your house. I thought I was going some time.
People would knock and I'll be like, oh my god,
it's cops. And then after a while I was like,
I guess I'm not going to jail. But then I
where my credit was ruined. When I was like fourteen,

(01:10:21):
I started worrying about that early. And then I remember
someone saying, well, it takes seven years. And when I
turned twenty one, I remember going, I'm clear of Colombia.
Finally I can I can really let go and then
live my life now. Well, listen, man, I appreciate I
appreciate coming by. Yeah, thanks, I appreciate. Uh, you're cool, dude.
You know you've lived around here for a while. They
learning for a while. We never get really gonna know

(01:10:41):
each other. But I might any question for Chris before
he leaves. I have fun at the show tonight. Not
a question, not a question, any any question again. I
think I'm good, Okay, good to see episode two thirty.
Follow Chris. I am see Kirkpatrick on Instagram. That's get
him so many followers. He gets sponsors and all of
a sudden he's got a new way to make revenue.

(01:11:04):
That's the goal. Helps in the kids to school, private school. No, No,
Paul McCartney put his kids in public school. Speaking of
Paul McCartney, he was like, I think that was tough decision.
But I'm like, no, he's got to go to public school.
We were I was leaving at Juice Place today and
there was his kids. Weren't a private school kids. You
can tell by their uniforms, and they were like, hey, Bobby.

(01:11:25):
It is like, hey, what's up to go? Do you know?
Blah blah blah. Take a picture and then they get
in like a BMW SUV. She was like sixteen years
old and gets into BMD and I was like a heartbreaking.
Yeah yeah, so heartbreak right there we go. I am
Chris kark Patt. I am C Kirkpatrick on Instagram. We'll
see guys next time.