It’s quite funny to think back on the differences between being a NKOTB fan the first time around and now. For instance, we used to have to actually sleep outside to get tickets for things. Word of mouth was usually how you found things out, not twitter or the internet. And the media had a strong disdain for our five bad brothers from the Beantown land. They had been compared to Milli Vanelli and were routinely thought of as puppets. However, one individual in the media always gave the guys a forum and supported them as artists – Arsenio Hall.
Arsenio was the “cool” late night guy, way before late night guys were hip and current. He catered to a different demographic, one very similar to NKOTB. So it made sense that the guys would appear on his show multiple times. One appearance in particular was more significant than the others. On February 5, 1992, the New Kids on the Block took time out of their World Tour to fly from Australia to LA to defend themselves against lip synching allegations. Now it had been a year since we had seen them, so when sources in LA leaked that they would not only appear on Arsenio but that he would devote the entire show to them, we knew we had to go to support them.
We drove from San Francisco to Hollywood three days prior to the show because we knew the line for tickets would be long. We arrived at the studio to find only a handful of other fans ahead of us. We were in a good position, now we just had to live on the streets for three days! On the second day, representatives from the show came outside and asked us to go home and come back on the day of the show. They offered us a deal. If we went to a taping of another show on their lot, they would let us have early and guaranteed access to Arsenio. We jumped at the chance.
On the day of the appearance, we were led to a separate line and got seated first inside the studio. We ended up in the second row, right on the aisle – perfect seats. During his monologue, Arsenio took note of our shirts. We had given Donnie (and Danny) shirts the previous year that said “NKOTB Still Kickin Ass”. The shirts were inspired by the guy’s performance on the American Music Awards in 1991 where they debuted the remixed rap for Games. Danny had even worn the shirt on their previous Arsenio appearance in 1991. Needless to say, they became our standard uniform at NKOTB-related events. So when Arsenio saw them, he came right into the crowd to talk to us. Our friend Linda is the one he spoke to and she represented all the “older” fans quite well. And by older, I mean fans who were actually the same age as the guys!
She spoke eloquently and defended the guys citing examples and reasoning refuting the accusations, something I’m sure the mainstream media never anticipated. Arsenio was literally right next to us. It was definitely a surreal moment. He moved on throughout the crowd and even spoke to Maurice Starr (their former manager). They went to the commercial break and we all started to get antsy. We KNEW the guys were up next.
They performed Whatcha Gonna Do About It and Danny managed to send a not-so-subtle message to the naysayers by grabbing his crotch. It was clear from the start of the song that the guys were amped up. They were there to prove themselves even though they already had more commercial success than practically any other band at the time. It was obvious they were “really” singing throughout the performance. Donnie even injected a new rap, written on the plane, to specifically answer the allegations. That addition elevated their energy and ours. They segued into The Right Stuff which brought the audience to another level of hysteria.
The studio was buzzing but we all had to calm ourselves because the guys were there to speak, defend themselves, “justify their careers, and save their dignity”. We needed to let them have that forum while trying to contain our enthusiasm.
Arsenio had a good time teasing the guys with past performance clips but he also gave them the platform and latitude to tell their side of the controversy. We could tell there was a certain level of frustration for the fact that they even had to answer the claims, but at the same time these were guys who grew up having to fight for everything they had. There was no way they were going to take this lying down. So they told the real story of who made the allegations and explained it was all about money. When you’re at the top, people want a piece of the pie. As anyone who had seen their show then (or now), you know they’re singing live; bad notes are hit, they forget lines, new ones are ad-libbed and it’s a spontaneous production. They are there to entertain and they’ve had to use backing tracks for certain things but they are always singing live.
They ended the show by performing If You Go Away, the first time a U.S. audience had heard it live as ironic as that sounds. As further proof of their side of the argument, some of the vocals were a bit pitchy. Completely understandable as they had just flown half way around the world.
The fans left the taping with a deep and profound sense of pride for all of the guys. And there was no doubt that the allegations were warped and unfounded. It was unfortunate that they had to go to the lengths they did to defend themselves, but at least they had an ally in Arsenio who provided the avenue for them to set the record straight.
Here is a video of the opening of the show! He starts to talk to our friend at 3:10. You can see both Krystal and I during his interview with her! Krystal is right next to her! Yikes we were young!!
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