Taken from BIG! Magazine (UK)

We asked you what you wanted to know. And then we asked them! Congratulations - you're about to interview the Backstreet Boys!

Date: Backstreet Boys US TOUR, 1998

Location: Merriweather Pavilion, Columbia, USA

"Nope. But I can cook. My mum taught me how to when we were growing up. I can cook chicken stir fry with vegetables, my mum's home chilli and several casseroles. I can cook a mean breakfast- omelet and the works."

"Wow! Uhmmmm [thinks for v. long time] My stomach's kinda sensitive."

"I never turned down a 100,000 pound contract with Versace - that's a rumor. I have a good relationship with Donatella (Versace) - she's done a lot of things for us. We saw a show and she asked me if I would like to model the following day. I said, Sure I'd love to!- I was flattered. I'm looking forward to doing more with her, maybe exclusively for Versace. But I wouldn't do it for anybody else. Modelling isn't something that I wanna do for a career, but I would like to dabble.

"Wow! I guess I could insure my voice, but that's not really a part of my body. Probably my hands because of the production work I wanna do later on."

"In the loo, under the shower, driving down the road! A lot of the time it's when I'm driving. Sometimes I sit down in front of the piano and just play. I've just written a song with an award-winning writer called Gary Baker. I got on the piano and played him something that I've had for a long time - it just flowed. It's called 'Back To Your Heart' and it's going to be on the next album."

"I'm so tired of being on the road that I can't wait to get back to the studio. Our success happened here in Europe first, so we're still playing the same music now we're in the US. It's nice because we're in the US and we're happy to be recognized, but at the same time we're tired of playing the same music."

"I'd like to come back as a bird. Something that flies - an eagle. I love flying. I've had flying lessons, as you know and I'm hoping that someday I'll be able to buy my own plane."

"Ha ha ha! Oh yeah. We can all be pretty rotten! That was an interesting question. The girl was called Shai? She wasn't very shy, was she?

"I would definitely stick up for her. I wouldn't let her be verbally abused. Then I would tell her, 'Hey, ya know what? Let's just walk!' And we'd just try to walk away. Hopefully he would let her go without starting anything else."

"There are three interpretations. One is the rude one, one is the way that I look (being so skinny), and one is the way that I got it - which was from one of our old security guards. I brought a bunch of beads when we first went to London - they looked like bones and the name stuck. Sometimes I won't even answer to A.J, I'll answer to Bone."

"A dragon. Some people think that it's a snake, but it's not. It represents the Year of the Dragon, when I was born. But if I'd been born in the Year of the Chicken I wouldn't have got a chicken on my shoulder!"

"I would say Howie, so I could have long hair - natural long hair and not braids. Howie has really stuck with his hair- through the bad stage and everything - and now it looks cool."

"I do want to go home when I'm out here for two or three weeks, but when I'm home for a week I'm bored and want to get back on the road. I mean, what do you do? You go to a club, go shopping. Being on tour is just so exciting. I wanna be on the road as much as I can."

"A double quarter pounder with cheese value meal, super size coke, no ice. Every time."

"As a big shark - one that eats people. Ha ha! Does that sound nasty? I'm in one of those moods. You have to be before you go on stage. I'm all fired up. And also, it might be because of all the crabs around here. The crew have been smashing crab shells and eating the meat for dinner! It kinda looks like a shark has been in here!"

"It hurt me at first and it was very difficult meeting anyone new for a while. I used to get very nervous about that. But I started fighting back and became more confident in myself. I'd say to anyone who is currently being bullied that if I got over it, then everybody can. It's hard, but try and be brave."

"Aha! Speaking of Beanie Babies, I'm looking for Bronty or the Royal Blue Peanut. So I'd guess I'd be one of those guys because they're rare and precious - like me! Ha ha!"

"Yes! Well, you know I am officially an adult now! So if I didn't have hairy underarms by now I might be getting a little bit worried about my development! I draw the line at showing anybody though!

"It's still up in the air. I'd really like to, so maybe. Nothing official has happened yet because we've just been so crazy with the tour. We've been doing this for months now, and it's done so well that we've extended it. After this we're gonna have a little rest, do the new album, and hopefully start on our huge world tour! So maybe somewhere in that time I'll be able to find a minute to think about the comic book."

"See, I didn't know that I had that reputation! I'm sure the rest of the guys and my mom wouldn't call me Nice Nick! I can be pretty mean and moody when I wake up!"

"No, I did not say that. That was a set-up by someone. I'm not happy about that at all. I was framed and I'm very, very angry about it. I'd never say something like that because our Malaysian fans are cool and loyal. I'd like to thank them for their support over the years, they've been the best."

"Ahem, no comment to that one, I'm afraid. I like to keep something for myself!"

"We have too much to do for any of us to even consider going solo. Our schedules are booked up, like years in advance. I haven't got any plans to go solo next year, we're having too much fun as a band and we've still got loads more to achieve.

"NOTHING! Zilch! We had our after-party at a club, so all the guys were with me to celebrate, but the little runts didn't give me nothing. But it's hard for us to get gifts for each other cuz we're always on the road."

"If I really cared about this person I don't think looks - weight-wise or whatever - would matter. Beauty is within a person.

"A.J cuz he stutters. He goes, "Dada-da-da-da-don't say that!" and he just cracks up. You can always tell when he's saying something that isn't true cuz he'll stutter."

"That song is a love ballad which is trying to gain a person's love. We do try to gain the love of our fans. Every place I go, at the end of every show, I always say 'Hey, the Backstreet Boys will never break your heart.' We want them to know that we're not planning to just come and go like some other boyfriend may do - or some other group. We care about our fans."

"No, absolutely not! I feel great now!"

"The main thing is just for us to enjoy what we're doing and to make better music. I've just completed a couple of new songs which, hopefully, will wind up on the next record. I'd love for us all to be able to take a long break sometime soon, but on the other hand we're looking forward to touring sand seeing our friends in the UK.

"That's like a different life time, so I haven't thought about that. My dad's name is Harold, so I kind of like Harry for a boy, but I'm not certain."

"The US tour is the show we had in the UK and we've done it so many times that we don't usually mess up. But I used to get my shirt caught on the equipment, or slip over a wire or stand too close to a pyrotechnic effect!"

"That was sooo funny - I fell over! I just totally slipped and sat there on my butt looking stunned! And the director left it in the vid! I just laugh my head off every time I see it!"

"It's really Kevin's song so you should ask him. For me, I don't tend to break promises. Except when I was a kid and I broke some little ones, you know, like everyone does. I was always, like, 'Yeah, mom, I promise I did my homework and I promise I'll tidy up my room.' Yeah, right!"

"I can't really explain this one because often we don't get involved in the casting of the videos. With the 'Everybody' vid it was important to get people who could do the dance routine over and over again and to do that I guess you need to be pretty fit."