Howie Interview on WXXL 106.7 FM
Date: December 21, 2001
Source: WXXL 106.7 / backstreet.net
(12-6-01)
DJ: Hey I’m Chad Pitt and on the phone one of my favorite Backstreet Boys, running the torch tomorrow for the 2002 Olympics please welcome Howie D.
Howie: Hey, hey how’s it goin’?
DJ: How are ya?
H: I’m doing great man, how’s it goin’?
DJ: So tell me, tell me about the torch, how did you get the gig to run the torch?
H: (laughs) Well it’s kinda crazy, um my family we do a lot of work for the Dorough Lupus Foundation and I guess some time in the earlier part of this year Coke-a-cola had a big sweepstakes where there were asking people to call in and vote in who they thought would be a good nominee to be a torchbearer. And I think, supposedly, the foundation and my family got a call from Coke-a-cola saying there was 10,000 votes in for me across the United States and they picked this one girl out of Pennsylvania. Her letter was the most inspirational one about how much I do with the Lupus Foundation, and they just wanted to give me a call saying they would be honored to have me as a torchbearer. I was very excited myself, I didn’t know what I was entitled to do, I thought (laughs) I thought I, when I first got the call, I was actually going to Salt Lake City and I am running the torch for the whole Olympics.
DJ: Right.
H: (laughs) It was a little bit less than that. I found out later on that I was representing Florida and they’re actually putting on a little vignette which will be on after, on national television sometime between 9 and 11 with a little with a 20 second vignette with all the stuff that I do with Lupus and the Dorough Lupus Foundation and edit it together.
DJ: Are you nervous about maybe dropping it or just tripping or anything like that?
H: Well you know what it’s definitely, I’m not in my type of environment, so..
DJ: That’s right!
H: Yeah running around Lake Eola is something I haven’t done in a long time and I haven’t actually seen the torch yet. I’m trying to keep it as far away from my hair as possible, so I don’t catch my hair on fire.
DJ: I was about to say coz we might have a Michael Jackson thing goin’ on.
H: We can’t be doing that I’m not going to be wearing any gel in my hair tomorrow night or any hairspray. I just hope and pray to God that I don’t trip or anything. And I think I’m only doing two-tenths of a mile, they said. And there will be a couple of others to help me out there, so after 9 o’clock there are going to edit some of the run in with the Lupus stuff that I have done this year. Like a 20 second vignette they are going to put together for NBC and that is gonna be on during on of the commercial breaks between the shows that are on that time.
DJ: Lemme just tell you, being a Backstreet Boy you’ve made it when they want you to run with the torch. You’ve gone all over the place, all over the world and you’ve done so many things, but when they ask you to carry the torch in the freakin’ Olympics.
H: I know!
DJ: I mean come on what else is there to do?
H: It is definitely an honor, definitely! Like I said I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. They sent me the whole suit in the mail, I got it right here the Olympic suit and everything they actually even sent like gloves and a hat and everything. I think they forgot that I was living in Florida.
DJ: Yeah, we’re Florida, it’s hot we don’t need that.
H: (laughs) But it’s gonna be very cool, I’m looking forward to it, I’m very excited about it.
DJ: That’s cool, and congratulations on that and what else is happening with the Backstreet Boys?
H: Well we’re doing a little break right now. We just got done with finishing up our tour in Japan and we retired the Black and Blue Tour now. And we’re having a little time off for the holidays, each of us is doing our own different thing. I’m getting ready to do a Lupus Cruise coming next week, we partnered up with Carnival Cruise. And I am takin’ off out of Ft. Lauderdale to Cosmo, to Jamaica and Grand Camion Islands.
DJ: Cool
H: A 7-day cruise, and then I’m gonna stay in town with my family to celebrate the holidays, and we’re all gonna get back together around earlier February, and start recording for about 5 months for the next album.
DJ: So lemme ask you this question, you don’t have to answer this question if you don’t want to but it was brought to my attention two days ago, I didn’t know anything about it, but do you know anything about this whole AJ being in the Hustler magazine?
H: AJ in the Hustler magazine?
DJ: Yeah.
H: (laughs) No!!!
DJ: Apparently …
H: (laughs) Maybe you can tell me.
DJ: Apparently there are some pictures of AJ and his ex-girlfriend in this month’s issue of Hustler. I haven’t seen it.
H: NO WAY!!
DJ: AJ and his ex-girlfriend were in Hustler, and apparently she’s not wearing too much.
H: Oh my goodness! You know what I’ve been away from the guys for about a week…
DJ: See what happens when your away from the guys, they’re out of control!
H: I have to come back home, and hear from my local radio station stuff about the guys. That is too funny. Honestly, I don’t know, I swear to God that’s the first time I heard about that, and I think I’ll have to give AJ a call, to see first of all which girlfriend it was (laughs) and second of all why would he dumb-butt to let a picture get out there.
DJ: Sorry I didn’t mean to break the news to you…
H: That’s ok, that’s ok. I honestly thank God that AJ got help and everything.
DJ: I heard he’s doing a lot better.
H: He’s doing awesome, we’re very proud of him. He made us all very proud, he’s just done well. The tour went off amazing he’s so healthy spiritually, mentally, everything. He’s really getting into writing new music for the next album and everything, he’s just a great person. I’m glad to see him being healthy.
DJ: That’s cool. Well I don’t know what you are doing Saturday but I’m inviting you to our Jingle Ball 2001 that’s gonna be Saturday night at downtown Disney’s Pleasure Island.
H: Oh, awesome!
DJ: We got Michelle Branch, Jessica Simpson, we got Willa Ford and Natural, they are gonna be there and it’s gonna be an amazing show.
H: Good, congratulations, I’ll try and see. I’m here in town with my family and they got me wondering all over the place with Lupus and everything else going on, but if I can try and swing by, I’ll do that!
DJ: Absolutely, and you know what if you wanna mention something to Nick I know Willa’s gonna be there and I’ll keep the two away.
H: Oh, I’ll definitely mention something …
DJ: Keep ‘em far, far away from each other.
H: (laughs) No they’re cool with each other.
DJ: Well thanks for calling and good luck tomorrow night with the torch thing.
H: Anytime, anytime!
DJ: It’s an honor.
H: Well thank you, thank you very much. And hi to the family, especially Pollyanna.
DJ: Take care, take care.
H: Take care bud, bye bye!