Since I was a little girl, I have been a fan of Elvis Presley. Why? I don’t know. He died just under three years before I was born. But there was something about the way he moved, the way he performed, the way he sang, acted, his mannerisms. I don’t know what it is about Elvis Presley that has always made me love him.
Years ago when Nick Carter was named Sexiest Pop Star or something for I think Teen Cosmo or something like that, there was a black and white photo that he took that always reminded me of Elvis. For those that didn’t know, Elvis was naturally blonde, dirty blonde, kind of like Nick’s color. He began dying his hair black because it looked better in black and white photos and films which back when he first started, was the standard.
Look at his eyes compared to Elvis’s eyes. The lips. The bone structure. Everything about the photo screams Elvis.
It wasn’t until I went to Graceland almost two years ago that I noticed that things Elvis did remind me of Nick Carter.
Yes, I know, that seems like a stretch. He died two and a half years before Nick was born also.
Sometimes Nick will make this little weird face whenever he is being silly or trying to be cute and as my friend Lacy and I sat in the garage at Graceland, watching a film before our VIP tour of Elvis’ home, we both said that it reminded us of Nick – Elvis did that same kind of things.
Of course, they are both January babies (Elvis the 8th and Nick the 28th) from humble beginnings, but it goes deeper than that.
Music
Like Elvis, Nick became famous for singing a type of music that wasn’t necessarily his favorite. Elvis was a huge fan of gospel music and not just any gospel music, but southern black gospel music. Nick became famous for singing boy band pop music, while deep down loving rock music.
Childhood
Like Elvis, Nick had a pretty rough childhood. While Elvis, as far as we know, did not come from an abusive home life, both of their families struggled with money. They also had a rough time in school because they were different than other kids. Both grew up loving music from a young age and knew what they wanted to do – be a singer. They were picked on and bullied because of this.
Movies
Like Elvis, Nick has always been fascinated with being in movies. Elvis’ first movie was “Love Me Tender,” where he played the brother of a confederate soldier who thought his brother was dead so he fell in love with his brother’s girlfriend and married her. Then the brother came back. Was it fantastic acting? Absolutely not and Elvis knew it. Nick’s first starring movie role wasn’t much different. He played an athletic football asshole in “The Hollow” and much like “Love Me Tender,” the material wasn’t great.
Drugs
It’s no secret that Nick Carter has had a history of drug abuse. He has talked about it significantly, even in his autobiography and self-help book, “Facing the Music and Living To Talk About It.” Elvis, it has been reported even by his Memphis Mafia (his group of best friends), was against all illegal drugs. He was so against illegal drugs that during the Richard Nixon presidency in 1970, he drove up to the White House, requesting a meeting with Nixon and suggested to him that he be made a “Federal Agent-At-Large” in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.
However, even though Elvis was against illegal drugs, he was very much a habitual user of prescription drugs. He took diet pills illegally when he began taking drugs, was hooked on uppers and downers because he would stay up all night and then slept all day long. When the toxicology report came back after his death in 1977, they found high levels of Dilaudid (opiates), Percodan, Demerol, and Codeine, as well as Quaaludes.
Early Beginnings
Both Nick Carter and the Backstreet Boys, along with Elvis, had a big jolly man behind them who lied about their past.
Everybody knows what Lou Pearlman did now stealing money from the Backstreet Boys, making himself the sixth member of the group, while telling people he has this huge airline, Transcontinental Airlines, and having older people invest in his businesses. He ended up creating one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in American history.
Elvis Presley had Col. Tom Parker, a man who came from a sketchy Circus background, but in reality came to America from Holland, creating a whole new identity before settling in Tampa, Florida. After somehow becoming a manager for a few country artists, he met Elvis and after a short amount of time, lured Elvis from his previous management. He sometimes received up to half of what Elvis made from various concerts, tours, album deals, films, etc.
Many have asked why Elvis Presley never toured outside of the U.S.? It’s because Col. Tom Parker could not travel with him since he was legally not a real U.S. resident. He never visited Elvis when he was stationed in the U.S. Army in Germany.
Two pop stars … the King of Rock ‘N’ Roll and a member of the biggest-selling boy band of all time. They come from different generations, but Nick and Elvis are a lot of like. Maybe it was the little things about Nick that reminded me of Elvis that drew me to him without even realizing it.
Regardless, I apparently have a thing for singers born in January.
