Author’s Note: I have warm, fuzzy feelings when I think about each Backstreet Boy. This will be part of an ongoing series which covers first impressions of the boys.
To some people, he’s quiet and shy; and to some, he’s the life of the party. Unfortunately, my initial impression was that Howie blended in. He just existed to complete the band.
I hate starting off like this, so before people come after me; let’s revisit 1996.
It was a gloomy, autumn day and my friend’s mom was driving us to dance class. This was the moment that we first heard “We’ve Got It Goin’ On’. So like every responsible adult that has a car full of love-struck girls, my friend’s mom turned the car around and we drove to our local HMV to pick up a copy of the album. I remember staring super hard at the cassette box when we got back in the car.
I noticed that they were all super handsome. Kevin did me in right then and there- le sigh! The second boy to catch my eye was actually Howie. He somehow felt sweeter than the rest and yet I passed right over him without giving him much of a second thought. Once again, I choose to blame Richardson.
As I began to follow the boys, I realized that they all had different personalities. Howie was kind but quiet. Based on the information found in magazines, I could see why he might be forgotten and why he might be a least favorite. He seemed kinda dull? Truth be told, I don’t recall ever having a Howie girl in my circle of friends. Since Kevin was my fave, I always had to be Howie too. Didn’t everyone play a game where they acted like the boys? No? Ok, I must have been a really fucked up child then…
Anyway, that impression of Howie stayed with me until May 2014.
That was the year that I first saw a BSB show. I personally think that “In A World Like This” was a great show to start things off. As mentioned in another post, we actually ended up being a lot closer to the boys than we originally had thought.
Howie was the first boy I had an interaction with. First of all, for those who have never seen them, let me tell you; this man does not age. He gave me and my friend a signature Howie wink, and we were smitten. He later came back around and shook our hands. Wow. Howie genuinely seemed like he was happy to be there and was having a really good time. It definitely left me with a good impression.
My next Howie moment came on the 2014 cruise. I won’t count the meet and greet because that part really didn’t stick with me. However, that night I ran into him again by the casino. I was kinda shocked that I had run into him and all I really said was, “Hi”. Since I probably looked like a deer in headlights, he offered to take a pic with me, even though he mentioned that he was running late for the other group’s event.
I know it’s their job to make the crowd happy, but I believe that he could have just walked off and/or never even offered. Instead we took a couple atrocious selfies and he went on his merry way. He did leave me with a signature wink for good measure.
Me looking positively shook at the fact that Howie is taking a selfie with me.
Howie is now my mom’s 2nd favorite BSB.
Since that first cruise, I’ve gone to quite a few events. I’ll never forget the year I took my mom to Vegas and we went to Howie’s Valentine’s Day event. My mom also thought that Howie was a bit of a bore but was willing to accompany me anyhow.
During his event, I had yet to see Howie be so loving and kind. He took to my mom like glue and he practiced his best French. We talked about his time in Montreal and various restaurants in the city.
He made us feel welcome. We were also pleased to meet liquored up Howie that night. Liquored up Howie is a trip and I could see that we had been completely wrong about him. He was wildly fun and entertaining. He spent his night clinking his glass with my mom’s and by the end of the evening, he was insisting that we do some shots. That’s when I knew that Howie was my kind of people. Drunk, loud and fun.