Before becoming the third head of a slightly uncomfortable blended family, Ashton Kutcher was in the haunting movie – The Butterfly Effect. The basic premise of the movie centers on the ripple effect of a single action. In the not so distant past, Led Zeppelin had a reunion concert and began taunting the media, and many Dungeons and Dragons tables, with rumors of a reunion. Today we are being handed the news that the New Kids on the Block are attempting their own reunion. The Butterfly Effect or bad decision making? You be the judge.
As an awkward and bookish child I made quick friends by professing my undying love for Jordan Knight and the other kids from his block via assorted backpack pins, t-shirts, bedroom curtains, bedspreads, Barbie dolls (they were called action figures - but let’s be honest with ourselves), posters – you name it and I was a participant in that cog of this boy band’s marketing machine. I earned straight A’s at school for an entire year and was rewarded with tickets to my first concert – New Kids on the Block at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. I believe the faded ticket is still pressed in my scrapbook next to an “Official Band Photo” I was lucky enough to by outside the concert just moments before police chased the vendor off the grounds. I am not kidding when I say that my bedroom curtains were bedecked with images of the boys.
I am seeing the same marketing, consumerism and plain craziness in the current Hannah Montana craze. People have lied, cheated, and stole their ways into her concerts and parents have waited in lines for her merchandise. It is a genius plan though – marketers are sitting there every day developing new official merchandise to add another money draining arm to the Hannah Empire guaranteed to send kids whining and wanting for days. In order for your kids to keep up you have to buy them something with her face on it that no one else has on top of getting all of the things that everyone else has. There will come a point – just as NKOTB came to theirs – where it will be an embarrassment to have her face on a tee and all the paraphernalia will be promptly pitched/recycled/given to the dog for a chew toy.
Needless to say, I will not be waiting in line to see Jordan Knight this time – and they had better not stick around long enough to prompt my spawn to buy their stuff if they know what is good for them. Can I just pray now that any future spawn will be born with an innate sense for when they are being sold on something?
1:33 pm on January 28th, 2008 1
I TOTALLY had a NKOTB pin with all their faces on it. I am so wearing it to your wedding.
That being said, we’re raising our kids to be superfluously pretentious hipsters. They like Daft Punk and Sigue Sigue Sputnik and will one day revolt and buy Good Charlotte’s greatest hits or something.
1:47 pm on January 28th, 2008 2
I was a little old for New Kids during their heyday. My cousin (about the right age, but way too “cool” for boy bands) and I compromised by electing Donnie, aka the bad boy, the only acceptable member.
1:49 pm on January 28th, 2008 3
I just saw a few minutes ago that it WON’T be happening, according to one of those dudes on their MySpace bulletin. Danny? Donny? Something like that. I’m so detail-oriented.
2:02 pm on January 28th, 2008 4
And the twist – there is a Donny and a Danny.
2:15 pm on January 28th, 2008 5
I wasn’t a big enough NKOTB fan to actually BUT the records, but I did love JOrdan Knight myself, enough that I bought his solo single ‘Give it to you’ when it came out.
Its still oneof my favorite you never heard of it songs. Along with Nia Peoples, and that chick Martika – track was Martikas kitchen, along with The Party from the Disney channel. As you can tell I didn’t really have room in my teen band arsenal for NKOTB or the backstreet boys. And I bet you can find them all on youtube if you wanted to.
3:48 pm on January 28th, 2008 6
When my mom had my sister when I was 6, I was wearing a black NKOTB sweater with neon pink and green musical notes.
Hate to be the one to break the news, but there won’t be a reunion any time soon.
Danny Wood sent out the following bulletin on Myspace:
“Hello to everyone. Hope all is well and everyone is enjoying the New Year. I wanted to address the rumors of the NKOTB Reunion Tour. There has been no talk of this and you are getting it from source directly. Never say never, and you can’t believe everything you read.
On another note my solo record will be released in Australia in March. There are a few new songs on it and I hope you guys will check it out. Thank you so much for your continued support.
Dwood”
6:02 am on January 29th, 2008 7
Ahh no tour, my dear sweet brother numpsy, but the album is coming… its all in the specifics – Danny said no tour – he didn’t say no album…
9:08 am on January 29th, 2008 8
I can almost envision little Melody, NKotB button pinned to the strap of her bookbag.
I bet you were an adorable fangurl.
12:32 pm on January 29th, 2008 9
Oh. My. Goodness! I had the NKOTB STAGE SET, with all the Barbie dolls. I was in lourrrve with Jon.
Now: I feel like a huge dorkess. Thanks Melody!
“Step by step, Oooh baby. I’m gonna get to you girl”
7:36 pm on January 29th, 2008 10
My favorite lyric EVER, from their “Tonight” song: “Remember when we traveled round the world,
There were a lot of people and girls …”
People AND girls! They are MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.
9:29 am on January 30th, 2008 11
Am I the only child of the 80s who did not know about NKOTB until they were considered nothing but a joke? Seriously, I had no clue who they were. If you brought up Jordan Knight in conversation, I wouldn’t know who you were talking about. I thank my parents for that!