Part 1 of Lou Pearlman: From Blimps to Boy Bands – The Controversial Legacy Behind NSYNC and Backstreet Boys

What happens when a blimp enthusiast from Queens becomes the mastermind behind the world's biggest boy bands? This week on the Ol' Dirty Basement, we uncover the stunning story of Lou Pearlman, whose improbable journey from dirigibles to pop superstardom is as fascinating as it is controversial. We start by tracing his early years, fueled by a chance friendship with Alan Gross and a family connection to Art Garfunkel. Tune in to hear how Pearlman's passion for aviation led him to West Germany, where he studied dirigibles, and even launched a helicopter taxi service.

In our deep dive on blimp advertising, we break down Pearlman's ventures and the financial gymnastics behind them. Discover the mechanics of blimp operations, the alleged manipulation of insurance claims, and the notorious Jordache blimp. As Pearlman pivoted from blimps to the music industry, inspired by the massive success of New Kids on the Block, you'll learn how he combined unconventional advertising with opportunistic tactics to build his empire. We also delve into Pearlman's strategy of leveraging public stocks and attracting investors, despite the murky ethics surrounding some of his financial moves.

Finally, we explore the meteoric rise of boy bands like NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys, unraveling the behind-the-scenes decisions that led to their formation. With the help of producers like Max Martin, Pearlman managed to create a pop culture phenomenon, albeit shadowed by exploitative practices. From humorous anecdotes about Chippendales to serious discussions about fraudulent investment schemes, this episode offers a captivating look at the highs and lows of Pearlman's career. Join us for an episode filled with surprises, laughter, and thought-provoking insights into the world of blimps, boy bands, and beyond.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 1:08

Thanks for tuning in to the Old Dirty Basement On this week's episode. We're covering part one of Lou Pearlman.

Speaker 2: 1:14

This week we will cover all there is to know about the blimpin' business, taking a blimpin' business, public and boy bands.

Speaker 3: 1:22

Boy bands and Max Martin Genius. Yeah, max Martin, you gotta look that guy up Name we'll find out about.

Speaker 1: 1:28

We hope you're enjoying the podcast. If you are, leave that five-star rating on Spotify.

Speaker 4: 1:32

on Apple a written review and sit back, relax and enjoy part one of Lou Pearlman. This is the old, dirty basement Home to debauchery, madness, murder and mayhem. A terror-filled train ride deep into the depths of the devil's den.

Speaker 1: 1:58

With a little bit of humor, history and copious consciousness.

Speaker 2: 2:03

I'm your announcer, shallow.

Speaker 4: 2:05

Throat. Your hosts are Dave, matt and Zap. I love you, matthew McConaughey. All right, all right, all right.

Speaker 3: 2:18

Hey, this is Dave, Matt and Zap, and welcome to the old, dirty basement.

Speaker 1: 2:23

Where every week we cover a true crime, murder or compelling story.

Speaker 3: 2:28

So sit back, relax and comprehend. So sit back, relax and comprehend. Hello, hello, hello everyone, and welcome back to the old dirty basement. I am Matt, with me always is Dave and Zap. How are you guys doing today?

Speaker 2: 2:43

Good morning, oh, good afternoon, good evening and good night. I guess it depends on where you are. Where you are, this is the only podcast to be found guilty on 34 counts of awesome. Yeah, that's right with grill marks.

Speaker 1: 2:55

Yes, 25 years of life, but uh, that's not the only one we're gonna find guilty today possibly, possibly, allegedly, allegedly yeah, that's a good word, there it is there it is so zap, but this is one you picked out and, uh, would you call this a white collar crime?

Speaker 3: 3:10

oh for sure, this is what you're gonna say a white collar crime.

Speaker 1: 3:13

Oh, for sure, this is his white.

Speaker 3: 3:14

I thought you were going to say a white guy crime.

Speaker 2: 3:15

Well, it's that too, as chance would have it, lou Pearlman. Yeah, lou Pearlman, as white man as it gets, as white collar as it gets, I love doing the financial ones and this guy was. I mean, when I first saw the name and the story, I thought, oh, okay, seems interesting. There's a couple of things that people could you know, to which people could relate. But as you start digging into everything that this guy did, mind blowing like mind blowing.

Speaker 1: 3:40

Yeah, I only knew the name. When you brought it up, I did equate it to the boy bands Cause I do remember that part of it. But there's a lot more to yeah.

Speaker 2: 3:48

I was talking to my wife about this before you know, obviously before coming over, and she had mentioned, you know she'd known the name from way back when as well, like he was always with the boy bands and just a presence, a constant presence. But I had no idea, not my style, as it were.

Speaker 1: 4:05

No, for sure.

Speaker 3: 4:06

Yeah, there's many episodes, stuff on YouTube, things to look in, like this guy has stuff out there. If you're just, you know, interested in and delve in and look oh yeah, there was a.

Speaker 1: 4:17

There's a documentary on youtube, that I think a kid from instant when I say kid yeah, nick carter.

Speaker 3: 4:23

Yeah, is it a grown-ass man from?

Speaker 1: 4:26

or was that? I'm sorry, it was one, I think, maybe the kid one direction in sync and saying lance bass maybe oh, you know what?

Speaker 2: 4:32

you're're right, it's not Nick Carter, and we'll get to him at some point the topic of Nick Carter. But yeah, it was in fact Lance Bass.

Speaker 1: 4:38

Yeah, I think he produced it or had something to do with it. When it was on YouTube that I saw, I got to see a little bit of it.

Speaker 2: 4:46

But yeah, I'm ready to get into it. Let's jump into Lou Pearlman, who I wonder if we would be the first.

Speaker 3: 4:52

He just sounds like a jeweler, though Sure.

Speaker 1: 4:55

Lou.

Speaker 3: 4:55

Pearlman's jewels come today.

Speaker 1: 4:57

Yeah, Pearlman.

Speaker 2: 4:58

Yeah for sure. Well, this guy was born on June 19th 1954, in Queens, new York. There's nothing of real note relative to his childhood. He was just a normal, average kid. But he did grow up having a relatively famous first cousin, art Garfunkel, who was actually 13 years older than him. Inspired by his cousin's success in the music biz, lou attempted to get into the business as a manager while still in his teens but, of course, found little to no success. All of that aside, lou had grown up in an apartment building located across the street from an airport. There he'd befriended the only other kid in the apartment building, alan Gross, whose bedroom window faced the airport. At 10 years old he became fascinated with blimps, which were regularly in service at the airport. He went on to attend Queens College, where he majored in business. After college he went on to start a helicopter taxi service in New York City. Alan Gross' apartment became the business's headquarters. Still fascinated with the dirigible industry, perlman later traveled to West Germany to learn all he could about blimps.

Speaker 1: 6:10

Two things on that. So growing up across from an airport must suck. You probably don't sleep a lot. I mean it's got to be loud as hell, I would think.

Speaker 2: 6:17

So I grew up in High Spire, and right next to High Spire, right on the edge of High Spire, is Harrisburg International.

Speaker 3: 6:24

Airport. Yes, and I was right up the street from that pretty much, so, yeah, we heard them all the time.

Speaker 2: 6:28

All day, every day, all day. It just becomes. You grow numb to it after a while.

Speaker 3: 6:37

The thing that struck me with this it sounded like the beginning to a crime story, or like Goodfellas, like the beginning.

Speaker 1: 6:42

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 6:42

Like he meets his friend across the street. They're lived by the airport, two kids trying to hustle. You're visualizing. I know what you mean, yeah.

Speaker 1: 6:50

I did have two little things on this on his childhood, thought it was interesting. I think the one story well, these two might be from his book. The one was when he was eight years old he decided to set up a lemonade stand. I think he did it like across from, like a bus station or something he knew he had a lot of foot traffic but he charged uh, seven cents instead of five and ten because he figured he'd get the chain. You know, people give him a dime to keep the change. That was an easy way to like make 10 cents without asking for it interesting so he had that business mindset, I guess from the beginning young kid.

Speaker 1: 7:22

But now zap and I talked about this next. Uh, well, I'm sorry, no, the other part we talked about I'm sure you'll bring up that uh, interest in the blimps and all that.

Speaker 2: 7:32

Saying that his apartment was a cross was actually not true so as, as the story goes, so as very well done, dave, mentioning his book. So as lou will do, not just now, but over the course of his life he will live vicariously through other people and in this case, let's say, in his book he had written all he grew up and out of his bedroom window he would see these things and he wanted to do this because you know, thanks to his apartment being across from this, this airport and this, that the other thing so you're saying it's more of his like his neighbor friend, maybe alan gross, that was 100.

Speaker 2: 8:09

He would hang out over at his neighbor's house and in fact it was his neighbor, alan gross, who was and I think still alive, remains obsessed I think he still lives in the same damn apartment building obsessed with blimps and planes and dirigibles and you name it like he just loves that stuff. And so again, this lou guy is basically living out the childhood dreams of his friend and, as they surely came up together, you know, enjoying it. It was in fact his, his friend's obsession that got Lou obsessed and Lou decided to get into it to take that story.

Speaker 2: 8:44

Yeah, but Lou will tell you that. Oh well, it was, it was me from the gate, it was all my life, it was all my experiences, but he sounds like a regular kid from Queens, new York.

Speaker 3: 8:52

I know there's not much money rolling around queens at the time in the 50s, so is it? Was it like uncle that gave him some money to put away for things? Or it seems like he was able to do a lot more than a regular kid from queens would be able to do so by let's see if he was born in 54.

Speaker 2: 9:07

Let's say he makes his way to college at 18. So you're looking at 72.

Speaker 2: 9:10

Uh, things weren't too bad by then, true, you know getting out loans started taxing, yeah, okay, but I'm thinking like you know you're, you're going through whatever kind of social impact and growth has happened in the united states by now and whatever. Uh, I I gotta believe that somehow, some way he he made his way. One other thing he did allegedly and this is from him and can't come to find out it wasn't entirely true is he said that somehow, some way he made?

Speaker 1: 9:31

his way. One other thing he did allegedly and this is from him and come to find out it wasn't entirely true is he said he acquired some paper routes as a kid from like other kids in the area. He would take on these paper routes but he would package breakfast with the paper. So he would tell people hey, I'll deliver your paper and Dunkin' Donuts for a set amount. You know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 9:52

So he claims to be like the first DoorDash.

Speaker 1: 9:55

Exactly, yeah, yeah, that's cool, yeah, from DoorDash to Jordash.

Speaker 2: 9:59

We'll find out later on. Oh, indeed, yeah, got that Jordash look.

Speaker 1: 10:03

Yeah, wow, that's a foreshadow, yeah.

Speaker 2: 10:06

Not too long, though. So he went to Germany, west Germany, learned all he could. Now, back in the United States, armed with all there is to know about the blimping business, perlman started a company called Airship Enterprises Limited in the mid 80s with the intent of using blimps for advertising. In fact, his first customer was Jordache.

Speaker 1: 10:27

There it is.

Speaker 2: 10:28

And his first problem with his business was not owning or having a blimp to fulfill the Jordache advertising contract. He used the money from Jordache to build the blimp that was to advertise for them. But because it was built so hastily and with shoddy materials, the blimp crashed on its first flight. Fun fact, the blimp was assembled at the same naval base in New Jersey where the Hindenburg crashed and burned in 1937.

Speaker 1: 10:55

That's bad.

Speaker 2: 10:55

Yeah Well, thank God for insurance. Perlman was ultimately awarded a $2.5 million settlement. He remained intent to continue in the blimp rental business. With Airship Enterprises Limited, now defunct, he started a new company, airship International. He'd since befriended a Wall Street broker who helped him to take Airship International public and raise enough money to buy a decent blimp to the tune of $3 million. Damn, blimping ain't easy. No, blimping ain't easy.

Speaker 3: 11:25

He even saw the lights of the Goodyear blimp that's right. Saying Lou Pearlman's a pimp Hell yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 11:31

They said on that Jordache blimp that he had acquired the parts and had them assemble it and the actual cost just to throw a number out there, let's say it was 200,000. It was nowhere near what the insurance money was. So um that's where people were starting to think, okay, well, was that staged Like? Did he want it to crash? Because he took the policy out on the much higher amount for an actual blimp. He had to go into court and everything with the insurance company to get the money.

Speaker 2: 12:01

And this went on for a long time, and I think the way that I had read this because it was drawn out for so long. Not only did he get the replacement value for the blimp, which again was pennies compared to two and a half million bucks, right. So let's see, he got the parts in California or wherever, had them shipped over to Jersey, put that all together with the blimp and again it crashed. But what he can also claim is the lost revenue that he would have otherwise been getting from that, that advertisement the whole time yeah.

Speaker 2: 12:29

So if I'm missing, you know a hundred grand a month or 50 grand a month or whatever in advertising shit. Well, that counts too. Come on insurance, let's go.

Speaker 3: 12:38

I got to get my blimp back up there once you pull the money from the blimp and just put up billboards so you would think, but I mean blimping ain't easy that's.

Speaker 2: 12:46

Yeah, we talked about that and it's a think of it as a mobile billboard and not just on the ground. This is up high. Yes, everybody can see it. Everybody can see it, and you, I don't know you see a highfalutin blimp or yeah, you think these people have money they're doing well. It must be cool. I'm gonna go check out. Blimps are awesome, right like by awesome they're. They're unique.

Speaker 3: 13:04

You certainly don't see them every day no, no, and you get excited still to these days, like to this day, to these days, you still get excited if you see a blimp somewhere, because you don't see them and that's true, and it's a billboard is moving. You know you're gonna cover a lot what about the little planes that pull the thing behind them? You know all you can eat. All you can eat buffet down the beach.

Speaker 2: 13:20

Yeah, that'd be cheaper for sure but uh, but you're stuck with the beachy crowd. Yeah, you're gonna get that beach crowd that jordash ad.

Speaker 1: 13:27

That they're they. Supposedly they painted that blimp. It was like fifteen thousand dollars in gold paint it was gold 50 000 maybe and that that was one of the factors. The weight it was way too much weight for uh, for the actual they claim.

Speaker 2: 13:42

There is a claim that the weight of that paint weighed down the the blimp so much. That's what caused it to crash yeah, and their idea was to.

Speaker 1: 13:51

they had a bunch of models in geordash jeans that they were going to fly to, like I think it was like in New York city somewhere, and have them land and then walk out with Jordache stuff on.

Speaker 2: 14:01

It ended up being good.

Speaker 1: 14:02

Any publicity is good, that's what it is Any, because they were all over the news. Yeah, jordache blimp went down, blah blah, down, blah blah blah so it ended up being a good thing. Maybe they did it on purpose. That's what we were saying because of the insurance money and they still got.

Speaker 2: 14:19

They were happy. Yes, I'm. Yeah, I mean again, you keep hearing a name over and over and over again you're, it's, it's trending, it's, you know, provocative. Yeah, sure, I'm gonna look into it more right.

Speaker 3: 14:29

Just the blimp to me doesn't make economic sense, but yeah, it's worth it. Yeah, it's different.

Speaker 2: 14:35

It's a different approach that's blimp money. I don't understand blimp money.

Speaker 3: 14:39

Yeah, I don't understand that's.

Speaker 1: 14:40

That's cars, this doors doors go like that yeah blimps go like this advertisement.

Speaker 3: 14:46

I don't know something like that.

Speaker 2: 14:46

We'll come up with something with airship international, now a publicly traded company. Mc McDonald's was Airship International's first customer and that McDonald's money alone helped to keep the business afloat and flush solid businesses on which to stand His publicly traded blimp company, Airship International, and a private luxury air charter he'd started, named Transcontinental Airlines, which provided planes for large touring rock bands and pop acts, among other customers. Fun fact, his partner in this business was a guy named Theodor Wollenkemper. This is the same guy from whom he learned all there is to know about the blimpin' business when he was in West Germany. It was thanks to one of Transcontinental Airlines customers, New Kids on the Block that Perlman reset his sights back on the music industry, Particularly when the group's manager told Lou that New Kids were grossing $100 million a month. Manager told Lou that new kids were grossing a hundred million dollars a month. Indeed, new kids on the block grossed close to $1 billion in 1990.

Speaker 1: 16:00

That's crazy man.

Speaker 2: 16:02

That's a B Car doors go like this Wow, you know, and they.

Speaker 1: 16:05

There was an interview with Lou, and he was talking about that when he heard about new kids and they, they rented the plane for like a month or something like that, and it was like quarter of a million dollars cash or something that they paid, and, uh, he said that the number is a billion, like you said it was. This is what got me, though. Of that billion dollars, 800 million of that was for merchandise sure like.

Speaker 1: 16:25

The other 200 million was, like you know, music sales and probably tours and whatnot but, the majority of and I'm sure with uh, the boy bands that will come in this story. They're a lot of.

Speaker 3: 16:36

Their money came from t-shirts, posters dude, you have those buttons like my sister, her and her friends had these big buttons, like all the new kids, like her room was posters, new kids new kids t-shirts precisely everything matt said, and then some.

Speaker 2: 16:49

I mean the merchandising alone. Merchandising that was bananas for new kids, and again, when I say the new, that new kids made a billion, it's essentially the new kids on the block brand yeah, I mean, that's what did it? Like matt said, the pins, the posters, the t-shirts, that you name it, and ps. Even to this day, t-shirt sales and merch sales at a concert. Christ, the money that that shit rakes in it is insane, absolutely insane without you're talking 45 for a t-shirt yeah, it's nuts

Speaker 3: 17:18

it is good and everybody's in line right because that's I mean. That's where they make their money on tours and through selling the merchandise and you think about with like a boy band.

Speaker 1: 17:26

They usually have like four or five members I think it's usually five members is like the formula but you're selling like like five, maybe five of each. Then you know what I'm saying, or you know well, maybe there's always like one or two that sell a little less. You have your favorites and stuff but, the merchandising is just crazy Bananas.

Speaker 3: 17:42

But see, I like the way that Zap has this written out here. You know they're saying that you know, new kids were grossing a hundred million a month. Indeed, you know, they grossed close to $1 billion and I think a guy like Perlman hears this kind of money and right away. Like you said, I need to get into that, correct.

Speaker 2: 17:57

You see somebody doing it. Well, hell, I can do that too, I can do that Shit. I've already got planes and I got blimps. Why not? What can I do to get into that business?

Speaker 3: 18:04

And here it wasn't a lot of these people. We'll talk about industry, though, but yeah, there were so many hands in a cookie jar like I need this, I need this, I need this and it yeah we shall see as this unfolds.

Speaker 2: 18:17

Well, while lou worked on his plans to get into the boy band business, he still had a blimp and chartered plane business to run. A lot of bees, a lot of alliteration. Today, having successfully started both of these businesses using other people's money, he sought out additional investors to help grow the businesses. The first of his significant investors was a then 22-year-old trust fund baby named Julian Bencher, who bought into Airship International's business and became its second largest shareholder. But Bencher's cash infusion came at a cost, that is, the need to expand the business.

Speaker 2: 18:56

Lew turned to his tried-and-true means of raising capital another public offering of stock. Perlman needed a firm that would push his company's stock hard on its customers. He enlisted the aid of a Colorado-based brokerage house called Chatfield Dean Company, which managed to raise $17 million from investors. The proceeds raised were used to purchase four additional blimps, which were then used to fulfill advertising contracts with SeaWorld, metropolitan Life Insurance, gulf Oil and a handful of other lucrative customers. But that hard selling of Airship International stock came at a cost. Not long after the $17 million had been raised came at a cost. Not long after the $17 million had been raised, chatfield Dean Company was hit with $2.4 million in fines by the National Association of Securities Dealers for swindling investors Not just swindling Chatfield brokers took investors' orders for other stock and actually bought Airship International shares instead. Can you dig that Like that's? Hey man, I want to buy microsoft. Cool man, I'll fill that order. Hey man, I got an order for airship. You know what I mean.

Speaker 1: 20:04

Like jesus was that um, were they doing that kind of with uh, crypto dude? Yeah, that's how they all make their money like that yeah it's something similar to well, maybe yes and no.

Speaker 2: 20:14

I mean, it depends on how. Like, if you say airship international, well, do you want airship international limited? Do you want Airship International Limited? Do you want Airship International International? Do you want Airship International LLC, do you want? You know what I mean, so they can start screwing around like that. But either way, they were taking orders for a completely unrelated stock and buying Airship International stock.

Speaker 3: 20:31

Like pumping that up, but most brokerage companies do that, though, like they, they you don't know exactly where I mean used to a lot more than they can today, because you can track them mostly on your computer, but they would just take the money and use that to invest in other things and try to pay back. You know what?

Speaker 2: 20:44

I mean, I don't want to say most, I'm sure that it yeah, obviously did happen, yeah uh, yeah, I mean, you're putting your trust in them and that's why these guys get hit with fines. When, when customers say you know, hey, dickhead, I told you to buy this what are you doing?

Speaker 3: 20:56

But then they usually don't get their money back because they're so far in debt with the. You know what I mean Getting hit with those fines. And then it's like, ah, shit lost my money.

Speaker 2: 21:04

Again depends on the shittiness of the brokerage house.

Speaker 1: 21:06

I mean, you have these, so I have written here, like you yet seen this movie no, I haven't, but I'm aware of the movie that's with uh, giovanni ribisi or whatever his name is if you were to watch boiler room.

Speaker 2: 21:22

I used to have a pair of those in high school you would understand exactly what this is like. Um it's you know what. We've done this before. It's the wolf of wall street the penny stock deal it's exactly that, where they're just pushing and pushing the. The practice is called pump and dump right right it's that. It is that.

Speaker 1: 21:39

It's that these guys hard, hard selling and it's all over the phone back then, correct?

Speaker 2: 21:45

100 on the phone. They weren't using dial-up internet. There was nothing. No alo hard to track things well, I had.

Speaker 1: 21:52

I had mentioned I mean, I, I was victim to this and, in a way but a modern day version that I was, um, basically got dealing in penny stocks and a guy at work turned me on like, oh yeah, check out this company. Like there was all this, like, uh, there are all these news stories about this. It was a golf company and they had this. Uh, they had a patent on a metal that they were using for their clubs and they had one or two golfers that were using their clubs in the PGA and they were like these are going to be like the next great thing. And it was a penny stock. And you invest in this penny stock thinking, oh, I'm, you know I could. If this thing blows up, I'm going to be rich.

Speaker 3: 22:29

And it's costing you pennies. It never does.

Speaker 1: 22:32

Well, it does. But then you say, oh, you know, I'll put 500 in there. You know it's 500 bucks. Sure, you know you got 50,000 shares or whatever. And you think, oh, you know, if this goes up to a dollar I got 50 grand. Now you know what I mean. But it just doesn't happen that way.

Speaker 2: 22:46

No, it's rare. It's absolutely rare, in fact. I think we talked about this before with the crypto. This is the same concept. When you're buying crypto whatever the hell kind of Vegas bullshit that stuff is and you're buying it at pennies and you're hoping it's going to go into dollars.

Speaker 1: 23:03

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 23:03

That's a huge, tremendous return.

Speaker 1: 23:05

And they're still pushing that. We were watching an UFC fight last night.

Speaker 3: 23:08

All the guys were wearing cryptocom.

Speaker 1: 23:10

Cryptocom, crypto stuff all over.

Speaker 3: 23:11

Really. Yeah, it's still a thing. Yeah, I kept looking at that too. Are they really pushing that still?

Speaker 1: 23:18

Yeah, they didn't learn their lesson.

Speaker 3: 23:19

They haven't learned Crypto no, be real money.

Speaker 2: 23:22

Oh yeah, trey, you gonna learn All right. Well, it's now 1992. And by now Lou has figured out the secret recipe to boy bands Gather a demographically different group of boys who can sing and get professional songwriters to supply them with material. He placed an ad in a Florida newspaper calling for teenage boys to audition for a new musical act. Dozens arrived to perform at the first audition, including a young man named AJ McLean. A second audition was held months later now, in 1993. 1993. Notable attendees at this audition included howie doro, kevin richardson, brian latrell and nick carter. The backstreet boys were formed, and to supply them with material, perlman hired max martin anybody max martin?

Speaker 2: 24:14

I actually looked that up because I was curious did you see the laundry, and I mean laundry list? I'll make this as as quick and easy as possible yeah that guy is responsible for writing over 470 songs that have been recorded and released. Like not just written a song and, you know, threw it into his nightstand, I'm saying written, performed by artists, recorded by other artists by those artists and released on albums. Over 470, and that's just writing yes production. Almost the same number, did you see?

Speaker 1: 24:49

he was number two, only behind paul mccartney for number one, written so like songs written by.

Speaker 2: 24:55

I did see that and so for anyone out there who is not familiar with max martin, grab your, you know, grab a seat for this one. So this, this swedish songwriter, swedish max martin?

Speaker 2: 25:06

yeah, he is a fun boy come here he's written songs for that have been recorded and released by Adele, ariana Grande, avril Lavigne, backstreet Boys, britney Spears, celine Dion, christina Aguilera, coldplay, cyndi Lauper, def Leppard, ed Sheeran, justin Timberlake, katy Perry, kelly Clarkson, lady Gaga or Lady Gaga Maroon 5, michael Bolton, nick Carter, nick Jonas, nicki Minaj, nsync maroon five, michael bolton, nick carter, nick jonas, nikki minaj and sink pink pitbull, post malone taylor, swift the weekend and usher.

Speaker 1: 25:46

Wow, those are the just the names that I knew going down the list the only one I didn't see that you had there, that I had, which is a lot and I came. I didn't even see half of those was katie perry was the only other one I saw.

Speaker 2: 25:57

Oh shit, I forgot the one. No, I thought I said Katy Perry after Justin Timberlake.

Speaker 1: 26:00

I might be wrong, you did Okay.

Speaker 2: 26:02

Again. The list goes on and on.

Speaker 3: 26:03

Might have been lost in the mix. Yeah, pour some sugar on me, that'd be a good song. Yeah, this guy's ridiculous with this, I mean, how he just sits around in his house and something happens in his life, he probably parties hard and just comes up with these songs. Pour some syrup on you. Uh-huh jazz. Back door boys. Yes.

Speaker 1: 26:24

Would there be syrup big in Sweden? I don't know what would be big in Sweden that you'd pour on somebody.

Speaker 2: 26:29

Red fish.

Speaker 1: 26:30

Pour some red fish on me Little red jellyfish. Oh, that's that Prince song.

Speaker 2: 26:38

Little red jellyfish. What like this max martin dude like I I have not seen.

Speaker 3: 26:41

I need to look up a picture of him dude take a look at. Oh um he might say like he has, like a little asian boy with bang snaps I can tell you exactly who he is.

Speaker 2: 26:49

If so, you we've all seen, because we've done the, the podcast on this. Um, almost famous wait, did we do the podcast on that? No, we didn't shit.

Speaker 3: 26:57

Well then, I wanted to do almost we talk about yeah, it's, it's in our heads, we already did it like in our minds.

Speaker 2: 27:01

So if you've seen almost famous with almost famous the drummer for still water, the guy who's on the plane, he says I'm gay fever dog. Oh that guy yes the guy that admits to or the guy that comes out of the closet while the plane is crashing? Yeah, he's swedish, though isn. And he anyway, max Martin looks like that guy, okay.

Speaker 1: 27:20

Yeah, I saw his picture and, uh, he's what you probably envision. He's only like 53, maybe fit Like he's in his fifties. He's not much older. I think he was born in 71.

Speaker 2: 27:30

When I looked it up real quick.

Speaker 3: 27:38

I yeah, which is crazy, and a thousand more songs than us. Yes, we're getting there. Oh well, great day, I'll write a song about today had a good day today. Yes, that's a song.

Speaker 2: 27:44

While the boy band project progressed, lou still had Airship International and Transcontinental Airlines to tend to. He and his team continued to seek out investors offering them shares of either company's stock with guaranteed dividends of 10%. When that well of investors ran dry, he began to offer investors the option to invest in Transcontinental Airlines' federally insured employee stock ownership plan, what he had termed as an Employee Investment Savings Account, or EISA. Perlman's pitch was an easy one. The strength of the EISA was in its being guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, that's FDIC, and by being insured by AIG Insurance Company and Lloyd's of London. Add to that a guaranteed dividend rate of 8% and you're a fool not to buy.

Speaker 2: 28:37

As Perlman's interest in boy bands began to rise, his Airship International business began to sink. The company posted a $2 million loss in 1992 and a $4 million loss in 1993. By late 1994, the stock price had fallen to 13 cents per share, having once been as high as $6 per share. But it mattered very little to investors, though. By now investors' focus was on Transcontinental Airlines and Perlman had folded all of his holdings into subsidiaries of it. In addition to that EISA program, subsidiaries of Transcontinental Airlines now included the Chip and Dale's Mail Stripper franchise, a string of TCBY yogurt franchises, transcon Records and TransCon Studios studios.

Speaker 1: 29:24

A lot of trans in there, a lot of trans took notice to that. Yeah, but uh, I didn't know, uh, chippendales had a.

Speaker 2: 29:30

Uh, they sell franchises to be clear, my understanding is you just buy the name and then you can throw in there, whoever you want add and subtract dudes and you can do anywhere with it, Go anywhere with it. It's like the I don't know, like the Rockettes.

Speaker 1: 29:45

Is that something where Chippendale, where you would?

Speaker 2: 29:48

And we're not talking about the chipmunks, no no, no, this is like the guys.

Speaker 3: 29:50

I thought you meant the rescue rangers, that's correct.

Speaker 1: 29:57

We're not talking about those?

Speaker 2: 29:58

Back in their day they would walk around shirtless but just have a bow tie around their neck.

Speaker 1: 30:02

But what was their job? Was that like bachelorette parties and stuff. That's all they would do.

Speaker 3: 30:06

Or bachelor parties.

Speaker 2: 30:07

I don't want to say you.

Speaker 3: 30:08

Or bachelor parties. Yeah, I mean, if you're one of Matt's friends, for sure, yes, they get in the bachelor party central.

Speaker 2: 30:13

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 30:24

I mean I'm sure I guess strip johns for for for chicks?

Speaker 3: 30:26

that's what I mean. Is there like a chippendale strip? I don't think they're a thing anymore. No, yeah, like in 2024 they're intrigued. I just want to know wow, look, we're looking for investments here yeah, well, I'm just thinking, if this doesn't work out, yeah, podcast we could all.

Speaker 2: 30:39

I think the three of us could successfully do well at being chippendales dancers yeah, for sure, did you see the chip? Maybe chip and dip nice tcby by now is also defunct. I remember seeing those things everywhere. Is that like sweet frogs? Or is this the country's best yogurt? The country's best yogurt I thought it was this can't be, it could go either way, I think just like it's trans, just like a lot of trans records yeah that's funny, but true yes all right.

Speaker 2: 31:09

The backstreet boys began their upward climb to stardom with humble beginnings. On may 8th 1993, their first performance was at sea world in orlando. They went on to spend the next year and a half performing at malls, restaurants and schools. At the end of 1994, they made their way to Europe to tour and record. Their debut album, backstreet Boys, was released internationally in the spring of 1996.

Speaker 2: 31:35

Now by internationally, I mean everywhere but North America, like a test, essentially, yeah, they went on to record and release a second album, back streets back, released on August 11th 1997. This too was only an international release, everywhere but North America. The next day, august 12th 1997, the backstreet boys released their United States debut album, backstreet Boys. Yes, it's the same title as their first international release. The US album included songs from both of their internationally released albums and spawned six singles, including We've Got it Going On. Quit Playing Games With my Heart as Long as you Love me. Everybody also known as Backstreet's Back, I'll never break your heart and all I have to give. Their debut US album would go on to sell over 14 million copies.

Speaker 1: 32:34

Yeah, that's crazy, and you know how big they are. I mean, like at this time when this album comes out, we're like 21, 22 years old, Sure, and I just remember on MTV at the time it's all that was was Backstreet Boys. Yep. Like boy bands in general, but they were like one of the.

Speaker 3: 32:49

What was that show? Trl, trl.

Speaker 1: 32:50

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 32:51

Yeah, trl.

Speaker 1: 32:52

It's kind of when MTV was making a transition from like it was getting into. Well, shows and stuff, real World and all that came out a little before that, but it changed from like I would go to MTV to like Watch videos, Watch videos and see what cool music's coming out and all that.

Speaker 2: 33:07

It became more shows and interactive with the VJ Right. In this case. What was his name? Colin Firth.

Speaker 1: 33:15

Colin Colin.

Speaker 2: 33:16

Quinn, colin Quinn. Maybe I'm wrong.

Speaker 1: 33:18

What's the name of the goddamn guy?

Speaker 2: 33:19

who hosted TRL. Maybe I'm wrong. What's the name of the goddamn guy who hosted TRL? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, carson Daly. That's it, carson.

Speaker 3: 33:23

Yeah, who is now on Good Morning America or some shit? Gma?

Speaker 1: 33:27

Yeah, is he?

Speaker 3: 33:28

Does he have a?

Speaker 1: 33:29

show. I don't know what Carson Daly's up to anymore.

Speaker 3: 33:33

I'm thinking of Ryan Seacrest. I get him confused.

Speaker 1: 33:47

Carson Daly's on Good Morning America morning. Host of a show. I did not know that. Yeah, I didn't know that either. Look what I learned probably is, though I mean he had that, he had that. Look, you know what I mean, like all those guys, but just for me, mtv at that time changed and it was all of a sudden yep and I stopped watching. Yeah, I mean I did too honestly, but that when we went to the, to the box, started watching the box or um, what was the other video channel?

Speaker 1: 34:01

was there another one?

Speaker 2: 34:01

vh VH1?.

Speaker 1: 34:02

Well, VH1,. Yeah, they had VH1 Classic which plays like your older stuff.

Speaker 3: 34:06

You can still do. Vh1 still plays music videos. Oh BET, I'd, watch that Carson Daly's on the Today Show. There you go, not GMA.

Speaker 1: 34:15

So Backstreet Boys got their name from like a market or something down there.

Speaker 2: 34:18

Fun fact fact the backstreet boys name came from a flea market in orlando known as the backstreet market, which at the time was a teenage hangout wow yeah, I think it's named after a flea market I think that's where covid started yeah, we could have called our podcast the big m that, covid, was great.

Speaker 3: 34:37

Thank you, that was so oh god so where they started, covid yeah, at the backstreet market at the backstreet market in Orlando, but not in Japan or China.

Speaker 4: 34:47

I'm sorry in China god damn, that was a good one, dave that was really good wait I don't get

Speaker 1: 34:52

it oh, jesus Christ come on, man, didn't you know? They said that it started at a wet market, covid alright, I gotcha I gotcha, you remember the story right.

Speaker 2: 35:01

Yes, yes okay like instead of at a lab where it really did start. They're saying that some random bat yeah, the bat took a shit someplace somebody ate the shit, and then they got the covid from the bat shit.

Speaker 1: 35:14

So you're saying like the back, like the aids or something, the aids from the back street he just said it was a market in orlando and I said I think that's where COVID started All right. I got you, I got you, god damn.

Speaker 2: 35:27

While the Backstreet Boys had been busy in Europe, Perlman decided to start another boy band. Perlman had been introduced to a young man named Chris Kirkpatrick who'd been performing at Universal Studios in Florida. After a few more meetings, Perlman promised to finance a group for Kirkpatrick if he could find four other young boys to join him. Kirkpatrick spent a year searching and ultimately found two more guys JC Chazez or Chazay, and Justin Timberlake, both of whom had been in the Mickey Mouse Club. I don't know who JC Chazez isavez is, or Chazay, or Chade, or Chade is amazing. Who cares? C-h-a-s-e-z is the last name of JC.

Speaker 1: 36:13

Not Chavez.

Speaker 2: 36:14

Not Jesus Christ Chavez, but JC Chazay, sachet Chazay.

Speaker 3: 36:20

Yeah, all right.

Speaker 2: 36:25

Now in sashay, jose yeah, all right now in search of a baritone and a bass singer. The threesome found joey fat one and jason galasso respectively oh wait, is that joey?

Speaker 3: 36:32

no, it's joey fat one. No, it's fat one. Yeah, he is the fat one these days.

Speaker 2: 36:35

Joey fat one yeah all right with these five. N-sync was formed just before signing their first record deal. Galasso quit the band and went on to become a mortgage broker. He was swiftly replaced by a young man named lance bass I thought it was lance bass, lance bass.

Speaker 3: 36:54

Joey fat one joey face and jesus christ chaz's jesus christ so fun fact.

Speaker 2: 37:01

Does anyone know where the name n-sync came from? Oh well, sit back, my son and I shall tell you a tale. N-sync is yeah, I know this one it's actually an acronym, yes, made up of the last letters of each of the initial members first names justin and chris, joey, jason and jc the n-s-Y-N-C.

Speaker 3: 37:24

That worked out well. That's pretty sweet. Didn't the Beastie Boys? Didn't they want to have an acronym? Did you ever read about that?

Speaker 1: 37:30

It was like boys entering anarchistic stages towards internal excellence. That's what it is, jesus.

Speaker 3: 37:36

Christ, that's a real thing.

Speaker 1: 37:38

Actually, the Beastie Boys got their name because their favorite band was Bad Brains, so they wanted. Yeah, they were punk.

Speaker 3: 37:44

What did you call?

Speaker 1: 37:44

that An alliteration, yeah, so they wanted to be BB as well, so that's why it came out Beastie Boys. There was a woman in the first Beastie Boys.

Speaker 3: 37:53

There were. Yeah, there was, yes, there were. There were a woman.

Speaker 2: 37:57

Yes, a woman to me. So I can't help but wonder about this jason galasso. So he quit, and by like he quit just before they signed, like they're just about to sign.

Speaker 2: 38:12

A record deal like this could be tremendous huge yeah he says no, forget that, I want to go be a mortgage broker. He was taking the safe route. I mean, yeah, but I wonder if the guy looks back and says maybe I should have gone with that record deal. I mean, I could have been the next. I don't know. Lance Bass, joey Fat One, who's in that? My Big Fat Greek Bitch movie, whatever.

Speaker 3: 38:33

Justin.

Speaker 2: 38:34

Timberlake, you name it.

Speaker 3: 38:35

Yeah, that was much like me with Maroon 6. Yeah, when you were in there, those were the days.

Speaker 1: 38:39

Think about American Idol, the first season. A lot of people don't remember, but there was two hosts, Ryan Seacrest and Ryan Dunkelman. I don't remember Ryan.

Speaker 3: 38:47

Dunkelman at all.

Speaker 1: 38:48

Yeah, you remember that.

Speaker 3: 38:50

Wait, it was another guy. Yeah, I think so. I don't know.

Speaker 2: 38:52

His name didn't click well with popularity.

Speaker 1: 38:55

No, it wasn't so good coming off the tongue, but he was good on there. I watched American Idol early on. I enjoyed the bad singers. Like you know, she banged, she banged on them guys. But Dunkelman was good and then I think after the first season he was like I think it was his choice not to come back.

Speaker 3: 39:11

Oh, he's like, this is stupid.

Speaker 1: 39:12

Yeah, I got better things to do and it's like oops.

Speaker 2: 39:16

I did it again.

Speaker 1: 39:17

Yeah, I did it again. Yeah, much it again. Yeah, much like. Uh, you know you leave the band, but much like the guy from um, what we talked about, the beatles. Did that guy leave or did he get kicked out? Frank beetle, yeah, frank beetle.

Speaker 2: 39:31

So unbeknownst to many out there, there was a fifth member of the beatles named frank beetle yeah, that's what we were talking about.

Speaker 1: 39:36

Uh, guns and roses that's right.

Speaker 2: 39:38

So that poor guy left the band or got kicked out of the band and, alasas, the rest is history with the fab four.

Speaker 3: 39:44

Yes, it's like screw face. I think they got rid of like there was some. There was some beef in the band and yeah.

Speaker 1: 39:50

Well, it's like, yeah, that's what we were talking about, if you're, but at least your name's not in the band. You know what I mean? Like this Guns N' Roses was, the guy's name was Joey Guns or something right, or something like that.

Speaker 2: 40:04

Oh, Tracy Guns, Tracy Guns. Yeah, In fact, Matt, it's funny you mentioned about Screwface. The fifth member of Screwface was a guy named what was thought was just some no-name singer named Rick Astley. He left and I guess he did okay, but Shit.

Speaker 1: 40:19

Rick Astley was in Screwface he let you guys down.

Speaker 2: 40:21

Yeah, he was in Screwface.

Speaker 3: 40:22

I didn't know. He went to McDonald's. He gave you up and let you down.

Speaker 2: 40:25

That son of a bitch. He went back on his song.

Speaker 3: 40:27

He did. He lied through us through lyrics. He did. I hate when that happens.

Speaker 2: 40:33

So with all this going on, so again you've got Pearlman's, got this recipe for making boy bands right. It's real simple, you know. You get a bunch of different guys that look kind of different, like a white, a very white, waspy, blonde one that'll go all the way down in the in the color scheme to like a tan grecian guy or whatever guy, martino or correct, and then get them to sing, get them to dance and get somebody to write these songs for these guys what was it?

Speaker 3: 40:57

the recipe was like a sweet one, a nice one, a bad one, sure, yeah, yeah, a cool one, that's. It's like a nerdy one dude it's.

Speaker 2: 41:04

This has been going on for years, though, but nonetheless I just am reminded of a simpsons episode of this, where they took all the basically the guy, the equivalent of pearlman came to springfield and he got nelson and millhouse and bart and and uh, oh my god, ralphie wiggum and and some other one to to join all together and do this boy band, and they and and uh, oh my God, ralphie Wiggum and and some other one to to join all together and do this boy band. And they were singing and it was actually singing uh, hypnotically, joined the Navy. There was a hypnotic undertone, undertone there.

Speaker 1: 41:33

That's awesome. Anyway, no black dudes in the band, no you know, but probably cause. Then you know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 41:40

Versus like he would better dancers. The black guys would make the white guys look bad dancing and stuff. Well look, the jackson five nailed it. I mean you can't, you can't mess that one up yeah, yeah, right that's true, like the boy bands were not like.

Speaker 3: 41:54

I don't know if it was like a cultural thing, but there wasn't like like. I guess new edition would be about boys the men.

Speaker 2: 42:00

Yeah, boys the men and all that, but all these bands were all as like zap got you'd have a latino guy or something like that, but that was it in fact, backstreet boys were created with the thought of I want to take the, the look of new kids, but some of the the street of backstreet, I'm sorry, of boys to men, it.

Speaker 1: 42:20

That was a basically like a combo, the thought, like the mixing of those two materials yeah, because as edgy as they, I think in new kids, like they wanted mark walberg to be in that band, sure, and he was like, uh, well, his brother donnie was in the kids, he was the more edgy one of the new kids, but mark walberg was like no, I'm not, I don't want to be part of that, but they wanted to get a little bit of edge in there.

Speaker 3: 42:42

But it wasn't like like these guys were yeah, well, he was too busy like bench pressing like cinder blocks that's what he came out with his own come on but yeah, this is a

Speaker 2: 42:50

wild story man. I just I'm wild to the extent of like going back in time and understanding how this all came about now, like reading about it, how how these bands are formed, like these weren't friends, like you know childhood friends, that all grew up together and said, you know they're seeing like doo-wop around, a, a fire or a can on fire on you know, in philly or some shit but that was like yeah, that was like new edition and and those bands were all kids growing up together like hey, we'll put them together.

Speaker 3: 43:14

They go to the same church.

Speaker 1: 43:15

Yep, this was just it's farming, it's travel, singing, basically like a travel team for sure, like you know, it's not kids from the neighborhood. It's like oh, he's good, he's good.

Speaker 3: 43:24

But these guys couldn't even really sing Well if you listen to some of their voices or not, I don't know. The range is pretty crappy it's more about the look.

Speaker 1: 43:33

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 43:33

The look. I think that's what they're going for. He had to get the bass in his.

Speaker 2: 43:41

So was it Joey Fat One or Lance Bass that sang bass, because they needed.

Speaker 3: 43:46

Fatone was the bass, I think the last two.

Speaker 2: 43:48

They needed a baritone and they needed a bass singer. And again they had found Joey Fat One and Jason Galasso, who was later replaced by Lance Bass.

Speaker 3: 43:55

Yeah, lance Bass, I think was more the baritone.

Speaker 2: 43:57

Okay. Well, in the same fashion as the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC made their way to Europe to tour and record. On the heels of the Backstreet Boys' recent success, NSYNC were an instant hit in Europe, particularly in Germany. Nsync released their self-titled debut album in Germany on May 26, 1997, recorded on Perlman's Transcon Records. Yeah, don't forget everybody, we're talking about Lou Pearlman here. Their success in Europe was an easy transition to the US market where, on March 24th 1998, they released their self-titled US debut album, which included a reworking of some of the songs from their German debut album and some additional tracks. Of 13 total tracks on that album, eight were released as singles. That's eight out of 13 that's crazy that included.

Speaker 2: 44:51

I want you back tearing up my heart. Here we go for the girl who has everything together. Again, you drive me crazy. God must have spent a little more time on you and I drive myself crazy, a lot of crazy A lot of crazy yeah. Well, that crazy album would go on to sell over 15 million copies.

Speaker 3: 45:12

I don't remember really any of those songs.

Speaker 2: 45:16

I know Tearin' Up, my Heart Tearin'. Up my Heart.

Speaker 3: 45:20

No, I don't know any of these other ones either. You're right. God Must have Spent a Little More Time. No, I don't know any of these other ones, either you're right, god must have spent a little more time. I never heard of that. I drive myself crazy. You drive me crazy for the good. Yeah that, yeah, I remember that here we go.

Speaker 1: 45:33

I don't know that, that's uh, fine young fine young cannibals, that's right

Speaker 3: 45:36

yeah, these songs, yeah, they don't strike.

Speaker 1: 45:37

I knew the other ones better yeah, I know, I'm sure if you heard them, you probably know them, probably because they were all over mtv and everything god damn these were all over, yeah, but we weren't really like you said.

Speaker 3: 45:47

We weren't. We weren't really into the whole mtv thing at this time.

Speaker 2: 45:50

We're kind of just growing up and by this time you're in your early 20s. Yeah, and you've already. I mean, there have been studies done on this. You're already kind of set in your ways on the musical style you like, right, like you're going to go back to.

Speaker 2: 46:03

Like you're going to, if it's me at that point, you're going to stick with whatever's coming out from, let's say, pearl jam or allison chains or anything from you know high school, anything you know alternative, or I'm going to go back to the classics, I'm going to go back to led zeppelin, I'm going to go back to van halen the stuff you heard on the radio, right yeah?

Speaker 1: 46:20

right, I know, I remember I turned 21 and matt will remember. This night we went out to to um the vault downtown right screwface played at the box. Yes, and that song came on, matt and I were down there. I well, you must have been 20. I was december, he was in january, so it had to have been after january because you were a whole year. Yes, and uh, we were in. We were in the vault drinking and blur song. Two came, two came on, woo-hoo. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 46:44

And we were like the whole place was going nuts and we were screaming and the next day my voice, I didn't have a voice because we were singing woo-hoo at the top of our lungs. Sure, you know what I mean, but I was listening to stuff like that. I mean I was still listening to rap and whatever else a little bit.

Speaker 2: 46:58

But yeah, you're right no-transcript which all other members except nick carter later joined. Turns out, pearlman wasn't exactly fair about their european earnings before they made it big in the United States. In fact, from 1993 to 1997, the Backstreet Boys had earned close to $10.5 million. Of that, however, perlman had kept close to $10 million, while the Backstreet Boys were given only $300,000 collectively over the course of four years. All lawsuits were settled quietly out of court.

Speaker 1: 48:06

So, yeah, man, that's crazy that he would rip them off like that. You know what I mean, because they had to have been making money, and I just don't know why you wouldn't pay your artist. Yeah, because it's his money.

Speaker 3: 48:14

Like the more money you can get out of people. These, like you said, these were like a crock pot of kids thrown together. The parents don't know much about this. They know that their kids are on tv. They know that they're making money somehow. Yep, they're getting something like how they did with the big bands. They're giving them a little bit here, a little bit there. They're staying at the nicest hotels. They all got you like groupies. They have women, it's, it's. They're not thinking about the money.

Speaker 2: 48:36

And so matt makes a very, very good point that, despite okay, here's a check and here's what you get. Well, in the meantime, you have been living lavishly in a hotel, you've been eating well, you've been gaining this success, you've been going to parties, you've been driving around in fancy helicopter rides, fancy cars, uh limos shit costs money, and he's billing them the whole time. The whole time. Not only is he billing them, he was actually the way that he had drawn up the contract for Backstreet Boys. He was the sixth member of the Backstreet.

Speaker 1: 49:06

Boys yes, I did hear that he was the Frank Beatle of the Beatles. Yeah, so he was getting a sixth of everything I mean he was getting more you know what I mean. He was getting a sixth of the net.

Speaker 2: 49:16

He was able to run that through all the expenses through, run that through all the expenses through. But he also was charging exorbitant management fees. That, okay, well, my management fees come off the top just like the cost of a hotel, just like the cost of a limo ride. That comes right off the top.

Speaker 3: 49:35

But he's a businessman. These are kids. He's been trying to make money his whole life. He understands how it works. He's making the money. These kids are living a life that they never had. Yep, the only oh, go ahead. I'm sorry, no, go ahead. No, I was going to say the only one that they look at back was joe jackson, not the british singer joe jackson, who I just saw, the other he's very good actually baseball player. No, shoeless, not shoeless joe jackson.

Speaker 2: 49:53

No, joe jackson of the jackson, five of the jackson of the father of the yes, the father of the jackson five he was.

Speaker 3: 49:59

He dealt with everything himself. Sure, if there was money, anything like that was going through him. You know, he didn't have like you know what I mean. Like he didn't have got, he wasn't taking the kids in limos, he wasn't doing any he's.

Speaker 2: 50:10

they were getting in his like station wagon and going home Dude that reminds me with Joe, I ate the historically pathetic when michael jackson died and of course this was like the pope dying, I mean it was a global big deal, yeah, huge hit again, no pun intended, a hit to the, the global mindset and memory. Like everybody knows michael jackson so they're talking to his parents afterwards like they're walking out of the the church, like, oh, you must be so sad, you know, we're so sorry for your loss. And joe jackson says, well, yeah, but if you know, if anyone's interested, I just started up a new record label he's promoting, promoting do you guys?

Speaker 1: 50:49

remember that like that was ridiculous.

Speaker 2: 50:52

Like I was blown away to see that he's always dealing what an ass.

Speaker 1: 50:56

Yeah, but I was about the money man, I was thinking about this, like with both these bands, and I was like, like, like as a parent and your kids because these kids most of them were under 18 when they're signing contracts and doing all that and as a parent you would think you'd be with with the record industry, you always hear about people getting taken advantage of and it's been going on forever. But then I was thinking about these bands in particular were thrown together by you know, hey, let's just find five good singers that can dance like you. You're so replaceable, sure, in these bands that 100 that you you almost feel like I better take what they give me because I'm interchangeable with. Like there's 40 other kids out here that look like me and sound like me can dance like me. So you kind of don't want to stir it up too much.

Speaker 3: 51:42

How Hollywood is too Like when their kids are in this business as as children actors, as child actors and actresses. They don't want to say much, cause they don't want to lose what they have.

Speaker 1: 51:51

If you're a talent like Elton John or something I'm just throwing a name out there Somebody that's just like you're unique and it's a talent that, like there's, you know, only one person like that, or you know there's a handful of people that can sing or play piano, do something like that, but these guys are just like you can sing and dance a little bit and you're good looking. Yep, well, that's time a dozen, and orlando is a hotbed for those uh, yeah, those kids are going to disney to try out for sure, absolutely, yeah that's all they do.

Speaker 3: 52:17

Hey guys, can you wrap?

Speaker 2: 52:19

it up.

Speaker 3: 52:20

What the shit man there's a lot of info on this guy mrs dave, we've got a lot of stuff to get through here.

Speaker 2: 52:26

I mean, we've just gotten to the success of, of the backside boys and nsync, like there's a whole lot to do kids got to get the bed juicy details man that's beat. Yeah, I mean this guy, that's just the backstreet boys and and nsync. We've still got to look. The focus is on lou here. We got to get back to Lou. Right who's Lou? I think we will. I think we'll get back to this guy. Well, I hope so. God damn it.

Speaker 1: 52:47

Yeah, man, this is a good one. I can't wait to find out how this ends, although I kind of know, but I really don't have all the details on the end, so I'm excited to hear about that you.

Speaker 3: 52:58

Apparently, we got to get out of here, quickly, so stay tuned for part two.

Speaker 2: 53:01

We'll pick this up next week, hopefully, when Mrs Dave won't be busting our balls to get out of here.

Speaker 1: 53:05

Right, don't forget to leave us a review on Spotify, on Apple, or written review. All of our overcast listeners Welcome. We hope you found us on there. We're getting a lot of good feedback from there. And don't forget to old, dirty basement podcast. We'll be back next week with part two and I guess that's it for now, so we'll catch you where on the flip side.

Speaker 2: 53:28

If we don't see you sooner, we'll see you later.

Speaker 3: 53:31

Peace. Thanks for hanging out in the old, dirty basement. If you dig our theme music like we do check out the tsunami experiment, find them on Facebook. Their music is available streaming on Spotify and Apple and where great music is available.

Speaker 1: 53:46

You can find us at Old Dirty Basement on Facebook and Instagram and at Old Dirty Basement Podcast on TikTok. Peace. We outie 5,000. You.