Joe Mac's New Direction

When the New Kids on the Block reached the top of pop in 1988, they released a string of top 40 smashes that wouldn't be rivaled with such female interest again until The Backstreet Boys did the same over ten years later. But the success was short-lived and by the early nineties the group began to falter, finally breaking up in 1994.

The youngest member of that group, Joey McIntyre, is a grown man now and a veteran member of the pop scene. In fact, Joe Mac is a lot of things these days. He's a singer with a new album; he's a celebrity to thousands of fans, and a New York actor starring in the acclaimed play Tick-Tick-Boom.

The aftershock of fame and the break-up of NKOB was hard on Joey. In time, however, the singer returned to music and released his first album, Stay the Same. Now, at age 28, Joey McIntyre is optimistic about his entertaining future as he releases his second album Meet Joe Mac.

TeenHollywood: Joey, would you say this album is a new sound for you?

Joey: Well it's not way off the beaten path. If I get that reaction it's just from coming from a pop background and New Kids, which was pretty pop. My first album was like baby steps for me, it was my first time writing music, I love guitars and rock-n-roll in general and I wanted that vibe to translate into my next album. I wanted to write this music from a guitar and not a keyboard or a piano.

TeenHollywood: Why did you title the new album Meet Joe Mac?

Joey: Although I've been around awhile I think this album is closer to who I am. I just tried to be more honest with my writing. This is really me and I'm more and more comfortable in my own skin, learning who I am, so that's where I'm coming from with that.

TeenHollywood: What songs on your CD do you especially identify with right now?

Joey: Well, writing music, it's where you were at that point in time, so it's a question of how long you stay with those feelings. The song Rain for instance is about trying to find your way and wondering when you're going to stop making those mistakes. It's about standing up to yourself and stop sabotaging your life. When I wrote that song last year I had just gotten out of a long relationship, that was hard and you feel like you can't do anything right. But there's also hope in Rain, in the end maybe it is time to be more honest and open with my feelings.

But right now I feel really blessed. I'm starting a new show, this musical/play called Tick-Tick-Boom. I'm really thrilled to be involved in this and it's the hardest thing I've ever done, no question.

TeenHollywood: Let's talk about Tick-Tick-Boom. Who is your character in this play?

Joey: Ok. My character is Jonathan who is based on Jonathan Larson who wrote Rent (Award-winning Broadway play). That was released when he was 35 or 36 and he passed away the week of its release. He ended up winning the Tony and the Pulitzer Prize posthumously. Amazing. This guy waited tables and hustled in New York for nine years and this show was written before he wrote Rent. It's about turning 30 in 1990 and deciding whether he was going to wait tables and write music or do what his friend did, his friend was a great actor who gave it all up to become a market research executive. Now he has a BMW and a new apartment while my character is still leading the bohemian life.

The music is great. It's rock n' roll, it's not as rock as Rent, which I kind of like. This is fun and meaningful and deep at the same time. A lot of life's lessons are talked about. It's awesome because this is a character I can identify with, being an artist and laying your heart out on the line, it's pretty exciting.

TeenHollywood: Let's go back into the past. Did you want to remain in the public eye when New Kids broke up?

Joey: I'll always be somewhat in the public eye no matter what I do. It might be a Where Are They Now on VH1, but I'd much rather get notoriety for my music and I've had some success with that lately. But back then I just wanted to get away from it. It wasn't a priority. I didn't have managers that said, "You have to be out there," and I knew with that huge ride with the New Kids that I just needed to hang out and be a bum for awhile.

Frankly, my music career slowly got me out of that rut. It was a healthy rut and I wouldn't change it at all, but writing music got me back towards having a purpose in life. There were times with Stay the Same, my first album, that I'd go months without doing anything. There was that fear and doubt about whether I was good enough. I was down and out and then I realized that regardless of what they (critics) say, I'm still creative, I still love to sing, and to me that's a gift and you have to share that gift. I think God gave everybody talents and it's our duty to share that. So that's what got me back in there. I released my album on my own and the minute I started believing in myself it took off. Radio started playing it and record companies started calling us. I got signed, it was a Gold album and had a top 10 single. So as simple as it sounds, you've got to believe in yourself.

TeenHollywood: It's a hard process to go from being in a group to becoming a successful solo artist. Not many people have done it.

Joey: Yeah, well New Kids was just amazing. It was fun and we just blew up but I don't in any way try and compare my career and the numbers to New Kids or anything like that. I'm very proud of what I've done, but it's all about what you're doing now and what you're doing next.

TeenHollywood: What are your interests outside of entertainment?

Joey: I'm pretty boring. Right now theatre is my life, I'm doing eight shows a week and you're just driven by it. But I love being in New York and walking around and seeing the different neighbourhoods. I'm just seven blocks away from Ground Zero and that's sad, but like everyone else I'm just trying to be hopeful. I'm just getting back to loving life again and loving Manhattan and I'm just getting a glimpse of that now personally. But walking is what I love to do, checking out the different cultures and foods, sights and sounds.

I like doing goofy things. I like cleaning and I like laundry. I like doing manual stuff that just frees my mind. I like having a sense of order because it's good for the mind.

TeenHollywood: What sports teams to you cheer for?

Joey: I'm from Boston so I live and die with the Red Socks. Boston is a great sports town but with the changing face of sports, the Bruins aren't like they were 20 years ago with Bobby Orr, it's a different business now. And the Celtics are stumbling a little bit. We're in rough shape in Boston.

TeenHollywood: What will you be doing over the upcoming year?

Joey: I'm doing the show until February and then I'd love to get back out on the road. I've been writing songs a lot—me and my buddy Manuel—so I'd like to tour by spring and we'll see what happens. By February my career could be buried, but at the same time it's a great showcase to be on Broadway and in a hit show. So if Tom Hanks comes along and wants me in his next picture, I'd have to say yes. (laughs)

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