Saturday, April 05, 2008

My First Boy Crush

The year was 1989 and I was 13 years old. Since I grew up on old AM country music and Barry Manilow, I had no clue about pop till my father decided to buy a 1987 blue Nova with FM radio. The first time I heard New Kids on the Block was on my very first FM station and the song was, "The Right Stuff". From there I found out about Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and what MTV was all about.

I remember the day clearly when I saw these boys on TV. It was a commercial for their album, "Hangin' Tough". I looked up at the TV and my heart stopped because I noticed the youngest one with sparkling blue eyes. His name is Joey and he was sixteen years old. (He is the first one in this picture). I was a goner. From that moment on I purchased every teen magazine I could get with my babysitting money, which at the time I made $1.50 an hour. Every Friday I would go to my local 7-11 store and bought every magazine off their shelves. From there I would post every picture in those magazines on my bedroom wall and my goal was the have wall to wall New Kids and Joey. My sister did the same and we bonded over these boys.

My first concert ever was in 1990 and it was The New Kids on The Block. My mother took my sister and I to Giants Stadium in Rutherford, NY with 70,000 + screaming girls, like myself. I knew every song of their by heart and sang with them even though I was a football field away from them.

Years went by but my love for you remained strong, well mainly for Joey. After twelve years in the making I met Joey in 2002 in an Off Broadway show in NYC called Tick, Tick Boom. I sat in the front row, with my mother. I was close enough to see the spit coming out of your mouth. The time came to finally meet you. With shaking hands I slowly made me way to you in the lobby. I took a breath and asked for you signature on my playbill and then a picture and finally a hug. My mother came up to you and said, "You have gotten so old!". You smiled and blushed. And then I left on shaky feet very much in control and as I reach the street I screamed and yelled like that thirteen year old girl I was once because I had met the first boy I ever had a crush on.

And for that I thank you.


Katiebabs

9 comments:

Marg said...

For me it was always Donnie!


The one on the right hand end looks like he belongs in Backstreet Boys!

Sarai said...

Okay I went for Jon I don't know why but he always had my panties in a twist~
I am loving that they are going to reunite for a tour!!! So going the whole audience is going to be us older gals, LOL but it is so worth my hubby's teasing ;0)

KT Grant said...

Break out the huge buttons ladies and practice your right stuff dance because I will be in my element!
They have a spread of the boys in People this week. I was drooling over Joe. He still gets to me after 20 years.

Kristie (J) said...

Well - NKOTB were way too late for me - but I do remember my first crush on a band. Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders. I too had my walls plastered with pictures of them.

Carolyn Crane said...

Oh, so sweet! I love that.

Carolyn Crane said...

NK were too late for me, too.
But when I was 13 I met Gilligan on my birthday. He was doing dinner theater at the time. He said, how old are you? And I said 13, and he goes, aww, too young to date, and that was very sweet, and I was so excited, not that I loved Gilligan - I was more into the professor, but I loved that show. Though in this day and age, he'd probably get arrested for saying that.

Ana said...

OMG, Kate, Joey was my favorite too! I loved NKOTB to the point of obsession - I was the same age as you, as we know - I had all LPs, videos, posters, magazines, anything I could put my hands on.
I saw then in Rio de Janeiro, on Rock in Rio - I made my father take me LOL. I think I fell in love with him over "Please don't go girl" He was so so cute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lht_tdJQFbs

Kati said...

I just missed the NKOTB phenomenon. For me it was John Taylor from Duran Duran.

Julia said...

I got too many crushes, I just can't name them all LOL

But for NKOTB, I went for Jordan Knight. Am I the only one here? LOL! But my friends were all about Joey. Sadly, I never met either of them nor go concert. Back then my parent were stric on us going out : (

I think I hear that they are coming back...but dont hold my word for it, cause am not even sure :)