Season 1 Episode 2 - Three Films and A Baby
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(Drum 'n Bass beatboxing noises)
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(Drum 'n Bass beatboxing noises)
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(Drum 'n Bass beatboxing noises)
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(Drum 'n Bass beatboxing noises) One
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band, 5 voices and
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today it's all about
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Joey Fatone, the showman,
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the entertainer. And the
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guy who's 2001 was packed with surprises,
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music, movies, fatherhood. It was a
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whirlwind year and we're breaking it all
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down right now in Three Films and
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a Baby. I'm your host Nicole Raposo,
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and welcome to Unsynchronized, a deep
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dive show exploring how *NSYNC became
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out of sync and eventually called it
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quits. Joey Fatone's 2001 wasn't
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just about stadiums and sold out shows,
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it was about balancing fame with real
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life, stepping out in front of the camera,
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and getting a taste of Hollywood outside
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of the boy band bubble. Here we go. (Transition Sound)
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The year began with a mix of whispers
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and spectacle. At the People's Choice
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Awards, *NSYNC walked away with the
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trophy for favorite musical group, a
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reminder that their professional momentum
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was still undeniable at that point.
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Their polished appearance on stage was
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the headline, but the chatter and the
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press leaned elsewhere. Days earlier, Ted
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Casablanca's Awful Truth column floated
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the possibility of Joey becoming a father
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soon, giving the gossip its first bit of
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public footing. Casablanca was considered
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one of the more reputable gossip voices
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at the time, and his report ensured that
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the story would linger as the year
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unfolded. Joey's girlfriend Kelly was
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seen wearing a smock style dress at the
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People's Choice Awards, which fueled
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speculation even more. The group didn't
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stop by the press room after the
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ceremony, leaving the rumor mill to spin
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without comment.
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The rumors didn't make its way to Larry
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King Live, but the group's January 9th
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interview touched on many topics: fame,
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friendships, and even whether they
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counted as a band since they didn't play
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any instruments. But when Larry King
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asked Joey if he ever thought about the
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group going away, his answer was telling.
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Joey admitted that the thought crossed
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his mind once in a while, wondering what
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he might be doing if *NSYNC didn't exist
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yet. He quickly pivoted to reassurance.
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"As time goes on, I think that we're still
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going to be *NSYNC, hopefully, obviously
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together as a group."
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That phrasing, "hopefully, obviously", um,
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seemed very cautious to me, but it also
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seemed very intentional. It seems to me
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like Joey wanted the public to believe
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that the group's bond was lasting, even
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as speculation about the group's future
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was beginning to surface. Larry
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pushed things a bit further, asking, "Do
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you think you're going to have to evolve?"
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Joey didn't hesitate to answer. Oh, of
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course, definitely. It seemed like a
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pragmatic acknowledgment that their sound
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and their image would need to change with
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time, but also a reminder that permanence
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for *NSYNC didn't mean stagnation. The
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interview on Larry King Live also veered
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into some more personal territory. At
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least it did for Joey. He described how
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a woman had once appeared at his parents
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doorstep, claiming that he was the father
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of her four year old daughter. The claim
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was not credible, but it added another
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layer of speculation around Joey's
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private life. The irony was
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actually pretty sharp. In January, Joey
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was publicly addressing a false paternity
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situation, but privately he was only
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weeks away from becoming a father for
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real. But not all of Joey's contributions
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to the interview were defensive. His
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humor popped out in some of the
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lighter moments, including a playful
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aside about wanting to be Superman, it
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was something that reminded viewers that
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he wasn't just the group spokesman for
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permanence, he was also kind of the
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Comic Relief and definitely the
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approachable member who could balance
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reassurance with levity. And
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taken together, I think Joey's comments
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painted a pretty multidimensional
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portrait. He was loyal to the group. He
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was realistic about the need for change.
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He was navigating intrusive rumors, but
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still able to joke, and take a joke,
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in the middle of serious questions. For
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fans watching in early 2001, his words
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were. The promise of continuity for the
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group they loved. Later in
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the month, Joey had a birthday. He turned
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24 the day he stepped on to one
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of the most visible stages in American
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culture. It's no candles. No quiet family
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gathering. Instead, this birthday was
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folded into the spectacle of the Super
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Bowl halftime show. Millions of viewers
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watched as *NSYNC performed alongside
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Aerosmith, Britney Spears, and Mary J
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Blige, and Nelly. This was a lineup that
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just underscored how firmly the group sat
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at the center of pop music's mainstream.
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The halftime show capped a month that had
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already been crowded with gossip, awards
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and public defense of the group's
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longevity. Joey's birthday performance
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just added another layer. It was proof
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that even though speculation swirled
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*NSYNC's, cultural momentum was still at
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its peak.
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February brought a different kind of
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stage. According to fan-made sources.
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Around the middle of the month, *NSYNC
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taped their tribute for the MTV Icon:
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Janet Jackson special, which was their
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prerecorded segment of them covering the
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song "That's the Way Love Goes".
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Definitely one of those cultural
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crossover moments. The reigning boy band
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of the era paying homage to a pop
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legend and situating themselves within a
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broader lineage of pop performers.
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Days later, the speculation about Joey's
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personal life gained more traction. On
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February 21st, Entertainment Tonight
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acknowledged the pregnancy rumors, moving
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the story from gossip columns to
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mainstream celebrity news. What started
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with Ted Casablanca's Awful Truth in
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early January was now being validated by
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a respected entertainment outlet. The
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coverage gave the rumors new weight,
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ensuring that they would follow Joey into
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the spring. February really underscored
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the duality of the position Joey was in
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at the time. He was a performer in
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the spotlight, a subject of speculation
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and still. unconfirmed to the public, soon
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to become a father.
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March brought the biggest milestone in
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Joey's year. On the 21st he became a
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father when Briahna was born, a moment
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that landed exactly 1 year after No
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Strings Attached was released.
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The symmetry was kind of striking. The
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album that cemented *NSYNC's dominance
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was now paired to the exact day
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with Joey's entry into parenthood.
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But almost immediately, another
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commitment began for him. Filming for the
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movie On the Line started just days
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later. Joey took on the role of Rod,
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a wise-cracking musician who was one of
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the protagonists best friends. I guess
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that's art imitating life, right? In an
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interview on The Digital Get Down
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podcast, Director Eric Bross recalls a 35
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day shoot with Joey Fatone and Lance
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Bass coming and going depending on which
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scenes they were needed for. Based on
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Eric's comments, and also a journal entry
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from Melinda Bell saying that Lance had
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just wrapped the final movie scene around
183
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April 27th, making an educated
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guess that filming started around March
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22nd or 23rd. Bross also suggested that
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some of the group's album recording may
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have happened in Toronto studios, which
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sounds like a practical solution to avoid
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constant flights back and forth between
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Canada and Orlando in the US. I
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think. Eric's memories of working on the
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film with Lance and Joey add more
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nuance and more context to the situation
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that Joey was in in the early
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part of 2001, because he really had
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to balance his time between *NSYNC
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and maintaining his obligations to the
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group with also fulfilling his
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obligations as far as filming the
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movie was concerned. Overall, for Joey,
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March was really a balancing act.
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He was balancing new fatherhood. He's
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bouncing film commitments and ongoing
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preparation for the group's next album.
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And the juggling that was going on
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at the time was really something from
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the delivery room to being on set
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to being in the studio handling all
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these things simultaneously without
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dropping the ball. (Transition Sound)
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Rolling into April, Joey and Lance were still
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working on their movie On the Line. On
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April 17th, Joey and Lance filmed a key
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scene for the movie at Wrigley Field in
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Chicago. They led the crowd in a
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rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball
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Game" during the 7th inning stretch. The
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public shoot highlighted the film's
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visibility and scale, and it turned the
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baseball tradition into part of the
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overall spectacle of the movie. On April
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18th, The Smoking Gun reported on Joey
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and Kelly's baby registries at JCPenney
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and Babies-R-Us. They praised the choices
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as being grounded and accessible, and
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thought that they drew a pretty big
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contrast with. The group stadium scale
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visibility. But there were still some
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confusion about baby Briahna. Several
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news outlets inaccurately reported that
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she was going to be born in
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April, despite her actually having been
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born in March. One Canadian site, All
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Pop, even cited a fan's Angelfire
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page as a source, definitely a reminder
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of how different Internet culture
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operated in 2001, when fan pages might be
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treated as legitimate references when
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writers couldn't find sources elsewhere.
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As previously mentioned, Joey and Lance
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were still filming On The Line early in
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April, and that means that they didn't
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appear with the rest of the group at
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the Blockbuster Music Awards. Their absence
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was, of course, a reflection of the
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strain of trying to balance group
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obligations with also film. But by April
00:10:14,995 --> 00:10:17,978
25th all five members of *NSYNC were back
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together again and they appeared on a
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special episode of TRL called "TRL at Your
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House" and this was something that
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enforced their united front even as solo
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rumors continue to swirl. Early
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in May, MTV reported that *NSYNC had
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pushed back both the start of their Pop
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Odyssey tour and the release of their
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next album, Celebrity. The album's
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release date was moved from June 26th to
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July 24th, while the tours opening was
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rescheduled to May 23rd. As far as the
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tour goes, the delay reflected additional
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technical elements. That were added to
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the show and putting *NSYNC in the
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position of having to navigate staging
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features right until they were ready to
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hit the road. Meanwhile, Joey's
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commitments stretched beyond the group.
00:11:02,832 --> 00:11:05,327
Media attention, for On the Line was
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starting to pick up speed. All Pop
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published a piece that briefly described
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the film's plot but didn't mention Joey's
00:11:12,457 --> 00:11:14,596
specific role. Instead, the outlet framed
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On the Line as just one of several
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projects that Joey was involved in,
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noting his work on independent films like
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The Bros., where he played a victim of
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violence, and also on My Big Fat Greek
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Wedding, a film that he had a small
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part in and, at least according to All
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Pop, was scheduled for release later in
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the year. Their coverage underscored how
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Joey's profile was getting bigger. The
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three films that he was attached to were
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also 3 venues for more visibility for
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Joey, which would just expand his media
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presence as somebody who was already well
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known to the public as a member of
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*NSYNC. On May 12th, Joey's resilience
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was tested. During rehearsals for the Pop
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Odyssey tour. His leg got caught in a
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stage mechanism causing a serious injury
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that required stitches. Day 1 of the
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video shoot for the group's latest
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single, which was Pop, started on May 13th
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and this is something confirmed by MTV's
00:12:11,864 --> 00:12:14,496
Making the Video special. Joey was in bed
00:12:14,496 --> 00:12:17,457
for the first day of filming, but he made
00:12:17,457 --> 00:12:20,418
his way onto set by Jay 2 injured but
00:12:20,418 --> 00:12:22,486
determined. Joey adapted his movements
00:12:22,486 --> 00:12:24,284
while the group's choreographer Wade
00:12:24,284 --> 00:12:27,161
Robson filled in for him, doing full body
00:12:27,161 --> 00:12:29,319
choreography for the wide shot scenes.
00:12:29,319 --> 00:12:32,196
And of course, MTV was right there to
00:12:32,196 --> 00:12:35,074
capture it all, making sure that they got
00:12:35,074 --> 00:12:37,591
plenty of Joey's tight shots, doing the
00:12:37,591 --> 00:12:39,749
modified movements, upper body only, and
00:12:39,749 --> 00:12:41,547
basically underscoring his commitment to.
00:12:41,617 --> 00:12:44,120
They involved with the video process. On
00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:46,264
May 17th, *NSYNC's road manager Melinda
00:12:46,264 --> 00:12:48,767
Bell reassured fans during an MSN chat
00:12:48,767 --> 00:12:51,626
that Joey was just fine. She said "his
00:12:51,626 --> 00:12:54,486
leg is a little sore, but he moves
00:12:54,486 --> 00:12:57,346
it every day". In the same web chat,
00:12:57,346 --> 00:12:59,848
she also addressed rumors that the group
00:12:59,848 --> 00:13:02,021
had solo contracts signed. Specifically,
00:13:02,021 --> 00:13:04,771
one participant said, "Rumor has it the
00:13:04,771 --> 00:13:07,522
guys have solo contracts signed. Is it
00:13:07,522 --> 00:13:10,272
true?" Bell replied, "No, not true. All
00:13:10,272 --> 00:13:13,023
the guys have solo projects that they
00:13:13,023 --> 00:13:15,774
work on. For example, Lance's movie, JC
00:13:15,774 --> 00:13:18,131
produced him with other groups and
00:13:18,131 --> 00:13:20,882
artists. They all work on their own
00:13:20,882 --> 00:13:23,607
individual things when they can find the
00:13:23,607 --> 00:13:26,598
time". Her response seemed to be a careful
00:13:26,598 --> 00:13:28,841
balancing act, denying any formal solo
00:13:28,841 --> 00:13:30,710
record deals while acknowledging that
00:13:30,710 --> 00:13:32,953
each member pursued side projects when
00:13:32,953 --> 00:13:35,196
possible. For Joey, these side projects
00:13:35,196 --> 00:13:37,439
were increasingly visible, with film work
00:13:37,439 --> 00:13:40,056
becoming almost a parallel track to his
00:13:40,056 --> 00:13:42,923
commitments to *NSYNC. By May 21st,
00:13:42,923 --> 00:13:45,194
outlets like NME reported Joey's injury
00:13:45,194 --> 00:13:47,844
publicly, but just two days later on
00:13:47,844 --> 00:13:50,493
the 23rd, the PopOdyssey Tour officially
00:13:50,493 --> 00:13:52,386
launched with Joey performing despite
00:13:52,386 --> 00:13:54,657
still being in recovery. Post production
00:13:54,657 --> 00:13:57,306
for the music video Pop wrapped on
00:13:57,306 --> 00:13:59,956
May 28th and the finished video debuted
00:13:59,956 --> 00:14:02,279
alongside MTV's Making the Video special
00:14:02,279 --> 00:14:05,168
on May 29th so that was only 16
00:14:05,168 --> 00:14:07,695
days after filming started for the video.
00:14:07,695 --> 00:14:10,223
After the intensity of May, June offered
00:14:10,223 --> 00:14:12,750
Joey a mix of quieter personal moments
00:14:12,750 --> 00:14:14,917
and also family connections. In early
00:14:14,917 --> 00:14:17,083
June, he was spotted attending a
00:14:17,083 --> 00:14:19,972
performance of The Music Man while in New
00:14:19,972 --> 00:14:22,574
York, and this is something that, once
00:14:22,574 --> 00:14:24,769
again, Ted Casablanca reported about in
00:14:24,769 --> 00:14:27,696
his gossip column. It was a small detail,
00:14:27,696 --> 00:14:30,256
but also telling. Just showed that even
00:14:30,256 --> 00:14:32,817
while keeping up with the demands of
00:14:32,817 --> 00:14:35,012
touring and still recovering from his
00:14:35,012 --> 00:14:37,939
injury, Joey carved out a little time for
00:14:37,939 --> 00:14:39,768
theatre, reflecting his interest in
00:14:39,768 --> 00:14:41,963
performance beyond the pop stage. Fan
00:14:41,963 --> 00:14:43,834
accounts claimed Joey sightings at
00:14:43,834 --> 00:14:45,220
different nightclubs across Philadelphia,
00:14:45,220 --> 00:14:47,645
Chicago and Los Angeles during the month.
00:14:47,645 --> 00:14:49,724
These reports highlight a pretty big
00:14:49,724 --> 00:14:52,149
contrast between his public image as a
00:14:52,149 --> 00:14:54,921
new father and his private life as a
00:14:54,921 --> 00:14:57,692
young pop star. And to round out the
00:14:57,692 --> 00:15:00,464
end of June, a big family moment happened
00:15:00,464 --> 00:15:02,889
for Joey on the 30th Joey's father,
00:15:03,069 --> 00:15:04,989
Joe Fatone Sr., join the PopOdyssey
00:15:04,989 --> 00:15:07,549
tour with his novelty act called The Not-
00:15:07,549 --> 00:15:10,429
So-Boy Band and they were an opening act
00:15:10,429 --> 00:15:12,349
for *NSYNC. The appearance really
00:15:12,349 --> 00:15:13,949
brought Joey's personal and professional
00:15:13,949 --> 00:15:16,509
worlds together on stage. It was a cute
00:15:16,509 --> 00:15:19,389
way to show the strong bond that he had
00:15:19,389 --> 00:15:21,949
with his family and also to weave that
00:15:21,949 --> 00:15:24,910
bond more so into the *NSYNC ecosystem.
00:15:24,910 --> 00:15:27,492
For fans, it was a reminder
00:15:27,492 --> 00:15:30,074
that Joey's identity was never just
00:15:30,074 --> 00:15:32,656
about celebrity, it was also about
00:15:32,656 --> 00:15:34,378
humor, heritage, and continuing
00:15:34,378 --> 00:15:35,669
performance traditions across
00:15:35,669 --> 00:15:38,331
generations. (Transition Sound)
00:15:38,331 --> 00:15:40,963
As June rolled into July, *NSYNC was fully
00:15:40,963 --> 00:15:43,596
immersed in their Pop Odyssey tour, the
00:15:43,596 --> 00:15:45,852
production was a massive undertaking and
00:15:45,852 --> 00:15:48,108
it really just cemented *NSYNC's
00:15:48,108 --> 00:15:50,365
continuing reputation as the biggest live
00:15:50,365 --> 00:15:52,997
act in the world at the time.
00:15:52,997 --> 00:15:55,253
Joey's tireless work ethic reinforced his
00:15:55,253 --> 00:15:57,877
role as part of the reliable foundation
00:15:57,877 --> 00:15:59,965
of the group and this continued all
00:15:59,965 --> 00:16:02,643
throughout the month. July
00:16:02,643 --> 00:16:05,305
wasn't all non-stop touring though. On
00:16:05,305 --> 00:16:07,967
the 18th, Joey participated in MSN's
00:16:07,967 --> 00:16:10,630
Artist of the Month web chat.
00:16:10,630 --> 00:16:13,292
Once again, questions about solo projects
00:16:13,292 --> 00:16:15,954
popped up. 1 fan asked directly.
00:16:15,954 --> 00:16:18,616
Do any of you have plans
00:16:18,616 --> 00:16:21,278
for solo projects? Joey's response was
00:16:21,278 --> 00:16:23,997
brief but emphatic. "Not
00:16:23,997 --> 00:16:26,700
as far as solo singing. I know Chris
00:16:26,700 --> 00:16:29,402
did a track with Brian McKnight on his
00:16:29,402 --> 00:16:30,753
album JC's producing. Everything
00:16:30,753 --> 00:16:32,780
comes back to *NSYNC though".
00:16:33,820 --> 00:16:36,621
There was a mistake on Joey's part - it
00:16:36,621 --> 00:16:39,422
was actually Justin who did the duet with
00:16:39,422 --> 00:16:41,874
Brian McKnight and not Chris. But still,
00:16:41,874 --> 00:16:44,325
at that moment, he reaffirmed loyalty to
00:16:44,325 --> 00:16:46,426
the group and underscored the group's
00:16:46,426 --> 00:16:48,177
collective identity. Joey also reflected
00:16:48,177 --> 00:16:50,278
candidly on his injury from May,
00:16:50,278 --> 00:16:52,729
admitting that the pop video shoot hadn't
00:16:52,729 --> 00:16:55,379
been fun. He said, "I hurt my leg and
00:16:55,379 --> 00:16:57,009
couldn't do much dancing, but the set was
00:16:57,009 --> 00:16:58,640
neat and it was a lot of fun".
00:16:59,700 --> 00:17:01,955
His resilience was evident even as he
00:17:01,955 --> 00:17:03,888
acknowledged the limits imposed by his
00:17:03,888 --> 00:17:06,700
recovery. In the chat,
00:17:06,700 --> 00:17:09,082
he also gave fans insight into the
00:17:09,082 --> 00:17:10,783
Celebrity album rollout, explaining that
00:17:10,783 --> 00:17:13,164
the title came from the track Celebrity
00:17:13,164 --> 00:17:15,885
and the cover art, poking fun at their
00:17:15,885 --> 00:17:18,266
fame. When asked about favorite songs, he
00:17:18,266 --> 00:17:20,647
highlighted "Do Your Thing" as upbeat and
00:17:20,647 --> 00:17:22,348
personally meaningful. He also talked
00:17:22,348 --> 00:17:25,070
about the hardest part of his day, which
00:17:25,070 --> 00:17:26,888
was usually juggling sound checks,
00:17:26,888 --> 00:17:29,720
press meet and greets and shows, and it
00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:32,552
gave fans a glimpse of the grind behind
00:17:32,552 --> 00:17:35,383
all of the glamour. When asked about the
00:17:35,383 --> 00:17:37,507
coolest celebrity he met, he answered
00:17:37,507 --> 00:17:39,985
Janet Jackson. It's a nice reminder that
00:17:39,985 --> 00:17:42,109
the relationship developed when *NSYNC
00:17:42,109 --> 00:17:44,587
opened for her during the Velvet Rope
00:17:44,587 --> 00:17:46,710
Tour. The connection that was made
00:17:46,780 --> 00:17:49,049
wasn't just professional, it was also
00:17:49,049 --> 00:17:51,318
social. There were also some media
00:17:51,318 --> 00:17:53,965
features in July that added a bit
00:17:53,965 --> 00:17:56,233
more dimension to Joey's public image,
00:17:56,233 --> 00:17:58,880
although not all of it was good.
00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:01,527
In the August 2001 issue of Vibe
00:18:01,527 --> 00:18:04,174
magazine, which was on news stands and
00:18:04,174 --> 00:18:06,821
sent to subscribers in July, Mimi Valdes
00:18:06,891 --> 00:18:09,385
Wrote a piece defending in syncs R&B
00:18:09,385 --> 00:18:12,235
flavor on top of the pop music that
00:18:12,235 --> 00:18:15,086
they made. Even for the time the piece
00:18:15,086 --> 00:18:16,868
was pretty questionable, but in
44:00:18:16,868 --> 00:18:19,362
retrospect in my opinion it seems even
00:18:19,362 --> 00:18:21,856
more cringeworthy. One standout quote from
00:18:21,856 --> 00:18:24,707
Joey in Valdes' write up is "I know
00:18:24,707 --> 00:18:27,201
if I was black I probably could
00:18:27,271 --> 00:18:30,165
sing 10 times better and riff
00:18:30,165 --> 00:18:33,059
a lot easier." He also contextualized
00:18:33,059 --> 00:18:35,954
his R&B inclinations by noting his
00:18:35,954 --> 00:18:38,848
roots in the 1950s doo-wop that
00:18:38,848 --> 00:18:41,742
his father used to sing. Both
00:18:41,742 --> 00:18:44,637
of these things showed an awareness
00:18:44,637 --> 00:18:47,049
of the racialized perceptions around
00:18:47,049 --> 00:18:49,516
*NSYNC. Particularly when it came to
00:18:49,516 --> 00:18:52,197
their vocal style, but it also showed
00:18:52,197 --> 00:18:54,495
the willingness to ground the group's
00:18:54,495 --> 00:18:57,177
sound in older vocal traditions. In the
00:18:57,177 --> 00:18:59,475
August issue of Rolling Stone, music
00:18:59,475 --> 00:19:02,156
journalist Toure did a profile for
00:19:02,156 --> 00:19:04,837
*NSYNC, and in this piece he painted
00:19:04,837 --> 00:19:07,135
Joey as generous, but his overall
00:19:07,135 --> 00:19:09,887
portrayal was. Flat compared to some of
00:19:09,887 --> 00:19:12,709
his bandmates. Parade touched
00:19:12,709 --> 00:19:14,834
on Joey's generosity with family, like
00:19:14,834 --> 00:19:17,312
buying cars for his parents and siblings,
00:19:17,312 --> 00:19:19,082
including surprising his sister Jeanine
00:19:19,082 --> 00:19:21,914
with a PT Cruiser when the family went
00:19:21,914 --> 00:19:24,747
out to dinner at Benihana. And this is
00:19:24,747 --> 00:19:26,871
something that reinforced his warmth, but
00:19:26,871 --> 00:19:28,995
it focused mostly on Joey's willingness
00:19:28,995 --> 00:19:31,827
to spend money when it came to his
00:19:31,827 --> 00:19:34,531
family. And not so much the interpersonal
00:19:34,531 --> 00:19:37,454
connections. Another thing that stood out
00:19:37,454 --> 00:19:40,018
from the Rolling Stone write up is Joey
00:19:40,018 --> 00:19:42,261
admitting that he would have loved to
00:19:42,261 --> 00:19:44,825
have been in a project like The Sopranos,
00:19:44,825 --> 00:19:47,389
but he was worried about how it would
00:19:47,389 --> 00:19:49,312
alienate younger fans and their parents.
00:19:50,392 --> 00:19:52,480
Joey also acknowledged his flirtatious
00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:54,152
reputation, but still emphasized
00:19:54,152 --> 00:19:56,241
faithfulness to his girlfriend and
00:19:56,241 --> 00:19:58,747
basically framed it as curiosity about
00:19:58,747 --> 00:20:01,254
people. The feature didn't have any
00:20:01,254 --> 00:20:03,343
additional quotes from Joey that
00:20:03,343 --> 00:20:06,267
expounded upon his curiosity, so that was
00:20:06,267 --> 00:20:09,192
basically the long and short of it.
00:20:10,482 --> 00:20:12,530
August brought another health setback for
00:20:12,530 --> 00:20:14,578
Joey, but fortunately no stitches this
00:20:14,578 --> 00:20:17,309
time. On August 5th, he missed the San
00:20:17,309 --> 00:20:20,040
Antonio stop of the PopOdyssey Tour due
00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:22,088
to pneumonia. After he recovered, Joey
00:20:22,088 --> 00:20:24,819
was back at it, joining the group on
00:20:24,819 --> 00:20:27,208
tour again and also for other public
00:20:27,208 --> 00:20:29,598
appearances. On August 20th, *NSYNC was
00:20:29,598 --> 00:20:32,222
part of the TodayShow's Summer Concert
00:20:32,222 --> 00:20:34,900
Series at Rockefeller Plaza in New York.
00:20:34,900 --> 00:20:37,195
This was a high visibility performance
00:20:37,195 --> 00:20:39,873
that reassured fans and the public that
00:20:39,873 --> 00:20:42,551
Joey was on the mend and reliable
00:20:42,551 --> 00:20:44,846
as ever. The spotlight continued to
00:20:44,846 --> 00:20:47,524
follow *NSYNC into September when on
00:20:47,524 --> 00:20:50,202
the 6th they performed Pop at the
00:20:50,202 --> 00:20:52,715
MTV Video Music Awards. Along with
00:20:52,715 --> 00:20:54,974
Michael Jackson, just days later, the
00:20:54,974 --> 00:20:57,609
roles would be reversed and *NSYNC
00:20:57,609 --> 00:21:00,245
would be joining Michael and the rest
00:21:00,245 --> 00:21:02,880
of the Jacksons at his 30th anniversary
00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:05,139
performance at Madison Square Garden in
00:21:05,139 --> 00:21:07,775
New York. on September 10th, MTV aired
00:21:07,775 --> 00:21:10,410
Making the Video for On the Line,
00:21:10,410 --> 00:21:12,292
which featured Joey alongside Lance.
00:21:12,382 --> 00:21:14,902
Mandy Moore, BBMak and a group called
00:21:14,902 --> 00:21:16,792
True Vibe the broadcast spotlight at
00:21:16,792 --> 00:21:18,682
Joey's role in promoting the soundtrack
00:21:18,682 --> 00:21:21,517
for On the Line and also gave fans a
00:21:21,517 --> 00:21:23,722
behind the scenes look at his crossover
00:21:23,722 --> 00:21:26,576
into film. With On the Line
00:21:26,576 --> 00:21:29,243
slated for release later in the month,
00:21:29,243 --> 00:21:31,148
Joey's dual commitments, touring and
00:21:31,148 --> 00:21:33,815
acting showed the full breadth of his
00:21:33,815 --> 00:21:36,481
career at that time. The following day,
00:21:36,481 --> 00:21:38,386
the September 11th terrorist attacks
00:21:38,386 --> 00:21:40,291
happened, a national tragedy that
00:21:40,291 --> 00:21:42,196
reshaped our cultural landscape. While
00:21:42,196 --> 00:21:44,482
this episode focuses on Joey's career
00:21:44,482 --> 00:21:47,082
trajectory. It's important to note that
00:21:47,082 --> 00:21:50,008
*NSYNC would later respond with a
00:21:50,008 --> 00:21:52,097
benefit concert in November, supporting
00:21:52,097 --> 00:21:55,023
the relief efforts from the tragedy. In
00:21:55,023 --> 00:21:57,112
September, *NSYNC's reach expanded
00:21:57,112 --> 00:21:59,620
further into interactive media. On the
00:21:59,620 --> 00:22:01,710
17th, Infogrames released the *NSYNC
00:22:01,710 --> 00:22:04,217
Hotline fantasy phone CD-ROM game this
00:22:04,217 --> 00:22:06,576
game featured mini-games, trivia, and
00:22:06,576 --> 00:22:08,740
exclusive audio and video clips. For
00:22:08,740 --> 00:22:11,265
Joey, it was another reminder that his
00:22:11,265 --> 00:22:14,151
image and voice were part of an ecosystem
00:22:14,151 --> 00:22:16,315
that stretched from stadium stages to
00:22:16,315 --> 00:22:18,479
home computers. On September 24th, IFC
00:22:18,479 --> 00:22:20,644
aired A crossover documentary with behind
00:22:20,644 --> 00:22:23,169
the scenes footage of On the Line,
00:22:23,169 --> 00:22:25,793
positioning Joey as part of Insync's. For
00:22:25,793 --> 00:22:28,383
it to expand into film. The following
00:22:28,383 --> 00:22:30,973
day, Joey and Lance appeared on The Rosie
00:22:30,973 --> 00:22:33,563
O'Donnell Show to promote On the Line,
00:22:33,563 --> 00:22:36,153
with both of them fielding questions
00:22:36,153 --> 00:22:38,373
about how *NSYNC songs were divided
00:22:38,373 --> 00:22:40,223
vocally. Joey explained it's really
00:22:40,223 --> 00:22:42,073
producers at times, while Lance
00:22:42,073 --> 00:22:44,293
elaborated that writers often had someone
00:22:44,293 --> 00:22:46,935
specific in mind. But the group would
00:22:46,935 --> 00:22:49,128
experiment with the sound. Sometimes Joey
00:22:49,128 --> 00:22:52,052
or Justin would try the lead to see
00:22:52,052 --> 00:22:54,244
what fit best. This exchange highlighted
00:22:54,244 --> 00:22:56,437
Joey's role in the creative process,
00:22:56,437 --> 00:22:58,995
showing that while he wasn't always the
00:22:58,995 --> 00:23:01,188
default lead, he was actively considered
00:23:01,188 --> 00:23:03,746
sometimes, and he was tested in that
00:23:03,746 --> 00:23:05,573
position. So overall, September closed
00:23:05,643 --> 00:23:08,627
out the third quarter of the year, with
00:23:08,627 --> 00:23:11,611
Joey firmly back in the spotlight, he had
00:23:11,611 --> 00:23:13,475
been recognized for his resilience,
00:23:13,475 --> 00:23:15,713
admired for his aspirations, and still
00:23:15,713 --> 00:23:17,951
very visible across music, film and
00:23:17,951 --> 00:23:20,837
multimedia. (Transition Sound) October marked Joey's
00:23:20,837 --> 00:23:23,319
most visible solo press window in late
00:23:23,319 --> 00:23:26,156
2001, and this was because On the Line
00:23:26,156 --> 00:23:28,283
promotion placed him in the spotlight
00:23:28,283 --> 00:23:30,765
apart from the group. But before diving
00:23:30,765 --> 00:23:32,893
into the film's premiere and the
00:23:32,893 --> 00:23:35,020
continued press run from September, I'd
00:23:35,020 --> 00:23:37,147
like to make one clarification because
00:23:37,147 --> 00:23:39,275
it's something that's been misreported in
00:23:39,275 --> 00:23:42,017
fan circles for a while now. On
00:23:42,017 --> 00:23:44,360
the Still *NSYNC WordPress site, their
00:23:44,360 --> 00:23:46,704
January 2001 chronology listed Joey as
00:23:46,704 --> 00:23:49,438
appearing in a film called The Brothers,
00:23:49,438 --> 00:23:52,172
and they described it as a romantic
00:23:52,172 --> 00:23:54,516
comedy directed by Gary Hardwick and
00:23:54,516 --> 00:23:56,859
starring Morris Chestnut, DL Hugley, Bill
00:23:56,859 --> 00:23:59,203
Bellamy and Shemar Moore. There's just
00:23:59,203 --> 00:24:01,968
one problem: Joey was not in
00:24:01,968 --> 00:24:04,828
that movie - not as one of the
00:24:04,828 --> 00:24:07,688
leads, not as a side character, not
00:24:07,688 --> 00:24:10,548
even as an extra. The movie that
00:24:10,548 --> 00:24:13,408
Joey was actually in was a completely
00:24:13,408 --> 00:24:15,451
different independent film, and the
00:24:15,451 --> 00:24:17,903
working title was The Brothers. On
00:24:17,903 --> 00:24:19,946
October 6th, themovie report.com
00:24:19,946 --> 00:24:22,058
published a transcript of a press junket
00:24:22,058 --> 00:24:24,006
where Joey mentioned the project. A
00:24:24,006 --> 00:24:26,278
question from one reporter was "Can you
00:24:26,278 --> 00:24:28,876
talk a little about these two movies you
00:24:28,876 --> 00:24:31,473
have coming up?" Joey replied,"One is an
00:24:31,473 --> 00:24:33,421
independent. They changed the name, I
00:24:33,421 --> 00:24:36,019
don't know the exact name. It was the
00:24:36,019 --> 00:24:38,292
Brothers. I think they changed it because
00:24:38,292 --> 00:24:40,564
a movie came out called The Brothers.
00:24:41,634 --> 00:24:44,354
I play a real small role in that,
00:24:44,354 --> 00:24:47,074
really tiny I play a liquor clerk that
00:24:47,074 --> 00:24:49,794
gets beat up." So that other film with
00:24:49,794 --> 00:24:52,175
the working title of "The Brothers" was
00:24:52,175 --> 00:24:54,555
eventually released in 2007 as "The Bros".
00:24:54,555 --> 00:24:57,275
And in the movie, Joey played a cashier
00:24:57,275 --> 00:24:59,315
who got killed during a robbery.
00:25:00,245 --> 00:25:02,891
The movie itself was a low budget
00:25:02,891 --> 00:25:05,160
urban comedy about two suburban white
00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:07,807
guys trying to break into gangsta rap.
00:25:07,807 --> 00:25:10,075
The confusion likely stemmed from early
00:25:10,075 --> 00:25:12,722
fan pages and possibly an IMDb listing
00:25:12,722 --> 00:25:14,991
that didn't distinguish between the two
614
00:25:14,991 --> 00:25:17,638
projects, but they're not the same. One
00:25:17,638 --> 00:25:20,284
was a studio backed ensemble film with
00:25:20,284 --> 00:25:23,074
a theatrical release in 2001, and the
00:25:23,074 --> 00:25:25,996
other the film that Joey was in, was a
00:25:25,996 --> 00:25:28,268
delayed indie project that sat in limbo
00:25:28,268 --> 00:25:30,216
for years before quietly being released
00:25:30,216 --> 00:25:32,986
on DVD. And as
00:25:32,986 --> 00:25:35,057
a fun fact, both films are currently
00:25:35,057 --> 00:25:37,127
available to stream on 2B if you're
00:25:37,127 --> 00:25:39,198
curious enough to watch and compare them
00:25:39,198 --> 00:25:41,858
side by side. Returning
00:25:41,858 --> 00:25:44,820
to the press junket, the comments about
00:25:44,820 --> 00:25:47,359
the independent film weren't Joey's only
00:25:47,359 --> 00:25:50,329
noteworthy statements. One of
00:25:50,329 --> 00:25:52,583
the first questions Joey was asked was
00:25:52,583 --> 00:25:54,515
"Which do you enjoy more, performing
00:25:54,515 --> 00:25:56,769
with *NSYNC or acting?" He said "Both.
00:25:56,769 --> 00:25:59,345
They're both a lot of fun. It's cool
00:25:59,345 --> 00:26:01,921
because when you do the other one, it's
00:26:01,921 --> 00:26:04,175
an outlet. It's like a little vacation,
00:26:04,175 --> 00:26:06,107
if you will, because it's something
00:26:06,107 --> 00:26:08,683
different and you're able to come back to
00:26:08,683 --> 00:26:10,615
*NSYNC and work on songs."
00:26:11,975 --> 00:26:13,612
When asked about future singing
00:26:13,612 --> 00:26:15,577
opportunities, he replied "Who knows? If
00:26:15,577 --> 00:26:18,196
the song is right and the producer wants
00:26:18,196 --> 00:26:21,143
me to sing that, sure, why not? It was
00:26:21,143 --> 00:26:23,762
weird because the movie gave me a chance
00:26:23,762 --> 00:26:26,382
to do different things and for people to
00:26:26,382 --> 00:26:29,329
be like, 'oh, he can really sing' as far
00:26:29,329 --> 00:26:31,621
as the ending song is concerned, but
00:26:31,621 --> 00:26:34,351
other ones? 'Like Pour Some Sugar on Me'
00:26:34,351 --> 00:26:36,999
or the parody of 'Every Rose Has Its
00:26:36,999 --> 00:26:38,985
Thorn', those were fun things, though,
00:26:38,985 --> 00:26:41,963
because it was like, you're at a bar and
00:26:41,963 --> 00:26:44,280
whatever came out basically when I was
00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:46,597
recording in the studio, that's what we
00:26:46,597 --> 00:26:49,245
used. It was just funny. It's not the
00:26:49,245 --> 00:26:52,121
greatest." When asked about writing
00:26:52,121 --> 00:26:54,929
for *NSYNC's next album, Joey said "It's
00:26:54,929 --> 00:26:56,936
possible. We haven't written anything
00:26:56,936 --> 00:26:59,343
yet. Honestly, we're just taking some
00:26:59,343 --> 00:27:02,199
time off. Obviously I've been
00:27:02,199 --> 00:27:04,306
doing promotion with this. If I was
00:27:04,306 --> 00:27:06,413
completely off, maybe I would be writing
00:27:06,413 --> 00:27:08,220
something. But we have another tour
00:27:08,220 --> 00:27:10,628
coming up next year around April. It's a
00:27:10,628 --> 00:27:12,434
totally new tour. We're downsizing it
00:27:12,434 --> 00:27:14,842
from stadiums to arenas. It's going to be
00:27:14,842 --> 00:27:17,552
a lot of fun. A lot of the songs
00:27:17,552 --> 00:27:19,960
that we didn't do the last tour were
00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:22,324
doing for this tour coming up. So it's
00:27:22,324 --> 00:27:23,646
going to be a whole new show."
00:27:25,206 --> 00:27:27,277
Overall, these comments highlight three
00:27:27,277 --> 00:27:30,176
things about Joey: his modesty about his
00:27:30,176 --> 00:27:33,075
acting, his openness to singing more if
00:27:33,075 --> 00:27:35,974
musical producers were open to it, and
00:27:35,974 --> 00:27:38,874
his acknowledgement that the group was on
00:27:38,874 --> 00:27:41,773
a little break at the time, but
00:27:41,773 --> 00:27:44,672
they had an upcoming arena tour in
00:27:44,672 --> 00:27:46,116
the following year.
00:27:47,856 --> 00:27:50,597
The idea of *NSYNC being on a break
00:27:50,597 --> 00:27:52,996
at that time is interesting because for
00:27:52,996 --> 00:27:55,395
what it's worth, it still seemed that
00:27:55,395 --> 00:27:57,108
they maintained public visibility, and
00:27:57,108 --> 00:27:59,849
that raises a question for me about what
00:27:59,849 --> 00:28:02,590
was meant by taking a break when it
00:28:02,590 --> 00:28:04,646
came to how *NSYNC typically operated.
00:28:05,886 --> 00:28:08,832
Joey framed it as taking a break and
00:28:08,832 --> 00:28:11,778
then pivoting to a tour in the following
00:28:11,778 --> 00:28:14,566
year. So was
00:28:14,566 --> 00:28:17,446
a break for *NSYNC actually time off? It
00:28:17,446 --> 00:28:20,327
doesn't seem that way. He was using his
00:28:20,327 --> 00:28:23,207
down time to promote the film, but he
00:28:23,207 --> 00:28:26,087
wasn't off in the sense of having no
00:28:26,087 --> 00:28:28,607
media visibility or public work at all.
00:28:30,687 --> 00:28:33,391
A few days later after the press junket,
00:28:33,391 --> 00:28:35,758
On the Line premiered on October 9th.
00:28:35,758 --> 00:28:38,125
Some of the pictures from the premiere
00:28:38,125 --> 00:28:40,491
ended up as exclusive content on a
00:28:40,491 --> 00:28:42,520
website called NSYNC Pagoda, and that
00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:44,549
was through the site's partnership with
00:28:44,549 --> 00:28:47,447
Miramax. The press week continued
00:28:47,447 --> 00:28:49,697
with other solo guest appearances like
00:28:49,697 --> 00:28:52,322
Joey being a guest on The Late
00:28:52,322 --> 00:28:54,572
Late Show with Craig Kilborn, then
00:28:54,572 --> 00:28:57,197
appearing on Live with Regis and Kelly
00:28:57,197 --> 00:28:59,822
on October 12th a followed later by
00:28:59,822 --> 00:29:02,447
an appearance on The View on October
00:29:02,447 --> 00:29:05,072
18th. That one was alongside Lance Bass.
00:29:05,072 --> 00:29:06,858
These media appearances highlighted the
00:29:06,858 --> 00:29:09,222
unique position that Joey was in at the
00:29:09,222 --> 00:29:12,151
time, becoming very visible as
00:29:12,151 --> 00:29:14,081
an individual entertainer but still
00:29:14,081 --> 00:29:16,782
careful to frame his work as being
00:29:16,782 --> 00:29:19,484
complementary to his primary job and his
00:29:19,484 --> 00:29:21,800
primary duties with *NSYNC. In November,
00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:24,116
the media spotlight had widened to
00:29:24,116 --> 00:29:26,818
refocus on the group. The biggest example
00:29:26,818 --> 00:29:29,519
of this was on November 11th when
00:29:29,519 --> 00:29:32,391
thousands of fans. Flocked to Miami's South
00:29:32,391 --> 00:29:34,856
Beach for *NSYNC's free Veteran's Day
00:29:34,856 --> 00:29:37,733
concert. The concert wasn't only to honor
00:29:37,733 --> 00:29:40,198
veterans, though. It also benefited the
00:29:40,198 --> 00:29:43,075
families of the victims of the September
00:29:43,075 --> 00:29:45,129
11th terrorist attacks, which just
00:29:45,129 --> 00:29:47,184
underscored one of *NSYNC's many
00:29:47,184 --> 00:29:48,827
commitments to public service.
00:29:49,867 --> 00:29:52,407
Days later, in an interview with BBC's
00:29:52,407 --> 00:29:55,308
Radio One, Joey was a little candid about
00:29:55,308 --> 00:29:57,847
the exhaustion that he seemed to feel,
00:29:57,847 --> 00:30:00,749
and possibly some of the other members of
00:30:00,749 --> 00:30:03,651
the group felt as well, he was quoted
00:30:03,651 --> 00:30:05,828
as saying. "Obviously there are some times
00:30:05,828 --> 00:30:08,729
where all of us are like, 'hey, we
00:30:08,729 --> 00:30:11,593
need a break'. We're going
00:30:11,593 --> 00:30:14,414
to have hopefully a little more time off
00:30:14,414 --> 00:30:16,883
and then hopefully do some promotion in
00:30:16,883 --> 00:30:19,704
Europe. Then we'll be back on tour. I
00:30:19,704 --> 00:30:22,525
think I want to say April of next
00:30:22,525 --> 00:30:25,487
year'. Again, for me this
00:30:25,487 --> 00:30:28,286
raises the question of what time off
00:30:28,286 --> 00:30:31,084
actually meant for *NSYNC when they
00:30:31,084 --> 00:30:33,083
weren't active group, because Joey
00:30:33,083 --> 00:30:35,882
describes them as wanting a little more
00:30:35,882 --> 00:30:38,680
time off, but they were still making
00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:41,079
multiple public appearances at the time.
00:30:41,079 --> 00:30:43,878
One such example is on November 20th,
00:30:43,968 --> 00:30:46,782
When *NSYNC appeared on MTV's TRL and
00:30:46,782 --> 00:30:49,595
then a day later on the 21st, the
00:30:49,595 --> 00:30:51,705
group made their first appearance on
00:30:51,705 --> 00:30:54,519
BET's 106 and Park. That same day, Joey
00:30:54,519 --> 00:30:56,981
was welcomed at the Siegfried and Roy
00:30:56,981 --> 00:30:59,794
show in Las Vegas, placing him back in
00:30:59,794 --> 00:31:02,256
solo spotlight, even just for a brief
00:31:02,256 --> 00:31:04,967
glimpse. But overall, November
00:31:04,967 --> 00:31:06,815
captured the tension between Joey's
00:31:06,815 --> 00:31:09,033
continued visibility as part of *NSYNC,
00:31:09,033 --> 00:31:11,990
but also his weariness. I think it serves
00:31:11,990 --> 00:31:14,947
as a reminder that even in moments of
00:31:14,947 --> 00:31:17,535
burnout, he was still expected to remain
00:31:17,535 --> 00:31:20,492
a public figure and show up, whether that
00:31:20,492 --> 00:31:22,710
was for charity, for entertainment, or
00:31:22,710 --> 00:31:25,596
for general media purposes. In December
00:31:25,596 --> 00:31:27,897
closed the year with Joey firmly embedded
00:31:27,897 --> 00:31:30,527
in group activity. On the 4th *NSYNC
00:31:30,527 --> 00:31:32,500
performed together at the Billboard Music
00:31:32,500 --> 00:31:35,324
Awards. A few days later,
00:31:35,324 --> 00:31:37,994
on December 8th, Joey joined the rest of
00:31:37,994 --> 00:31:40,331
*NSYNC in Orlando for a holiday charity
00:31:40,331 --> 00:31:42,668
event handing out gifts to children as
00:31:42,668 --> 00:31:45,005
part of their nonprofit Challenge For the
00:31:45,005 --> 00:31:47,808
Children. The pay is continued
00:31:47,808 --> 00:31:49,967
with MTV's TRL Christmas Special on
00:31:49,967 --> 00:31:52,485
December 19th. Footage shows the group
00:31:52,485 --> 00:31:55,004
doing their best to maintain and spread
00:31:55,004 --> 00:31:56,803
holiday cheer, but there definitely
00:31:56,803 --> 00:31:59,322
seemed to be an undercurrent of visible
00:31:59,322 --> 00:32:01,841
fatigue. And then rounding out the month,
00:32:01,841 --> 00:32:04,719
and the end of 2001, the premiere of
00:32:04,719 --> 00:32:07,052
the Girlfriend music video debuted on
00:32:07,052 --> 00:32:09,863
MTV on New Year's Eve, closing out
00:32:09,863 --> 00:32:12,272
yet another year with *NSYNC prominently
00:32:12,272 --> 00:32:13,879
featured in the media.
00:32:15,329 --> 00:32:17,699
Something that's key to mention in
00:32:17,699 --> 00:32:19,674
December, though it hasn't been
00:32:19,674 --> 00:32:22,044
independently confirmed, is that in his
00:32:22,044 --> 00:32:24,809
memoir, Lance Bass recalled when he was
00:32:24,809 --> 00:32:27,574
in a hotel room listening to CD's
00:32:27,574 --> 00:32:30,339
with Joey, Justin came in and approached
00:32:30,339 --> 00:32:33,104
the two of them, asking how they
00:32:33,104 --> 00:32:35,079
felt about taking a break.
00:32:35,959 --> 00:32:38,836
Again, I want to reiterate that this has
00:32:38,836 --> 00:32:40,635
never been independently confirmed, and
00:32:40,635 --> 00:32:43,512
that's as far as Joey is concerned or
00:32:43,512 --> 00:32:46,389
any of the other members of *NSYNC. But
00:32:46,389 --> 00:32:48,907
like I mentioned in the introduction, I
00:32:48,907 --> 00:32:51,424
would be using Lance's memoir as one
00:32:51,424 --> 00:32:53,582
point of reference. And considering the
00:32:53,582 --> 00:32:56,460
number of times that the idea of a
00:32:56,460 --> 00:32:59,068
break came up for Joey and
00:32:59,068 --> 00:33:01,718
media interviews late in 2001 and
00:33:01,718 --> 00:33:04,368
specifically when he talked about fatigue
00:33:04,368 --> 00:33:07,018
to BBC's Radio One, I do
00:33:07,018 --> 00:33:09,668
think that this is something worth
00:33:09,668 --> 00:33:12,662
mentioning. *NSYNC was
00:33:12,662 --> 00:33:15,428
already taking some form of a
00:33:15,428 --> 00:33:18,194
break at that point in the
00:33:18,194 --> 00:33:20,960
year. And then there's the possible
00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,265
proposition of taking another, more
00:33:23,265 --> 00:33:25,569
extended break sometime in 2002.
00:33:27,470 --> 00:33:30,297
The timeline that Joey hinted at multiple
00:33:30,297 --> 00:33:33,124
times in the media in late 2001,
00:33:33,124 --> 00:33:35,951
where the group would take a break
00:33:35,951 --> 00:33:38,374
and then resume touring the following
00:33:38,374 --> 00:33:40,798
April, seems to have gotten flipped
00:33:40,798 --> 00:33:43,221
around. So this disclosure from Lance's
00:33:43,221 --> 00:33:45,240
memoir presents one possible explanation
00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:48,198
of how that happened - how the group
00:33:48,198 --> 00:33:50,803
went from taking a break around
00:33:50,803 --> 00:33:53,408
the end of 2001 and then
00:33:53,408 --> 00:33:56,013
anticipating an arena tour in April
00:33:56,013 --> 00:33:58,618
of 2002, somehow flipped around to
00:33:58,618 --> 00:34:01,223
them touring in early 2002 and
00:34:01,223 --> 00:34:03,827
then taking a break at the
00:34:03,827 --> 00:34:05,130
end of April. (Transition Sound)
00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:08,830
Overall, Joey Fatone's 2001 trajectory
00:34:08,830 --> 00:34:11,410
revealed the full spectrum of what
00:34:11,410 --> 00:34:13,990
it meant to be both a
00:34:13,990 --> 00:34:16,570
reliable member of *NSYNC and an
00:34:16,570 --> 00:34:19,150
individual carving out his own space,
00:34:19,150 --> 00:34:21,300
from spring's injury and resilience,
00:34:21,300 --> 00:34:23,450
through summer's relentless touring and
00:34:23,450 --> 00:34:26,030
media visibility, then into fall's surge
00:34:26,030 --> 00:34:28,722
and solo promotion and then the
00:34:28,722 --> 00:34:30,913
year's closing stretch of group
00:34:30,913 --> 00:34:33,103
commitments. Joey showed up consistently,
00:34:33,103 --> 00:34:35,293
sometimes being candid about exhaustion,
00:34:35,293 --> 00:34:37,921
other times being playful like in
00:34:37,921 --> 00:34:40,550
interviews, but always present. By the
00:34:40,550 --> 00:34:43,178
end of the year, his path
00:34:43,178 --> 00:34:45,806
reflected a balance between loyalty to
00:34:45,806 --> 00:34:48,115
the group, curiosity and exploring
00:34:48,115 --> 00:34:50,829
creative outlets and also some of
00:34:50,829 --> 00:34:53,090
the strain of constant visibility.
00:34:54,670 --> 00:34:57,650
I think for this year, Joey's story gives
00:34:57,650 --> 00:34:59,884
us three critical takeaways. The first
00:34:59,884 --> 00:35:02,863
was that he proved a member of the
00:35:02,863 --> 00:35:04,725
group could successfully branch out
00:35:04,725 --> 00:35:06,960
without neglecting any of his primary
00:35:06,960 --> 00:35:09,194
obligations. And Joey was fully present
00:35:09,194 --> 00:35:11,429
and performed through every major moment
00:35:11,429 --> 00:35:13,663
for *NSYNC, from the People's Choice
00:35:13,663 --> 00:35:16,361
Awards to their tour to the VMAs
00:35:16,361 --> 00:35:19,341
and even showing up for charity right at
00:35:19,341 --> 00:35:22,321
the end of the year. The second take
00:35:22,321 --> 00:35:25,301
away is that his loyalty to *NSYNC
00:35:25,301 --> 00:35:26,791
seemed unwavering. Joey consistently
00:35:26,791 --> 00:35:28,653
framed his individual pursuits as
00:35:28,653 --> 00:35:31,261
something that was secondary to the group
00:35:31,261 --> 00:35:33,868
and never hesitated to remind the public
00:35:33,868 --> 00:35:36,542
that everything comes back to *NSYNC.
00:35:36,542 --> 00:35:39,508
And the third take away is that it
00:35:39,508 --> 00:35:42,103
seems like Joey was operating under the
00:35:42,103 --> 00:35:44,328
assumption of mutual empathy and the
00:35:44,328 --> 00:35:46,923
assumption of being in tune with his
00:35:46,923 --> 00:35:49,148
fellow bandmates. I think it's something
00:35:49,148 --> 00:35:51,743
that came across in the Larry King
00:35:51,743 --> 00:35:53,967
interview when the question was posed
00:35:53,967 --> 00:35:56,667
about the group evolving and he felt
00:35:56,667 --> 00:35:59,381
confident enough in their unity and their
00:35:59,381 --> 00:36:02,095
ability to say that he definitely thought
00:36:02,095 --> 00:36:04,810
they could rise to the occasion and
00:36:04,810 --> 00:36:07,524
evolve together as a group. I also
00:36:07,524 --> 00:36:10,239
think it came out later in the
00:36:10,239 --> 00:36:12,566
year when Joey talked about the
00:36:12,566 --> 00:36:15,280
prospective touring in April of 2002 and
00:36:15,280 --> 00:36:17,945
also in reference to the undercurrent of
00:36:17,945 --> 00:36:20,169
fatigue, he didn't just talk about things
00:36:20,169 --> 00:36:22,711
in terms of himself by saying that I'm
00:36:22,711 --> 00:36:25,571
tired and I want to break. It was framed
00:36:25,571 --> 00:36:27,478
as something that was mutual and
00:36:27,478 --> 00:36:29,385
something that was desired by every
00:36:29,385 --> 00:36:31,927
member of *NSYNC. And I don't think Joey
00:36:31,927 --> 00:36:34,151
would make that kind of comment without
00:36:34,151 --> 00:36:36,376
feeling like everybody was mostly on the
00:36:36,376 --> 00:36:38,818
same page. Even when acknowledging
00:36:38,818 --> 00:36:41,471
exhaustion, he still framed the group's
00:36:41,471 --> 00:36:44,125
break, any break they might take,
00:36:44,125 --> 00:36:46,778
as something being temporary and the
00:36:46,778 --> 00:36:49,431
return was implied as inevitable. So
00:36:49,431 --> 00:36:52,085
it seems that for him, loyalty
00:36:52,085 --> 00:36:54,738
didn't just mean showing up, but
00:36:54,738 --> 00:36:57,392
also aligning his own pace and
00:36:57,502 --> 00:36:59,727
his own sentiments with the group's
00:36:59,727 --> 00:37:01,582
calendar and the group's current.
00:37:02,752 --> 00:37:05,738
Next time on Unsynchronized, we'll be
00:37:05,738 --> 00:37:08,227
following Chris Kirkpatrick, the visual
00:37:08,227 --> 00:37:11,213
architect, the wild card, and the
00:37:11,213 --> 00:37:13,702
mastermind behind FuMan Skeeto. Chris
00:37:13,702 --> 00:37:16,191
spent 2001 navigating brand building,
00:37:16,191 --> 00:37:19,178
stage duty, and the quieter dynamics
00:37:19,178 --> 00:37:22,164
of being *NSYNC's oldest member. His
00:37:22,164 --> 00:37:24,766
arc unfolds in episode 3. Until
00:37:24,766 --> 00:37:27,615
then, this has been Nicole Raposo. Thanks
00:37:27,615 --> 00:37:30,463
for joining me, and remember, you can't
00:37:30,463 --> 00:37:32,498
spell Unsynchronized without *NSYNC.
00:37:32,498 --> 00:37:33,312
Talk soon. (Drum 'n Bass beatboxing noises)
00:37:40,352 --> 00:37:42,332
(Drum 'n Bass beatboxing noises)
00:37:42,332 --> 00:37:42,992
(Drum 'n Bass beatboxing noises)