Unsynchronized - Season 1 Episode 3 - The Buzzing 'Skeeto
00:00 --> 00:00:19,690
1
(Drum 'n Bass beatboxing noises)
2
00:00:22,410 --> 00:00:25,323
One band, 5 voices, and today it's
3
00:00:25,323 --> 00:00:27,820
all about Chris Kirkpatrick, the counter-
4
00:00:27,820 --> 00:00:30,733
tenor, the Comic Relief, and the member
5
00:00:30,733 --> 00:00:33,230
whose 2001 was splashy, strategic and
6
00:00:33,230 --> 00:00:35,727
more revealing than what most people
7
00:00:35,727 --> 00:00:38,640
remember. This was the year that his
8
00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:41,456
age became a talking point. The press
9
00:00:41,456 --> 00:00:44,117
kind of shorthand for the supposed end of
10
00:00:44,117 --> 00:00:46,779
teen pop, a year when the industry was
11
00:00:46,779 --> 00:00:48,442
shifting between touring, creating, and
12
00:00:48,442 --> 00:00:51,104
building a fashion line that let him step
13
00:00:51,104 --> 00:00:53,766
outside of his usual box, Chris showed up
14
00:00:53,766 --> 00:00:56,094
in ways that the spotlight didn't always
15
00:00:56,094 --> 00:00:58,756
linger on. Let's rewind the year and take
16
00:00:58,756 --> 00:01:01,085
a closer look with today's episode, The
17
00:01:01,085 --> 00:01:03,757
Buzzing Skeeto. I'm your host
18
00:01:03,757 --> 00:01:05,517
Nicole Raposo, and welcome to
19
00:01:05,517 --> 00:01:07,277
Unsynchronized, a deep dive show
20
00:01:07,277 --> 00:01:10,094
exploring how the boy band *NSYNC got
21
00:01:10,094 --> 00:01:12,558
out of sync and eventually called it
22
00:01:12,558 --> 00:01:15,368
quits. Chris Kirkpatrick's 2001 wasn't
23
00:01:15,368 --> 00:01:18,043
flashy in the way that you would expect
24
00:01:18,043 --> 00:01:20,719
for a member of a boy band, but
25
00:01:20,719 --> 00:01:23,394
it was intentional and it was steady. It
26
00:01:23,394 --> 00:01:26,069
was also more revealing than what some of
27
00:01:26,069 --> 00:01:27,741
the headlines suggested. He stayed
28
00:01:27,741 --> 00:01:29,748
committed to the group, kept the
29
00:01:29,748 --> 00:01:31,754
harmonies tight, but also he quietly
30
00:01:31,754 --> 00:01:34,497
carved out a space for himself. And he
31
00:01:34,497 --> 00:01:36,197
did this through FuMan Skeeto and
32
00:01:36,197 --> 00:01:38,181
through the way he navigated the pop
33
00:01:38,181 --> 00:01:40,447
landscape that was aging him out even as
34
00:01:40,447 --> 00:01:41,581
he kept showing up. (Transition sound)
35
00:01:44,051 --> 00:01:46,810
January opened with *NSYNC on one of the
36
00:01:46,810 --> 00:01:48,535
most traditional stages in American
37
00:01:48,535 --> 00:01:51,294
media, Larry King Live on January 9th. It
38
00:01:51,294 --> 00:01:53,708
showed to be a calm and controlled
39
00:01:53,708 --> 00:01:55,778
environment, the kind of interview where
40
00:01:55,778 --> 00:01:58,537
the group could still present as a united
41
00:01:58,537 --> 00:02:00,261
front before the celebrity cycle
42
00:02:00,261 --> 00:02:02,331
accelerated and before the year became
43
00:02:02,331 --> 00:02:05,302
more chaotic. Larry
44
00:02:05,302 --> 00:02:07,971
introduced each member of the group by
45
00:02:07,971 --> 00:02:10,641
name and age, and the introduction itself
46
00:02:10,641 --> 00:02:12,547
wasn't particularly noteworthy, but I'm
47
00:02:12,547 --> 00:02:14,835
choosing to highlight it because Chris's
48
00:02:14,835 --> 00:02:17,504
age became a bit of a recurring
49
00:02:17,504 --> 00:02:20,174
motif throughout the year. He is the
50
00:02:20,174 --> 00:02:22,843
oldest of the group, and in some
51
00:02:22,843 --> 00:02:25,131
respects that made him an outlier.
52
00:02:26,101 --> 00:02:28,291
It definitely made him the one that the
53
00:02:28,291 --> 00:02:29,934
media couldn't resist framing as the
54
00:02:29,934 --> 00:02:31,851
elder in a group of 20 somethings.
55
00:02:33,151 --> 00:02:35,590
It wasn't always hostile, but it was
56
00:02:35,590 --> 00:02:38,030
definitely a pattern, and it's one that
57
00:02:38,030 --> 00:02:40,818
will follow him through the course of the
58
00:02:40,818 --> 00:02:42,909
celebrity era. Chris participated in the
59
00:02:42,909 --> 00:02:45,000
interview, but the heavier questions were
60
00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,440
fielded by others. When Larry turned to
61
00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,228
him, it was to revisit the familiar beats
62
00:02:50,228 --> 00:02:52,667
of his back story, the small town
63
00:02:52,667 --> 00:02:54,938
childhood, the teenage mother. Growing up
64
00:02:54,938 --> 00:02:57,621
in poverty and the recent breakup with
65
00:02:57,621 --> 00:03:00,375
his ex-girlfriend Danielle. The narrative
66
00:03:00,375 --> 00:03:03,016
was already being shaped for him for
67
00:03:03,016 --> 00:03:05,656
the rest of the year, not around
68
00:03:05,656 --> 00:03:07,919
his artistry or about his contributions
69
00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:10,559
to *NSYNC, but more so around
70
00:03:10,559 --> 00:03:12,822
his circumstances, the things that were
71
00:03:12,822 --> 00:03:15,462
made to be his story and his
72
00:03:15,462 --> 00:03:17,725
struggles. It's a subtle reminder that
73
00:03:17,725 --> 00:03:20,464
even in some moments of group unity
74
00:03:20,464 --> 00:03:22,810
Chris was framed differently than the
75
00:03:22,810 --> 00:03:25,673
others. Just weeks later,
76
00:03:25,673 --> 00:03:28,556
Chris found himself on one of the biggest
77
00:03:28,556 --> 00:03:31,079
stages in the world, the Super Bowl
78
00:03:31,079 --> 00:03:33,241
halftime show. *NSYNC with Aerosmith:
79
00:03:34,161 --> 00:03:37,033
Bye, bye, bye. It's Gonna Be Me and Walk
80
00:03:37,033 --> 00:03:39,989
This Way. Chris keeps up with
81
00:03:39,989 --> 00:03:42,161
the choreography and he holds the
82
00:03:42,161 --> 00:03:45,056
harmonies. He holds on to the moment, but
83
00:03:45,056 --> 00:03:47,590
the spotlight that passes over him for
84
00:03:47,590 --> 00:03:50,123
the most part, not because he isn't
85
00:03:50,123 --> 00:03:52,295
performing, because he is, and not
86
00:03:52,295 --> 00:03:54,828
because he isn't present, because he is,
87
00:03:54,828 --> 00:03:57,362
but because the machinery of the moment
88
00:03:57,362 --> 00:03:59,172
wasn't built to focus on.
89
00:04:00,192 --> 00:04:02,362
And that's something else that's going to
90
00:04:02,362 --> 00:04:05,152
seem to be a bit of a pattern as
91
00:04:05,152 --> 00:04:06,082
the year unfolds.
92
00:04:08,472 --> 00:04:11,246
So January wasn't a jam packed month
93
00:04:11,246 --> 00:04:14,020
for *NSYNC as a group or for
94
00:04:14,020 --> 00:04:16,795
Chris as an individual, but it did
95
00:04:16,795 --> 00:04:19,569
show us a bit of the contrast
96
00:04:19,569 --> 00:04:21,947
that defines Chris' Celebrity era arc.
97
00:04:21,947 --> 00:04:24,722
When it comes to him versus the
98
00:04:24,722 --> 00:04:27,100
group, he's everywhere, but he's not
99
00:04:27,100 --> 00:04:29,844
really centered. He is essential. But
100
00:04:29,844 --> 00:04:31,022
he's rarely highlighted.
101
00:04:32,732 --> 00:04:35,372
When it comes down to is that he's
102
00:04:35,372 --> 00:04:38,012
visible, but he's not fully seen. This is
103
00:04:38,012 --> 00:04:40,322
the baseline. This is where the year
104
00:04:40,322 --> 00:04:43,158
begins. February is
105
00:04:43,158 --> 00:04:45,741
the first month where you can really see
106
00:04:45,741 --> 00:04:48,002
how much Chris was carrying in 2001.
107
00:04:49,312 --> 00:04:51,902
He's recording another album with the
108
00:04:51,902 --> 00:04:54,492
group. He was expanding his clothing
109
00:04:54,492 --> 00:04:57,083
line, having direct fan engagement, and
110
00:04:57,083 --> 00:04:59,241
quietly building some creative processes
111
00:04:59,241 --> 00:05:01,831
outside of the group. Looking at
112
00:05:01,831 --> 00:05:04,422
Insync in retrospect, this is probably
113
00:05:04,422 --> 00:05:07,012
the busiest that he'd ever been,
114
00:05:07,012 --> 00:05:09,602
but yet within the group's framing.
115
00:05:09,882 --> 00:05:12,475
He was still basically treated as
116
00:05:12,475 --> 00:05:15,068
the quirky one or just the
117
00:05:15,068 --> 00:05:17,661
oldest member and not someone with
118
00:05:17,661 --> 00:05:19,390
real creative or entrepreneurial
119
00:05:19,390 --> 00:05:22,226
momentum. According to fan
120
00:05:22,226 --> 00:05:24,955
made sources, it was around the middle of
121
00:05:24,955 --> 00:05:26,661
February that Insync recorded their
122
00:05:26,661 --> 00:05:29,049
segment for the MTV Icon special for
123
00:05:29,049 --> 00:05:31,438
Janet Jackson, and that was the group's
124
00:05:31,438 --> 00:05:34,167
cover of her song That's the Way Love
125
00:05:34,167 --> 00:05:36,897
Goes. It's one of the few moments in
126
00:05:36,897 --> 00:05:39,626
2001 where the group gets to be creative
127
00:05:39,626 --> 00:05:41,808
together without all of the. External
128
00:05:41,808 --> 00:05:44,648
pressure of a stadium show or a
129
00:05:44,648 --> 00:05:47,083
high stakes media appearance. And for
130
00:05:47,083 --> 00:05:49,112
Chris specifically, it's another example
131
00:05:49,112 --> 00:05:51,952
of a pattern that will repeat for
132
00:05:51,952 --> 00:05:54,793
him throughout the year, where he tends
133
00:05:54,793 --> 00:05:57,633
to shine the most in an environment
134
00:05:57,633 --> 00:06:00,473
that allows him to be creative and
135
00:06:00,473 --> 00:06:02,924
fully himself on February 15th. Chris
136
00:06:02,924 --> 00:06:05,104
participated in a web chat that was
137
00:06:05,104 --> 00:06:07,907
hosted by Yahoo and Amuznet and it was
138
00:06:07,907 --> 00:06:10,087
something that gave the fans a candid
139
00:06:10,087 --> 00:06:12,890
look at where he was and where *NSYNC
140
00:06:12,890 --> 00:06:15,070
was in the creative process for their
141
00:06:15,070 --> 00:06:15,692
next album.
142
00:06:17,912 --> 00:06:20,361
According to what he told them, the group
143
00:06:20,361 --> 00:06:22,809
was actually in the middle of the next
144
00:06:22,809 --> 00:06:25,258
album with about 6 songs recorded, and he
145
00:06:25,258 --> 00:06:28,012
also said that he had been in the studio
146
00:06:28,012 --> 00:06:30,154
as recently as Valentine's Day, which was
147
00:06:30,154 --> 00:06:33,149
the day before. He also gave
148
00:06:33,149 --> 00:06:35,163
some information about the upcoming tour,
149
00:06:35,163 --> 00:06:37,848
which was the Pop Odyssey tour, and at
150
00:06:37,848 --> 00:06:40,533
the time he said they were on track
151
00:06:40,533 --> 00:06:42,882
to perform at about 35 stadiums. Chris
152
00:06:42,882 --> 00:06:44,895
also talked about his company, Fu
153
00:06:44,895 --> 00:06:47,580
Mn Skeeto and where they were in terms of
154
00:06:47,580 --> 00:06:48,923
expanding their market share.
155
00:06:50,683 --> 00:06:53,645
According to the chat, he and Danielle
156
00:06:53,645 --> 00:06:56,607
would be promoting the upcoming launch of
157
00:06:56,607 --> 00:06:59,147
the jeans line in March at
158
00:06:59,147 --> 00:07:01,262
Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom and Von Maur's.
159
00:07:01,262 --> 00:07:04,225
He also talked about having an online
160
00:07:04,225 --> 00:07:06,764
fashion show, the FuMan Skeeto Model
161
00:07:06,764 --> 00:07:08,880
Search, expansion into the Eaton's
162
00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:11,797
department store in Canada, hopes for
163
00:07:11,797 --> 00:07:14,190
expanding the line into Europe and also
164
00:07:14,190 --> 00:07:16,584
the men's line of FuMan Skeeto clothing
165
00:07:16,584 --> 00:07:18,978
that was going to debut that spring.
166
00:07:18,978 --> 00:07:21,372
Chris even admits that despite some "early
167
00:07:21,372 --> 00:07:23,424
staffing disasters", in his words, things
168
00:07:23,424 --> 00:07:25,817
were going very well and FuMan Skeeto
169
00:07:25,817 --> 00:07:27,869
was positioned for further success. But
170
00:07:27,869 --> 00:07:29,921
those weren't the only things Chris
171
00:07:29,921 --> 00:07:31,973
talked about in relation to the.
172
00:07:32,993 --> 00:07:35,688
Something that a lot of people don't
173
00:07:35,688 --> 00:07:37,998
know, and definitely something I didn't
174
00:07:37,998 --> 00:07:40,693
know before I started doing the research,
175
00:07:40,693 --> 00:07:43,003
is that FuMan Skeeto wasn't just
176
00:07:43,003 --> 00:07:45,698
intended to be a fashion line, it
177
00:07:45,698 --> 00:07:47,623
was a multi-creative entrepreneurial
178
00:07:47,623 --> 00:07:50,318
venture. In the Amuznet and Yahoo
179
00:07:50,318 --> 00:07:52,799
chat, Chris talks about reviewing. Music
180
00:07:52,799 --> 00:07:55,027
demos, doing production work, developing
181
00:07:55,027 --> 00:07:57,701
ideas for cartoons and toys through
182
00:07:57,701 --> 00:07:59,929
the company, and collaborating musically
183
00:07:59,929 --> 00:08:02,157
with independent artists like Ron
184
00:08:02,157 --> 00:08:04,831
Irizarry. So all of this is
185
00:08:04,831 --> 00:08:07,505
to say that FuMan Skeeto wasn't
186
00:08:07,505 --> 00:08:10,179
just a casual hobby for Chris
187
00:08:10,179 --> 00:08:12,853
to kick around on the side
188
00:08:12,943 --> 00:08:15,844
when *NSYNC wasn't super busy. It really
189
00:08:15,844 --> 00:08:18,744
seems like there were a lot of early
190
00:08:18,744 --> 00:08:20,919
indicators that this was a serious
191
00:08:20,919 --> 00:08:23,457
business in which Chris could make things
192
00:08:23,457 --> 00:08:26,357
and not just appear in them. And I
193
00:08:26,357 --> 00:08:28,895
also think it's an indication that Chris
194
00:08:28,895 --> 00:08:31,796
was thinking beyond *NSYJNC, not in the
195
00:08:31,796 --> 00:08:34,780
sense of the. Group ending or him
196
00:08:34,780 --> 00:08:37,520
leaving, but in the sense of
197
00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:40,260
new ventures and new ways for
198
00:08:40,260 --> 00:08:43,000
him to explore his creativity and
199
00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:45,965
his individuality. Two questions that
200
00:08:45,965 --> 00:08:48,211
really stood out during the chat were
201
00:08:48,211 --> 00:08:50,776
both related to rumors. One was asking if
202
00:08:50,776 --> 00:08:53,021
there were any really nasty rumors that
203
00:08:53,021 --> 00:08:55,266
bothered Chris, and the other asked if
204
00:08:55,266 --> 00:08:57,832
the rumor that the group was breaking up
205
00:08:57,832 --> 00:09:00,503
was true. At first, Chris
206
00:09:00,503 --> 00:09:03,140
kind of brushed off the rumors and
207
00:09:03,140 --> 00:09:05,776
said that he doesn't really let them
208
00:09:05,776 --> 00:09:08,412
bother him. But then he backtracked a
209
00:09:08,412 --> 00:09:11,048
bit and said, "well, maybe I say
210
00:10:11,048 --> 00:09:13,684
that because I like rumors, because we'll
211
00:09:13,684 --> 00:09:16,321
still be together 10 years down the
212
00:09:16,321 --> 00:09:18,957
road. And those people who started the
213
00:09:18,957 --> 00:09:21,534
rumor?Look like a**es". I think
214
00:09:21,534 --> 00:09:24,503
that comment was true to form for
215
00:09:24,503 --> 00:09:27,471
Chris because it was very optimistic but
216
00:09:27,471 --> 00:09:30,403
also incredibly defiant. So even
217
00:09:30,403 --> 00:09:33,401
though February didn't seem to be a month
218
00:09:33,401 --> 00:09:36,399
with a high amount of activity for Chris,
219
00:09:36,399 --> 00:09:39,396
the things that did happen show him to
220
00:09:39,396 --> 00:09:41,645
be equally dedicated. Dedicated to *NSYNC
221
00:09:41,645 --> 00:09:44,642
and holding down his part as they work
222
00:09:44,642 --> 00:09:47,265
on the group's next album, and also
223
00:09:47,265 --> 00:09:50,020
dedicated to holding down his part. In
224
00:09:50,020 --> 00:09:52,201
FuMan Skeeto thinking ahead, looking
225
00:09:52,201 --> 00:09:54,819
towards the future and helping the
226
00:09:54,819 --> 00:09:56,564
brand to keep expanding.
227
00:09:58,064 --> 00:10:00,780
March was a month when Chris'
228
00:10:00,780 --> 00:10:03,497
visibility spiked in a way that
229
00:10:03,497 --> 00:10:05,761
was undeniable, but also weirdly
230
00:10:05,761 --> 00:10:08,711
constrained. Of her starters,
231
00:10:08,711 --> 00:10:11,584
he was on one of the biggest cultural
232
00:10:11,584 --> 00:10:14,097
stages of the year, MTV's inaugural
233
00:10:14,097 --> 00:10:16,611
icon tribute to Janet Jackson and, for a
234
00:10:16,611 --> 00:10:18,765
brief moment, Chris's position, not as
235
00:10:18,765 --> 00:10:21,638
the funny one or the Comic Relief, but
236
00:10:21,638 --> 00:10:24,510
as the straight man and the one setting
237
00:10:24,510 --> 00:10:27,024
a more serious tone. It's pretty rare.
238
00:10:27,584 --> 00:10:30,353
It's a little striking, but also it
239
00:10:30,353 --> 00:10:33,122
doesn't last very long. The ceremony was
240
00:10:33,122 --> 00:10:35,892
filmed around March 10, and during the
241
00:10:35,892 --> 00:10:38,265
program, Chris and Justin appeared in
242
00:10:38,265 --> 00:10:40,639
person at the taping to introduce
243
00:10:40,639 --> 00:10:43,408
*NSYNC's tribute to Janet. The video that
244
00:10:43,408 --> 00:10:46,177
they worked on is very understated. The
245
00:10:46,177 --> 00:10:49,016
group is seated. Then basically a
246
00:10:49,016 --> 00:10:51,861
lounge and it has a very
247
00:10:51,861 --> 00:10:54,706
relaxed, intimate feel, a lot like
248
00:10:54,706 --> 00:10:57,551
the original music video for That's
249
00:10:57,551 --> 00:11:00,395
the Way Love Goes. No choreography,
250
00:11:00,395 --> 00:11:03,240
no spectacle, just harmonizing, tone and
251
00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:06,144
respect. When it comes to
252
00:11:06,144 --> 00:11:08,577
the actual ceremony, for a moment, Chris
253
00:11:08,577 --> 00:11:11,357
is the one guiding the energy. He speaks
254
00:11:11,357 --> 00:11:14,137
first when the two of them get to
255
00:11:14,137 --> 00:11:16,917
center stage, and he tries to set the
256
00:11:16,917 --> 00:11:19,002
mood. He frames the performance with
257
00:11:19,002 --> 00:11:21,434
quiet admiration, and like I said before,
258
00:11:21,434 --> 00:11:24,214
it's one of the few times that Chris's
259
00:11:24,214 --> 00:11:27,071
allowed to be the. Anchor in the scenario
260
00:11:27,071 --> 00:11:29,498
instead of the jokester or the punch
261
00:11:29,498 --> 00:11:32,198
line. But before he
262
00:11:32,198 --> 00:11:34,960
can finish, Justin jumps in with the
263
00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:37,721
burst of commentary about how fine Janet
264
00:11:37,721 --> 00:11:40,483
Jackson is, and the tone shifts instantly
265
00:11:40,483 --> 00:11:42,850
from reverent to playful and from
266
00:11:42,850 --> 00:11:45,217
reflective to comedic. Just like that,
267
00:11:45,217 --> 00:11:47,978
the moment that could have centered Chris
268
00:11:47,978 --> 00:11:50,740
in a serious and thoughtful way becomes
269
00:11:50,740 --> 00:11:53,410
another. Example of how easily he
270
00:11:53,410 --> 00:11:56,058
was expected to be pushed back
271
00:11:56,058 --> 00:11:58,705
into the margins. It's not malicious.
272
00:11:59,595 --> 00:12:02,581
It seemed just structural and it's a
273
00:12:02,581 --> 00:12:05,567
pattern that repeated a lot. So while
274
00:12:05,567 --> 00:12:08,553
the ICON program taping gave Chris some
275
00:12:08,553 --> 00:12:11,539
front facing momentum in March, the real
276
00:12:11,539 --> 00:12:14,099
momentum was really happening behind the
277
00:12:14,099 --> 00:12:17,085
scenes, and that was with FuMan Skeeto.
278
00:12:18,115 --> 00:12:20,588
Nordstrom received its first shipments.
279
00:12:20,588 --> 00:12:23,556
Bloomingdale's and von Mars had increased
280
00:12:23,556 --> 00:12:26,361
their orders. And the
281
00:12:26,361 --> 00:12:29,112
brand was gaining shelf space in major
282
00:12:29,112 --> 00:12:31,077
department stores, something that no
283
00:12:31,077 --> 00:12:33,828
other member of *NSYNC was doing at
284
00:12:33,828 --> 00:12:36,579
this scale at the time. In Entertainment
285
00:12:36,579 --> 00:12:38,937
Weekly, Chris talked about the business
286
00:12:38,937 --> 00:12:41,688
with a level of seriousness that the
287
00:12:41,688 --> 00:12:44,046
media rarely attributed to him. He
288
00:12:44,046 --> 00:12:46,353
emphasized production ethics. Knowing who
289
00:12:46,353 --> 00:12:48,899
makes the clothes, when they're made and
290
00:12:48,899 --> 00:12:51,810
how long the process takes. And he framed
291
00:12:51,810 --> 00:12:54,357
the line not as typical celebrity merch,
292
00:12:54,357 --> 00:12:56,904
but as something that was genuinely new.
293
00:12:56,904 --> 00:12:59,814
I think this is one of the strong
294
00:12:59,814 --> 00:13:02,361
examples of Chris doing identity work for
295
00:13:02,361 --> 00:13:04,908
his brand, and not just typical branding.
296
00:13:04,908 --> 00:13:07,091
He was building something that really
297
00:13:07,091 --> 00:13:09,724
reflected. Them, his taste and his
298
00:13:09,724 --> 00:13:12,338
values. March also showed us that
299
00:13:12,338 --> 00:13:14,953
Chris was very aware of the
300
00:13:14,953 --> 00:13:17,567
changing signals and landscape around him
301
00:13:17,567 --> 00:13:20,182
when it came to entertainment. On
302
00:13:20,182 --> 00:13:22,796
the 17th, the New York Daily
303
00:13:22,796 --> 00:13:25,411
News quoted Chris as saying, "I
304
00:13:25,411 --> 00:13:28,025
see the vocal groups going away.
305
00:13:28,465 --> 00:13:31,156
They've been hot a little too long. I
306
00:13:31,156 --> 00:13:33,174
see real bands that really play
307
00:13:33,174 --> 00:13:35,193
instruments being the hot new thing".
308
00:13:35,193 --> 00:13:36,875
After saying this, he immediately
309
00:13:36,875 --> 00:13:39,229
clarified that it didn't mean he thought
310
00:13:39,229 --> 00:13:41,920
*NSYNC was washed up, and he emphasized
311
00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:44,611
that the group did know how to play
312
00:13:44,611 --> 00:13:46,966
instruments and plan to showcase that on
313
00:13:46,966 --> 00:13:47,975
their new album.
314
00:13:49,775 --> 00:13:52,735
What Chris told the Daily News was not
315
00:13:52,735 --> 00:13:55,695
a throwaway line. It showed that he was
316
00:13:55,695 --> 00:13:57,545
thinking strategically about the future
317
00:13:57,545 --> 00:14:00,505
of pop music, about the life span of
318
00:14:00,505 --> 00:14:03,095
vocal groups and the evolution of *NSYNC
319
00:14:03,095 --> 00:14:05,315
itself. So he definitely wasn't naive
320
00:14:05,315 --> 00:14:07,905
about the industry. And he wasn't just
321
00:14:07,905 --> 00:14:10,627
coasting, he was reading the room. And
322
00:14:10,627 --> 00:14:13,369
for what it's worth, he ended up
323
00:14:13,369 --> 00:14:16,111
being right, at least when it comes
324
00:14:16,111 --> 00:14:18,853
to the rise of real bands playing
325
00:14:18,853 --> 00:14:21,203
real instruments in the 2000s. Overall,
326
00:14:21,203 --> 00:14:23,945
March was really continuing a thread that
327
00:14:23,945 --> 00:14:26,295
it started in February, Chris thinking
328
00:14:26,295 --> 00:14:28,646
beyond the immediate demands of *NSYNC.
329
00:14:29,926 --> 00:14:32,596
He was reviewing demos, he was
330
00:14:32,596 --> 00:14:34,822
developing creative concepts, he was
331
00:14:34,822 --> 00:14:36,603
building relationships with musicians
332
00:14:36,603 --> 00:14:39,273
like Ron Irizarri, he was experimenting
333
00:14:39,273 --> 00:14:41,944
with production work, and he was
334
00:14:41,944 --> 00:14:44,615
expanding his brand beyond the reach
335
00:14:44,615 --> 00:14:46,396
that it already had.
336
00:14:47,416 --> 00:14:49,132
These weren't necessarily signs of
337
00:14:49,132 --> 00:14:51,535
someone trying to leave the group. I
338
00:14:51,535 --> 00:14:53,938
think they were signs of someone who
339
00:14:53,938 --> 00:14:56,341
understood that *NSYNC wasn't going to
340
00:14:56,341 --> 00:14:59,087
last forever and who wanted to be ready
341
00:14:59,087 --> 00:15:01,490
for whatever might come next. I also
342
00:15:01,490 --> 00:15:04,236
think it's signs of some one who was
343
00:15:04,236 --> 00:15:06,983
very ambitious in the sense of being a
344
00:15:06,983 --> 00:15:09,354
builder. And wanted to take his own
345
00:15:09,354 --> 00:15:11,486
creative potential as far as it could go. (Transition sound)
346
00:15:13,466 --> 00:15:15,982
April is the month when the pace
347
00:15:15,982 --> 00:15:18,858
definitely kicks up a notch and Chris is
348
00:15:18,858 --> 00:15:20,655
still everywhere, still promoting, still
349
00:15:20,655 --> 00:15:22,811
performing and still carrying his share
350
00:15:22,811 --> 00:15:25,687
of the load of *NSYNC. But there is
351
00:15:25,687 --> 00:15:28,563
a moment where a little bit of the
352
00:15:28,563 --> 00:15:31,079
strain starts to show around the edges.
353
00:15:31,079 --> 00:15:33,953
Not in a dramatic way. But in
354
00:15:33,953 --> 00:15:35,956
a small, revealing moment that slipped
355
00:15:35,956 --> 00:15:38,292
through when the cameras weren't fully in
356
00:15:38,292 --> 00:15:38,626
control.
357
00:15:41,166 --> 00:15:43,959
Three out of the five members of
358
00:15:43,959 --> 00:15:45,955
*NSYNC appeared together at the
359
00:15:45,955 --> 00:15:47,551
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, and
360
00:15:47,551 --> 00:15:50,345
that night the group won several awards
361
00:15:50,345 --> 00:15:52,739
for Favorite CD. Favorite Single, and
362
00:15:52,739 --> 00:15:55,553
Favorite Pop Group. But
363
00:15:55,553 --> 00:15:58,049
like I said, only three members were
364
00:15:58,049 --> 00:16:00,546
there, and they were Chris, JC and
365
00:16:00,546 --> 00:16:03,043
Justin. Joey and Lance were in Toronto
366
00:16:03,043 --> 00:16:05,539
filming 'On the Line', and their absence
367
00:16:05,539 --> 00:16:08,036
was the first public sign of how
368
00:16:08,036 --> 00:16:09,820
fragmented the group's schedule had
369
00:16:09,820 --> 00:16:12,783
become. Backstage at the
370
00:16:12,783 --> 00:16:15,601
award show, the tone was upbeat but a
371
00:16:15,601 --> 00:16:18,067
little frayed. Justin said he hopes fans
372
00:16:18,067 --> 00:16:20,931
aren't sick of them. Chris shoots
373
00:16:20,931 --> 00:16:23,789
back, dry as ever. "Because I'm sick of
374
00:16:23,789 --> 00:16:26,620
us". That was a
375
00:16:26,620 --> 00:16:29,368
joke, but also maybe not a
376
00:16:29,368 --> 00:16:32,125
joke? It's the kind of line
377
00:16:32,125 --> 00:16:34,070
you toss off when you've been working
378
00:16:34,070 --> 00:16:36,015
nonstop for two years and the treadmill
379
00:16:36,015 --> 00:16:37,126
hasn't slowed down once.
380
00:16:38,926 --> 00:16:41,485
Later, when Chris was talking to MTV's
381
00:16:41,485 --> 00:16:43,677
Chris Connolly, he described the upcoming
382
00:16:43,677 --> 00:16:46,601
tour, which was going to debut new songs
383
00:16:46,601 --> 00:16:49,159
from the celebrity album more than a
384
00:16:49,159 --> 00:16:50,986
month before the album dropped.
385
00:16:51,936 --> 00:16:54,589
In his words, he said, "it's kind
386
00:16:54,589 --> 00:16:57,241
of like we're being Napster on the
387
00:16:57,241 --> 00:16:59,894
road". A little funny, yes, but also
388
00:16:59,894 --> 00:17:02,546
a pretty sharp commentary on the industry
389
00:17:02,546 --> 00:17:05,199
shifting rules and also the pressure to
390
00:17:05,199 --> 00:17:07,922
stay ahead. That also
391
00:17:07,922 --> 00:17:10,216
revealed a sense that the group was
392
00:17:10,216 --> 00:17:12,182
giving everything away before they even
393
00:17:12,182 --> 00:17:14,803
get to release it. So to an extent,
394
00:17:14,803 --> 00:17:17,097
Chris's humor may have been doing some
395
00:17:17,097 --> 00:17:19,391
double duty here. It was deflection, but
396
00:17:19,391 --> 00:17:21,357
also a little bit of diagnosis.
397
00:17:23,457 --> 00:17:25,933
In April, Entertainment Weekly ran an
398
00:17:25,933 --> 00:17:28,821
interview that was pretty light on the
399
00:17:28,821 --> 00:17:31,297
surface but had some revealing moments
400
00:17:31,297 --> 00:17:34,186
underneath. When asked what set *NSYNC
401
00:17:34,186 --> 00:17:36,662
apart from other groups, Joey responded
402
00:17:36,662 --> 00:17:39,138
that it was their chemistry. Chris
403
00:17:39,138 --> 00:17:42,026
complicated that response a bit. He said,
404
00:17:42,026 --> 00:17:44,858
"Well, not each one. Individually, but we
405
00:17:44,858 --> 00:17:47,823
have cliques like JC's not in my clique,
406
00:17:47,823 --> 00:17:50,787
Joey's in my clique, Lance is in my
407
00:17:50,787 --> 00:17:53,381
clique. Sometimes, well, Lance has his own
408
00:17:53,381 --> 00:17:56,345
clique that I'm not allowed in". It was
409
00:17:56,345 --> 00:17:58,939
playful, but it was also probably more
410
00:17:58,939 --> 00:18:01,904
honest than what people caught on to, and
411
00:18:01,904 --> 00:18:04,127
it was one of the few.
412
00:18:04,807 --> 00:18:06,430
Chris acknowledges the internal dynamics
413
00:18:06,430 --> 00:18:08,703
without smoothing them over. Later in the
414
00:18:08,703 --> 00:18:10,327
interview, when asked whether releasing
415
00:18:10,327 --> 00:18:12,600
another album so soon felt rushed, Chris
416
00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:15,197
was very blunt in responding. "We're on a
417
00:18:15,197 --> 00:18:17,795
roll. We wanted to do all stadiums this
418
00:18:17,795 --> 00:18:20,392
time, so we wanted to keep the hype
419
00:18:20,392 --> 00:20:23,293
going". That was the business
420
00:18:23,293 --> 00:18:25,930
logic of 2001 in one sentence. The
421
00:18:25,930 --> 00:18:28,566
machine was running hot and *NSYNC
422
00:18:28,566 --> 00:18:31,202
was running with it. Later in the
423
00:18:31,202 --> 00:18:33,838
month, all five members of *NSYNC reunite
424
00:18:33,838 --> 00:18:36,098
and they appeared together on Total
425
00:18:36,098 --> 00:18:38,358
Request Live, a special episode called
426
00:18:38,358 --> 00:18:40,994
TRL at Your House. It was a
427
00:18:40,994 --> 00:18:43,805
fun episode. And I think that it was a
428
00:18:43,805 --> 00:18:45,782
nice little moment for the guys to
429
00:18:45,782 --> 00:18:48,042
reunite and get back into the swing of
430
00:18:48,042 --> 00:18:49,737
things in a pretty low stakes
431
00:18:49,737 --> 00:18:51,997
environment. April was a bit of a rest
432
00:18:51,997 --> 00:18:54,257
period, but come May they would have to
433
00:18:54,257 --> 00:18:55,387
hit the ground running.
434
00:18:57,107 --> 00:18:59,994
May 2001 was the month everything
435
00:18:59,994 --> 00:19:02,400
converged. Tour rehearsals, album delays,
436
00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:05,287
more rumors, retail launches, and Chris
437
00:19:05,287 --> 00:19:08,174
Kirkpatrick was in the middle of
438
00:19:08,174 --> 00:19:09,617
all of it.
439
00:19:11,517 --> 00:19:14,389
The Pop Odyssey tour had been pushed
440
00:19:14,389 --> 00:19:17,261
back to start on May 23rd and
441
00:19:17,261 --> 00:19:19,723
the scale of production was unlike
442
00:19:19,723 --> 00:19:22,594
anything *NSYNC had attempted before. Five
443
00:19:22,594 --> 00:19:24,646
story sets, hydraulic lifts and
444
00:19:24,646 --> 00:19:26,697
choreography designed for stadium sized
445
00:19:26,697 --> 00:19:29,527
sightlines. The rehearsal started
446
00:19:29,527 --> 00:19:32,487
in early May and ran long, hard and
447
00:19:32,487 --> 00:19:35,447
often. This wasn't just a tour, it was
448
00:19:35,447 --> 00:19:37,668
an engineering project with a soundtrack.
449
00:19:38,408 --> 00:19:41,248
And the world outside of the
450
00:19:41,248 --> 00:19:44,088
Pop Odyssey bubble didn't slow down
451
00:19:44,088 --> 00:19:46,928
for him. A bit. Before FuMan Skeeto,
452
00:19:46,928 --> 00:19:49,768
Spring Line had landed in multiple
453
00:19:49,768 --> 00:19:52,134
stores, Eatons, Von Maur, Bloomingdale's,
454
00:19:52,134 --> 00:19:54,974
Nordstrom, and the reception was modest.
455
00:19:54,974 --> 00:19:57,814
But it was real. Nordstrom reported
456
00:19:57,814 --> 00:20:00,602
strong. Early sales, particularly for the
457
00:20:00,602 --> 00:20:02,847
rhinestone logo Tees, the embellished
458
00:20:02,847 --> 00:20:05,540
denim, and the pieces that basically
459
00:20:05,540 --> 00:20:08,233
hit a sweet spot between teen
460
00:20:08,233 --> 00:20:10,927
trends and Y2K maximalism. The brand's
461
00:20:10,927 --> 00:20:13,620
mix of streetwear, tribal graphics,
462
00:20:13,620 --> 00:20:16,313
and their playful vocabulary, or Foo-
463
00:20:16,313 --> 00:20:18,994
cabulary, drew a blend of. Buyers,
464
00:20:18,994 --> 00:20:21,561
those partially fan driven, but it was
465
00:20:21,561 --> 00:20:23,761
also from people who were genuinely
466
00:20:23,761 --> 00:20:25,228
curious about the fashions.
467
00:20:27,128 --> 00:20:29,460
The industry reaction was cautious but
468
00:20:29,460 --> 00:20:30,626
respectful. Bloomingdale's fashion
469
00:20:30,626 --> 00:20:32,958
director told the press that celebrity
470
00:20:32,958 --> 00:20:34,901
labels could spark interest, but
471
00:20:34,901 --> 00:20:36,844
longevity really depended on design
472
00:20:36,844 --> 00:20:39,176
quality. FuMan Skeeto wasn't a novelty
473
00:20:39,176 --> 00:20:41,897
line. It was a small but legitimate
474
00:20:41,897 --> 00:20:44,229
business finding its footing. Then came
475
00:20:44,229 --> 00:20:46,949
the start of the FuMan Skeeto summer
476
00:20:46,949 --> 00:20:49,646
store. Invasion Tour. It was announced on
477
00:20:49,646 --> 00:20:52,629
May 22nd and only launched 2 days later.
478
00:20:52,629 --> 00:20:55,613
One day after the Pop Odyssey tour kicked
479
00:20:55,613 --> 00:20:58,224
off. Chris hit the Bloomingdale's on 53rd
480
00:20:58,224 --> 00:21:01,208
St. in Manhattan at 7:30 PM and that
481
00:21:01,208 --> 00:21:03,818
kicked off a multi city department store
482
00:21:03,818 --> 00:21:06,802
circuit. So it meant that he was running
483
00:21:06,802 --> 00:21:09,480
this parallel. Power for his fashion line
484
00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:12,459
alongside what ended up being one of the
485
00:21:12,459 --> 00:21:15,439
biggest tours of *NSYNC's career. So in a
486
00:21:15,439 --> 00:21:17,301
nutshell, it was entrepreneurial ambition
487
00:21:17,301 --> 00:21:19,535
layered on top of stadium tour
488
00:21:19,535 --> 00:21:21,770
exhaustion. Chris did an interview for
489
00:21:21,770 --> 00:21:24,749
the June issue of OUT magazine and it
490
00:21:24,749 --> 00:21:27,728
was one of the rare times that Chris's.
491
00:21:27,798 --> 00:21:30,334
Voice appeared in the press on his own
492
00:21:30,334 --> 00:21:32,236
terms. He spoke candidly about his
493
00:21:32,236 --> 00:21:34,138
creativity, about the fashion line and
494
00:21:34,138 --> 00:21:36,040
also the need for fulfilling side
495
00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:38,259
projects. When asked about a solo career,
496
00:21:38,259 --> 00:21:41,112
he said "no, not really. We all have the
497
00:21:41,112 --> 00:21:43,331
group's best interests at heart. But I
498
00:21:43,331 --> 00:21:45,232
think my individuality is strong enough
499
00:21:45,232 --> 00:21:47,768
that I need a lot of different side.
500
00:21:47,838 --> 00:21:50,752
Things to fulfill it". His comment didn't
501
00:21:50,752 --> 00:21:53,250
make headlines, but the moment mattered.
502
00:21:53,250 --> 00:21:56,163
In a year when solo speculation was
503
00:21:56,163 --> 00:21:58,661
everywhere and when boy band masculinity
504
00:21:58,661 --> 00:22:00,742
was still tightly policed, Chris
505
00:22:00,742 --> 00:22:03,240
appearing in a queer oriented magazine
506
00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:05,321
and speaking comfortably about identity,
507
00:22:05,321 --> 00:22:07,402
artistry, fan engagement and sticking
508
00:22:07,402 --> 00:22:10,006
together. Was quietly bold. He didn't
509
00:22:10,006 --> 00:22:12,957
deflect, he didn't shrink, and he didn't
510
00:22:12,957 --> 00:22:15,885
posture. Women's
511
00:22:15,885 --> 00:22:18,750
Wear Daily closed out the month with a
512
00:22:18,750 --> 00:22:20,899
May 31st feature called FuMan Skeeto's
513
00:22:20,899 --> 00:22:23,406
Next Bite, and it was confirming the
514
00:22:23,406 --> 00:22:25,913
men's collection debut for June. It also
515
00:22:25,913 --> 00:22:28,420
framed the brand as growing and a
516
00:22:28,420 --> 00:22:30,927
credible fashion venture. So just goes to
517
00:22:30,927 --> 00:22:33,434
show that Chris wasn't dabbling in this,
518
00:22:33,434 --> 00:22:36,238
he was scaling. But in the middle of
519
00:22:36,238 --> 00:22:38,956
May and all of its chaos, the rumor mill
520
00:22:38,956 --> 00:22:41,069
was still spinning. On May 18th, Melinda
521
00:22:41,069 --> 00:22:43,786
Bell did an MSN chat with fans where she
522
00:22:43,786 --> 00:22:45,900
answered lots of questions, not the least
523
00:22:45,900 --> 00:22:48,315
of which was the rumor that each member
524
00:22:48,315 --> 00:22:50,429
of *NSYNC had a solo contract signed.
525
00:22:51,979 --> 00:22:54,210
She denied it outright, and that timing
526
00:22:54,210 --> 00:22:56,441
wasn't random. The tour delay, the album
527
00:22:56,441 --> 00:22:58,354
delay, and the rising visibility of
528
00:22:58,354 --> 00:23:00,585
certain members outside of the group had
529
00:23:00,585 --> 00:23:03,135
created a vacuum that the press was eager
530
00:23:03,135 --> 00:23:06,004
to fill, and by the end of May, it's
531
00:23:06,004 --> 00:23:08,554
obvious that there was a lot of pressure
532
00:23:08,554 --> 00:23:09,829
going on for Chris.
533
00:23:10,959 --> 00:23:13,779
Album deadlines. Retail launches.
534
00:23:13,779 --> 00:23:16,599
Tour rehearsals. Public appearances.
535
00:23:16,599 --> 00:23:19,504
Rumor control. Actual
536
00:23:19,504 --> 00:23:22,492
touring. Chris was juggling
537
00:23:22,492 --> 00:23:25,459
2 careers at once, one global, one more
538
00:23:25,459 --> 00:23:27,684
grassroots, and neither of them showed
539
00:23:27,684 --> 00:23:30,652
any signs of slowing down. It was a
540
00:23:30,652 --> 00:23:33,248
different kind of spotlight when it came
541
00:23:33,248 --> 00:23:35,844
to FuMan Skeeto, and that's because it's
542
00:23:35,844 --> 00:23:38,812
one that he had built himself. It wasn't
543
00:23:38,812 --> 00:23:41,408
curated by handlers or choreographed by a
544
00:23:41,408 --> 00:23:44,031
label. It was something that was
545
00:23:44,031 --> 00:23:46,988
designed and worn and promoted on his
546
00:23:46,988 --> 00:23:49,945
own terms. And while the Pop Odyssey
547
00:23:49,945 --> 00:23:52,902
tour, picked up speed and was roaring
548
00:23:52,902 --> 00:23:55,858
in the background, Chris closed out the
549
00:23:55,858 --> 00:23:58,815
month with something that was quieter and
550
00:23:58,815 --> 00:24:01,772
steadier, but was also entirely his. And
551
00:24:01,772 --> 00:24:04,385
that's shelf space. Its market share?
552
00:24:04,385 --> 00:24:07,220
It's a signature that didn't need to
553
00:24:07,220 --> 00:24:10,056
echo as loud as the tour, it
554
00:24:10,056 --> 00:24:12,892
just needed to last. In June 2001,
555
00:24:12,892 --> 00:24:15,727
the Pop Odyssey tour was roaring across
556
00:24:15,727 --> 00:24:18,563
stadiums in the United States. *NSYNC was
557
00:24:18,563 --> 00:24:20,994
performing to tens of thousands every
558
00:24:20,994 --> 00:24:23,791
night and between the fireworks. The five
559
00:24:23,791 --> 00:24:26,197
story sets and the hydraulic lifts is the
560
00:24:26,197 --> 00:24:28,603
kind of spectacle that only a group at
561
00:24:28,603 --> 00:24:30,708
the peak of its celebrity power could
562
00:24:30,708 --> 00:24:33,644
pull off. And in the
563
00:24:33,644 --> 00:24:36,360
middle of it all, there was still
564
00:24:36,360 --> 00:24:38,300
Chris, still dancing, still harmonizing,
565
00:24:38,300 --> 00:24:41,016
still holding down his part in this
566
00:24:41,016 --> 00:24:42,957
show that demanded everything from
567
00:24:42,957 --> 00:24:45,673
everyone on stage. The set list included
568
00:24:45,673 --> 00:24:48,001
four unreleased tracks, Up Against the
569
00:24:48,001 --> 00:24:50,717
Wall, Pop Gone, and the title track
570
00:24:50,717 --> 00:24:53,660
for the new album, Celebrity. Chris was
571
00:24:53,660 --> 00:24:56,508
performing songs that hadn't even hit the
572
00:24:56,508 --> 00:24:59,355
shelves yet, songs still being mixed and
573
00:24:59,355 --> 00:25:01,389
finalized behind the scenes. Meanwhile,
574
00:25:01,389 --> 00:25:03,830
FuMan Skeeto kept moving. The stock
575
00:25:03,830 --> 00:25:06,678
from the spring line continued into early
576
00:25:06,678 --> 00:25:09,118
summer, and Chris continued promoting the
577
00:25:09,118 --> 00:25:11,559
line through interviews, fan chats, and
578
00:25:11,559 --> 00:25:14,502
his own wardrobe. Even as media
579
00:25:14,502 --> 00:25:16,728
attention shifted towards the Tour film,
580
00:25:16,728 --> 00:25:18,954
FuMan Skeeto still remained part of his
581
00:25:18,954 --> 00:25:21,550
identity, not just a brand, but a
582
00:25:21,550 --> 00:25:24,518
presence. He wore it on stage and press
583
00:25:24,518 --> 00:25:27,114
junkets, and in the rare interviews he
584
00:25:27,114 --> 00:25:29,710
did alone. One of those interviews came
585
00:25:29,710 --> 00:25:32,307
from Pop Star magazine, their July 2001
586
00:25:32,307 --> 00:25:34,403
issue, which was. Published on news
587
00:25:34,403 --> 00:25:37,144
stands in June, I have to say it was
588
00:25:37,144 --> 00:25:39,276
one of the warmest and most respectful
589
00:25:39,276 --> 00:25:41,408
profiles of Chris that I've seen from
590
00:25:41,408 --> 00:25:43,540
that year. The magazine credited him as
591
00:25:43,540 --> 00:25:45,367
the founder of *NSYNC and explicitly
592
00:25:45,367 --> 00:25:47,804
named him as the person who created the
593
00:25:47,804 --> 00:25:50,240
group. They framed him as the member who
594
00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:52,676
had done the most for the group recently
595
00:25:52,676 --> 00:25:55,365
thanks to his. Outside creative work, A
596
00:25:55,365 --> 00:25:58,332
FuMan Skeeto wasn't just treated as a
597
00:25:58,332 --> 00:26:01,299
vanity project in this write up, it
598
00:26:01,299 --> 00:26:03,842
was presented as a genuine creative
599
00:26:03,842 --> 00:26:06,385
force, with Chris positioned as the
600
00:26:06,385 --> 00:26:08,080
visionary, working with independent
601
00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:10,199
designers while also keeping prices
602
00:26:10,199 --> 00:26:12,742
reasonable and looking to expand into
603
00:26:12,742 --> 00:26:14,893
youth lines. And also community
604
00:26:14,893 --> 00:26:16,914
partnerships. Pop Star even highlighted
605
00:26:16,914 --> 00:26:19,743
how he integrated the group into the
606
00:26:19,743 --> 00:26:22,573
brand. The things like Justin's Made in
607
00:26:22,573 --> 00:26:25,402
the FuMan Skeeto shirt or Joey's signature
608
00:26:25,402 --> 00:26:28,232
hat, they were both framed as cohesion,
609
00:26:28,232 --> 00:26:30,658
not fragmentation. Chris
610
00:26:30,658 --> 00:26:33,088
came across as grounded,
611
00:26:33,088 --> 00:26:35,518
funny, self-aware, collaborative
612
00:26:35,518 --> 00:26:38,506
and community minded. In
613
00:26:38,506 --> 00:26:40,786
this case, his humor wasn't used to
614
00:26:40,786 --> 00:26:43,718
flatten him or just box him in as the
615
00:26:43,718 --> 00:26:46,324
funny one. It was something that was used
616
00:26:46,324 --> 00:26:49,255
to humanize him. And I think it was a
617
00:26:49,255 --> 00:26:51,536
rare moment where the media treated him
618
00:26:51,536 --> 00:26:54,141
as a leader and an entrepreneur and a
619
00:26:54,141 --> 00:26:55,770
creative thinker, a tone that
620
00:26:55,770 --> 00:26:57,725
unfortunately would evaporate in July and
621
00:26:57,725 --> 00:27:00,477
August. But sticking with June, it
622
00:27:00,477 --> 00:27:03,131
brought one of the clearest glimpses into
623
00:27:03,131 --> 00:27:05,407
Chris's emotional state during the Pop
624
00:27:05,407 --> 00:27:08,062
Odyssey grind. At a Toronto press junket
625
00:27:08,062 --> 00:27:10,717
on June 21st, the morning after a
626
00:27:10,717 --> 00:27:12,992
40,000 person stadium show, he reacted
627
00:27:12,992 --> 00:27:15,647
pretty negatively to a 3 1/2 star
628
00:27:15,647 --> 00:27:18,302
concert review. And he did it with
629
00:27:18,302 --> 00:27:21,020
exaggerated humor. He teased the critic,
630
00:27:21,020 --> 00:27:23,486
leaning into sarcasm and making it clear
631
00:27:23,486 --> 00:27:26,305
that he had read the review and had
632
00:27:26,305 --> 00:27:28,772
taken it personally. There was like humor
633
00:27:28,772 --> 00:27:31,238
as armor, the humor as a coping
634
00:27:31,238 --> 00:27:34,198
mechanism. He wore FuMan Skeeto head
635
00:27:34,198 --> 00:27:36,898
to toe at this press junket and joked
636
00:27:36,898 --> 00:27:39,598
that the brand was two weeks behind the
637
00:27:39,598 --> 00:27:41,623
group, kind of revealing just how
638
00:27:41,623 --> 00:27:43,311
stretched he was between touring,
639
00:27:43,311 --> 00:27:45,673
recording and running a business. And the
640
00:27:45,673 --> 00:27:48,373
research that I've done, this is the only
641
00:27:48,373 --> 00:27:50,398
instance that I've seen where Chris
642
00:27:50,398 --> 00:27:52,423
responded directly and personally to a
643
00:27:52,423 --> 00:27:54,992
critic. And that's what made it stand out
644
00:27:54,992 --> 00:27:57,668
to me as a bit unusual, because he seemed
645
00:27:57,668 --> 00:28:00,344
to really zero in on this woman and her
646
00:28:00,344 --> 00:28:02,128
impression of the group's concert the
647
00:28:02,128 --> 00:28:04,506
night before, even to the point where he
648
00:28:04,506 --> 00:28:06,588
had memorized her photo so he could
649
00:28:06,588 --> 00:28:09,561
recognize her if he met up with her in a
650
00:28:09,561 --> 00:28:11,642
later context. Like I said, I haven't
651
00:28:11,642 --> 00:28:13,723
seen anything similar in any of my
652
00:28:13,723 --> 00:28:15,861
research. But if any of you have come
653
00:28:15,861 --> 00:28:17,319
across something similar, let me know.
654
00:28:17,319 --> 00:28:19,506
I'm curious to know if this was just a
655
00:28:19,506 --> 00:28:21,935
one off thing or if it was more of a
656
00:28:21,935 --> 00:28:24,585
pattern anyway. Overall, June 2001
657
00:28:24,585 --> 00:28:26,975
was the month when Chris Kirkpatrick's
658
00:28:26,975 --> 00:28:28,568
workload, creativity, humor, and
659
00:28:28,568 --> 00:28:31,355
vulnerability all sat in the same frame.
660
00:28:31,355 --> 00:28:34,142
On stage, he was part of a
661
00:28:34,142 --> 00:28:36,930
machine that was built for spectacle. Off
662
00:28:36,930 --> 00:28:39,717
stage, he was building something of his
663
00:28:39,717 --> 00:28:42,505
own, still a brand of voice and
664
00:28:42,505 --> 00:28:45,022
a presence. Even as the pressures around
665
00:28:45,022 --> 00:28:45,821
him kept rising. (Transition sound)
666
00:28:49,411 --> 00:28:52,279
In July, *NSYNC was in
667
00:28:52,279 --> 00:28:55,147
stadiums on morning shows, sometimes on
668
00:28:55,147 --> 00:28:56,581
late night shows.
669
00:28:57,791 --> 00:29:00,421
But also magazines and charity events.
670
00:29:01,751 --> 00:29:03,983
The Pop Odyssey tour was still rolling
671
00:29:03,983 --> 00:29:05,896
across the country, and Celebrity was
672
00:29:05,896 --> 00:29:08,129
weeks away from being released. On the
673
00:29:08,129 --> 00:29:10,680
surface, it looked like the group was at
674
00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:12,593
their peak, But beneath the spectacle,
675
00:29:12,593 --> 00:29:15,463
July marked a bit of a shift. A change
676
00:29:15,463 --> 00:29:18,014
in tone, a change in pressure, and a
677
00:29:18,014 --> 00:29:20,565
change in the way the media began to
678
00:29:20,565 --> 00:29:23,543
frame the group's. And Chris
679
00:29:23,543 --> 00:29:26,175
was right there in the middle of
680
00:29:26,175 --> 00:29:28,807
all of it. The Celebrity album dropped
681
00:29:28,807 --> 00:29:31,439
on July 24th, and it debuted at
682
00:29:31,439 --> 00:29:34,071
#1 on the Billboard 200, with 1.8
683
00:29:34,071 --> 00:29:36,703
million copies being sold in its first
684
00:29:36,703 --> 00:29:38,959
week. This album was a commercial
685
00:29:38,959 --> 00:29:41,215
juggernaut, but not quite the 2.4
686
00:29:41,215 --> 00:29:43,720
million sold success that happened with
687
00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:46,411
No Strings Attached. But
688
00:29:46,411 --> 00:29:49,046
still, it was one of the biggest debut
689
00:29:49,046 --> 00:29:51,680
weeks in history and remained so for a
690
00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:54,645
long time. For Chris, it was also a bit
691
00:29:54,645 --> 00:29:57,280
of a creative milestone. One song that he
692
00:29:57,280 --> 00:29:59,585
co-wrote called "Falling" appeared as a
693
00:29:59,585 --> 00:30:01,232
bonus track on several international
694
00:30:01,232 --> 00:30:03,208
versions of the album. It wasn't
695
00:30:03,208 --> 00:30:05,184
something that made a headline and
696
00:30:05,184 --> 00:30:07,243
unfortunately it wasn't included. On the
697
00:30:07,243 --> 00:30:09,888
US release of Celebrity. But it was his,
698
00:30:09,888 --> 00:30:12,864
and it was a rare songwriting credit in a
699
00:30:12,864 --> 00:30:15,178
discography where a lot of times his
700
00:30:15,178 --> 00:30:17,493
voice was present, but his writing skills
701
00:30:17,493 --> 00:30:19,477
were rarely acknowledged outside of the
702
00:30:19,477 --> 00:30:21,791
group. Chris had been recording too. On
703
00:30:21,791 --> 00:30:24,436
July 14th, he stepped into the booth to
704
00:30:24,436 --> 00:30:26,751
record the vocals for the character Chip
705
00:30:26,751 --> 00:30:28,961
Skylark on The Fairly OddParents and
706
00:30:28,961 --> 00:30:31,071
this was a small but meaningful reminder
707
00:30:31,071 --> 00:30:32,880
that his creative life extended beyond
708
00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:35,292
his boy band fame. On stage, the Pop
709
00:30:35,292 --> 00:30:37,101
Odyssey tour continued its stadium run
710
00:30:37,101 --> 00:30:38,608
and Chris performed nightly right
711
00:30:38,608 --> 00:30:41,020
alongside the rest of *NSYNC, but one
712
00:30:41,020 --> 00:30:43,734
would think it was a high point for the
713
00:30:43,734 --> 00:30:46,447
group and also a bit of a high point
714
00:30:46,447 --> 00:30:49,032
for the media. But things were starting
715
00:30:49,032 --> 00:30:51,570
to change. One noticeable shift in tone
716
00:30:51,570 --> 00:30:54,470
was from a piece from USA TODAY called
717
00:30:54,470 --> 00:30:57,008
"Will Boy Bands Drop Off Pop's Pedestal?"
718
00:30:57,008 --> 00:30:58,821
The article used Chris, specifically
719
00:30:58,821 --> 00:31:01,721
Chris, to frame the idea that teen pop
720
00:31:01,721 --> 00:31:04,622
was dying. In order to do this, they
721
00:31:04,622 --> 00:31:07,159
emphasized the fact that he was pushing
722
00:31:07,159 --> 00:31:10,046
30. And what they did
723
00:31:10,046 --> 00:31:12,228
was place his age immediately after
724
00:31:12,228 --> 00:31:13,683
mentioning the group's commercial
725
00:31:13,683 --> 00:31:16,591
success, trying to find a subtle way to
726
00:31:16,591 --> 00:31:19,500
tie the two together, but also to imply
727
00:31:19,500 --> 00:31:21,682
that the clock had run out.
728
00:31:23,372 --> 00:31:26,077
It was rhetorical framing, a way to
729
00:31:26,077 --> 00:31:27,622
artificially inflate the group's
730
00:31:27,622 --> 00:31:30,327
perceived longevity and a way to imply
731
00:31:30,327 --> 00:31:33,032
that they were past their prime. The
732
00:31:33,032 --> 00:31:34,964
article featured quotes from Chris
733
00:31:34,964 --> 00:31:36,510
addressing things like pressure,
734
00:31:36,510 --> 00:31:38,442
expectations and the impossible standard
735
00:31:38,442 --> 00:31:41,147
of breaking their own sales record. He
736
00:31:41,147 --> 00:31:43,177
defended the group's artistic evolution
737
00:31:43,177 --> 00:31:46,082
and pushed back against the critics who
738
00:31:46,082 --> 00:31:48,987
said that they blew it by changing
739
00:31:48,987 --> 00:31:51,892
their sound. But as expected, the article
740
00:31:51,892 --> 00:31:53,967
didn't let that perspective stand.
741
00:31:53,967 --> 00:31:55,627
Chris's thoughtful comments were
742
00:31:55,627 --> 00:31:57,702
immediately followed by sweeping claims
743
00:31:57,702 --> 00:32:00,607
about the decline of teen pop using
744
00:32:00,607 --> 00:32:03,239
under performing acts as proof. Of
745
00:32:03,239 --> 00:32:05,741
the entire genre collapsing, AJ McLean's
746
00:32:05,741 --> 00:32:08,659
rehab stint was also involved as symbolic
747
00:32:08,659 --> 00:32:11,578
evidence of a dying trend, which was
748
00:32:11,578 --> 00:32:13,663
really inappropriate and quite rude
749
00:32:13,663 --> 00:32:15,747
because it trivialized his personal
750
00:32:15,747 --> 00:32:17,832
struggles just to reinforce a
751
00:32:17,832 --> 00:32:19,917
predetermined narrative about teen pop
752
00:32:19,917 --> 00:32:22,835
dying out. But when it came to
753
00:32:22,835 --> 00:32:24,472
industry perspective and contributions.
754
00:32:24,472 --> 00:32:27,132
There was one voice in the article
755
00:32:27,132 --> 00:32:29,792
that stood out, and that was the
756
00:32:29,792 --> 00:32:32,452
voice of Dave McKay of WPST, who
757
00:32:32,452 --> 00:32:34,732
was a radio programmer. And his
758
00:32:34,732 --> 00:32:37,012
perspective was that teen pop wasn't
759
00:32:37,012 --> 00:32:39,292
naturally slowing down, but that the
760
00:32:39,292 --> 00:32:41,953
industry was deciding it should slow down
761
00:32:41,953 --> 00:32:43,853
and actively contributing to that.
762
00:32:43,923 --> 00:32:46,377
Perception, and I think that his comment
763
00:32:46,377 --> 00:32:48,482
was important because it showed that
764
00:32:48,482 --> 00:32:50,586
someone who worked within the industry
765
00:32:50,586 --> 00:32:53,392
was aware that there may have been some
766
00:32:53,392 --> 00:32:55,846
string pulling when it came to the
767
00:32:55,846 --> 00:32:58,301
perception about the real status of teen
768
00:32:58,301 --> 00:33:01,107
pop. But it was also important because I
769
00:33:01,107 --> 00:33:03,562
think it helped to reframe the comments
770
00:33:03,562 --> 00:33:06,346
earlier. In the article from Chris, he
771
00:33:06,346 --> 00:33:08,699
wasn't being defensive. He was responding
772
00:33:08,699 --> 00:33:11,445
to a narrative that was being built
773
00:33:11,445 --> 00:33:14,191
around the group at the time. Vibe
774
00:33:14,191 --> 00:33:16,152
magazine offered a different framing,
775
00:33:16,152 --> 00:33:18,505
lighter but still revealing. The article
776
00:33:18,505 --> 00:33:21,251
opened with a bird poop anecdote from
777
00:33:21,251 --> 00:33:23,996
Easter weekend when Chris was the one
778
00:33:23,996 --> 00:33:26,786
who got hit. The group
779
00:33:26,786 --> 00:33:28,657
laughed. Chris cleaned himself up and
780
00:33:28,657 --> 00:33:30,839
kept going. The writer used this moment
781
00:33:30,839 --> 00:33:33,645
to portray *NSYNC as goofy and down to
782
00:33:33,645 --> 00:33:35,515
earth, but the framing mostly worked
783
00:33:35,515 --> 00:33:38,009
because it happened to Chris, and I think
784
00:33:38,009 --> 00:33:40,503
it's because he was the member who had
785
00:33:40,503 --> 00:33:42,997
already kind of been boxed in as the
786
00:33:42,997 --> 00:33:45,491
weird one or the funny one. But beyond
787
00:33:45,491 --> 00:33:48,217
that? Vibe also gave him a chance
788
00:33:48,217 --> 00:33:50,508
to talk about musical influences, and he
789
00:33:50,508 --> 00:33:53,126
did it in a way that wasn't cringeworthy
790
00:33:53,126 --> 00:33:55,417
or played into stereotypes like some of
791
00:33:55,417 --> 00:33:57,709
the comments that came from other members
792
00:33:57,709 --> 00:34:00,327
of the group when it came to this
793
00:34:00,327 --> 00:34:02,291
article. According to Chris, his early
794
00:33:48,217 --> 00:33:50,508
to talk about musical influences, and he
795
00:33:50,508 --> 00:33:53,126
did it in a way that wasn't cringeworthy
796
00:33:53,126 --> 00:33:55,417
or played into stereotypes like some of
797
00:33:55,417 --> 00:33:57,709
the comments that came from other members
798
00:33:57,709 --> 00:34:00,327
of the group when it came to this
799
00:34:00,327 --> 00:34:02,291
article. According to Chris, his early
800
00:34:02,291 --> 00:34:04,909
exposure to R&B and soul music came from
801
00:34:04,909 --> 00:34:07,343
growing up with a black stepfather. Whose
802
00:34:07,343 --> 00:34:10,143
record collection shaped at least some of
803
00:34:10,143 --> 00:34:12,543
his musical influences. It grounded him,
804
00:34:12,543 --> 00:34:15,343
and by extension, *NSYNC and a
805
00:34:15,343 --> 00:34:17,743
lineage that the media rarely credited
806
00:34:17,743 --> 00:34:20,590
him with. Still, the bird
807
00:34:20,590 --> 00:34:23,291
poop story became the hinge of the
808
00:34:23,291 --> 00:34:25,605
piece, at least for Chris. His
809
00:34:25,605 --> 00:34:27,919
humiliation was being used to signal
810
00:34:27,919 --> 00:34:30,620
humility for the group and his body
811
00:34:30,620 --> 00:34:33,320
and his reactions were used to maintain
812
00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:35,634
the group's friendly but goofy branding.
813
00:34:35,634 --> 00:34:38,335
Another magazine *NSYNC was featured in
814
00:34:38,335 --> 00:34:41,141
during July was Rolling Stone. The
815
00:34:41,141 --> 00:34:43,996
publication date was August, but it was
816
00:34:43,996 --> 00:34:46,851
already sent to subscribers and on news
817
00:34:46,851 --> 00:34:49,298
stands the month before. The Rolling
818
00:34:49,298 --> 00:34:52,153
Stone piece only looked at Chris and
819
00:34:52,153 --> 00:34:54,600
fragments. He was present, but overall
820
00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:57,047
the discussion of him was underdeveloped
821
00:34:57,047 --> 00:34:59,902
and Chris was visible in the piece
822
00:34:59,902 --> 00:35:02,789
but not really explored. He
823
00:35:02,789 --> 00:35:05,625
was described physically by the writer as
824
00:35:05,625 --> 00:35:08,056
bowlegged. He was also described as
825
00:35:08,056 --> 00:35:10,487
sarcastic and irreverent, but he wasn't
826
00:35:10,487 --> 00:35:12,918
really quoted for the Rolling Stone
827
00:35:12,918 --> 00:35:15,866
piece. It was framed as
828
00:35:15,866 --> 00:35:18,473
being next to Pharrell in the studio, but
829
00:35:18,473 --> 00:35:20,753
the article never explained why he was
830
00:35:20,753 --> 00:35:23,685
there, and he was mentioned as one of the
831
00:35:23,685 --> 00:35:26,291
funny ones in the group, but not as
832
00:35:26,291 --> 00:35:29,008
someone who contributed creatively. His
833
00:35:29,008 --> 00:35:31,071
poverty narrative was emphasized by the
834
00:35:31,071 --> 00:35:33,823
writer. The trailer with the hole in the
835
00:35:33,823 --> 00:35:35,887
side, sleeping in laundry for warmth,
836
00:35:35,887 --> 00:35:38,639
working from the age of 12. The wealth
837
00:35:38,639 --> 00:35:41,046
he had achieved through *NSYNC was framed
838
00:35:41,046 --> 00:35:43,454
as surreal, and the importance of his
839
00:35:43,454 --> 00:35:45,862
financial advisor at the time became a
840
00:35:45,862 --> 00:35:48,270
punch line. These were things that were
841
00:35:48,270 --> 00:35:50,886
framed. From Chris's own words, but
842
00:35:50,886 --> 00:35:53,529
they were done in a way
843
00:35:53,529 --> 00:35:56,171
that conveyed him as kind of
844
00:35:56,171 --> 00:35:58,374
flat and two-dimensional. His creative
845
00:35:58,374 --> 00:36:00,576
contributions like stage show ideas,
846
00:36:00,576 --> 00:36:03,218
songwriting, or even the integration of
847
00:36:03,218 --> 00:36:05,861
FuMan Skeeto into *NSYNC were
848
00:36:05,861 --> 00:36:08,063
loosely acknowledged but never really
849
00:36:08,063 --> 00:36:11,049
explored. And there was a point of
850
00:36:11,049 --> 00:36:12,687
emotional vulnerability where Chris was
851
00:36:12,687 --> 00:36:15,307
quoted as saying he almost had a nervous
852
00:36:15,307 --> 00:36:17,272
breakdown. But that's something that was
853
00:36:17,272 --> 00:36:19,565
only mentioned once and never followed up
854
00:36:19,565 --> 00:36:22,186
on. Because I don't have access to a
855
00:36:22,186 --> 00:36:24,478
physical copy of the magazine, I'm not
856
00:36:24,478 --> 00:36:27,099
sure how many pages it occupied in print,
857
00:36:27,099 --> 00:36:29,507
but the digital version of the article
858
00:36:29,507 --> 00:36:32,495
is 6 pages, and across those 6 pages
859
00:36:32,495 --> 00:36:34,735
the imbalance between Chris and some
860
00:36:34,735 --> 00:36:37,722
other members is pretty stark. He was the
861
00:36:37,722 --> 00:36:40,336
only member who didn't have a section
862
00:36:40,336 --> 00:36:42,950
where their adult life was explored. He
863
00:36:42,950 --> 00:36:45,190
was the only member whose creative
864
00:36:45,190 --> 00:36:47,057
contributions weren't really detailed. He
865
00:36:47,057 --> 00:37:50,044
was the only member of the group who.
866
00:36:50,114 --> 00:36:52,707
Was mostly framed through hardship, in
867
00:36:52,707 --> 00:36:55,299
his case the hardship of poverty,
868
00:36:55,299 --> 00:36:57,892
and he was the only member
869
00:36:57,892 --> 00:37:00,484
of the group that it seems
870
00:37:00,484 --> 00:37:03,077
his dreams weren't taken seriously by
871
00:37:03,077 --> 00:37:05,669
the writer. So whereas I mentioned
872
00:37:05,669 --> 00:37:08,262
before in the last episode that
873
00:37:08,262 --> 00:37:10,854
I thought Joey's portrayal was flat.
874
00:37:11,144 --> 00:37:13,760
I'd have to say it's because his
875
00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:16,002
portrayal was pretty shallow. I'd say
876
00:37:16,002 --> 00:37:18,243
that Chris's portrayal was flat because
877
00:37:18,243 --> 00:37:19,364
it was incomplete.
878
00:37:21,504 --> 00:37:24,451
So looking back at July 2001,
879
00:37:24,451 --> 00:37:27,397
across USA TODAY, Vibe, and Rolling
880
00:37:27,397 --> 00:37:30,344
Stone, there's a pattern that emerges.
881
00:37:30,344 --> 00:37:33,290
Chris was everywhere, but not so
882
00:37:33,290 --> 00:37:36,237
much on his own terms. He
883
00:37:36,237 --> 00:37:39,183
was quoted sometimes, but not really
884
00:37:39,183 --> 00:37:42,079
explored. Again,
885
00:37:42,079 --> 00:37:44,807
he was visible but not centered,
886
00:37:44,807 --> 00:37:47,534
and present but not fully seen.
887
00:37:50,434 --> 00:37:53,236
And yet at the same time, July was
888
00:37:53,236 --> 00:37:56,038
also a month where he got to leave
889
00:37:56,038 --> 00:37:58,490
his fingerprints on a record, so to
890
00:37:58,490 --> 00:38:00,942
speak. He had a songwriting credit. He
891
00:38:00,942 --> 00:38:03,744
had a voice acting role. He had presence
892
00:38:03,744 --> 00:38:06,468
in the studio. And
893
00:38:06,468 --> 00:38:08,815
that was in addition to his presence on
894
00:38:08,815 --> 00:38:10,868
stage and his presence in the press
895
00:38:10,868 --> 00:38:11,455
through *NSYNC.
896
00:38:13,675 --> 00:38:16,592
And quietly, he had a vocal on a
897
00:38:16,592 --> 00:38:19,145
David Foster song that would be released
898
00:38:19,145 --> 00:38:21,334
overseas, A collaboration so under the
899
00:38:21,334 --> 00:38:23,887
radar that it lived only on Richard
900
00:38:23,887 --> 00:38:26,440
Marx's website as a monthly update. July
901
00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:28,993
was the month the media began reshaping
902
00:38:28,993 --> 00:38:31,546
the narrative around *NSYNC, and Chris
903
00:38:31,546 --> 00:38:34,003
became a hinge point. Sorts whatever
904
00:38:34,003 --> 00:38:36,758
message or tone they wanted to
905
00:38:36,758 --> 00:38:39,513
convey to the public, they could
906
00:38:39,513 --> 00:38:41,809
utilize Chris and whatever contributions
907
00:38:41,809 --> 00:38:44,563
they got from him to fit
908
00:38:44,563 --> 00:38:47,318
that narrative and tell whatever story
909
00:38:47,318 --> 00:38:49,155
they wanted to tell.
910
00:38:51,515 --> 00:38:53,261
In August, Chris's visibility remained
911
00:38:53,261 --> 00:38:56,054
tied to the group and he didn't have
912
00:38:56,054 --> 00:38:58,149
any major standalone interviews from what
913
00:38:58,149 --> 00:39:00,243
I could find. And his individual
914
00:39:00,243 --> 00:39:02,687
branding, especially when it came to FuMan
915
00:39:02,687 --> 00:39:04,782
Skeeto entered a quieter phase. The
916
00:39:04,782 --> 00:39:07,226
media coverage that the month centered on
917
00:39:07,226 --> 00:39:10,019
was for the group as a whole, rather
918
00:39:10,019 --> 00:39:12,682
than Chris as an individual. Which
919
00:39:12,682 --> 00:39:15,122
contributed to a pattern that we've
920
00:39:15,122 --> 00:39:17,969
already touched on a bit where his
921
00:39:17,969 --> 00:39:20,003
presence was consistent, but the
922
00:39:20,003 --> 00:39:22,443
spotlight for him wasn't consistent. The
923
00:39:22,443 --> 00:39:24,477
FuMan Skeeto summer store Invasion
924
00:39:24,477 --> 00:39:27,324
Tour wrapped up its final dates on
925
00:39:27,324 --> 00:39:30,171
August 5th in San Antonio, TX and
926
00:39:30,171 --> 00:39:33,116
then the absolute final date on August
927
00:39:33,116 --> 00:39:35,744
11th in Atlanta, GA. It had been
928
00:39:35,744 --> 00:39:37,997
a bold experiment, a parallel promotional
929
00:39:37,997 --> 00:39:40,249
circuit running alongside the Pop Odyssey
930
00:39:40,249 --> 00:39:42,502
Tour, with Chris appearing in department
931
00:39:42,502 --> 00:39:45,130
stores during the day and performing at
932
00:39:45,130 --> 00:39:47,758
stadium shows at night. But like I
933
00:39:47,758 --> 00:39:50,011
mentioned, by August the momentum had
934
00:39:50,011 --> 00:39:52,639
slowed. His brand was still stocked in
935
00:39:52,639 --> 00:39:54,685
Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's. Chris still
936
00:39:54,685 --> 00:39:57,415
wore pieces on stage and in interviews,
937
00:39:57,415 --> 00:40:00,145
but the press coverage had tapered off.
938
00:40:00,145 --> 00:40:02,875
No new fashion pushes, no new retail
939
00:40:02,875 --> 00:40:04,435
announcements, just quiet consistency.
940
00:40:04,435 --> 00:40:07,165
FuMan Skeeto was still very much a
941
00:40:07,165 --> 00:40:09,895
part of his identity, but the media
942
00:40:09,895 --> 00:40:12,625
wasn't paying attention to it any more.
943
00:42:12,625 --> 00:40:15,017
On August 20th, *NSYNC performed NBC's
944
00:40:15,017 --> 00:40:17,186
Today Show Summer Concert Series at
945
00:40:17,186 --> 00:40:20,079
Rockefeller Plaza. It was one of the last
946
00:40:20,079 --> 00:40:21,525
major televised performances tied
947
00:40:21,525 --> 00:40:23,694
directly to the celebrity rollout. The
948
00:40:23,694 --> 00:40:26,587
group sang Pop and Gone, and Chris was
949
00:40:26,587 --> 00:40:28,394
right there as always, harmonizing,
950
00:40:28,394 --> 00:40:31,287
dancing and putting in the work. As the
951
00:40:31,287 --> 00:30:33,095
Pop Odyssey tour continued across
952
00:40:33,095 --> 00:40:35,264
stadiums, Chris still kept showing up
953
00:40:35,264 --> 00:40:37,830
nightly. And in medley segments, he had
954
00:40:37,830 --> 00:40:40,192
an opportunity to perform the song that
955
00:40:40,192 --> 00:40:42,217
he wrote, "Falling". His work was
956
00:40:42,217 --> 00:40:43,566
consistent, his performance was
957
00:40:43,566 --> 00:40:45,591
consistent, and as always, his presence
958
00:40:45,591 --> 00:40:48,467
was consistent. But on
959
00:40:48,467 --> 00:40:51,096
stage, the spotlight was kind of uneven.
960
00:40:52,866 --> 00:40:55,396
The show seemed built around spectacle
961
00:40:55,396 --> 00:40:57,926
and, at least according to concert
962
00:40:57,926 --> 00:41:00,034
reviewers, increasingly around Justin and
963
00:41:00,034 --> 00:41:02,914
JC. Chris was essential to
964
00:41:02,914 --> 00:41:05,652
the sound and the staging, but the camera
965
00:41:05,652 --> 00:41:08,047
angles, the press photos and the fan
966
00:41:08,047 --> 00:41:10,100
circulated clips told a different story.
967
00:41:10,100 --> 00:41:12,496
He was there, he just wasn't centered.
968
00:41:14,126 --> 00:41:16,050
In August, Entertainment Weekly reported
969
00:41:16,050 --> 00:41:18,745
that Chris and Justin would appear in
970
00:41:18,745 --> 00:41:21,054
an upcoming issue of Marvel's Wolverine
971
00:41:21,054 --> 00:41:23,748
comic. It was drawn by artist Dan
972
00:41:23,748 --> 00:41:26,058
Fraga, someone who Chris knew through
973
00:41:26,058 --> 00:41:28,752
working on FuMan Skeeto. It was a
974
00:41:28,752 --> 00:41:31,446
small item, really, barely a blip in
975
00:41:31,446 --> 00:41:33,756
the entertainment cycle, but it mattered.
976
00:41:33,866 --> 00:41:36,515
There was just one more way that Chris's
977
00:41:36,515 --> 00:41:38,502
creative world extended beyond the stage,
978
00:41:38,502 --> 00:41:41,151
and it was proof that he was building
979
00:41:41,151 --> 00:41:42,476
relationships and collaborations with
980
00:41:42,476 --> 00:41:45,125
artists that would lead to him showing up
981
00:41:45,125 --> 00:41:47,443
in unexpected corners of pop culture. The
982
00:41:47,443 --> 00:41:49,430
September opened with momentum *NSYNC
983
00:41:49,430 --> 00:41:51,748
closed out the Pop Odyssey Tour on
984
00:41:51,748 --> 00:41:54,066
September 1st, and it was the final
985
00:41:54,136 --> 00:41:56,759
night of the last stadium tour they would
986
00:41:56,759 --> 00:41:58,727
ever headline. Soon after, MTV was
987
00:41:58,727 --> 00:42:00,694
running quick promotional hits about the
988
00:42:02,334 --> 00:42:04,301
upcoming On the Line soundtrack,
989
00:42:04,301 --> 00:42:06,301
including mentions of the song Falling.
990
00:42:06,596 --> 00:42:08,892
The Video Music Awards on September 6th
991
00:42:08,892 --> 00:42:11,187
gave *NSYNC one more bright, highly
992
00:42:11,187 --> 00:42:13,810
visible moment in the pop ecosystem. It
993
00:42:13,810 --> 00:42:16,430
was the last week where they were working
994
00:42:16,430 --> 00:42:19,271
and everything felt normal. And
995
00:42:16,430 --> 00:42:19,271
then the world changed. After the
996
00:42:19,271 --> 00:42:21,639
September 11th attacks, the entire
997
00:42:21,639 --> 00:42:24,006
entertainment industry went silent. Lots
998
00:42:24,006 --> 00:42:26,373
of promotional appearances were cancelled
999
00:42:26,373 --> 00:42:28,741
by multiple celebrities, including *NSYNC.
1000
00:42:28,741 --> 00:42:31,108
Interviews evaporated, and overall,
1001
00:42:31,108 --> 00:42:33,949
the machinery of pop culture simply
1002
00:42:33,949 --> 00:42:36,763
stopped Chris. Like the rest of the group
1003
00:42:36,763 --> 00:42:38,859
stepped back from the public view not
1004
00:42:38,859 --> 00:42:40,655
because of strategy, but because the
1005
00:42:40,655 --> 00:42:42,451
moment demanded stillness. In the middle
1006
00:42:42,451 --> 00:42:44,547
of that stillness, a small piece of
1007
00:42:44,547 --> 00:42:46,044
prerecorded levity popped up. On
1008
00:42:46,044 --> 00:42:48,140
September 15th, a sketch that Chris had
1009
00:42:48,140 --> 00:42:50,835
taped from Mad TV aired. It was goofy, it
1010
00:42:50,835 --> 00:42:53,529
was self aware, and it was a parody of
1011
00:42:53,529 --> 00:42:56,355
boy band fame. It was. Kind of a
1012
00:42:56,355 --> 00:42:58,733
relic from the Before Time, filmed when
1013
00:42:58,733 --> 00:43:00,771
the world felt lighter. It didn't
1014
00:43:00,771 --> 00:43:03,488
generate major press, but it gave Chris a
1015
00:43:03,488 --> 00:43:06,205
rare solo beat in a month that otherwise
1016
00:43:06,205 --> 00:43:08,583
was defined by silence. And then on
1017
00:43:08,583 --> 00:43:10,621
September 17th, another artifact from the
1018
00:43:10,621 --> 00:43:12,659
pre 911 marketing pipeline slipped out
1019
00:43:12,659 --> 00:43:14,697
into a world that wasn't paying
1020
00:43:14,697 --> 00:43:16,867
attention. *NSYNC's fantasy Hotline phone
1021
00:43:16,867 --> 00:43:19,527
game. It was a piece of pop ephemera
1022
00:43:19,527 --> 00:43:21,522
designed for a different cultural moment,
1023
00:43:21,522 --> 00:43:23,849
and it was released into an atmosphere
1024
00:43:23,849 --> 00:43:26,177
where most people did not have the
1025
00:43:26,177 --> 00:43:28,504
appetite for a playful fan game. It
1026
00:43:28,504 --> 00:43:30,832
landed with very little fanfare at the
1027
00:43:30,832 --> 00:43:33,159
time. Overall, I'd say that September was
1028
00:43:33,159 --> 00:43:35,487
marked as the month that stood out.
1029
00:43:35,557 --> 00:43:37,954
Because of what didn't happen instead of
1030
00:43:37,954 --> 00:43:39,667
what happened. Like I mentioned,
1031
00:43:39,667 --> 00:43:41,722
Hollywood pretty much came to a
1032
00:43:41,722 --> 00:43:43,777
screeching halt after the terror attacks,
1033
00:43:43,777 --> 00:43:46,517
and *NSYNC was no exception in that. (Transition sound)
1034
00:43:49,677 --> 00:43:52,278
October started quietly and without much
1035
00:43:52,278 --> 00:43:54,880
momentum. If anything, it began with
1036
00:43:54,880 --> 00:43:57,481
absence. Joey had already told multiple
1037
00:43:57,481 --> 00:44:00,083
outlets that *NSYNC was on
1038
00:44:00,083 --> 00:44:02,684
a break, and the calendar reflected
1039
00:44:02,684 --> 00:44:05,285
it. No touring, no major group
1040
00:44:05,285 --> 00:44:07,887
promotion, and no coordinated media push.
1041
00:44:08,037 --> 00:44:09,761
The industry was still recalibrating
1042
00:44:09,761 --> 00:44:11,830
after September 11th and the group's
1043
00:44:11,830 --> 00:44:13,899
visibility had dropped to almost nothing.
1044
00:44:13,899 --> 00:44:16,658
The only thing that really seemed to move
1045
00:44:16,658 --> 00:44:19,072
forward were the pieces that were already
1046
00:44:19,072 --> 00:44:21,486
in motion prior to the attacks. FuMan
1047
00:44:21,486 --> 00:44:23,555
Skeeto had planned several New York
1048
00:44:23,555 --> 00:44:25,624
City appearances for September, but the
1049
00:44:25,624 --> 00:44:27,693
shutdown pushed them into mid-October. So
1050
00:44:27,693 --> 00:44:30,211
on October 15th and 16th, Chris found
1051
00:44:30,211 --> 00:44:32,606
himself doing TRL and The View not
1052
00:44:32,606 --> 00:44:35,342
because October was meant to be a big
1053
00:44:35,342 --> 00:44:37,737
month, but because the world had shifted
1054
00:44:37,737 --> 00:44:40,131
and the schedule shifted with it. What
1055
00:44:40,131 --> 00:44:42,526
should have been part of a September
1056
00:44:42,526 --> 00:44:44,236
rollout became a quieter, slightly
1057
00:44:44,236 --> 00:44:46,289
dislocated moment in October. Also on
1058
00:44:46,289 --> 00:44:48,683
October 16th, the On the Line soundtrack
1059
00:44:48,683 --> 00:44:51,601
was released. Chris wasn't part of the
1060
00:44:51,601 --> 00:44:54,406
film's narrative, but he did appear in a
1061
00:44:54,406 --> 00:44:56,511
brief cameo in the film's closing
1062
00:44:56,511 --> 00:44:58,264
credits. More importantly, the soundtrack
1063
00:44:58,264 --> 00:45:00,719
for the movie featured "Falling", which is
1064
00:45:00,719 --> 00:45:03,525
a song that he cowrote. As I
1065
00:45:03,525 --> 00:45:05,980
mentioned before, it hadn't made the cut
1066
00:45:05,980 --> 00:45:08,786
for the US version of Celebrity, but here
1067
00:45:08,786 --> 00:45:11,679
it was. Getting a second life and
1068
00:45:11,679 --> 00:45:14,103
a small but meaningful place for his
1069
00:45:14,103 --> 00:45:16,181
songwriting to surface in the domestic
1070
00:45:16,181 --> 00:45:18,955
market. The next
1071
00:45:18,955 --> 00:45:21,745
day, on October 17th, Chris turned 30.
1072
00:45:21,745 --> 00:45:24,535
ABC News marked the moment with a
1073
00:45:24,535 --> 00:45:27,326
piece that leaned heavily on the age
1074
00:45:27,326 --> 00:45:30,116
narrative, the same one that had sort
1075
00:45:30,116 --> 00:45:32,907
of followed him all year in 2001.
1076
00:45:32,907 --> 00:45:35,697
Turning 30 wasn't just a birth day,
1077
00:45:35,697 --> 00:45:38,487
it turned into a cultural talking point.
1078
00:45:39,027 --> 00:45:41,672
His age became shorthand for the supposed
1079
00:45:41,672 --> 00:45:44,316
end of teen pop, and it became
1080
00:45:44,316 --> 00:45:46,961
a proxy for the media's eagerness to
1081
00:45:46,961 --> 00:45:49,605
declare the boy band era over. Chris
1082
00:45:49,605 --> 00:45:51,872
wasn't doing anything unusual by aging,
1083
00:45:51,872 --> 00:45:54,516
but the coverage made it feel symbolic,
1084
00:45:54,516 --> 00:45:57,161
as if his birthday were a referendum
1085
00:45:57,161 --> 00:45:59,849
on teen pop and boy bands. Themselves,
1086
00:45:59,849 --> 00:46:02,307
the month also held some moments of
1087
00:46:02,307 --> 00:46:04,414
collective purpose. Chris appeared in the
1088
00:46:04,414 --> 00:46:07,223
All Star What's Going On in Music video.
1089
00:46:07,223 --> 00:46:09,329
Filmed in late September and early
1090
00:46:09,329 --> 00:46:11,787
October, it was a project that gathered
1091
00:46:11,787 --> 00:46:14,245
artists across genres to respond to a
1092
00:46:14,245 --> 00:46:16,940
shaken world. On
1093
00:46:16,940 --> 00:46:19,113
October 21st, *NSYNC performed at the
1094
00:46:19,113 --> 00:46:21,286
United We Stand benefit concert in
1095
00:46:21,286 --> 00:46:23,821
Washington, DC, 1 of the first major
1096
00:46:23,821 --> 00:46:25,632
televised events after the industry's
1097
00:46:25,632 --> 00:46:28,529
pause. It was a reminder that even in
1098
00:46:28,529 --> 00:46:31,064
a quiet month, the group still stepped
1099
00:46:31,064 --> 00:46:33,237
forward when it mattered. Meanwhile, FuMan
1100
00:46:33,237 --> 00:46:35,048
Skeeto's fall collection hit shelves.
1101
00:46:35,868 --> 00:46:37,971
The lines, tribal graphics, rhinestones
1102
00:46:37,971 --> 00:46:40,074
and bold designs carried Chris's
1103
00:46:40,074 --> 00:46:42,598
fingerprints as clearly as any lyric.
1104
00:46:43,688 --> 00:46:46,303
It wasn't a side project. It was three
1105
00:46:46,303 --> 00:46:48,591
years of work, now stocked in Nordstrom
1106
00:46:48,591 --> 00:46:50,879
and Bloomingdale's, and it was a steady,
1107
00:46:50,879 --> 00:46:52,841
tangible expression of his creativity at
1108
00:46:52,841 --> 00:46:55,129
a time when the group's future felt
1109
00:46:55,129 --> 00:46:57,090
undefined. October wasn't loud, and it
1110
00:46:57,090 --> 00:46:59,378
wasn't crowded. It wasn't the kind of
1111
00:46:59,378 --> 00:47:01,667
month that generated a lot of headlines,
1112
00:47:01,667 --> 00:47:04,469
But it was a month where. Chris kept
1113
00:47:04,469 --> 00:47:06,781
moving quietly and steadily through a
1114
00:47:06,781 --> 00:47:09,093
landscape that was still finding its
1115
00:47:09,093 --> 00:47:11,914
footing. November was a
1116
00:47:11,914 --> 00:47:14,191
month of brief reemergence, not a full
1117
00:47:14,191 --> 00:47:16,794
return to the pre September rhythm, but a
1118
00:47:16,794 --> 00:47:18,746
handful of moments where *NSYNC stepped
1119
00:47:18,746 --> 00:47:21,348
back into the public view after weeks of
1120
00:47:21,348 --> 00:47:23,300
quiet. On Veteran's Day, the group
1121
00:47:23,300 --> 00:47:25,578
performed at a free concert on South
1122
00:47:25,578 --> 00:47:28,180
Beach. It was a 9/11 support event that
1123
00:47:28,180 --> 00:47:30,132
brought artists and audiences together in
1124
00:47:30,132 --> 00:47:32,168
the spirit of healing.
1125
00:47:33,588 --> 00:47:35,788
They oriented and one of the first times
1126
00:47:35,788 --> 00:47:37,713
the group appeared on stage since the
1127
00:47:37,713 --> 00:47:40,493
attacks. The rest
1128
00:47:40,493 --> 00:47:43,064
of the month followed the same pattern,
1129
00:47:43,064 --> 00:47:44,901
group visibility without much individual
1130
00:47:44,901 --> 00:47:47,897
spotlight. On the 20th and
1131
00:47:47,897 --> 00:47:50,894
*NSYNC appeared on MTV, and then the next
1132
00:47:50,894 --> 00:47:53,891
day on the 21st they stopped by BET's
1133
00:47:53,891 --> 00:47:56,138
106 and Park. These weren't major
1134
00:47:56,138 --> 00:47:58,386
promotional pushes. They were light, low
1135
00:47:58,386 --> 00:48:00,634
stakes appearances that signaled that the
1136
00:48:00,634 --> 00:48:03,256
group was still active and still present
1137
00:48:03,256 --> 00:48:05,504
even as the industry continued to
1138
00:48:05,504 --> 00:48:07,917
recalibrate. Critics participated fully,
1139
00:48:07,917 --> 00:48:10,413
but the framing, as always, was
1140
00:48:10,413 --> 00:48:12,493
collective. No solo interviews, no
1141
00:48:12,493 --> 00:48:14,573
individual features, no dedicated press.
1142
00:48:14,573 --> 00:48:17,486
And to an extent, that absence is
1143
00:48:17,486 --> 00:48:20,398
kind of its own data point. November
1144
00:48:20,398 --> 00:48:22,894
didn't offer Chris a standalone platform
1145
00:48:22,894 --> 00:48:25,806
or a moment to speak in his
1146
00:48:25,806 --> 00:48:28,582
own voice. And his presence was
1147
00:48:28,582 --> 00:48:30,657
woven into the group's movements, not
1148
00:48:30,657 --> 00:48:32,732
highlighted apart from them. This had
1149
00:48:32,732 --> 00:48:35,499
been a year when the media spotlight was
1150
00:48:35,499 --> 00:48:37,229
really narrowing towards only certain
1151
00:48:37,229 --> 00:48:39,304
members of *NSYNC, and November just
1152
00:48:39,304 --> 00:48:41,033
continued to reinforce that pattern.
1153
00:48:41,033 --> 00:48:43,454
Chris was still showing up and still
1154
00:48:43,454 --> 00:48:45,875
working, and he was still visible, but
1155
00:48:45,875 --> 00:48:48,807
only within the ensemble. Overall,
1156
00:48:48,807 --> 00:48:51,525
November was a quiet month. It was
1157
00:48:51,525 --> 00:48:54,243
a transitional month. It was a month
1158
00:48:54,243 --> 00:48:56,184
where the group's public activity
1159
00:48:56,184 --> 00:48:58,514
flickered back to life, but Chris's
1160
00:48:58,514 --> 00:49:00,455
individual narrative remained in the
1161
00:49:00,455 --> 00:49:02,396
background, study and subdued. December,
1162
00:49:02,396 --> 00:49:05,114
on the other hand, opened with spectacle
1163
00:49:05,114 --> 00:49:07,832
at the Billboard Music Awards and *NSYNC
1164
00:49:07,832 --> 00:49:10,053
performed Gone. Live, and they also
1165
00:49:10,053 --> 00:49:12,424
joined the All Star performance of "What's
1166
00:49:12,424 --> 00:49:14,117
Going On?" standing alongside Destiny's
1167
00:49:14,117 --> 00:49:16,149
Child, Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, Angie
1168
00:49:16,149 --> 00:49:18,858
Stone and others. Chris was part of the
1169
00:49:18,858 --> 00:49:21,567
ensemble, a voice in the chorus and a
1170
00:49:21,567 --> 00:49:23,938
face in the crowd. Camera time was
1171
00:49:23,938 --> 00:49:26,308
limited and vocal spotlight even more so,
1172
00:49:26,308 --> 00:49:29,079
but he was still there and still. Showing
1173
00:49:29,079 --> 00:49:31,997
up. A few days later, he
1174
00:49:31,997 --> 00:49:34,108
was back in Orlando for the group's
1175
00:49:34,108 --> 00:49:35,917
annual charity toy Drive at Point
1176
00:49:35,917 --> 00:49:38,912
Orlando. It wasn't glamorous, but it
1177
00:49:38,912 --> 00:49:41,171
was consistent with who he had always
1178
00:49:41,171 --> 00:49:43,107
been, charitable and community minded. He
1179
00:49:43,107 --> 00:49:45,689
appeared alongside the rest of *NSYNC on
1180
00:49:45,689 --> 00:49:47,948
TR's holiday special. It was a light,
1181
00:49:47,948 --> 00:49:49,884
festive occasion built for fan engagement
1182
00:49:49,884 --> 00:49:52,143
and seasonal nostalgia. It was brief, it
1183
00:49:52,143 --> 00:49:54,724
was cheerful and it was a reminder that
1184
00:49:54,724 --> 00:49:57,306
even in a quieter year, the group could
1185
00:49:57,306 --> 00:49:58,919
still slip into familiar rhythms.
1186
00:50:00,459 --> 00:50:02,819
But behind the scenes, the ground may
1187
00:50:02,819 --> 00:50:04,842
have been shifting. According to Lance
1188
00:50:04,842 --> 00:50:06,527
Bass's memoir, sometime that month,
1189
00:50:06,527 --> 00:50:09,224
Justin approached him and Joey in a hotel
1190
00:50:09,224 --> 00:50:11,921
room and asked how they felt about taking
1191
00:50:11,921 --> 00:50:14,281
a six month break the following year.
1192
00:50:14,281 --> 00:50:16,304
Lance remembers Joey being there, He
1193
00:50:16,304 --> 00:50:18,664
remembers JC coming into the room some
1194
00:50:18,664 --> 00:50:20,809
time after, and he remembers. Casey's
1195
00:50:20,809 --> 00:50:23,145
reaction? Chris isn't mentioned at all,
1196
00:50:23,145 --> 00:50:25,871
which I think in its own way
1197
00:50:25,871 --> 00:50:28,597
reflects how he kind of slipped out
1198
00:50:28,597 --> 00:50:31,323
of the center of the group's internal
1199
00:50:31,323 --> 00:50:33,660
storytelling, sometimes even when he was
1200
00:50:33,660 --> 00:50:35,997
fully present. Whether Justin spoke to
1201
00:50:35,997 --> 00:50:38,333
him earlier or later or separately,
1202
00:50:38,333 --> 00:50:41,059
that's not clear, but the outcome still
1203
00:50:41,139 --> 00:50:43,799
seems to be the same. When the
1204
00:50:43,799 --> 00:50:46,079
hiatus was eventually announced, it was
1205
00:50:46,079 --> 00:50:48,739
framed as unanimous and Chris, loyal as
1206
00:50:48,739 --> 00:50:51,019
ever, was part of that consensus.
1207
00:50:53,149 --> 00:50:55,920
December came with a tiny uptick for
1208
00:50:55,920 --> 00:50:58,691
FuMan Skeeto promotion as well. On the
1209
00:50:58,691 --> 00:51:01,066
official website, a post encouraged fans
1210
00:51:01,066 --> 00:51:03,045
to contact their favorite retailers,
1211
00:51:03,045 --> 00:51:05,419
requesting stock, asking for size ranges,
1212
00:51:05,419 --> 00:51:07,794
and basically lobbying for visibility. It
1213
00:51:07,794 --> 00:51:10,565
was a call to action and tucked
1214
00:51:10,565 --> 00:51:13,427
into the sidebar that same. Post
1215
00:51:13,427 --> 00:51:15,691
was a small announcement. FuMan Skeeto
1216
00:51:15,691 --> 00:51:18,333
would have a vendor booth at the
1217
00:51:18,333 --> 00:51:20,597
Women's Wear Daily MAGIC convention in
1218
00:51:20,597 --> 00:51:22,862
Las Vegas the following February. There
1219
00:51:22,862 --> 00:51:25,503
was a space for buyers, not just
1220
00:51:25,503 --> 00:51:28,145
browsers, and a space for business, not
1221
00:51:28,145 --> 00:51:30,981
just buzz. Chris wasn't holding the
1222
00:51:30,981 --> 00:51:33,204
stage at that point, he was building a
1223
00:51:33,204 --> 00:51:33,760
new one. (Transition sound)
1224
00:51:35,970 --> 00:51:38,967
So out of all the things we
1225
00:51:38,967 --> 00:51:41,537
learned about Chris, what's most relevant
1226
00:51:41,537 --> 00:51:44,535
to Unsynchronized? I think 2001 showed us
1227
00:51:44,535 --> 00:51:47,532
five things about Chris. For starters, he
1228
00:51:47,532 --> 00:51:50,530
kept showing up for *NSYNC and.
1229
00:51:51,210 --> 00:51:53,943
That helped *NSYNC to keep showing up as
1230
00:51:53,943 --> 00:51:56,373
a unit. Chris was there at all the
1231
00:51:56,373 --> 00:51:58,196
performances, He was there for charity
1232
00:51:58,196 --> 00:52:00,929
events, he was there for TV spots, he was
1233
00:52:00,929 --> 00:52:03,055
there for basically all of the ensemble
1234
00:52:03,055 --> 00:52:05,485
moments. They all kept showing up for the
1235
00:52:05,485 --> 00:52:07,915
most part, and because of that, the group
1236
00:52:07,915 --> 00:52:10,041
was still cohesive in public and in
1237
00:52:10,041 --> 00:52:11,560
practice. Nothing about his year.
1238
00:52:11,650 --> 00:52:14,586
Suggested any kind of instability or any
1239
00:52:14,586 --> 00:52:17,103
upcoming separation. The second thing we
1240
00:52:17,103 --> 00:52:20,039
learned is that Chris had kind of
1241
00:52:20,039 --> 00:52:22,975
a splashy year, but it was in
1242
00:52:22,975 --> 00:52:25,911
his own lane and the group supported
1243
00:52:25,911 --> 00:52:28,746
that. He had retail
1244
00:52:28,746 --> 00:52:31,078
launches and TV appearances and media
1245
00:52:31,078 --> 00:52:33,799
coverage, and he had a brand identity
1246
00:52:33,799 --> 00:52:36,131
through FuMan Skeeto that was unmistakably
1247
00:52:36,131 --> 00:52:38,851
his, and the group didn't push back.
1248
00:52:38,851 --> 00:52:41,572
There was no tension around it. From
1249
00:52:41,572 --> 00:52:44,292
what I see, it was just part
1250
00:52:44,292 --> 00:52:47,013
of *NSYNC's ecosystem at the time. The
1251
00:52:47,013 --> 00:52:49,810
third thing is that Chris found
1252
00:52:49,810 --> 00:52:52,539
some creative control outside of the
1253
00:52:52,539 --> 00:52:55,268
group and it was at a
1254
00:52:55,268 --> 00:52:57,998
time when individual projects were normal
1255
00:52:57,998 --> 00:53:00,727
and accepted. FuMan Skeeto wasn't a
1256
00:53:00,727 --> 00:53:03,457
side hobby, it was a place
1257
00:53:03,457 --> 00:53:06,186
where he called the shots. And
1258
00:53:06,186 --> 00:53:08,005
again, importantly, nothing about
1259
00:53:08,005 --> 00:53:10,044
*NSYNC's internal culture in 2001
1260
00:53:10,044 --> 00:53:12,300
suggested that this was a problem.
1261
00:53:13,630 --> 00:53:16,206
Everyone had something on the side,
1262
00:53:16,206 --> 00:53:18,353
everybody was exploring, and Chris's
1263
00:53:18,353 --> 00:53:20,929
project fit right into that same
1264
00:53:20,929 --> 00:53:23,505
rhythm. The fourth thing is that
1265
00:53:23,505 --> 00:53:26,081
he navigated aging in a youth
1266
00:53:26,081 --> 00:53:28,657
driven genre and he was doing
1267
00:53:28,657 --> 00:53:31,233
it while the group still was
1268
00:53:31,233 --> 00:53:32,950
unified and functioning normally.
1269
00:53:33,981 --> 00:53:36,542
There were a couple of times this year
1270
00:53:36,542 --> 00:53:38,783
that I highlighted where the media tried
1271
00:53:38,783 --> 00:54:41,664
to use his age as a shorthand for the
1271
00:53:41,664 --> 00:54:44,546
end of teen pop or the end of boy
1272
00:53:44,546 --> 00:53:46,787
bands. But inside of the group, nothing
1273
00:53:46,787 --> 00:53:48,708
appeared to be fracturing. They still
1274
00:53:48,708 --> 00:53:51,269
recorded, they still put out a new album,
1275
00:53:51,269 --> 00:53:53,831
they still toured off that album and did.
1276
00:53:53,901 --> 00:53:55,654
Promotional appearances. Everything was
1277
00:53:55,654 --> 00:53:58,285
business as usual for the most
1278
00:53:58,285 --> 00:53:59,601
part for *NSYNC.
1280
00:54:01,501 --> 00:54:03,809
So even though the media was saying that
1281
00:54:03,809 --> 00:54:06,405
the clock was ticking on teen pop and boy
1282
00:54:06,405 --> 00:54:08,713
bands, it didn't seem to phase the group
1283
00:54:08,713 --> 00:54:10,732
very much at all. And that includes
1284
00:54:10,732 --> 00:54:13,410
Chris. And the last
1285
00:54:13,410 --> 00:54:16,009
thing, the fifth thing, is that
1286
00:54:16,009 --> 00:54:18,175
Chris understood the industry was
1287
00:54:18,175 --> 00:54:20,774
shifting and he understood the need
1288
00:54:20,774 --> 00:54:23,609
to adapt. He
1289
00:54:23,609 --> 00:54:26,551
was one of the few people who openly
1290
00:54:26,551 --> 00:54:28,758
wondered whether *NSYNC could evolve with
1291
00:54:28,758 --> 00:54:31,333
the changing landscape and pop music, but
1292
00:54:31,333 --> 00:54:33,908
that awareness didn't seem to show any
1293
00:54:33,908 --> 00:54:36,115
kind of internal conflict. It simply
1294
00:54:36,115 --> 00:54:38,689
meant that he was thinking ahead while
1295
00:54:38,689 --> 00:54:41,264
still being fully committed to the group.
1296
00:54:41,264 --> 00:54:43,959
In some regards. 2001 shows Chris as
1297
00:54:43,959 --> 00:54:46,647
he's always been : doing his part
1298
00:54:46,647 --> 00:54:49,334
to be a dependable member of
1299
00:54:49,334 --> 00:54:52,022
*NSYNC. But also that year, he
1300
00:54:52,022 --> 00:54:54,710
didn't just support the sound, he
1301
00:54:54,710 --> 00:54:57,398
was building something of his own.
1302
00:54:57,398 --> 00:55:00,085
FuMan Skeeto made it onto racks
1303
00:55:00,085 --> 00:55:02,773
and major department stores across North
1304
00:55:02,773 --> 00:55:05,771
America. And it gave him something
1305
00:55:05,771 --> 00:55:08,754
that I think he rarely had inside
1306
00:55:08,754 --> 00:55:11,310
of the group, and that's creative
1307
00:55:11,310 --> 00:55:14,292
control. It was a way for him
1308
00:55:14,292 --> 00:55:17,274
to steer the direction and shape the
1309
00:55:17,274 --> 00:55:20,257
narrative and be seen as a creator
1310
00:55:20,257 --> 00:55:23,239
and not just comedic relief or the
1311
00:55:23,239 --> 00:55:25,942
Funny One, the Quirky One, or,
1312
00:55:25,942 --> 00:55:28,935
according to the media, the Old One.
1313
00:55:28,935 --> 00:55:31,501
And even when headlines were elsewhere,
1314
00:55:31,501 --> 00:55:34,495
Chris was making moves in the margins.
1315
00:55:34,495 --> 00:55:36,633
He wasn't necessarily chasing the
1316
00:55:36,633 --> 00:55:39,199
spotlight, but he was definitely building
1317
00:55:39,199 --> 00:55:41,765
something behind it. And importantly, it
1318
00:55:41,765 --> 00:55:44,331
didn't threaten the group *NSYNC.
1319
00:55:44,401 --> 00:55:46,601
Still unified, still functioning, still
1320
00:56:46,601 --> 00:55:49,512
showing up together. What
1321
00:55:49,512 --> 00:55:52,217
Chris's year reveals is simple. He
1322
00:55:52,217 --> 00:55:54,471
was expanding, not breaking away.
1323
00:56:56,101 --> 00:55:58,680
He was adapting to a changing industry
1324
00:55:58,680 --> 00:56:01,626
and navigating the idea of aging out, and
1325
00:56:01,626 --> 00:56:04,573
he did it with realism and a bit
1326
00:56:04,573 --> 00:56:07,520
of humor, and he also did it by
1327
00:56:07,520 --> 00:56:10,467
carving out a lane that didn't depend on
1328
00:56:10,467 --> 00:56:12,677
the group's machinery. His story wasn't
1329
00:56:12,677 --> 00:56:15,255
about fracture. It was about identity and
1330
00:56:15,255 --> 00:56:17,567
about authorship. Really about finding
1331
00:56:17,567 --> 00:56:19,727
control in a world that didn't always
1332
00:56:19,727 --> 00:56:20,962
offer it to him.
1333
00:56:23,462 --> 00:56:26,241
This brings us to the end of the episode
1334
00:56:26,241 --> 00:56:29,020
and the end of 2001 through the eyes of
1335
00:56:29,020 --> 00:56:31,182
Chris Kirkpatrick. Next up is JC Chasez.
1336
00:56:32,142 --> 00:56:34,845
Here's the one who built from the
1337
00:56:34,845 --> 00:56:37,163
inside, the architect behind some of
1338
00:56:37,163 --> 00:56:39,480
*NSYNC's most beloved deep cuts. He
1339
00:56:39,480 --> 00:56:42,184
didn't write the singles. He wrote the
1340
00:56:42,184 --> 00:56:44,888
songs that live in the "If you
1341
00:56:44,888 --> 00:56:47,592
know, you know" corner of the fandom,
1342
00:56:47,592 --> 00:56:49,909
the ones that still spark recognition
1343
00:56:49,909 --> 00:56:52,720
decades later. 2001 wasn't
1344
00:56:52,720 --> 00:56:55,434
about the spotlight for JC, it was about
1345
00:56:55,434 --> 00:56:58,148
the grind and the work that kept the
1346
00:56:58,148 --> 00:57:00,183
music evolving, even if the industry
1347
00:57:00,183 --> 00:57:00,862
wasn't watching.
1348
00:57:03,072 --> 00:57:05,589
Thanks for joining me today on
1349
00:57:05,589 --> 00:57:07,687
Unsynchronized. This is Nicole Raposo
1350
00:57:07,687 --> 00:57:10,205
signing off. And remember, until next
1351
00:57:10,205 --> 00:57:12,303
time, you can't spell Unsynchronized
1352
00:57:12,303 --> 00:57:13,142
without *NSYNC.
1353
00:57:14,482 --> 00:57:27,672
(Drum 'n Bass beatboxing noises)