We the Fans
I got the following letter as a forward in my mail (thanks, Andrea, for
sending it!). A lot of the time, I
delete forwards without even reading them, and if I do read them, I usually
delete them right after and don’t bother to send them on. With this one though, I not only didn’t
delete it, but I’m posting it on my site for all my visitors to see. I don’t know the girl who wrote it, but I
agree with her whole-heartedly.
This is the letter:
We the Fans
I
heard AJ was drinking again. Who cares?
Not us, we are the Backstreet fans. We love AJ no matter what. And we
don't believe filthy rumors. Well, Kevin and Brian are married. Why do you still love them? Who cares? Not
us, we are the Backstreet fans. We support them for their voices, and we are
happy they've found someone to keep them happy. But Nick got his ears pierced.
Who cares? Not us, we are the Backstreet fans, we love Nick for always, and we
love his sense of style (plus it's kinda sexy).
NSYNC is popular now though. Who cares?
Not us, we are the Backstreet fans, BSB is always and will always be
popular if we have anything to do with it. AJ went into rehab. Who cares? Not
us, we are the Backstreet fans. We are happy AJ got himself some help, and we
will always support him. Howie has long hair. Who cares? Not us, we are the
Backstreet fans. We love his voice and his hair!
Backstreet fans stick by the boys always, don't love them because they're hot,
because they're popular, or what they were. We love them because they've given
us music and love, and for that, we are always grateful. That's why we vote, we
go to concerts, and we defend them. Don't get me wrong, they're hot as heck,
but we love them for more than that. And there are some fans that wouldn't love
the guys if they were fat or if they were ugly. But true fans, that is not
true. Can you call yourself a true fan? I can all the way. And those are the
ones the boys need. Sure, we get a little crazy sometimes, but we love them.
And you can't say you love them without being a true fan. Because liking them
for their looks is not a true fan.
Sometimes I wonder, why do I bother being a true fan? Why do I bother doing all
the work I do for them? And last night, when I turned on that video and watched
that concert, I remembered why. It's all the little things they do that they
have no idea what they're doing. The smoothness of Brian's voice. The slow sexy
voice of Kevin. The truly beautiful and amazing voice of AJ. The strong and
leading voice of Nick. And who could forget Howie’s soft and loving voice? Put
them all together, and you get a sound that you don't want to stop listening
to. A sound that pulls at your heart and fills you with love. That's why I'm a
true fan. And there are other reasons. The look in their eyes when they say
thank you to all their fans. It makes you feel wonderful, and you know they're
talking to you. The glances they make at you in a concert, and you know they're
making eye contact with you. Their to die for smiles that makes your heart go
wild. The love in their voice when they sing. How honest they are to us, their
fans. And how they don't get angry at us when we invade their privacy, when we
ask for constant autographs, or when they can't even go out to dinner in peace.
I promised myself if I ever saw them in person, I'd write a note to them and
hand it to them with my phone number and hope they call me because I wouldn't
want to take away their time.
All us fans need to think about this. Are you true? And if you are, then a lot
of us need to get our acts together and show these boys we love them and they
have not lost their true fans to other boybands. That
we will be with them always, through rehab, and anything else they may face.
I'm talking sell out albums, #1 everyday, and hard work. If you're not up to
it, then I don't know why you are a fan or why you call yourself a fan. The
only fans those guys need are true ones.
With Love,
Chelsea Roff
