Joey and Chris. Chris and Joey. They may have been two-fifths of a sugary boy band once worshipped by pre-pubescent girls (and some adults), but they’ve matured into a couple of dirty birds. If they were a bad drink on shameful night, they’d be rancid pinot noir—one you’d happily drink. They are willing to go anywhere for a laugh, and it is pure joy watching them trade sexually laced hot dog zingers.
Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick caught-up with rabid fans Sunday in the Hyatt Centennial at 10AM (a time they frequently cursed as they nearly chugged water) and reminisced about their heyday with *NSYNC, spoofing themselves in Dead 7, and appearing on Broadway or cultural touchstones, such as Family Feud, Sharknado, and Dancing with the Stars. They also set the record straight: they are not A.J. and Nick from the Backstreet Boys.
They can dish jokes as well as they take them, good naturedly suggesting they’ve popped their “Dragon Con” before recounting some of their funniest moments at the convention to that point. Fatone saw someone wearing a t-shirt that read “Make Joey Fatone great again.” Kirkpatrick was on the receiving end of a child’s drawn-out, deathly evil eye during the parade.
It’s likely they honed their crazy humor when recording and traveling with *NSYNC. They said they once threw Aaron Carter in a trashcan, and Joey got pranked epically by Justin Timberlake over a hamburger. When asked about a past look or outfit they regret, Kirkpatrick didn’t miss a beat.
“The one with the hair,” he said, referring to his wild dreads that garnered him the nickname “pineapple head.”
Fatone described making Dead 7—which was Nick Carter’s brainchild—like being at a boy band camp with members of an exclusive fraternity. Neither he nor Kirkpatrick enjoyed filming in Butte, Montana, which greets visitors with a billboard on the dangers of smoking meth. Which was fine, Fatone suggested, because Kirkpatrick only smokes crack.
Dancing with the Stars, Fatone said, was a fun, intense show where he learned that, to be a good dancer, a man has got to give a woman his crotch. Stars also brought out his inner geek as he wanted to tango and cha-cha to every iconic movie theme made famous in a sci-fi film. He’s a Star Wars fan and, surprisingly, also loves Knight Rider; he even owns a Kit replica.
Kirkpatrick said he fan-girled over Tracy Hickman and was ecstatic to see an Ultraman wandering the Con.
They still see their former band mates on milestones, but it is difficult to, literally, get the band back together. They see J.C. Chasez the least. “Yeah, we had to reintroduce ourselves to [him],” Fatone said of a recent gathering. But when they do all converge, it is like no time has passed. They still make fun of Lance and pick on Justin’s southern drawl. Kirkpatrick still gets really drunk.
Kirkpatrick and Fatone did turn in some thoughtful moments, like when discussing their favorite song to record (it involved Phil Collins), *NSYNC’s less-than-auspicious debut, and how they’ve become the godfathers to a new generation of musicians—including rapper Drake who paid his compliments to a surprised Fatone on the 2013 MTV Music Awards.
“Do you realize how early it is?” Fatone responded when asked to sing. They may not be on the stage every night anymore, but they stay busy.
Kirkpatrick does a lot of radio work and music producing. He’s even building a studio in Nashville. He’ll also be appearing with Fatone—who Kirkpatrick accused of being everywhere at all times—in a couple of upcoming TV shows.
“Like he said,” Fatone said pointing towards Kirkpatrick, “I do everything.” Fatone has also ventured into the food industry with his Fat Ones hot dogs, which he described as big weenies sold in small kiosks.
They likely won’t, however, be reuniting with their *NSYNC band mates any time soon (mainly because J.C. is off somewhere being Zen) for an album or tour, but Kirkpatrick did add, “Never say never.”
“We’re the old guys,” Kirkpatrick said, “and time moves on.”
But, boy is it fun to travel back with Fatone and Kirkpatrick, who proved they are still worth a visit.
