BOOK INFORMATION Title: The Ultimate
Boyband Book Author: Frederick Levy
Publisher: Pocket Books Price:
$4.99
By Michael Rosen-Molina
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
“The Ultimate Boy Band Book” proves, once and for
all, that there is life beyond the Backstreet Boys.
While, in the last few years, that most specialized of genres,
the boy band, has been dominated by three megagroups ““
Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and 98 Degrees ““ author Frederick
Levy takes it upon himself to give exposure to the unsung heroes of
the industry. The book’s title could not be accused of false
advertising, as the book does reveal more than even the most
devoted stalker would ever hope to know about these clean-cut young
musicians.
At first, the book might look like no more than a marketing
tie-in, a cheap 192-page press release hashed out in a week, but
looks are deceptive. “The Ultimate Boy Band Book” is
exactly what it claims to be, the definitive source of information
on all things related to the most maligned of musical styles.
The book contains enough seemingly inconsequential yet vital
trivia about the private lives of these stars to keep prepubescent
fans screaming for days.
Levy devotes entire chapters to different groups, from the
familiar babyfaces of Hanson to the more obscure heartthrobs of No
Authority. Other groups, whose names all seem to be clever
allusions to the number of members in the group (like 5ive and Plus
One), are not spared the same in-depth scrutiny.
One should not expect to find any real dirt to be dredged up in
“The Ultimate Boy Band Book.” Any cruel reader looking
for sordid tales of these all-too-perfect pretty boys’
embarrassing peccadillos to traumatize his little sister will be
sorely disappointed. Levy knows that his audience consists entirely
of young girls, and thus keeps his revelations strictly
G-rated.
Levy talks about every boy band that existed, and some that
didn’t. A whole chapter details the story behind the Meaty
Cheesy Boys, a parody boy band created solely for a Jack in the Box
fast food restaurant ad campaign.
The amount of detail actually becomes disturbing when one
considers that the author took the time to research the
backgrounds, discography, Web site, and fan club e-mail addresses
of a band that never actually accomplished anything other than
convincing television viewers to buy cheeseburgers. While the book
reports that the group produced an album with their hit singles
“No Burger, No Love” and “Cheeseless
Nights,” the claim is a wry joke; no such album was ever
released. Trivialities like this aren’t enough to deter Levy,
who describes in loving detail the back story of Wade Robson
(better known to fans of the group as The Other EJ).
The book also contains new interviews with band members, most of
whom express a surprising amount of agreement that their boy band
experiences were all “fun.” Emphasizing the generic
nature of boy bands, the book includes eight pages of photographs
of all the interchangeable bands. As all the bands adhere to the
same strict dress code ““ bleached hair, tinted yellow
sunglasses, white tank tops ““ a helpful key is included so
that confused readers will be able to tell them all apart.
Any true music fan will no doubt take offense at Levy’s
introduction, a supposed history of boy bands. The author begins by
introducing one of rock history’s greatest boy bands, the
Beatles. The idea that the Beatles ““ to many, the single most
innovative and original team of creative artists ever ““ are
comparable with pre-packaged music groups put together by
calculating executives because they appeal to key demographics,
rather than because they can claim any artistic merit, is downright
insulting. Apart from this absurd comparison, though, Levy avoids
making wild claims, limiting his research to accepted boy bands
like Menudo and New Kids on the Block. When in his element, Levy
proves to be quite erudite, pontificating on the rise and fall of
numerous doomed boy band ventures.
Menudo, one of the longest running boy bands in the world, also
has one of the highest turn-over rates, expelling old members when
they are no longer considered marketable and replacing them with
up-and-coming youngsters. Reading like a roster of war dead, the
book provides a complete listing of every single singer that has
every survived a passage through the Menudo machine.
In the end, though, one must keep in mind the audience to which
the book is geared. A reviewer would be sorely tempted to dismiss
“The Ultimate Boy Band Book” with a failing grade
merely because of the frivolousness of its subject. However, in the
end, even the most negative reviewer would have to admit that Levy
does know his material. If readers want to know anything about boy
bands, it would be hard to find a better resource, making this book
the perfect gift for any obsessive preteen.
Otherwise, “The Ultimate Boy Band Book” also makes a
very nice doorstop.