BACKSIDE BOY BIDS ADIEU (SNIFF)

Backstreet Boys say goodbye to Richardson

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Backstreet Boys are saying goodbye to the oldest member of their band, according to a statement posted on the group's Web site Saturday.

Kevin Richardson, 33, said he was leaving to purse other interests.

"It was a very tough decision for me but one that was necessary in order to move on with the next chapter of my life," Richardson said in the statement.

The Orlando-based pop band ushered in a new teen-music craze in the late 90's, buoyed by their soulful harmonies, synchronized dance steps, clean-cut good looks and charm. Their three albums sold a total of more than 35 million copies.

Al's Thoughts On Our Predicament
We will all try to find meaning in this void. We'll struggle to make sense of it all in the emptiness of the days ahead. We'll try to hold on in the hope that some mistake has been made: maybe it's misinformation, or an error, or impulsive start soon to be retracted? As we enter these dark days, I want to leave you with a memory to sustain you:











As Long As You Love Me

Although loneliness has always been a friend of mine
I'm leaving my life in your hands
People say I'm crazy and that I am blind
Risking it all in a glance
And how you got me blind is still a mystery
I can't get you out of my head
Don't care what is written in your history
As long as you're here with me
Chorus:
I don't care who you are
Where you're from
What you did
As long as you love me
Who you are
Where you're from
Don't care what you did
As long as you love me
Every little thing that you have said and done
Feels like it's deep within me
Doesn't really matter if you're on the run
It seems like we're meant to be
Chorus
Bridge:
I've tried to hide it so that no one knows
But I guess it shows
When you look into my eyes
What you did and where you are comin' from
I don't care, as long as you love me, baby.
Chorus
Who you are
Where you're from
Don't care what you did
As long as you love me
(repeat to fade)



IN OTHER AL-RELATED NEWS
I'm off to the Dr. today at 12:30. I'll let y'all know what the prognosis is. Until then, in the words of Casey Kasem:
...I want a goddamn concerted effort to come out of a record that isn't a fucking up-tempo record every time I gotta do a goddamn death dedication! It's the last goddamn time; I want somebody who uses his fucking brain to not come out of a goddamn record... that's up-tempo and I've got to talk about a fucking dog dying!...Boy, is this fucking ponderous man...ponderous, fucking ponderous.

Whoops, not that one....

"Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars!"