Men who love New Kids on the Block find solace with one another

NKOTB on their world tour.

While the New Kids on the Block have always had a very strong and vocal fan base with women and young girls across the world since their self-titled debut album dropped in 1986, their male fans have always quietly stayed behind the scenes out of fear of being ridiculed and being made fun of.  With the release of their album The Block, which debuted at #1 last year, and having embarked on a world concert tour to promote it, the New Kids have been thrust back into the spotlight and thus so have their fans.    Their female fans haven’t changed a bit, but a large number of male fans are boldly stepping forward to claim that, yes indeed, they love the New Kids too.

“I’m not ashamed to admit it anymore,” says Kurt Tarnoki, 25, of Ft. Myers, Florida.  “I love NKOTB (New Kids on the Block) and I don’t care who knows it.”

With the ever-growing number of males staking their claim as fans, support groups across the country are popping up to help males deal with any fears, anxieties or problems they might face by coming out of the closet.  “A man admitting he is a New Kids on the Block Fan can be a very difficult thing for him to do,” says Dr. Chris Burke of the Center for Embarrassing Tastes.  “Talking about those feelings with others is an important step in coming to terms with it.”  Many of the men have wives and children and talking with them about it can be the hardest part.  “I tried for years to tell my wife.  I don’t feel I have to sneak around to seedy clubs or back alleys anymore to get my New Kids on the Block fix,” says a man who wished to remain anonymous.

Group meetings typically consist of men discussing how to best come out to their friends and families, as well what they can do when they encounter intolerance to their love of the band.  “People always thought I was a New Kid fan when I was in high school,” remembers Joe Mead, 33, of Meadville, PA.  “I was too ashamed to admit it back then.  Meeting others like me let me know it was okay and that I’m not alone.”  Sometimes when a man admits to his feelings, he will encounter a lot of hate and resentment, even from those he feels close to.  “My parents threw me out when I told them I was going to a New Kid concert,” says Brad Childs, 18, of Philadelphia, PA.  “Fortunately I found a meeting here and the people took me in and helped me get on my feet.”

Meetings aren’t always entirely serious however.  “We sit around and discuss who are favorite New Kids are too.  We go to karaoke bars and sing their songs.  A bunch of us are following them around on the tour this summer.  It’s a blast,” says Ryan Harper, 35, of New York City.

To find a New Kids on the Block support group near you, contact chris@themoldycheee.com.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 1:52 pm and is filed under Entertainment, Society. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.