The other day I was thinking about Justin Timberlake -- a mildly curious thing for a straight man in his forties to spend much time doing, perhaps, but so be it. If it helps, I'm pretty sure that my wife was thinking about Justin too. We were both on a road trip with our two young boys, all of us happily listening as "Dead and Gone," Justin's stellar turn with T.I., kept popping up on a number of different radio stations.
Later the whole family watched all the cleaner bits from last weekend's "Saturday Night Live" together and witnessed Justin kicking comedic ass yet again. That got me thinking about how amazing and impressive it is that the sweet, likeable and ambitious kid I first met in a Florida corporate park as a teenager more than a decade ago has gradually become a singular sensation -- arguably our current pop culture's smartest guy in the room, for real.
Back when I met Justin in 1998, I was writing the first Rolling Stone profile about the then still up-and-coming boy band 'N Sync. I came away from a few days with the guys with two overriding impressions - one was that the group's self-proclaimed "Big Daddy" Lou Pearlman was pretty creepy. The fact that this middle aged boy band impresario mentioned the he'd also gotten into the Chippendale's business too should perhaps have set off a few dozen red flags, but somehow I didn't have a real clue that he was not just a creep, but a true scoundrel as well.
Lou, if they happen get Huffington Post in whatever lucky penal facility currently houses your convicted ass, I apologize if I just ruined your otherwise lovely day in lockdown -- love or otherwise.
My other infinitely more pleasant memory is of Justin himself. He seemed like very much a team player, but I recall him bringing me out to his brand new car and playing me a bunch of current favorite CDs -- a very cool and interesting selection of hip hop and soul recordings that in retrospect suggested the more interesting direction his own music would someday go.
I got to see 'N Sync perform in Miami during my trip and that was my first indication of his ability as a singer and a performer. He was good even then, but you could see he wasn't going to be satisfied with simply being good for long. Somehow Justin's experiences as a child star had not made him crazy, but rather given him a sense of perspective about the business that seemed unusual for his age -- or any age actually.
Since then I've had the pleasure of working with Justin a fair amount, and to this day, he strikes me as a guy with remarkably good instincts. The last time I saw Justin was at the Grammys where he graciously stepped in to help save the show after Chris Brown and Rihanna became the world's most famous no-shows. Working with Executive Producer Ken Ehrlich, Justin helped put together a spontaneously great Grammy moment with Reverend Al Green and an instant backing band. Backstage right before the show went live, I thanked Justin for helping us out. "It's what we do," Justin said. "Sadly Justin, we don't do the same thing," I told him.
I won't feel too bad about that. Nobody else does everything Justin does -- or does so well.
Justin Timberlake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Then I saw Justin on Saturday Night Live and thought - ok this guy has talent. Has anyone mentioned Jimmy Fallon and Timberlake doing the BeeGees sketches??
Yeah I agree with previous posters who say that he is a Disney product - he did start out that way but took it to a higher level. Admirable.
I remember reading a column someone wrote about the bad rap Timberlake was getting after 'N Sync, and right before his first solo album came out. Ruminating on the fate of boy bands, the columnist said, like it or not, Timberlake will be around for years to come and he will own all of us - this at a time when Justin's name was hardly a household word. What's also interestin
Like both of them
Though my money is on JT taking Ashton Kutcher at the SATS
I spent my childhood in the 60's and was blown away by the talent that exploded
on America's cultural landscape. It continued in the seventies.
Today when we drive in my car my 13 year old pops in the Beatles, the Rolling Stones,
Pink Floyd, The Who, CCR, the Pretenders
My 13 year old plays piano and guitar - not guitar hero - a real guitar.
She says Justin Timberlake is a product of the Disney Manufactur
a toon from Tune town that my daughter laughs at not because he's funny but because
she is aware that he has a Mattel stamp on his ass like GI Joe.
Listen at any age it's possible to like the classics and some people born since the Sixties too. Elton John loves Justin, so maybe you could give him a fair hearing too.
And frankly, I'd rather hear "Senorita" than "Bungle In The Jungle" any day.
And since you love Creedence -- as do I -- be aware John Fogerty just started tweeting. He sent me one last night -- further proof us old dogs can at least try to learn a few new tricks.
Best to you. I'm going to listen to some Pretenders right now in your honor.
I'm going to listen to Bill Evans and Miles Davis in honor of my dad
who taught me about the classics - from Satchmo to Sarah Vaughn,
from Hoagey Carmichael to Leonard Bernstein, from Pete Seeger, to Bob Dylan
to U2.
P.S. Bungle In the Jungle isn't on Stand Up. It's a poor offering Ian Anderson
put out after his appearance on the cover of Time magazine in the early seventies.
I think if Justin Timberlake used his celebrity power to organize a Woodstock
spectacle in support of CHANGE in America I would feel an urgent need to respect him
for his wise use of celebrity. Obama needs the masses behind him at a time when
bankers have hijacked our government and economy.
Very nice article. I remember 11 or so years ago when I was heading off to college, my friends and I used to laugh at groups like N'Sync, and looked at them as "more of the same". We figured people like Justin Timberlake would burn right out.
Over time, he's definitely won me over. While I don't listen to his music religiousl
The guy is a great performer, whether it be in music, or doing skits for SNL.
Older people in the 60's thought the Beatles and Rolling Stones would "burn out".
Older people in the 70's thought Elton John would "burn out".
Older people in the 80's thought Prince and Madonna would "burn out".
Older people in the 90's thought Justin Timberlake would "burn out".
Just goes to show that older people don't always know what the hell they're talking about..and that everyone thinks the music of their formative years is the "best" music ever to be made.
Best wishes to him.
He's very talented, has managed to keep his head on
straight, is an activist and is turning out to be quite a
comedian. His three stints on SNL have been hilarious.
Good for him!!
A few years ago, I found out I was completely wrong about Justin. Most of them were cornballs especially Nick Lachey who is MY age and should have known better, but not Justin. That dude is amazing. The fact that he actually cracks me up on SNL is a big big bonus.
Thanks for writing this article. As a mid-30 something music enthusiast
Plus he's one of the greatest songwriter
IMHO he's legendary now, among greatest pop artists ever already. Great kid all around.