Nick Shows Off His Eclectic Music Taste on His Episode of “All I Have To Give Radio”

So of course Nick was the last one of the individual episodes of the BSB Apple Music All I Have To Give radio podcast. And while I did talk about the first episode on the TDS blog, I never managed to recap each episode after that like I’d originally planned. I sort of blame AJ and Nick for that, seeing as they ended up giving us the pandemic content we needed by appearing on Dancing With The Stars and The Masked Singer so I focused on that and didn’t have time to talk about the podcast. But now? Things are calmer and I have this fun new project blog for Nick…so I figured why not talk about his episode you know?

Besides it’s not like I’d ever need my arm twisted to talk about Nick.

Honestly given the fact he’d recently confirmed that he’s “in talks” to do a podcast with Lance Bass, I got even more curious about how his episode would be. Because really All I Have To Give Radio has given us more of an insight in the type of music that makes our Boys tick. It’s been a pleasure to listen to and get that sort of insight. Also, Nick mentioned another episode at the end of this, so it looks like I have to keep my Apple Music subscription. Because I don’t think any of us were sure how many episodes this thing had.

But let’s dive into Nick’s episode. Because there’s a lot to dig into here and I have pages of handwritten notes I took while listening thanks to my brain going on and on and on. If you guys only knew the sort of notes I took on things like this, you’d probably get scared. Or appreciate my passion. One of the two at any rate.

Nick warns us straight off that his music choices were going to be all over the map. And boy were they! Something I’ve always liked about him is that his taste in music really is eclectic as all get out but that’s something that’s true for me as well. I’m not going to go through this post and list every song he plays but he starts off with one we know has been special to him for years and years now, Bridge Over Troubled Waters. I want to talk about this because of the story he makes sure to tell along with it. Nick’s gotten more open over the years about his childhood – not just the rough parts but the good parts as well. And this song was his go-to in singing competitions, and was the very song that he says got his parents to realize all the talent he had. Basically this song is why Nick Carter is a household name…in a sense.

He of course, goes on to play a few eighties songs, and I’d expect nothing less. He literally has a single called 80’s Movie due to his love of the music from that decade. What’s adorable though here though was how he talked about not having a radio as a kid. It’s no secret that before Backstreet Boys blew up into the legends they are today, the Carters were poor. Nick’s talked about that before. But one thing he didn’t have that many of us would be shocked at? His own radio. I never had musical talent but music has always been a huge part of my life so that’s crazy to me. I can’t remember not having a radio of some sort of my own. But he had to ask his parents to get him one at a garage sale and was so excited when he finally got it.

In listening to this, you can really see Nick’s passion as an artist. What inspires him. Talking about how Journey was always one of his biggest influences – not just Steve Perry’s insane vocal talent, but the artwork on the albums, the band’s versatility. All the pieces that go into making a song. Little things like that where you appreciate just all the things Nick sees in the artistry of musicians. Seeing Nick really talk about that sort of thing is a joy because he just has a love of all the energy and effort that goes into this. I don’t think enough fans appreciate this. Because while yes it’s annoying that the general public tends to brush him off as a “boybander”? Nick truly cares about the craft and I’ve often noticed fans don’t give this the praise he deserves as well in that aspect.

At one point, when trying to describe why he liked a musican, Nick goes on to say…“I like to see characters in voices.” And honestly? This quote is fascinating and on point. I wonder however if Nick realizes he owns this quality himself within his performances. As he’s always shifting his vocals and controls it pretty flawlessly into any given genre, showcasing his versitility. But even while he does that, his vocals retain a distinction that no one else can match.

Pretty sure that’s why he fooled none of us on The Masked SInger.

Something I noticed Nick emphasized throughout the entire episode is how much his life as a Backstreet Boy shaped him musically. Because he was really young when he joined the group. So those around him were sharing their musical tastes with him, management was gearing him towards specific songs to perform, and let’s be honest – the 90’s were all over the place in music trends. It shouldn’t be any surprise that he’s so eclectic! One thing he said BSB would do during their earliest days on their High School tour was that they’d add songs they’d hear on the radio, learning them and shaping performances with them just because they liked those songs so much. Because even during their “manufactured” beginnings, they always had a love and passion within what they were doing.

When it comes to music, that’s the beauty about it. You can listen to whatever you want to. You can have country on your playlist and then you can have rap on the other side of it…like our worlds can unite.

So about halfway through the episode, Nick goes on to talk about his love of rap music and how he personally can’t rap at all. (We all knew this. I remember the song “Oh Aaron” that he guested on.) And he was going on about how he’d be blasting Biggie on the tour bus as they went from city to city. I have no idea why that made me giggle but it absolutely did. Maybe it’s just hard to imagine floppy haired Nick blasting it. Even though Nick’s not wrong about how freaking good his music was (Hypnotize is to this day one of my favorite songs, for example.) That image, yup, still getting that reaction.

Sorry Nick.

Then again it’s probably just as funny for those who know me to imagine a twelve year old me doing the same thing to Tupac’s song Changes which I totally did. Which leads me to another quote of Nick’s that absolutely resonated in me. Because it’s true and more people need to see that. In talking about his love of rock music, he pokes a little bit of fun at the fact that as a Backstreet Boy people wouldn’t expect him to like the music he does. Hell I was guilty of falling into that tonight even knowing better. It’s frustrating because perception can be everything and we all do it. But my favorite thing about Nick is that he’s unapologetic about what he likes. He loves what he loves, and goes full on for it.

You never know what somebody’s listening to, what they love, what kind of music they love.

And it’s the truth.

I could go on forever into this podcast episode. Because there’s a lot I’m not talking about here which is why I encourage all of you to listen to it if you can. It’s a great one. One last thing I want to mention though was his special guest. Each singluar episode featuring one Boy has had a guest they end up somewhat interviewing for the show. Nick’s was the artist Wyland who is known for his ocean themed works and conservation efforts. Basically someone we all know Nick would vibe with due to his own love for the water. But the reason why I’m bringing it up was that their talk about how art and music can influence each other struck a chord with me.

I’m no artist. I can’t draw and I can’t sing…at least not well. But I’d definitely call myself a creative. In my experience? The same applies to writing. Whether it’s my writings here or fiction, music has always influenced me in ways I didn’t always understand. Artistry influences, feeds off of, and builds upon one another no matter what the form. The perfect example of this was right here in this episode. Because Nick was a fan of Wyland’s and later found out that Wyland was a fan of BSB and would at times play their songs as he painted. Artistry inspiring more artistry. How cool is that?

In short, well okay not short as this post got to be quite long…this episode showcases Nick’s depths. It reminds people that he’s not some one note Backstreet Boy despite that being the image so many display for him. There’s many facets to Nick and that’s why he’s such a good artist, whether it’s solo or as a Backstreet Boy. And I’m hopeful that this will get people to respect that more – inside and outside the fandom.

Be sure to give “All I Have To Give Radio” a listen here!