Indonesian Blockheads — once an NKOTB fan, always an NKOTB fan. JP/Susanna Tjokro

A sea of young girls screamed their names anytime members of New Kids on the Block (NKOTB) took the stage. Around the globe, they sang catchy songs that topped charts in various countries. But where are Joey, Jordan, Jonathan, Danny and Donnie now, after NKOTB was disbanded in 1994? Do their fans still have a soft spot for them?

New Kids on the Block was undoubtedly the most popular boy band of the 1980s. Photos of Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood graced teen magazines from around the globe. As many girls have puppy love, schoolgirls crush with members of the band.

Today, their fans, also known as Blockheads are not teenagers anymore. These people are mostly married and have kids. While there are fans who moves on learning that NKOTB is not as popular as it was, nevertheless many Blockheads still love this band.

Hangin' Tough, Step by Step, Tonight, The Right Stuff, I'll Be Loving You Forever, and Please Don't Go Girl are among the band's smash hit songs. Those tracks may ring a bell for those who are in their 30s now. Even though their tastes change as they got older, a lot of them may remember those catchy songs that gave them company through their growing pains.

Harri "Buzzy" Baskoro, 34 years old, moderator of NKOTB Indonesia mailing list, believed NKOTB was one of the most successful bands in the planet. He recalled that in 1991 the group topped Forbes list of highest paid entertainers, beating the likes of Michael Jackson and Bill Cosby.

"Hangin' Tough' had climbed to number one on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, had gone eight-times platinum and spent 132 weeks on the chart.

"In a nutshell, this band was formed in 1984 and enjoyed success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They were disbanded in 1994 and reunited in 2008 with an album titled The Block," Harry said, sounding like an expert on NKOTB.

He actually is an expert. He is like an encyclopedia of factoids relating the boy band.

"I am a man. What drew me to NKOTB in the first place was their music and talent, not their good looks," says Harri who listens to various types of music ranging from heavy metal to dangdut.

Harri is one of the few males in Blockheads' community. To him, Jordan and friends are more than just pretty faces and he has faith in their talents as well. Having divorced parents, when Harri was growing up as a teen, he looked up to Jonathan, Jordan and Donnie who came from broken-home families as positive role models. "I needed positive role models and they just fit the bill perfectly. They do not do drugs and are living proof that you can succeed even if you come from a broken home," says Buzzy.

Harri then joined the mailing list of Indonesian Blockheads at groups.yahoo.com/group/nkotbindonesia and they actively discuss all things NKOTB. Some of them still have serious infatuation. The vast majority of these fans is in their 30s and grew up listening to songs sung by the band.

According to the Blockheads, after an almost 15 years in hiatus, NKOTB has made a powerful comeback in the US on their 2008 tour. The Block (the group's first studio recording in 14 years) debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums Chart in September 2008. These days, NKOTB collaborates with Lady Gaga, Akon, Ne-Yo, Timbaland and other young hits makers to generate new hits that bring in younger crowd as well.

Ridha Habib, 19, is one of the youngest Indonesian Blockheads - none of her friends share her passion on NKOTB. "They know that NKOTB is a popular band in the 80s though," says Ridha. "Speaking of boy bands, I used to like N'sync. But these days I'm a big fan of Korean and Japanese boy bands. However, NKOTB is still my number one band," she said, smiling.

When I met this community of Indonesian Blockheads, they were a cheerful crowd, talking and laughing like old friends. It was about sharing emotions and bonding with other fans who felt the same way.

"I am a mom, but this gathering makes me feel like a teenager again. Jordan is my first love," said Elie Faisal, 32, a mother of two.

Many of them say that Jordan Knight, or the other members of NKOTB, is their first and only crush. While most husbands can put up with their wives infatuation, there are stories about jealous spouses. One Blockhead told a story of her spouse wishing that Jordan Knight would be hit by train someday and the sooner, the better.

In the gathering, there were members who wore NKOTB T-shirts and say that sometimes they wear those T-shirts when they hung out with family and friends (even though majorities of them think that NKOTB no longer exists).

The merchandise brought by Indonesian Blockheads to the small gathering was pretty impressive - books on NKOTB (including the very heavy, glossy ones), CDs, DVDs, figurines of NKOTB, badges, bags, mugs, a cute doll of Joey McIntyre - you name it! Their collections seem have been a labor of love in appreciation of their favorite band.

Felycia Koriyama, 34, is an Indonesian Blockhead who lives in Okayama with her Japanese husband. In Japan, she finds a wide variety of NKOTB memorabilia in mint condition. Since the merchandise is always in demand, Felycia sells them to other Blockheads. After all, collecting merchandise is fun part from being an avid fan.

Netty Herawaty, Buzzy, Meita, Dian Winurgati and Evita Setiawan are fans who still listen to NKOTB songs very frequently. Nevertheless, if you think that the Blockheads are stuck in time and just living in the 80s, they beg to differ.

Even though many of them listen to NKOTB's songs on a daily basis, they listen to songs from other singers too - including the younger generation of singers, to be precise. "I listen to songs from Beyonce and Lady Gaga too," says Elie Faisal. However, NKOTB is still her number one favorite band.

Being an avid fan of a foreign band may inspire one to learn a foreign language. "I started to like NKOTB the first time I heard "Hangin' Tough" and "Step By Step" in 1990 when I was 13 years old. NKOTB inspired me to learn English because I wanted to understand every single word they sang. Because of NKOTB I also encouraged myself to study in Boston one day and I finally made it," says Imee-chan in an email.

She is an Indonesian Blockhead who is now studying at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, the hometown of NKOTB. "I'm taking an online degree program, that's the reason I go to the US so often now," adds Imee-chan who is working with the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS). She keeps in touch with other Indonesian Blockheads via the Internet.

Thanks to the Internet, keeping up with NKOTB news is easy - the Blockheads can even say "Hi" to Donnie and his band mates via Twitter. However, diehard fans surely would love to see their favorite band performing live again. NKOTB performed in Indonesia once, in 1992. "I cried my heart out when I was 15 because I could not come to their concert," said another fan Elie Faisal.

For many Blockheads who grew up in the early 1990s, concert tickets were expensive back then. For these fans, today tickets to the NKOTB show are affordable.

Indonesian fans were devastated when NKOTB canceled their tour to Australia in 2009, as they had planned to fly to the neighboring country together. Unfortunately, due to lack of response, the concert was canceled. The record company did not want to spend money on promotion outside the US and since there was no advertising, NKOTB's new songs were not widely known.

"The label did not promote their new album in Indonesia either," says Baskoro.

Imee-chan said that a ticket to NKOTB gig can be available at at US$100 (Rp1,000,000). Meita said that she would not mind paying Rp5,000,000 ($500) to see their concert in Indonesia. "If the promoters can bring Michael Bolton and Diana Ross to Jakarta, why can't they bring NKOTB?" Meita said.

Unfortunately, today it is not easy to convince promoters to bring NKOTB to Indonesia - currently no promoter is convinced that there will be significant number of fans who would buy tickets to the show. Indonesian Blockheads believe that there are many people, especially thirtysomething folks who will actually buy NKOTB tickets.

Those Indonesian fans will wait desperately in patience for their most favorite band to perform in Indonesia. To the Blockheads, New Kids on the Block's songs live deep within their hearts and minds forever - and to many fans, the band is their first and last love. As said by one Blockhead: "Once a NKOTB fan, always a NKOTB fan!"

Popular

To my horror, it’s just a movie!

RI, Australia strengthen partnership on taxing crypto assets

Pentagon chief congratulates Prabowo on being elected President