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Ex-N'SYNCer Tells All

In today’s world of gossip blogs, weekly tabloids and picture cell phones, no celebrity can hide from the exposure of their private lives to the media. Few know this better than Lance Bass of *NSYNC fame, whose long-hidden sexuality was uncovered by two simple words–“I’m Gay”–splashed under his picture on the cover of a 2006 People magazine issue.

As revealed in Bass’s new memoir, Out of Sync, the decision to control his own public coming-out by granting the exclusive interview to People did not come without some trepidation, as rumors and tabloid photos threatened to expose his secret without his consent. Bass chose to further control his own exposure with the release of Out of Sync, which details not only his struggle to hide his homosexuality (a truth he discovered at a very young age), but also his life growing up in Mississippi, the rapid rise and sudden end of his career in *NSYNC, and his failed attempts at fulfilling a childhood dream of launching into outer space.

An avid *NSYNC fan during my young teenage years, I had Out of Sync on my Amazon.com wish list from the first day it was available for preorder. I wasn’t sure what level of detail I would find in the memoir’s short 196 pages, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that Lance chose to be open and honest with the limited details he exposed, offering some revelations into the pop music entertainment industry.

He writes candidly about his feelings of betrayal toward Lou Pearlman, the music mogul who launched *NSYNC’s career while reaping all the financial benefits as a self-proclaimed “sixth member of *NSYNC.” Bass and his fellow band mates saw their first paycheck after three years of intense touring and 15 million albums sold worldwide, for the amount of $25,000. An entertainment litigator, who later examined the band’s contract with Pearlman, told them “Congratulations. This is the worst contract in music history.”

Surprisingly, with sadness and regret, he also writes about the betrayal he felt when bandmate Justin Timberlake told the group, after a six-month-turned-two-year hiatus, that he wanted to continue finding his own sound and didn’t feel that *NSYNC fit into his career anymore. This effectively ended the group’s existence.

Bass’s brief anecdotes about the excitement and whirlwind adventure of being a member of a hugely successful pop group are amusing to read but leave something to be desired, as they don’t delve very deep behind-the-scenes.

What I found most intriguing was Bass’ story of his attempts to become a “cosmonaut” on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft during the “six month” *NSYNC hiatus, amid much hype, speculation and ridicule from the press. Despite intense training in Russia that led him so close to the launch, financial issues and Bass’s limited time kept the mission grounded. His disappointment, which was soon followed by a second blow with the end of *NSYNC, is heartbreaking.

Ultimately, the book lacks the true depth and detail that one usually finds in a memoir, but Bass manages to remain truthful yet likeable in the details he reveals. As I read, I found myself comparing it to Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent, a moving and, quite frankly, superior memoir from bisexual Broadway star Anthony Rapp.

Nevertheless, the readers who will get the most out of this memoir are fans of Bass and his *NSYNC fame, as well as those looking to be inspired by a brave coming-out story, a Southern boy’s rise to stardom or a struggle to realize a space dream. As celebrity memoirs go, this one’s a quick, entertaining read.

Out of Sync
Lance Bass
Simon Spotlight Entertainment
$23.95