Episode description
So… turns out your beloved 90s boyband was nothing but a financial scam. Lou Pearlman created Backstreet Boys and Nsync, taking them from unknown teens in Florida and turning them into the biggest bands in the world. At the height of their fame, both groups were bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars, yet they were only getting paid… $30 each a day. Yep - Lou Pearlman was a con artist, and he wasn’t just ripping off the boy bands he created. When authorities took a closer look, they realised he had been running the biggest Ponzi scheme in US history, and most of his investors were naive old people who thought they owned a little piece of the Backstreet Boys.
We give you just the gist, but if you want more, there’s this:
The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story (the doco produced by Lance Bass): https://youtu.be/CcCRs0Ic3FI
Vanity Fair Confidential episode ‘Mad About The Boys’ (season 1, episode 9 - available on Amazon Prime in Australia): https://youtu.be/KJR1_Hj-j2A
Backstreet Boys: Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of: https://youtu.be/bOZm93IWvgA
Vanity Fair article ‘Mad About The Boys’: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/11/pearlman200711/amp
Washington Post article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/03/13/lou-pearlman-was-disgraced-mogul-who-defrauded-s-boy-bands-then-came-million-ponzi-scheme/%3foutputType=amp
New Yorker piece: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/we-live-in-the-pop-culture-world-that-lou-pearlman-created/amp
Free Britney stuff we mentioned:
New Yorker piece by RONAN Farrow and Jia Tolentino: https://www.newyorker.com/news/american-chronicles/britney-spears-conservatorship-nightmare/amp
New podcast ‘Pieces Of Britney’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p09mfr9s
Skip right to the story: approx 22:42
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