Backstreet Boy tackles politics, Broadway

NEW YORK -- "You don't want to get me started on this," Kevin Richardson warns, shaking his head and pushing aside his lunch. "I could go on all day."

The status of his band, the Backstreet Boys? His job as the latest Billy Flynn in the Broadway version of "Chicago"?

Neither. Richardson is all worked up about mining in the Appalachian mountains -- an environmental travesty, in his book.

"Dude, I'm telling you, if the public could see what was going on, there would be an uprising," he says. "It looks like a war zone. I mean, the entire tops of mountains -- gone. Generations and generations of families that have lived there forced out."

In this era of boy band diversification -- Nick Carter and Justin Timberlake have solo albums, Lance Bass is acting -- Richardson has chosen a most unusual side career: that of political activist.

It's not that he's left the entertainment industry. On the contrary, there is a new Backstreet album planned for this fall, and he's currently starring in "Chicago," playing the corrupt lawyer who helps exonerate a murderer. He'll be in the show through March 9 at the Ambassador Theatre.

But these days, you're almost as likely to see Richardson on Capitol Hill as on stage.

He was in Washington two years ago to lobby for more cancer-research funding. And last June, he testified before Congress about the ills of mountaintop removal -- a type of mining in which the tops of mountains are displaced to extract coal.

"People think I'm some kid," he says. "But we (Backstreet Boys) have been touring for eight years, all over the world, and I've been soaking everything in. I'm a 31-year-old man who's seen a lot -- a lot of things that have disturbed me. And instead of ... not doing anything about it, I thought I'd use my voice to express my concerns and try to help."

Ruffling feathers

Not everyone appreciates Richardson's activism. His mining testimony ruffled the feathers of Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, who -- in a protest against what he called Richardson's lack of expertise -- boycotted the hearing.

"That was sad," Richardson says. "He was saying, 'Music has no place in politics.' Politics is for everybody. We all have a right to speak our minds."

Anyway, Richardson says, he ought to know a few things about Appalachia. He grew up in Lexington, Ky., practically next door to Daniel Boone National Forest. His grandfather was a miner.

"I grew up in the heart of coal mine country," Richardson says. "I was a hike leader, a camp counselor -- I did all that. I love nature."

He loves it so much that he has set up a nonprofit organization, Just Within Reach, to educate young people about environmental issues. Its Web site features photos of a pensive Richardson looking out on pristine mountainscapes, along with a newsletter, links and an online store.

He also has some strong beliefs about American foreign policy -- and those beliefs, too, have gotten him into trouble.

Most notoriously, on Sept. 12, 2001, Richardson said the previous day's terrorist attacks should serve as a wake-up call to Americans that some of its policies were resented abroad. "I just think we are a little bit of an arrogant nation and maybe this is a little bit of a humbling experience," he said in a television interview.

The media jumped on the comment, and Richardson partly recanted.

"I think it was the timing of it," he says now, reflecting on the episode. "I think it was perceived as being insensitive because it was right after the attacks happened."

So what's with all the politicking? Isn't Richardson content sticking to music and acting?

In a word, no. He wants people to see beyond the pop songs and the pretty face.

"I realize there's a perception of me as a Backstreet guy, and I don't want people to only think about me as that," he says. "I want people to know I like to do a lot of things."

Richardson hasn't talked much about his political views during rehearsal, according to Scott Faris, who is directing him in "Chicago." However, Faris, who usually directs the international companies of "Chicago," says Richardson's extracurricular interests are reflected in his personality.

"Somebody with outside interests is usually more well-rounded," says Faris. "So when you deal with them as an actor, they have a greater sense of their place in the world. He's a smart guy."

As opinionated as he is, Richardson manages to come across as thoroughly easygoing. His green eyes -- the subject of many a young fan's daydream -- are unwavering, serene. His speech is Southern-twangy and surprisingly folksy, full of dropped g's and a few ain'ts -- the exact aural opposite of Backstreet's slick urban sound.

He seems like the kind of guy who would be comfortable just about anywhere he went.

And that's pretty much his philosophy of life, he says: Go with the flow.

"So far, just by being prepared when opportunities have presented themselves, I've done pretty well for myself. I've always had a dream for entertainment and the arts -- I've always been drawn to it, and I always want it to be a part of my life."

But he doesn't have a grand plan for his career. His role in "Chicago," for example, isn't a bid to become a serious actor -- although he says he'd be thrilled to do more theater or movies. He just thought it would be a worthwhile experience.

"This opportunity came along, and it was perfect, and here I am," he says.