Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough doesn’t have a stop button. In July he wrapped up a concert in Edmonton, went to an after party until 2am, hopped on a tour bus to Calgary, was on Breakfast Television in the morning, did radio interviews in the afternoon, returned to the stage with NKOTBSB at the Saddledome before a near sold out screaming crowd, did an impromptu set with Nick Carter at an after party at The Roadhouse, and then was off to the next city.

For many artists, just being on a massive tour – the combined New Kids on the Block & Backstreet Boys tour this past summer – would be enough. For Dorough, add in owning a management company, working on and promoting his upcoming album, and being a father to two year old James. His wife Leigh referred to him as a "machine" to me at the after party, and it is very much accurate.

"I have a lot of energy. Since I was a little kid I have always been a workaholic I need a lot of stimulation. My Mom had me doing everything from dance to voice to acting to piano, everything she could think of to keep me stimulated," Dorough explained. "I find that I get bored very easily if I am not working on several things at once. When I am doing one thing I get an itch to try and do other things and help in other ways. By helping other artists it puts me in a totally different mind frame and I get excited about it, then I work on my solo project, it puts me in a different mind frame so I am able to get excited about that. Not one thing gets too boring after awhile."

Amazingly, Howie D somehow found time in his day to meet up with GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine backstage prior to the NKOTBSB show in Calgary. He was beaming about the success of the tour, which will kick off for a string of European dates in the spring. Before that he will be opening for Britney Spears in South America this month.

"The tour has been amazing. I didn’t really know what to expect when we had this idea of us going on tour together, if we were going to get along, stuff like that. I have known the New Kids forever, our former manager was their tour manager so we have gotten to know them, but it is one thing to know them and another to put them together on stage and expect them to live together for two and a half months. It has been amazing, a great partnership that we have. We all get along great and there have been no beefs with anybody, it has been really smooth sailing."

The spectacular show – including the legendary "penis stage," a cavalcade of hits and high energy, was a sensation with fans, and surprisingly a lot of critics. But in praising the show, many reviewers made sure to get their digs in; whether it was at thinning hair, fans no longer being teens, or New Kid Donnie Wahlberg ripping off his shirt. It seems that despite selling millions of albums, both bands still have to battle for respect.

"If we were to make our shows for the critics after awhile we would throw the towel in. I think both groups learned that we are making these shows for our fans and hopefully the critics will like it. It is crazy because sometimes the people being sent down to see us are people that probably shouldn’t be interviewing us, we have a rock guy coming in to interview a pop group and you know it’s not their style. We make our shows the best we can be and hope to win over the critics. At the end of the day, we are what we are. We know we are boy bands and we have all accepted those titles, it doesn’t hurt our feelings to be called that. At least they are calling us and asking us to do shows, we are doing arenas and all tickled pink about it."

At the July 1st show in Los Angles, former member Kevin Richardson joined the group on stage for I Want It That Way, a special moment for fans and the band, said Dorough.

"It was great, really amazing and shocked the fans. I heard our twitter was trending that night. Kevin has always been a part of the group and always will be. He is taking this journey right now for himself in life, the door is always open and I hope one day we will be back on stage together for a full show again."

As a businessman Dorough saw in the tour the opportunity to promote his first solo effort, Back To Me, in interviews, even though it was 4 months until the album’s November 15th release.

"Timing is everything. I have been working on this album on and off for five years, I started in a Latin direction and then got more centered with the sound I wanted it to be, within the last year here. I felt like right now the momentum we have and visibility we are able to create in towns on this tour almost piggybacks to a point. Nick Carter, Jordan Knight and myself all have solo records coming out. The album was supposed to be out in August but got pushed back because the original deal was done in Japan, and when the tsunami happened we had to push things back to November. But I really wanted to capitalize upon the fact that I was going to be in the States and Canada. We signed a deal in Canada with Fontana music who is a label I use with artists that I manage. I felt the timing was right to capitalize on press and use this momentum and platform to launch it."

He is the last Backstreet Boy to do a solo project, and applied the lessons learned from his friends’ experiences to the album.

"I have learned a lot from them, some things that they did that were really great and things they probably could have done better. I am very blessed to have a great management team, the same management for the group I am using for my solo project. For some people in this situation, there would be too much to focus on with the tour.  If they were to release a record...if you have the opportunity and you can capitalize on it, it is a win-win situation. If you have it and you don’t capitalize on it and you just let the album sit out there you lose momentum. That is why I am trying to strike right now while the iron is hot, and I am blessed I heard that my single went to #1 on the MuchMoreMusic countdown. It is due to a lot of the fans and hype around this tour that is helping me as well."

The Backstreet Boys and Canada have always had a love-love relationship; it was in Canada that their first album really made waves back in 1996.

"I am very blessed that I have a lot of Canadian love. In addition to Backstreet Boys and my solo project I have a management company here in Canada called 3 Street with another gentlemen named CJ Huyer who used to be in a boy band called 3 Deep (with Young and The Restless stars Eddie Cibrian and Joshua Morrow) several years ago. We had an artist named George Nozuka who did really well on the charts here and our newest project the band Neverest who actually opened up for us in Canada on this tour. I learned a lot about the Canadian market and the tricks and trades about things like [the gay community] being very helpful to Canadian singers and writers. My first single was written and produced by a Canadian group of guys and the video was directed by a Juno award winner. The songs have been really accepted here and I am really thankful. I have a great record label, publicity company, radio reps, it is a total win-win situation for me up here."

In addition to Canadian love, the boys indeed have long been loved by the gay community. As one of the only bands without a gay member, they have still experienced homophobia for themselves, being called names simply for being in an all-male pop band.

"It comes with the territory. I can definitely say when we started, you try and go out and give your all and there is a lot of jealousy out there in the world, especially from guys to guys and it is sad. Instead of narking on the music, come to the concerts. There are so many women here, your odds of picking up girls is so great here you would be foolish not to come. Guys won’t admit it to us but sometimes their girls might be into us and they will use our music to get the girls, but then when it comes to seeing us eye to eye they always want to throw in slurs and whatever. I have a pretty thick skin, my family has kept me pretty well grounded. I have always believed in to each their own, I have a cousin who is gay and to me I have always been someone who doesn’t judge anybody and appreciate when people don’t judge you. If they have the time to be thinking those things, at least they are thinking about us."

In fact, their support from the LGBT community led to the boys being asked to be the marshals for the 2010 San Francisco Pride Parade.

"We were asked to be the Parade Marshall’s and it was an honour, very flattering. [I have] a gay cousin and several of my wife’s girlfriends are lesbians. I have no issues at all. A lot of people came to the parade and were supporting us. Our music is out there for everybody - I don’t care what colour, race, sexual orientation - it is about making good music that makes people happy. I am very, very thankful to our gay fans. They are a huge part of our success. I support them, and am glad they support us in our music."