Description: The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story

Date Added: August 27, 2019

Type: Documentary

Network: YouTube premium

Date Watched: December 26, 2020 21:17

URL: https://youtu.be/CcCRs0Ic3FI

Review: I started watching this because of a recommendation from YouTube, otherwise I probably would have forgotten about it. It’s only on Youtube Premium.

Many of the popular boy bands in the 90’s started because of Lou Pearlman, a successful aviation entrepreneur turned record producer. The first half of the documentary discusses the formation of boy bands at the hands of Pearlman. He lavished them with gifts, cars, trips and fancy accommodations.

It wasn’t long before members of Nsync realized they were barley making minimum wage, considering the number of hours put in. The second half of the documentary goes into Lou Pearlman’s business activities, but they primarily discussed his ventures after his success in the aviation industry.

Lou ended up going to prison in 2008 and losing his life in 2016. I actually felt sorry for him…. he wasn’t portrayed as the villain I would have thought he would be. He was lonely and wanted to be loved. But if the documentary was accurate, he took advantage of them and gave them peanuts.. But maybe he considered the gifts he showered them with as payment? I just don’t know, I am not convinced he was a horrible person…

I dunno, I am bad about only seeing the good in people though. Several of the bands he created I’ve never heard of. Life is so hard sometimes. I just dunno, but this was a well done documentary.

Tags: youtube premium