From rivalries to bitter fall outs: 5 revelations from the Boyzone doc
If you were more a Take That fan, you might not be inclined to watch the upcoming Sky Documentaries series, Boyzone: No Matter What - but we'd urge you to reconsider because it’s actually really good. Over three episodes, the four remaining members – Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy and Michael ‘Mikey’ Graham – as well as their estranged manager Louis Walsh, and the late Stephen Gately’s sister, Michelle, reminisce about what it was like for the five boys from Dublin to be put together, tour the world, and become one of the biggest boybands in the ‘90s.
They fondly recall the good times, such as performing on Top of the Pops, having countless Number One singles and albums and singing in Italy with actual Pavarotti, but also the dark moments – the growing tensions within the band, the upset at Stephen being outed by the press and latterly the devastation caused by his untimely death, aged 33. Ultimately a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of stardom and life in a boyband, this nostalgic series is entertaining, shocking, emotional, and breathtakingly honest. Here are five of the most surprising things we learned from it...
Mikey Graham felt sidelined by Louis Walsh
Passionate about music, all Mikey wanted to do was write and sing, but Louis made Ronan and Stephen the lead singers. Mikey thought Louis cared about his musical ambitions when he sent him away to a studio, but in his absence, Louis got the boys to record the album without him. Apparently, Louis didn’t talk to Mikey for seven years, and Mikey says he turned to drink as he lost his confidence and his mental health suffered. It’s clear he’s still scarred by his experiences to this day.
The boys blamed Ronan Keating for splitting up Boyzone
In 1999, exhausted from being on the hamster wheel of being global popstars, the band welcomed Ronan’s suggestion of a year-long break. A successful solo artist in his own right (who can forget When You Say Nothing at All from Notting Hill?), plus the co-manager of Westlife with Louis Walsh, “ambitious” Ronan was keen to pursue his solo projects. But after the year was up, he showed no signs of wanting to reunite with the band, leaving them sad, confused, and in the case of Shane, furious.
Boyzone were with Stephen Gately till the very end
In 2007, Ronan, Stephen, Shane, Keith and Mikey worked through their issues, reunited, and had a wonderful two years, touring, making a new album and enjoying each other’s company. Then, on 10th October 2009, their "brother" Stephen died unexpectedly in Mallorca from an undiagnosed heart condition, and their worlds came crashing down. Upon his mother’s request, the devastated band brought Stephen’s body home and organised his funeral, and they stayed in church overnight with his coffin so he wasn’t alone.
Louis Walsh leaked fake Boyzone stories to the press
On the surface, Louis leaking stories to the press isn’t a big surprise. However, even we were shocked by how unapologetic and shameless he was about it. Working with the tabloids, he fabricated all kinds of stories, from relatively innocent ones about fake relationships (like Stephen Gately dating Emma Bunton to stop rumours he might be gay), to leaking news that the band were involved in a plane crash in Australia – and forgetting to tell their families it wasn’t true.
Ronan Keating had a bitter fallout with Louis Walsh
At first Louis and Ronan were very close, as Louis recognised Ronan’s hunger for success, gave him extra responsibilities, and rewarded him with amazing opportunities. However, when Ronan went solo, things took a turn for the worse as Ronan felt Louis was more interested in his own career than Ronan’s, and that Louis didn’t care about his quest for artistic creditability, instead turning him into a karaoke singer. Ronan sacked Louis and a war of words ensued in the press, with Ronan lamenting, "He knew how to hurt me, vicious, f***ing bitchy horrible things. He tried to ruin me and my career."
Sky Documentaries will begin showing episodes of Boyzone: No Matter What on Sunday 2nd February.
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