Whilst it's quite tempting to write something about an extraordinary week in local politics, and ask how many people have deleting WhatsApp messages this week, instead I thought I'd play it safe and do a telly review.
Boyzone : No Matter What can be found on Sky Documentaries and Now TV, and I have to confess I expected it to be a fairly anodyne affair. Their story is somewhat more twisty and explosive, and I'm not sure Louis Walsh emerged from this three parter with much glory intact. He may of course have a different interpretation.
Boyzone enjoyed an impressive six number ones in the UK Singles Chart, and a further eighteen top ten hits, not to mention five number one albums. Their biggest hit song is No Matter What, followed by covers of Father and Son and the Billy Ocean classic When The Going Gets Tough, and Picture Of You in particular still picks up quite a bit of radio airplay.
The documentary includes contributions from the late Stephen Gately's sister Michelle, and she speaks movingly about inviting the world's press inside the church where her brother's funeral was taking place to pay their respects, on the condition that they left their cameras outside. Not a single one took up her offer.
Gately's former partner Eloy de Jong also speaks about their time together, and the Sun's front page 'outing' gets a fair bit of coverage (watch for Louis Walsh's very strange reaction to seeing the actual newspaper again after all these years, in comparison to his bandmates' tears).
It's shameful that so much speculation was printed around the time of Gately's death, which inevitably casts a shadow over much of this story, as he is described as the 'glue' that held the band together. He came across as overwhelmingly positive and professional, and I can't imagine what hiding your true sexuality must have been like in the glare of the media's spotlight. Thankfully, things have got a little better on that front, although the negative reaction from some quarters to Pride events is the very reason they exist. Nobody should feel they can't be their true self in life, and alas homophobia has been given a helping hand on certain social media platforms we could mention of late, through their failure to take down offensive content and swap moderators for bought verification ticks.
I remember my English teacher at school slating the lyrics of Love Me For A Reason by Boyzone during one of our lessons. That's how long Boyzone have been around! Louis Walsh came across as very unapologetic in the methods he used to get the lads media coverage, no matter whether the stories were true or not. I won't spoil it, but one story he fabricated caused the band's families no end of panic when he forgot to warn them beforehand. At one point, he boldly stated he would do it all over again, given the chance.
I hadn't realised the Boyzone story contained so many ups and downs, and the scenes where they met up again were poignant, I thought. Ronan Keating received some flak over the years for relentlessly pursuing a solo career, but comes across as a hard working, professional, determined, really nice fella in this series. He's also forged a successful radio presenting career, and last year hung up his headphones (that phrase is compulsory when talking about presenters leaving their show) after seven years on Magic Breakfast. He said: "The medium of radio is so powerful, more powerful than anything else in this modern age." Amen to that!
This is honest, compelling television, and maybe explains why Boyzone didn't feature much in the recent Boybands Forever series on the iPlayer. The lads' opening performance on Ireland's biggest TV show, dancing to a backing track, is almost as uncomfortable for us to watch as it obviously is for them, and this is a jawdroppingly good three part journey through a pop phenomenon of the 90s.
It feels as though the age of the boy band is over, at least for now, but I guess anything is possible in the future. The Brits are taking place on 1st March, with the fantastic Miles Smith set to pick up the Rising Star Award, and performances from Sabrina Carpenter, Shaboozey and Teddy Swims. Music is still in good health, but I hope the stars of tomorrow get more support than these young Irish lads did when they were thrust into the limelight in their teens.
Alex Cann's weekly blog - 9th January
