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Boyzone No Matter What S01E01 (2025) [Full Movie] [Must See]Full EP - Full
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00:01The following programme contains strong language.
00:10Hello!
00:12No, far away, far away now.
00:14Faraway trivia.
00:16Stephen Gagey once lived in a faraway trivia.
00:18Hi Melinda, hello.
00:21Are you laughing? Are you laughing at me?
00:23No, no.
00:24We were the most unlikely bunch to succeed.
00:28We weren't perfect, we weren't polished.
00:30Shane! How are you?
00:32We were a bunch of kids, put together.
00:36Pushed out on a world stage.
00:38Don't know where Mikey is.
00:39Ah, there he is.
00:41Told to look like superstars.
00:43Good luck, guys.
00:44Perhaps that was part of our charm.
01:06And the winner is...
01:08MyZone!
01:16Look at that one.
01:17Look at that one.
01:19Turn that way, look at that one.
01:29There was a massive argument in the dressing room.
01:32And I lost the plot.
01:34The band imploded.
01:35I was ready to get the fuck out of there.
01:38It was a lonely time.
01:40Standing on stage in front of 100,000 people.
01:43Fucking lonely.
01:45It was absolutely scandalous, horrendous,
01:49what the newspaper did to Stephen.
01:51The famous Louis Watson.
01:53Louis hurt me.
01:54He knew how to hurt me.
01:57Vicious, bitchy, horrible things.
02:00I think he was afraid that the monster might become bigger than the creator.
02:04As it became bigger, so did their egos.
02:07They believed their own publicity.
02:10They forgot I wrote it.
02:11Good evening, Manchester!
02:17The boy's own singer, Stephen Gately, has died.
02:21He was 33.
02:25It's very hard.
02:35We loved each other, the five of us.
02:39But you never truly allow people to see all of you and who you are.
02:43I don't think I've processed everything that's happened in my life.
02:47I don't know how much they do know about me and my struggles.
02:53After 30 years, I think now's the time to talk about it and close this chapter in our lives.
02:59I don't know how much this makes sense.
03:26Hi, how are we doing?
03:26Hi.
03:32OK, so I want you to sort of take me back early 90s.
03:37Looking back on it, the 90s were a fucking blur.
03:46Three, two, one, go, Bobby!
04:03Another fantastic year for take-back.
04:05They swept the smash-its home in a party board completely clean.
04:16In 1993, I was 16 years of age.
04:19I was at school.
04:21We were a working-class family in Dublin.
04:23Didn't have a lot of money.
04:25There was a story in the paper.
04:27They're holding auditions for the Irish answer to take that.
04:31This was right up my street.
04:33I love to sing, love to perform.
04:36It was happening that evening around the corner,
04:39and I remember just seeing these big lines of guys
04:42all down the stairs, outside, out onto the street, about 300 lads.
04:47I remember walking in and walking up the stairs
04:50and looking at these guys thinking,
04:52wow, they look like pop stars.
05:19I just remember thinking, I'm never going to get in.
05:22I clearly remember that, a million percent.
05:27But I got noticed by Louis Walsh.
05:36I'm just waking up properly.
05:38I'm just waking up properly.
05:38That's fine.
05:42I prefer ordinary people because they work harder
05:46and they do whatever you wanted to start.
05:50I wanted to do, like, an Irish version of take that.
05:54I was looking for boys with personality and talent and fun
05:59and Irish charm.
06:02I wanted that.
06:03It was all about, what are girls going to like?
06:08I had met Shane before.
06:10Shane had a great look.
06:12And even if he wasn't a great singer,
06:14I was going to work with him.
06:20I would have been 17 years old.
06:22I worked for my dad as a car mechanic,
06:25working underneath cars,
06:27fucking rain running down the back of your neck.
06:30Louis Walsh promised us the sun, moon and stars.
06:34From the beginning, he goes,
06:36lads, I'm going to make this happen
06:38and you're going to be big pop stars around the world.
06:41And we went, OK, and believed him.
06:44They were so keen.
06:45They so wanted something different in their lives.
06:48They were doing nothing.
06:49And this was a chance of something great.
06:52Oh, can't you see it, baby?
06:57You've got me going crazy.
07:01I do remember Stephen Gately.
07:04Steele.
07:05Steele just had this charisma that was crazy.
07:08And he knew how to be a pop star.
07:10He had, he just had it.
07:12He had that thing.
07:14I was still at school, doing my final exams.
07:18But I love singing.
07:19I go around all day, every day singing.
07:22Singing, singing, singing.
07:24I always knew that I wanted to be successful
07:26in the entertainment business,
07:30no matter what.
07:34All of us had to sing.
07:35And then they stopped playing the keyboards
07:39and they wanted to see us dancing.
07:45They put on various songs and called different names
07:48and we'd have to jump up and dance around the room.
07:52So, of course, what did I do was pull my clothes off.
07:56Rightly or wrongly, that's what I did.
07:58And I kind of danced and probably gyrated.
08:03I was 19 at the time.
08:05Dropped out of college.
08:06I was living in an apartment.
08:08It was more of a squat.
08:10But I'm going to be brutally honest and say,
08:13I definitely think, you know,
08:15I was put into the band because of how I looked at the time.
08:18I don't think I was taken on because of my voice.
08:21Well, they had to look good.
08:23It wasn't just all about the vocals.
08:26They had to look good.
08:27You had to get girls' attention.
08:29Shout me your sir legs.
08:30Roman.
08:31Keating.
08:31Keating.
08:32Shane.
08:32Rich.
08:33Rich.
08:34Stephen.
08:35Kate's not here.
08:36Louis picked six.
08:38Stephen, Shane, Keith, myself
08:43and then two other lads, Richard and Mark.
08:47And that was boys' own.
08:50We were all young, 16, 17, 18-year-old boys.
08:55Nobody prepares a teenager
08:58for the world that they're about to live in.
09:01Nobody prepares them for the pressure cooker
09:03that they're about to kind of jump into.
09:05OK, well, who is who now?
09:06You identify yourself.
09:07I'm Ronan Keating.
09:08Ronan Keating.
09:08Where are you from?
09:09I'm from Sordes.
09:10From Sordes.
09:10OK, and who are you?
09:11I'm Mark Walton.
09:12Mark Walton from?
09:13Rohini.
09:14Rohini.
09:14Keith Duffy.
09:15Rohini.
09:15Rohini.
09:16Shane Lynch.
09:17Rohini.
09:17Richard Rock.
09:18Rob Mines.
09:18Stephen Gatley.
09:19Seventh place.
09:21The next day, we get a call to say
09:24we're going on The Late Late Show tonight,
09:25which in Ireland is the biggest,
09:28it's the biggest TV show in the country.
09:30I was told you don't play any instruments at all.
09:33None of you.
09:33I was also told that you don't sing at all.
09:37None of you.
09:38Oh, jeez.
09:39And Louis Walsh said,
09:40you're going to perform on The Late Late Show Live.
09:42And we said,
09:43perform what?
09:44We haven't learned anything.
09:45We don't know each other that well.
09:47You know,
09:48perform what?
09:49Doesn't matter.
09:49We'll make it up.
09:50We just need to get you on TV.
09:51We need to get you in the papers
09:52and we need to get you on TV.
09:53So we didn't sing anything.
09:55We just danced to a piece of music.
09:57And it was, yeah,
09:58it was pretty,
09:59it was a moment.
10:01All right.
10:01Okay.
10:02Cue the music.
10:03Let's hear it.
10:22Oh, God.
10:23It hurts now today.
10:2530 years later,
10:26it still hurts.
10:29Well,
10:32we were loving it.
10:33We didn't care.
10:34We didn't give a shit.
10:36We loved it.
10:41I don't think there's any love-hate relationship
10:43with that video whatsoever.
10:45I fucking hate it.
10:46I hate it so much.
10:49But how I felt at the time was great
10:51because I'm on the telly
10:53doing a little dance.
10:56I'm in a band.
10:59Knowing the journey had begun.
11:03After the late,
11:04we thought we were pop stars.
11:07After some photo shoots we did,
11:10Louis Waltz wasn't happy,
11:11visually wasn't happy
11:13with how we were looking.
11:14and the other two guys,
11:17Mark Walton and Richard Rock,
11:21he just decided that they didn't fit in the group.
11:23He decided that they didn't gel
11:26and the two of them were out.
11:28I thought,
11:29I thought,
11:29holy shit,
11:30like,
11:31if Louis could get rid of two members of the band,
11:32he'd get rid of any one of us at any moment,
11:33so you've got to work harder,
11:35ten times harder than anybody else
11:37to keep your position in the band.
11:41I had to let them know
11:43that they could all be replaced at any time.
11:47I had to make sure they were hungry
11:48and they were ambitious
11:49and they didn't take anything for granted.
11:53I was like that from day one.
11:57They were all insecure
11:59because they didn't know
12:01whether they were going to make it or not.
12:03They just had ambition.
12:05That was the one thing they all had.
12:07They all had great dreams
12:09and great ambitions,
12:10as did I.
12:12I knew five was the perfect number.
12:16If somebody leaves,
12:18you still have four left,
12:19so you're okay.
12:20So five was the perfect number.
12:22And we got Michael Graham in.
12:26Well, Mick joined the band.
12:28He came in.
12:29The other two have left.
12:30And this is the guy.
12:31He's number five.
12:33He was very talented.
12:35Very openly talented.
12:37He could write songs
12:38and he could sing
12:40and he could play
12:41and he could do all of that.
12:43So he was an immediate talent,
12:44yes, for sure.
12:46He had a really cool look, you know.
12:48I just thought,
12:48oh, he's cool, man.
12:49And Mick always had a guitar on his back
12:51and a foil full of songs under his arm
12:54and that was kind of his thing.
12:58I've not spoke to Mick for four years.
13:03I think there's an element of industry
13:07that damaged him.
13:10If I'm being honest,
13:11I think Mikey was
13:12a little bit lost in a boy band.
13:16Mikey himself is quite the recluse.
13:20Okay.
13:21That's it.
13:22Cool.
13:22One take two.
13:31I just want to give my own honest account
13:36of my experience in the band
13:40and that is very, very different
13:44from the other guys.
13:55In the very early days,
13:58everything was brand new to us
14:00and we had our whole future ahead of us.
14:03And nobody had yet been tainted
14:06by any of the negative aspects of fame.
14:16We spent 1994
14:18traveling around Ireland
14:19in a white transit van,
14:21top to bottom,
14:23north, south, east, west.
14:25We traveled everywhere.
14:28We had some crack.
14:29We had some crack
14:30in the back of that transit van.
14:32It was a perfect fit.
14:33It just felt like I had a family around me.
14:36The boys were family.
14:39It was great.
14:50We were traveling around Ireland
14:52and playing venues that weren't venues,
14:54you know, tables that were taped together
14:56in a nightclub.
15:00We mimed two backing tracks.
15:04We only had two live microphones
15:06and what we would do is
15:07we had three dummy microphones.
15:09We choreographed movements
15:11so that we could turn
15:12and our backs would be to the audience
15:14and we could swap mics
15:15so that everybody got a chance
15:17to talk live between songs
15:18and do their link.
15:20Well, watch us take that one.
15:23The girls all loved us.
15:25The girls rushed up to the front
15:26but guys hated us.
15:28They'd throw ice cubes at us
15:29and throw coins at us
15:30and they'd boo us.
15:33There was loads of points
15:35where I thought,
15:35oh, I'm wasting my time.
15:37This is not going to make any money
15:39or not going to be successful for anybody.
15:41And I had a lot of sleepless nights.
15:46But I knew they had something.
15:48And I thought,
15:49let's make the record
15:50to get them noticed,
15:52get them attention.
15:54We borrowed the money.
15:56It was 10,000 quid.
15:57And we recorded the song.
16:01I get a call from Louis
16:02saying that myself,
16:05Stephen and Ronan
16:07were being sent over
16:09to record the first
16:11boy's own song.
16:13The three of us
16:14were sent over to London.
16:17They obviously kind of knew
16:18from the auditions
16:20that Duda lads had stronger
16:22singing voices than Shane and I.
16:24And for that reason,
16:25there was no need
16:26for the additional expense
16:27of two more flights
16:28and two more hotel rooms
16:29and whatever.
16:30We just felt absolutely robbed.
16:33We felt,
16:33that's not fair.
16:35There wasn't a lot of money
16:36for flights,
16:36so I just brought
16:37the best singers with me.
16:39Our parents paid for the flights
16:41for Shane and I to join
16:42the other three lads.
16:43My parents certainly
16:44didn't have a lot of money,
16:45so they would have had
16:46to scrimp and scrape
16:47to get the money together
16:48for my flight,
16:49but they did.
16:50Right, lads,
16:51let me explain
16:51what's going to happen.
16:52All of you,
16:53one at a time,
16:53are going to start out
16:54listening to what's on tape
16:56and copying it.
16:57I've done this for a few years,
16:58I know what I'm talking about.
17:00We went to meet
17:00this guy called Ian Levine,
17:02who was the big pop producer
17:03at the time.
17:04He produced Bad Boys, Inc.
17:06and Early Take That.
17:08So this was a big deal
17:09for Boyzone to get in the room.
17:10And we recorded
17:14the Detroit Spinner song,
17:15Work On My Way Back To You.
17:17One by one,
17:18he put us in studio
17:20to record the lead vocal
17:23on the track.
17:25And we were testing vocals,
17:27and Stephen sang,
17:28and Mikey sang,
17:29and then Ian Levine says to Louis,
17:31get rid of the blonde one,
17:32he can't sing.
17:35And I guess I didn't cut the mustard,
17:37I wasn't good enough.
17:38Mikey and Stephen were
17:40immediately good enough.
17:46You know,
17:47I found it very hard.
17:50I was 16 years of age.
17:53That could have broken me,
17:54that was a very, very tough thing
17:55to go through,
17:56to be told that
17:57get rid of the blonde
17:58when he can't sing.
18:00So we recorded the song,
18:03myself, Stephen,
18:04doing the lead vocals.
18:06It felt good.
18:08It felt positive.
18:10I get into the band
18:12because I love to do music,
18:13to write music.
18:15So I felt that
18:16the future
18:17seems kind of brighter
18:19if it means
18:21that I can progress
18:23as a singer in this band
18:26onto bigger and better things.
18:34There are a bunch of lads
18:36from North Dublin
18:37who are being promoted
18:38as Ireland's answer
18:39to take that.
18:41Would you please welcome
18:42Boyzone.
18:48Working my way back to you,
18:50it was only for Irish release
18:51and I don't think
18:53we had an official record deal
18:54at that time.
18:55I think we had
18:55a one song deal
18:56in Ireland.
18:57I used to love
18:59to make you cry
19:01It made me feel
19:03like a man inside
19:04We did all the work
19:06over here,
19:07all the television work,
19:08radio work,
19:09everything.
19:10Everything non-stop.
19:11I'll be working
19:12my way back to you, babe
19:15With a burning love inside
19:19Working my way back to you
19:20Went to number three,
19:22I believe,
19:22in the charts in Ireland.
19:23So we got quite successful
19:24in Ireland
19:25where the number three hit.
19:26That signaled to the UK
19:28that Ireland had a band
19:31that were worth checking out.
19:34Polydor Records,
19:35they came over to Ireland
19:37and they offered us
19:38a global deal.
19:42So this was our big break.
19:43This was our really big break.
19:45It was a big moment
19:46for the band
19:47The record company
19:48said,
19:49send your best singers
19:51let's make the best record.
19:53Name, age
19:53and where you're from.
19:55Okay, my name is Mikey Graham
19:56I had to pick
19:57who I wanted to be
19:58at the lead singers.
19:59Michael
20:00There was part of me
20:02that made me believe
20:02that I maybe
20:03wasn't as good
20:05as I thought I was
20:06and that maybe
20:07I didn't have a position
20:08in the band
20:09or a place in the band.
20:10And I'm Ronan Keating
20:12from Swords.
20:12I'm 17.
20:15Ronan,
20:15he was passionate.
20:16He was driven.
20:19Was he competitive?
20:21Yes,
20:21hugely competitive.
20:23He would do
20:23whatever he needed to do
20:25to win
20:25to get what he wanted.
20:29I was a sprinter
20:3010, 11, 12, 13, 14
20:32and I won the Irish title.
20:35I took a bit of that with me
20:36when I went into the band.
20:39I was trying to impress Louis
20:40because he was the manager.
20:41He had already gotten rid
20:42of two members in the band.
20:45I had to impress Louis.
20:47So I was attentive.
20:49I was professional.
20:50Tried to always make myself
20:51look like a pop star.
20:54Ronan was always
20:55trying to prove himself.
20:56as a singer,
20:57as an artist,
20:58as an all-rounder.
21:00He always wanted
21:01to be the front man
21:01in the band
21:02and good for him.
21:04That's what made him
21:04into Ronan.
21:05He had ambition.
21:07I don't think people realise
21:08how much work it is.
21:09It's non-stop all the time.
21:11Work and work, work.
21:12We have a great time.
21:14Look at this guy here.
21:15Say hello to the camera.
21:16This is Louis Walsh.
21:17Yes.
21:18The famous Louis Walsh
21:19that you hear so much about.
21:21I decided
21:21Ronan and Stephen
21:22were the lead singers.
21:25I knew Stephen and Ronan
21:27had something special
21:29and I knew girls liked them
21:31and I knew they wanted it
21:33so badly.
21:35I couldn't take a chance.
21:37I had to make the best record
21:38with the best singers.
21:39That was it.
21:40There was no favouritism
21:42as such.
21:43Stephen Gatelyn.
21:45Without any word
21:46to anybody
21:47Ronan was taking
21:48the lead role.
21:53I was upset about it
21:55at the time.
21:56I tried to convey that
21:59but it fell upon dead ears.
22:01Listen, they all wanted
22:02to be lead singer.
22:03Ronan and Stephen were
22:05and that was it.
22:06End of story.
22:10Stephen and I went in
22:11did the vocals
22:12on that first big single
22:13in the UK.
22:15Couldn't wait for my mum
22:16to hear it.
22:17That's what I was
22:18most excited about.
22:21Oh wow,
22:21I made that.
22:23You know,
22:23that kind of feeling
22:24that I made that
22:24is mad.
22:31Britain's number two
22:32is that old
22:32Osmund's classic
22:33Love Me For A Reason.
22:34They're here,
22:34they're live on stage
22:35with their biggest fan,
22:37Boyzone.
22:53And then
22:54Love Me For A Reason
22:55goes number two
22:56in the charts
22:56at Christmas time.
22:58I never had to look
22:59back after that
22:59because once that
23:00single was a hit
23:01I was seen as a singer
23:02in the band.
23:03And I established
23:04myself as a singer.
23:06Boyzone was never
23:07going to change
23:08after that
23:08and I think we all
23:09felt that.
23:09We all knew
23:10we had a place
23:12in the band.
23:23That was the beginning
23:25of a hard struggle
23:27for me
23:27through the years.
23:32My confidence
23:33that I had beforehand
23:34about music
23:37fell through the floor.
23:43and it was a bit
23:44heartbreaking
23:44I'll be honest with you
23:45when you see
23:47an audience
23:47full of posters
23:49you know
23:50for Stephen
23:51and Roland
23:51and Shane
23:52and Keith
23:53and then you might
23:54see the odd one
23:55but Mikey
23:56you know.
23:58Remember I was 21
23:59as a kid
24:00that was tough
24:03and Louis
24:04went from one day
24:05speaking with me
24:07to never speaking
24:09to me for seven years
24:10and I never knew why
24:12I had absolutely
24:13no idea why
24:14I just thought
24:16he didn't like me.
24:18I probably ignored him
24:19a little bit
24:21not realising
24:22but it's because
24:23the others were
24:23so full on
24:24I thought he was happy
24:26being Michael
24:27and being
24:28the quiet one
24:29at the back.
24:37I was kind of struggling
24:38with wanting
24:39to contribute
24:41more musically
24:42so the record company
24:44sent me
24:45away on my own
24:46I was working
24:47in this
24:48other studio
24:49and really hoping
24:51that
24:51what I came up with
24:53would be
24:54considered.
24:56Brought my stuff
24:57back to the record company
24:58and they already
24:59had the album done
25:00in London
25:01and I wasn't
25:02on the album at all.
25:04Don't even think
25:05I sang on it.
25:06That worked.
25:08That worked.
25:14in that loss
25:15of ambition
25:17high spiritedness
25:18vitality
25:20when that left me
25:21a lot of things left me
25:22my interest in
25:24my own appearance
25:29and I didn't drink
25:30until I turned
25:31about 24-ish
25:33and I was introduced
25:35to Jack Daniels
25:36and Coca-Cola
25:37and that became
25:39the thing
25:39that kind of got me
25:40through the next few years
25:42of
25:43the sadness
25:44and the disenchantment.
25:45I was very frustrated
25:49angry
25:50depressed
25:52because of all of that
25:54I would withdraw
25:56from
25:57the band.
26:01The truth is
26:03I don't know
26:04how bad it got
26:05because I didn't talk
26:06to him.
26:06The truth is
26:07I didn't recognize
26:09any of his struggles.
26:11I know Mick
26:12suffered from
26:13sleep
26:14he was an insomniac
26:16and I think
26:17part of that
26:18was pressure
26:18part of that
26:19was mental struggle
26:20part of that
26:20was frustration
26:22but I don't know
26:23how bad it was
26:24because
26:24we didn't talk.
26:30I also
26:31had a young daughter
26:32so I had that
26:33responsibility
26:35financially
26:35to make sure
26:36that she and her mother
26:37were taken care of
26:38but to be honest
26:42if it wasn't
26:43for the responsibilities
26:44I had in life
26:46like my daughter
26:47you know
26:48I would have walked
26:49and I nearly did
26:50a couple of times
26:51to like
26:52kind of calm down
26:53and realize
26:54the financial impact
26:56it would have
26:57on my family
26:59so I stayed around.
27:06I think there was
27:08still a lot of
27:09issues
27:11and maybe I'm
27:12to blame for that
27:12maybe I
27:14should have paid
27:14more attention
27:15and maybe
27:15reached out to people
27:17that I felt
27:17were struggling
27:20but I was very hungry
27:21and I wanted
27:22to be great
27:23and I wanted
27:23to have my opportunities
27:24and it created
27:25resentment
27:27and if there's
27:28a resentment
27:30all sorts of demons
27:31can appear.
27:37I want to see you
27:40have a quick name check
27:41left to right.
27:41I'm Shane.
27:42I'm Mikey.
27:43Keith.
27:43Ronan.
27:44And Steve.
27:44Welcome.
27:46How long have you been
27:46together for?
27:47Just over a year now.
27:49After Love Me For A Reason
27:50we got a big agent
27:51got a big promoter
27:52in the UK
27:53everything changed for them.
27:55The star prize
27:56with these three
27:57Boyzone hats.
27:59We were on all
28:00the UK TV shows
28:01Pepsi Chart Show
28:02Top of the Pops
28:03going live
28:04Boyzone was on
28:06everything.
28:06Hi we're Boyzone
28:07and this is our new
28:08single
28:09Key to My Life
28:15Our first album
28:17was number one
28:18we had made it
28:20at that point
28:21that was just
28:21wow
28:22us five lads
28:24from Dublin
28:25got this far.
28:26It went crazy
28:27for Boyzone.
28:30I'm fucked.
28:32Just travelling
28:33constantly
28:33airports
28:35airplanes
28:36vehicle
28:37TV studio
28:38radio station
28:39Hi I'm Keith
28:41and I'm Ronan
28:42and we're from Boyzone
28:43and you're watching
28:44Johnny's Hit Parade
28:44Hi I'm Keith
28:45and I'm Ronan
28:46and we're from
28:47You just do it on your own.
28:49So what did you grab Thailand?
28:50You're watching Smile TV
28:51You're watching Channel V
28:53Space Shower TV
28:54MTV Japan
28:56Pop 10
28:56TVK Shuffle
28:58You're watching Street
29:00They would literally
29:01work you from
29:01early in the morning
29:02like live radio show
29:03at five or six
29:04in the morning
29:04to live TV show
29:06at eleven o'clock
29:06at night.
29:11You're just so tired
29:13when you're finished
29:14working
29:15you can't sleep
29:15we're away
29:17we're in a hotel
29:17in Germany
29:18we go to the bar
29:19you know
29:20we get drunk
29:21you go to bed
29:22you wake up
29:22you've got a hangover
29:23and you do it all over again
29:24The eight special guests
29:26in the studio
29:27are Boyzone
29:28Louis never travelled with us
29:31you know
29:31the odd time
29:32if it was something big
29:33if you're playing Wembley
29:34but on the day to day
29:36slogging away
29:37Louis hated to travel
29:39Oh I'm in Dublin
29:40I hardly
29:41I didn't want to go with them
29:42Oh God no
29:43I don't think they knew
29:45what I actually did
29:47I don't think they knew
29:49the work that actually
29:50I did behind the scenes
29:51at all
29:51they've no idea
29:53I think they just thought
29:54I made phone calls
29:55and it all happened
29:55but it wasn't just
29:57like that really
30:03I don't think Boyzone
30:04probably realised
30:05how instrumental he was
30:07to their success
30:09there was Take That
30:11who were cleaning up
30:13and then there was Boyzone
30:14who needed to do something fast
30:17to get people's attention
30:19next to this massive boy band
30:21and Louis knew exactly what to do
30:24and exactly how to do it
30:25and that was
30:26through the Tabway Press
30:28I was working
30:30as the Irish Mirror
30:31showbiz editor
30:32my job essentially
30:34was to go and get
30:34the biggest stories
30:35about the biggest stars
30:37every day you're challenged
30:39with beating every
30:40other newspaper
30:41and there were no rules
30:42there were no rules
30:44the only rule was
30:45you had to win
30:45so for me
30:47it was made very clear
30:50when I got
30:51into the mirror
30:52that
30:53the sun
30:54were beating us
30:56this is one of the first
30:56conversations I had
30:57with my boss
30:58the sun
30:58are beating us
30:59every day
31:00on Boyzone
31:01I didn't give a fuck
31:02a year ago
31:03he said
31:04because they were putting out
31:05a load of old tat
31:06around Ireland
31:07now London are getting
31:08obsessed with them
31:09and I need you
31:11to become their best mate
31:14I remember sitting down
31:16and being told to call
31:18this guy
31:19called Louis Walsh
31:24so I rang him
31:26and surprisingly
31:27he didn't just slam down
31:28the phone and say
31:28put in an interview request
31:30like everybody else
31:30he said
31:31give me a call back
31:32in two days
31:32and I'll have a story
31:34for you
31:35I always had a really
31:36good relationship
31:37with all the people
31:38in the press
31:38and the tabloids
31:40were very important
31:41so you know
31:42I kept them on side
31:43I gave them stories
31:44I told them things
31:46Louis Walsh to me
31:47is the master
31:49and in 20 years
31:50of journalism
31:51is the master
31:53puppeteer
31:53of the press
31:54I mean
31:55you can't underestimate
31:56how he
31:57rewrote the rule book
31:59about engagement
32:01with the press
32:01and why you should do that
32:02he was
32:03access all areas
32:06and he did play games
32:08he was shrewd
32:09he knew what the press
32:11needed
32:13if there wasn't a story
32:14going around
32:15Louis would get you one
32:16and it didn't matter
32:18what you wrote
32:18as long as you wrote
32:21I didn't realise
32:22how much we were
32:23in the tabloids
32:24like twice a week
32:25for five years
32:27we were written about
32:30and we were out
32:31of the country
32:31so much
32:32that you know
32:32we'd speak to our
32:33mums or dads
32:34and they'd say
32:35oh I just read this
32:36in the paper
32:37is it true
32:37and we're like
32:38no it's not true
32:39who said that
32:40and you'd never know
32:41who said it
32:44oh
32:44yeah I mean
32:45sometimes the boys
32:46would read stories
32:48in the papers
32:48about themselves
32:49that weren't true
32:51and they'd say
32:51who told them that
32:52we
32:53no I did
32:54I told them
32:55because I am
32:56promoting you
32:57I make them up
32:58sometimes
32:59but that's fine
33:03he believed
33:04any story
33:05was a good story
33:05any story
33:07he would make up
33:08stories constantly
33:09about the band
33:10about relationships
33:11with girlfriends
33:12that were non-existent
33:15like plane crashes
33:17that were not true
33:20I had them in a plane crash
33:21once in Australia
33:22and I forgot to tell
33:23the families
33:24I made it up
33:24but there was no plane crash
33:26but it got a good story
33:28did you ever feel guilty
33:29about it?
33:30I never felt guilty
33:31about it
33:31no way
33:32I was promoting them
33:33I was doing my job
33:36I would do it all again
33:37yeah absolutely
33:38I'd do even more now
33:45the invasion of the tabloids
33:47was damaging
33:49it scarred us
33:50I mean it was hugely scary
33:52what the media did to you
33:53to us all
33:54having no control
33:56people making assumptions
33:58on who you are
33:59from what they read
34:00in the papers
34:00the five of us
34:02were massively affected
34:03by that
34:05we all had our fair share
34:07of stories in the paper
34:08that affect us
34:08in different ways
34:09the one
34:11who really had it the most
34:14was Stephen Gately
34:15I'd say
34:24at the time
34:26Stephen Gately
34:27was very much
34:29a dream ticket
34:31for the tabloids
34:33because every girl
34:34in the country
34:34was madly in love
34:35with him
34:37and Louis
34:38handed me
34:39a dream story
34:40an almost inconceivably
34:43fantastical
34:44showbiz
34:45home run
34:46he said
34:46okay
34:47I'm giving this
34:49only to you
34:52Stephen Gately
34:53and Baby Spice
34:54are secretly dating
34:55and this way
34:56and this way
34:57you two
34:57this is the girl's one
35:00now at this time
35:01the Spice Girls
35:03are zigzagaring
35:05around the world
35:06I mean
35:06people were
35:08obsessed with them
35:10on a global level
35:11say boys on a brilliant
35:12boys on a what
35:13brilliant
35:14boys on a brilliant
35:15and Stephen Gately
35:16was single
35:17all the time
35:20so you don't take a step back
35:22to wonder if it could be true
35:23or if it's being exaggerated
35:24you don't care
35:25it's a home run
35:26they said it
35:27print print print
35:29and it did
35:30I mean
35:30it went everywhere
35:36Stephen
35:37he was living
35:38the dream
35:40but he had a big secret
35:42he didn't want anyone
35:43to know about it
35:44he was so scared
35:45he was so scared
35:47that it was going
35:47to kill his career
36:10the 96 was a very
36:12very special year
36:13I was 20 years of age
36:15we're playing Wembley
36:16it doesn't feel
36:18real
36:18you're still waiting
36:19for somebody
36:20to tell you
36:21you're an imposter
36:21what are you doing
36:22you shouldn't be doing this
36:24it was an absolute
36:25honour
36:26to perform
36:27for the fans
36:28there is nothing
36:30I can say to you
36:32that could describe
36:34the feeling
36:35of elation
36:41we went from strength
36:42to strength
36:42that we didn't dip
36:44we kept on
36:45building
36:46on what
36:47boys on world
36:48was
36:48it was huge
36:50you could do no wrong
36:53high chart positions
36:54sellout tours
36:55record breaking
36:56ticket sales
36:58it was so much fun
36:59so great
37:00my nickname is
37:02homeboy
37:02because I'm always
37:03homesick
37:04I was born on
37:05St. Patrick's Day
37:05and I used to be a
37:06dance teacher
37:07who am I?
37:08so girls
37:09who is that homesick
37:09chappie?
37:10Steve
37:11from Boys Zone
37:12is here
37:12they're round here
37:15Stephen
37:16he was actually
37:17from day one
37:18probably the most
37:19popular member
37:20of the band
37:20for girls
37:21he was the
37:22heartthrob
37:23not Ronan
37:24Stephen Gately
37:25was the heartthrob
37:31you know we were very close
37:33we had a great bond
37:34from very young
37:37pretty early on
37:38we had fans
37:40in the garden
37:41of our house
37:42like you know
37:43they'd be parked
37:45outside
37:45they'd be sleeping
37:46there
37:46my mother would be
37:47making them cups of tea
37:48he probably wouldn't
37:50come back for days
37:50and they'd be
37:51still sitting outside
37:52waiting for them
37:53you know
37:54sorry girls
37:55I'm actually walking
37:56you'll have to wait
37:56later on
37:57or something
38:01where's your camera?
38:03where's your camera?
38:05I love you
38:06he was the childhood
38:09sweetheart
38:09of millions of girls
38:11they loved him
38:12Steve
38:13let us a kiss
38:14tonight
38:14let us a kiss
38:18that's why
38:19we had to just
38:20rush and rush
38:21because if you stay
38:22there too long
38:22you will not
38:23get out
38:24and he had to
38:25negotiate his way
38:26through that
38:26you could tell
38:27that it'd taken
38:28a bit of a toll
38:29on him
38:30and we didn't know
38:32why at that time
38:33we didn't know
38:34why
38:35I certainly didn't
38:37Stephen I think
38:38I think it was
38:38he was probably
38:39about to go on
38:40a tour
38:42and he just
38:43said there's
38:44something I need
38:44to talk to you
38:45about
38:45you know
38:46I said yeah
38:47okay you know
38:47and I said
38:48well let's go
38:49for a coffee
38:50he just said
38:51that yeah
38:52I'm gay
38:53he hadn't said
38:55anything to anyone
38:56in my family
38:57you know
38:59you know
39:00until he told me
39:02I knew
39:03the minute I met him
39:04that
39:05he
39:06was
39:08on the bus
39:09the same bus
39:11as me
39:11and
39:12there was something
39:14about the shared
39:15experience
39:16pretty soon
39:17he gravitated
39:18towards me
39:19and
39:20started to tell
39:21me stuff
39:21and
39:22I worried
39:24for him
39:24there was
39:25a huge
39:27sense
39:27of vulnerability
39:30and
39:31I knew
39:32where he was
39:32from in Dublin
39:34so I knew
39:35it could never
39:35have been
39:36easy for him
39:37behind the
39:38behind the Dublin
39:39financial centre
39:40one of the
39:40capital's
39:41symbols of
39:41power
39:41progress
39:42and wealth
39:43hides
39:43Sheriff's Street
39:44symbol of
39:45poverty
39:45dilapidation
39:46and urban
39:46decay
39:48we grew up
39:49we grew up in a place
39:50called Sheriff's Street
39:51tough
39:52tough area
39:53grown up
39:53like
39:53I had four
39:55brothers
39:55me and the boys
39:57had one bedroom
39:59myself and Stephen
40:00shared a bed
40:01he was down one end
40:02I was up the other
40:04you know
40:04it was hard
40:05for people
40:07Sheriff's Street
40:08was
40:08a very
40:09very rough
40:10and humble
40:11place
40:12and quite
40:13unforgiving
40:15and there would
40:15have been
40:17a dominance
40:19of criminality
40:20to try and break
40:21out of that
40:22was going to be
40:23a big deal
40:24because just
40:25saying you were
40:26from Sheriff's Street
40:28would have been
40:28a black mark
40:29against you
40:29going for a job
40:30going for anything
40:32I was just determined
40:33to be famous
40:34since I was around
40:36nine
40:37there's no one down
40:38my area
40:39that has made it
40:39I'm going to be
40:41the first to be
40:41well known
40:42throughout the world
40:43he knew
40:45that this was
40:45his ticket
40:46out
40:47of the life
40:49that he had
40:49no matter
40:51what they do
40:53I see
40:55no matter
40:57what they do
40:58no matter
41:02what they teach
41:04us
41:05what we believe
41:08is true
41:09I was suspicious
41:10that he was gay
41:11from day one
41:12but I knew
41:14he didn't want
41:14anyone to know
41:15about it
41:17Stephen knew
41:18that keeping
41:19stum
41:19on his real
41:21nature
41:22was part of
41:24his ticket out
41:27we knew
41:27Stephen was gay
41:28Stephen
41:29came to us
41:30early doors
41:31of the band
41:31and he said
41:32it to us
41:33we were there
41:33for him
41:34as big brothers
41:35and protect him
41:36and look after him
41:37he was
41:38obviously concerned
41:39about the reaction
41:40that the fans
41:41would have
41:41to him being
41:42gay
41:43you're talking
41:4425 years ago
41:45it was a different
41:46world back then
41:48the Catholic Church
41:49had held
41:50a firm grip
41:51on Irish society
41:52Ireland was
41:54completely
41:55unwelcoming
41:56to gays
41:57teachers
41:58bank officials
42:00anybody like that
42:01who was outed
42:02had to leave the country
42:03they were disgraced
42:06in 1993
42:09homosexuality
42:10was decriminalised
42:11in Ireland
42:12but Stephen
42:13hadn't yet learned
42:14to accept
42:15that it was
42:16okay to be gay
42:17because
42:17nobody had
42:18it had literally
42:19just been decriminalised
42:21so
42:22you know
42:22the country
42:23was only catching up
42:24with
42:25the rest of the world
42:28and
42:29Stephen was caught
42:30in the crossfire
42:31will you welcome please
42:32boys' own
42:33Stephen Gakling
42:34I think Stephen's
42:39biggest fear
42:40was
42:41rejection
42:41so what's all this
42:43stuff about
42:43Kerry Ann
42:44I don't know
42:44where I sprang from
42:45do you know her
42:46yeah I know her well
42:47yeah she's a really
42:48nice girl
42:48you know she's done well
42:49and we've known each other
42:50over the past few years
42:51but there's no romance there
42:52at all
42:53no there's no romance there
42:54what about Mandy Smith
42:54we had her on the show
42:55Mandy bless her
42:56yeah
42:57he was trying
42:57to straddle both worlds
42:59and keep everybody happy
43:01do you think there's all
43:02this pressure coming on you
43:03because all the other lads
43:04the forums are
43:04spoken for
43:05see I get asked this
43:07all the time
43:07I mean every interview
43:08we do
43:08with every magazine
43:09they always ask you know
43:11you're the only one left
43:11what's the story
43:12when I find the right person
43:13and when I settle down
43:14then you know
43:15I'll be happy
43:16and I'll let people know
43:17but at the moment
43:18I'm just
43:19his struggle was eating him alive
43:21from the moment
43:22Stephen got up in the morning
43:24until he went to bed at night
43:27he was overwhelmingly afraid
43:29that he was going to be exposed
43:33how do you cope
43:34with the success of the kind of media attention
43:36it is quite difficult for me
43:38I do find it hard to cope
43:39at times
43:40and I just like to
43:41shut myself in
43:42in my room
43:45I'm sensitive
43:46and I can get very upset easily
43:47but um
43:49you know
43:49I had four great friends
43:51look after me
43:53Stephen was incredibly fragile
43:56he was a fragile person
43:57and it wouldn't take much
43:59to push him
44:00there was many a time
44:01when he would lock himself
44:03in a hotel room
44:04and we couldn't get him out
44:05he was always on his phone
44:07and you'd never know
44:07who he was on the phone to
44:08he was always stressed out
44:09he had a lot of anxiety
44:11going on in his life
44:12it was a lonely lonely place
44:16he was scared of the press
44:18doing the story on
44:19he was so scared
44:21Louis did tell me
44:22that
44:23some of the papers
44:24were trying
44:25to out Stephen
44:28one of our
44:29team
44:30who had a
44:31serious contact
44:32in the sun
44:33had
44:35basically given us
44:36their daily summary
44:37of espionage
44:40and
44:41it was that
44:42the sun
44:43are running
44:44a front page
44:46world exclusive
44:47tomorrow
44:48that Stephen Gately
44:49is coming out
44:55we're in the dressing room
44:57in a coliseum
44:58in Hong Kong
45:04I was a show
45:05editor
45:05about the sun
45:08somebody came
45:09to the sun
45:10was selling the story
45:11that
45:13that Stephen
45:14was gay
45:16I wrote the story
45:19what we were about
45:20to do
45:20was going to
45:21change everything
45:22about the sun
45:25from the moon
45:25the sun
45:25the sky
45:32and the sun
45:50is going to
46:04Transcription by CastingWords
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