Sentimental Boyzone Record Stephen Gately Tribute Album
WHERE once there was only dignity, there is to be an album to remember Stephen Gately by. The four remaining members of Boyzone are to release an album as a tribute to the singer.
Boyzone are telling Sky News that Stephen Gately had already featured on two songs for the group’s latest album. Ronan Keating explains how the death of Stephen Gately is in danger of becoming a media advertorial:
“He was so excited about this, he actually texted me just before he went out on the night he died and he said he couldn’t wait to get started. I had never seen Stephen so full of life, so happy, so healthy and just so alive.”
If there is a time for sentimentalism it is surely after a friend has died. But by telling the press, things can appear mawkish. Placing the death in the context of a marketable new album can look opportunistic. Can Boyzone stick to talking about the music and not tug the heartstrings? Or will the death of Stephen Gately just become part of the show, a form of entertainment? Keith Duffy adds:
“We got our sleeping bags out and we lay there telling stories and laughing at the memories, it was peaceful and it was perfect.
“The next day when the hearse was leaving for the crematorium and people threw roses down for Stephen, well I don’t think I have ever seen anything more beautiful in all my life.”
Shane Lynch offers:
“We have decided that what we do now is we’re going to make the next album for Stephen.”
Adding:
“When we were on the plane coming home with Stephen’s body from Majorca we didn’t want it to land, we just wanted to keep flying because that way the reality would never come. But of course we had to land.
“Stephen was one of my best, best friends in life. I miss him dearly. But we have a faith and we know he is in a magnificent place, looking down at us and smiling.”
And faith is important, because Bono arrives to bless Stephen Gately. Says Ronan Keating:
“Keith and myself were there and we just crumbled when U2 sang ‘Unforgettable Fire’ and Bono said ‘Stephen Gately… a beautiful star… shining brightly’. People have been so, so kind.”
Well, not everyone has been kind – the tabloid press went for Gately. As the Mail’s Jan Moir showed us, attitudes to homosexuality have not moved on that much. Keating explains:
“Stephen grew up in a time in Ireland when society hadn’t matured in their opinions towards homosexuality, not like today anyway. He had a difficult time growing up and I think if anything the day of his funeral showed how much Ireland has progressed in that regard.”
Music fans have always been more sensitive than most to homosexuality. Gately’s death says nothing about the society at large. A man died. There is no message. There is no cause. There is just music for his fans to enjoy…
Stephen Gately: A Career in Pictures
Stephen Gately’s Funeral – in pictures
Jan Moir Tribute Video: Do The Yes
Stephen Gately Gives Jan Moir Her Susan Boyle Moment
How ‘Loathsome’ Jan Moir Buried Herself And Stephen Gately
Jan Moir’s Statement On Stephen Gately ‘Gay Bashing’ Article in Full
Stephen Gately’s Death Becomes A Tale Of Gay Sex, Homophobia And ‘Murder’
Posted: 1st, November 2009 | In: Celebrities, Key Posts Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
