Shane Lynch: Behind the Scenes of Boyzone, Manager Louis Walsh, and the Power of Faith

Shane Lynch, the charismatic frontman of Boyzone, reflects on his journey in a new Sky documentary. With neck-high skull tattoos and a pop-star persona, Shane retains a hint of his Dublin roots, offering an honest insight into the dynamics within Boyzone and the powerful role of faith in his life.

The Manager Controversy

Shane’s portrayal of Louis Walsh is nuanced. He describes Louis as socially awkward, yet his witty remarks and string of publicity stunts enabled him to transcend these challenges. Shane dismisses scathing comments made by Louis about the band’s egos as mere attempts to garner attention from the press.

“Louis is an uneasy character, he always has been. He’s socially awkward but his one-liners are what save him. You can’t get annoyed with him.”

In a candid interview, Louis states that Boyzone’s sizeable success inflated their egos, but Shane attributes these statements to media-driven drama.

“He would say something like that on camera and then you’d go speak to him, and he’d say, ‘You know I don’t mean it, lads, I’m just getting the front page!’

Despite unidirectional conflicts between Louis and Ronan Keating over business differences in 2003, Shane maintains a personal bond with Louis, expressing a willingness for a future啤酒 session.

“I love Louis Walsh. I’d love to sit down and have a beer with him at any point in life because everything’s cool.”

The Emotional Toll and Reunions

Boyzone’s tight-knit friendships faced severe tests over the years, notably with the untimely death of Stephen Gately in 2009. The band slept in a church next to his casket the night before his funeral to ease his fears of being alone. When asked about Stephen, Shane’s response is unexpectedly pragmatic:

“Steo’s dead.”

Amidst the bluntness, Shane clarifies his standalone stance:

“I don’t mean that in any sense other than, you have your tarot card readers and your spiritual channellers but no, that’s all demonic. The dead is the dead. They’re either with Christ or with the devil. End of.”

Following the tragic loss of their friend, Shane and his bandmates embarked on a healing process that resulted in a stronger relationship. The documentary provides an unprecedented look into the bandmates’ perspectives on each other’s struggles, offering a rare glimpse into the human side of these pop stars.