Boybands Forever

[maytoseptember]

I’ve watched two episodes already.

It’s not quite what I was expecting. I know all of Robbie and Jason’s voice overs are taken from old interviews, but you can’t really tell which parts are new interviews with Gary, Howard and Mark because it’s all done in voice over.

Story wise it’s nothing new. If you were a fan in the 90s you know the story inside out. Having said that the nostalgia is brilliant, and the never seen before footage is nice, but realistically this whole series would have been pointless without new footage.

Looking forward to the final episode because their redemption arc / making up with Robbie always gets me in the feels.

 

[maytoseptember]

1996 for me too. Massive time. Sometimes I almost feel stuck there in some ways. It's hard to explain.

I know what you mean! I feel like those years were so pivotal. Easy to look back with rose tinted spectacles and say life was better then, but pop culture was so different then and so exciting.

 

[Quattro formaggi]

I’ve watched all 3 episodes and loved it.
I have no idea why mangled mono nostril westcrack had to feature in the first one so much though? As far as I can remember her and Brian weren’t together that long even? He dumped her cos her coke addiction got too much iirc.
I can definitely see a girlbands one in the offing the groups I’d like to see are:
Bananarama (the original and BEST girlband imo and still look fabulous
Eternal
Shampoo - they invented girl power then the spice girls nicked the concept I’d like to know how they feel about that.
Spice girls (can’t have a girlband doc without them although I’ve never been a fan)
All saints
Bewitched
Atomic kitten
Sugarbabes

 

[Miss.Chanandler.Bong]

I still have that VHS No way of watching it mind.
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You're watching Lorraine right now aren't you
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I think he was the root cause of a lot of Kerry's issues. Can't stand him. Really thought he was better than everyone else, was glad his career landed flat on its arse.

I think so too. Obviously she had a shit childhood but I really think she thought she’d found her happy ending and he broke her

 

[rivermonster]

Just not as tall
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Young Mark Owen is perfect in my opinion

Yes but he looks like Catweazle now - how he has fallen

 

[Miss.Chanandler.Bong]

What’s her line? This tune’s gonna punish you

True Steppers, you're out of your mind
Ice Cream, you're out of your mind
10-Below, you're out of your mind
Dane, you're out of your mind

… This tune's gonna punish you

 

[maytoseptember]

But Scott is still suffering as others have said.
he still lives in Basildon, and is very normal.

I felt sorry for him. He, like so many others, was just a working class boy who wasn’t equipped for the fame, money, anything.

Can’t believe he’s still in Pitsea though. I would have left that part of Basildon at the very least But having said that, the fact he’s chosen to stay there actually says a lot about how badly equipped he was for the boy band lifestyle. Like he craves the environment he came from and just can’t exist anywhere else.

Weird that nobody from take that has liked his post or commented on it though

To be honest I don’t think any of TT “like” that many posts from anyone, full stop. They’re also doing shows in Asia right now so might be totally out of the loop/haven’t seen the doc etc.

The bit about Jason- he really went AWOL didn’t he and I don’t think he speaks to any of them anymore

Something VERY strange went down with Jason Orange and I think about this a lot. He obviously wasn’t comfortable with Robbie rejoining for Progress. He didn’t like Robbie still and you could feel the tension in the documentary that followed the recording process (I think it’s called Look Back, Don’t Stare - it’s on YouTube).

I think it was partly that, as a four piece, they’d finally achieved a kind of democracy and it wasn’t Gary and his backing dancers anymore. But when Robbie rejoined - and Howard has spoken about this - suddenly there IS a hierarchy with Robbie and Gary at the top, Mark in the middle and the two other guys… what are their names?

The fact Jason doesn’t speak to any of them is so sad though. IIRC Gary said that he would occasionally get an email from Jason but he’s reply and it was undeliverable, like he’d shut down the account. That is bizarre.

My gut feeling is that he is/was quite unwell mentally. I can’t think of any other explanation for being so reclusive. I genuinely hope he’s OK. I think, ultimately, he was fed up with his role in the band being “singing” with his mic turned off/low. And I’m not being snarky. Every live performance of TT I’ve seen, Jason looks like he’s lip syncing, not singing. Apart from a couple of songs when he took lead vocals and his voice was fine, nothing special, quite weak.

 

[Very traditional]

We’re up to 2006 on my episode - Gary Barlow hasn’t had his glow up yet at Take That’s Come back announcement and Brian Harvey’s infamous jacket potato incident has happened. Terry is so supportive and kind about Brian, it’s very said that none of E17 speak now.

 

[BonBon27]

Some find a chair in every morning

Why did five year old me think they were actually singing this?

Cos they were obsessed with stools?!?

 

[PontiacBandit]

Everyone looked so different in the 90s, a simpler time!

 

[PontiacBandit]

Mark singing Shine was beginning to hurt my ears

 

[EllieG83]

A girl band one would be great, used to and still do love Eternal!

All them corrupt boyband managers wouldn’t get away with most of that now especially not paying the lads and buying massive properties for themselves.

 

[Clueless81]

I finally watched the show and I have to say I am not feeling the same about Louis as the vast majority. He had a job which was to make them famous and in turn make himself a shit load of money, that is exactly what he did. In those days the way to get publicity was in the papers or on tv. The bands were not accessible as they are today with youtube, tik tok etc. and he did what most managers were doing which was peddling stories. He would be a prick in the same way that any person managing a popular band like that would probably be a bit of a prick.

I absolutely do not think he had anything to do with the Stephen outing story, which was horrendous. At the time the fear was that his sexuality would torpedo the band if it came out and I cannot see any manager doing this. They like the money too much. In fact, Louis had previously said if he had known about Stephen's sexuality at the outset, he probably wouldn't have picked him. They needed lads that looked to be available for the teen girls in the audience. His reaction to the front page was a bit odd - but i think that was his pride at getting him a good spread in the paper. I also thought Ronan's reaction to it was over the top tbh. Michelle's reaction seemed more genuine.

As for the band I think in the end their egos just clashed. Ronan had an ego from the beginning and Keith and Shane were still larking around as the 'backing dancers' and not really taking it seriously. Mikey had taken on more vocals after Stephen's death and therefore felt more pressure and igt all became a boilerplate which erupted. I will agree with one thing said, Stephen was the glue that held the band together.

Also, i found Ronan fake as fuck during the whole thing. I'd say he watched all the other interviews before recording his own. He was an executive producer and still didn't come across well, to me.

All MOO

 

[Cupid_Stunt]

I’ve watched all 3 of the Girlbands Forever episodes and without giving anything away, the no mention of Girls Aloud at all, not even in a conversation with one of the talking heads, in the voiceover, or in the video montages is a bit odd, especially as episode 3 talks more about Little Mix and how they found fame on a TV talent show so you’d think mentioning Girls Aloud, who did the same almost a decade earlier, would have been an easy link.

Girls Aloud had 20 consecutive Top 10 hits, more than any other girlband

Even B*Witched were briefly seen in the section talking about girlbands getting magazine covers

 

[McQ1989]

I always hated that journalist Paul Martin. "Mr Showbiz" 99% of his column in the Sunday World were about Westlife or a member of Boyzone. Clearly his only source in the industry was Louis Walsh.

 

[louseylou]

Omg 6 year old me loved them I had no business sing boom boom boom
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I love clubland rave when I clean my house

I used to sing Pony by Ginuwine at the top of my voice as a child. Why did no one tell me to stop?

 

[Restless Native]

got the 3rd episode on iPlayer and my god, duncan james has never aged

must have a portrait in the attic

I'm assuming he looks better than he did on masterchef

 

[LaBlonde]

i admire gary’s commitment to just being like “dancing? no i don’t think i will thank you”

 

[UnresolvedYin]

I could honestly watch four hours of this.

 

[under the ivy]

GHETTO ROMANCE My first job was in Dolcis and this was on the tape, 16 year old me jamming while some bride to be tried on plastic shoes.

Aww remember Shelley’s and Ravel too?! My mum used to get her clubbing shoes from Dolcis’