Stephen Gately, 1976 - 2009: The People's Pop Star
As the first cracks of light appeared on Sunday morning and the dewy dawn began to lazily melt into morning, anyone with access to a news outlet, phone or neighbour was greeted with the news of Stephen Gately's death. The nation, and indeed the world, was hit by a tsunami of grief which soaked the emotional beaches of us all.
Through his work with seminal pop band Boyzone, Stephen had touched the hearts of millions - the cherub faced tunesmith permanently altered the lives of many, his part in some of the greatest upbeat pop anthems and light ballads of the 20th century leaving an indelible mark on the music industry, and indeed society in general.
Boyzone were the most important band of the 90's - fellow Irish five piece Westlife, despite considerable achievements, seem like primordial dwarfs compared to the all encompassing giants of the charts that were Stephen and his fellow musical craftsmen Boyzone. Sales records were mere cannon fodder at the mercy of Boyzone’s immense musical machine gun.
However, as if his innumerable contributions to the UK's musical canon were not enough - Stephen Gately was also possibly the most important hero of the gay rights movement. His peerless and tireless campaigning represents nothing less than the work of a contemporary Martin Luther King.
Stephen Gately's admission to the press that he was gay in 1999 took the bravery of a thousand fire fighters, the courage of a whole platoon of soldiers, the nerves of a cabal of bungee jumpers. He strode out fearlessly to face the rabid bile of a howling pack of viscous critics, immune to the searing pot shots of those who would seek to undermine his unerring brilliance.
Gately did not come out of the closet - to compare his momentous act with the simple process of exiting a piece of standard furniture severely diminishes the gargantuan significance of his era defining revelation.
Not content with being the most outspoken and important spokesman for equality of his time, Stephen also showed his compassion and care for the world's starving children by giving each and every one of them a beautiful gift - in their honour, he and
Boyzone recorded a cover of "When The Going Gets Tough" for Comic Relief. Gately and his fellow Boyzone members took Billy Oceans 1985 pop classic and turned it into something else - they used it as a shining beacon for charity, a sharpened scythe with which to cut away at the horrible crop of starvation.
Music, charity, gay rights - this tricorn hat of brilliance will forever rest on the unforgettable head of Stephen Gately.
Goodnight, Sweet Prince.
Josh Reed
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Comments
Really do not mean to sound insensitive - but isn't this going a touch overboard, or is that the point?
This is fantastic.
Forever in our hearts; this world couldn't hold you.
I think his death is tragic; the death of anyone at that age is tragic, but I have to say I agree with Mike. Boyzone were many things but the most important band of the 90's they definitely weren't. Even in boy-band terms they always played second fiddle to Take That. And as far as importance goes I think the likes of Nirvana and Oasis might be seen as a tad more important by most music fans. Also to compare his coming out as equivalent to the "bravery of a thousand fire fighters, the courage of a whole platoon of soldiers, the nerves of a cabal of bungee jumpers" is just gushing, over-sentimental and wholly innacurate hyperbole. He was not "the most outspoken and important spokesman for equality of his time" by any stretch of the imagination, I don't think anyone could honestly say that. Aside from that initial admission I'm not aware that he ever discussed his sexuality publicly(and indeed, neither should he have). Pay a tribute to the man if you choose, that would seem fitting, but make it an accurate and well-measured one that presents him in an honest light. Bathing him in this kind of over-sentimental light does both him and yourself a disservice I'm afraid.
That said, having just read this article again I'm starting to think it may be a joke, in which case I'm not sure it's one that is in good taste. If a sentence like "His peerless and tireless campaigning represents nothing less than the work of a contemporary Martin Luther King." is just sarcasm then I'd question the whole tone of this article and ask whether this is not a barely-veiled attack on Gately, one which would seem totally unneccassary. If it's a serious comment then I would question it on the grounds that it is just a ludicrous statement. Hmm, not sure about this article at all to be honest.
I wasnt quite sure wether it was a joke either! Its a shame the man has died, but from a personal perspective, he had little impact on what I would call good music. Reading it again I really think its almost a sattire, a skit on the way the media has gone about covering his death.
Definitely is after reading Joe's comment!
This is the greatest piece of satire I have read in a while. Your ability, Josh, to parody the sensationalist press should be applauded. I found myself squirming with laughter throughout.
Of course, I do hope it is satire, as if this is sincere you need serious psychological help. He's wasn't exactly Peter-bloody-Tatchell.
Haha, I'm inclined to agree Mike. When I first read this, bleary eyed and full of cold, I couldnt make my mind up. Now I look at it again I see it in a different light.
I hope it's satirical too, I'm liking the cynical tone that Sphinx is adopting! I didn't even know he was gay...
I'm not too sure about this article... It's never easy to be tasteful when it concerns a dead person, even if you're simply satirising the publicity his death received. I just can't see how it isn't, at least in some way, disrespectful.
Could be worse, could be the article mentioned here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/oct/16/stephen-gately-boyzone (deliberately not linking to the original, the Daily Mail website's got enough hits out of the scandal, and that will justify them charging advertisers more)
Yeah, I know all about that. Disgraceful.
I'm undecided about this. Though funny, I'm worried people will find this seriously disrespectful. I know you're just parodying the press, but remember there are people (fans/his family/whoever) who will be devastated by the news of his death. Your spin on it is not exactly sensitive to this fact. I'm sure in some people's hearts he WAS many of the things you've described him as. Maybe add a disclaimer or something?
The phrase 'if you haven't got anything nice, don't say anything at all springs to mind'. Jan Moir would be proud of you.
I'm with Katie on this one. May I start by saying that I thought this was really well written, and I definitely would have found it hilarious had it not been aimed at quite so sensitive an issue. I know it was an attempt to mock the press instead of the man himself, but it still poked fun at of a lot of his greatest achievements. Despite comical wording and a glittering array of vocabulary, I'm inclined to think that the timing of this lacked a little tact.
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