BOYZ DAY OUT
Smash Hits snoops about behind the scenes as Boyzone head into the lovely Berkshire countryside to record a top TV show.
A light
breeze whistles through the trees. The River Thames rolls peacefully to
the sea. A large pig wanders about. And an Irish bloke in a long, swanky
coat yells, "Wahey! Orea cookies!"
We're backstage at the filming of The
Weekend Show and Ronan Keating has just discovered the catering area.
Boyzone are here to perfom Picture Of You, then slip off for a chat
with Andi Peters. The whole shebang takes place in the lovely Berkshire
countryside.
But some of the Boyz aren't best placed to appreciate
it. Stephen's got a stinking bout of flu: "I've sneezed seven times
in the last five minutes," he sniffs. Keith's exhausted from his recent
Caribbean holiday - "I haven't slept for a week!" But Mikey,
Shane and Ronan are as up for it as ever. Ronan keeps flapping his coat
open, pertending to be a superhero and shouting, "Come on Stephen,
hug me like you've never hugged me before!" Shane's jabbering on excitedly
about hardcore rap ("It's all I listen to") and how he wishes
he was black ("Black people are the soul of the earth"). Mikey,
meanwhile, is staring into a van of pigs (Well, it is the country)
and teasing: "You're going to the butchers!"
Keith decides to revive himself by sticking his
bare bum out of the trsiler Boyzone are changing in. Five minutes later
we hear that a tabloid photographer is snooping around and Keith is warned
to keep his privates in his trousers!
"I don't mind those photographers - a man's
got to make a living." says Shane. "Just so long as they're not
outside my front door." He takes his umbrella and stabs a ladybird
on Stephen's boot.
"Shane, you pig," shouts Stephen.
"That was so unnecessary!".
"I'm sure it had a painless death." cackles Shane, the fiend.
Anyway, it's time to walk down to The weekend
show set. Boyzone clamber onto a boat and zip about on the Thames,
following a bigger boat 'helmed' by Andi Peters and Emma Forbes. "It's
105 degrees in New York." shivers Ronan, thinking of The 'Zones upcoming
US promo tour as the wind whips his hair up. Soon they're back on shore
and, despite Stephen's sniffles, running through a belting version of Picture
Of You. "We performed it with a live band the other day,"
reveals Ronan. "It was fantastic!"
After their performance the lads stick around to
chat to the show's other guests Gary Lineker and Corrie's Mathew
Marsden. As they walk off the set, they're beseiged by fans with pressies.
"I got a pair of Tasmanian Devil boxer shorts!" shouts a triuphant
Stephen later. "They're gorgeous!"
"Yup, the fun never ends in this band."
grins Ronan, as the TV cameras are packed away and Boyzone zip off into
the sunset.