Thanks for clearing that up Janette. I heard him give a very good live performance of it at the weekend on the radio at the weekend, which I enjoyed (pre-reading annoying story), but was frustrated because I was sure it was someone else's song. However, in the discussion no-one mentioned who else had done it, so I thought it was perhaps one of those songs that sounds like it's been around forever.
The way I see what it, Ronan wasn't being critical of the PI finalists. He said he'd heard the show was good, the performances were good and that people enjoyed it. He named Will and Gareth as both having more than enough talent to deserve their place in the charts and made a very positive comment about that talent needing nurturing.
I just think it's a shame he had to spoil what could have been a constructive contribution to the debate by implying we, the viewing/purchasing public have gone mad by thinking the PI tour is legitimate musical entertainment. That somehow being familiar with their musical talent through watching them sing a variety of musical styles for weeks on end is less legitimate than having released more singles. It is classic double standards, because I know for a fact that Westlife (who he co-managed) featured on the Smash Hits tour before they'd released a record either. It comes across more that he thinks they achieved their fame through devious means, rather than not being talented. If he really did feel that Popstars and Pop Idol were that scurrilous, then he shouldn't have appeared on the Irish version of the show. I doubt there are many artists in the charts who got it by being spotted busking outside Simon Cowell's favourite lap-dancing club.
There are lots of dodgy goings on in the music industry, but PI didn’t invent them, it simply let us take a peak at what has been going on for years. If anything, the process was less dodgy and more rigorous than the normal boy band or teen idol recruitment due the (partial) transparency. The really devious promotion occurs when we don’t realise it - the back handers or schmoosing required to get the relevant artist onto the relevant play-lists, or an interview in Smash Hits etc, and of course to get the radio stations to stop playing the previous record in time for the new one. This was a big nightmare for EMI and Kylie. There was talk of deleting Can’t get you out of my head, because it’s continued success was completely knackering their schedule.
BTW Ronan. The real reason they wouldn’t release a Boyzone/Ronan record close to a Westlife record is because people can’t differentiate between them. We had weeks to work out the difference between Will and Gareth, and I don’t think any of us got confused. I think it would have been nice for Will to have one extra week at the top now we know how well it did, and that no-one bought George Michael, but I still think it is to his benefit to not have him sitting at the top of the charts for weeks. His second single will be so much better I’d rather people go to listen to that.
I’m far less worried about Will, Gareth or any of the others than I am of most pop novices. Their reputation already carries weight, so the record companies know they can’t be pushed about as much as normal.
I translate it rather as “They’re getting all the publicity, it’s not fair and I want some”. He’s as much a part of the establishment as Cowell, and knows what he needs to do.
