Aalsn guitarist Billy McGuinness will dedicate his Dancing With The Stars performance tonight to his bandmate and pal of 40 years Christy Dignam.
The 61-year-old musician and his pro partner Hannah Kelly will take to the stage to the soundtrack of one of Aslan’s most iconic hits, Crazy World.
Contestants have a free pass this week with no elimination vote and each celebrity will dedicate their routine to someone special in their lives.
But Billy explained why his hero Christy, who overcame a crippling drug addiction and is now battling terminal cancer, gets his number one vote.
The veteran rocker said: “There’s a lot of contestants who are dedicating it to their wives or grandparents or whoever.
“I have been with Christy for 40 years. I have been standing beside him on a stage for 40 years.
“The one thing I love about Christy is he is totally, totally honest. He never tries to hide anything.
“The abuse he suffered as a child, the drugs which resulted with Aslan breaking up, the struggle...
“Then to get clean from drugs and be hit with cancer, a fight that is ongoing for him... it was never in my mind to doubt that I wasn’t going to do this dance for Christy.
“The fact that we are dancing to an Aslan song makes it that bit more special. Myself and Hannah were up in his house during the week and he was blown away.
“I don’t know for definite if he’s going to be there (Christy at the show) but he has been invited. It depends on how he feels.”
Despite describing himself as “a chancer not a dancer”, Billy survived the first three vote offs which saw author Cathy Kelly, comedian Neil Delamere and former newsreader Aengus Mac Grianna getting the boot.
He mused: “Look, I’m not going to win it, I know that for a fact as I’m not a dancer. But show six and I’m still here so I’m just going with the flow now at this stage.”
And he admitted he may find life difficult juggling both DWTS with Aslan’s upcoming tour to celebrate 40 years in the business.
The live gigs begin with a show in Belfast on March 11, but the RTE reality show will end on Sunday, March 27, with a grand finale.
And if Billy makes it all the way to the final he’ll have another two Aslan gigs – in Kerry on March 16 and Galway on March 25 – to squeeze in to his hectic routine.
He said: “I start rehearsal for the tour next week. It could become where I’m going to be rehearsing with the band and still learning the steps with Hannah.
“I’m going to have to be coming here [studio] at 8am to 2pm and then straight out to band rehearsals, but do you know what, it’s brilliant.
“Just the fact that we are going out to play gigs again, to play in front of a full house and hear people singing along to songs, it’s so good.
“All music in Ireland has suffered so badly.”
Billy said he expected a backlash on social media when he joined the show and a slagging from the band for the big hair, glitzy costumes and fake tan.
But the Dubliner admitted he has been pleasantly surprised by people’s reactions so far.
He said: “The slaggings off the lads are going to get worse the longer I stay in the show as the costumes get more and more outrageous.
“I have to get the spray tan and make-up done and the costumes are class. The band are going to destroy me.
“I honestly don’t think Christy would do it. I could be wrong... But I don’t think it’s something that Christy would be interested in doing. The tan and stuff, he wouldn’t do that.”
Not that Aslan are any strangers to a bit of wild partying, he added.
Lifting the lid on their early days, Billy said: “We were wild. Do you know the way Oasis used to go on? Well the early days of Aslan, we would have put Oasis to shame.
“We partied hard, we went to nightclubs, we drank, we did everything you shouldn’t do to be in a successful band.
“After Feel No Shame, our first album, was released and went to number one, we were over in the States and did a great tour.
“We were to go back there and tour with Crowded House and they were going to release This Is over there.
“Of course, we were partying so hard that Christy got involved in drugs and within a year the whole band broke up, after years of struggling.” Show front runners now include former jockey Nina Carberry, R&B star Erica Coady, rugby ace Jordan Conroy and paralympic swimmer Ellen Coyne.
But Billy is loving every minute – whether he comes top or bottom of the leader board.
He added: “I’m really enjoying going in every morning and putting the work in and I’m learning to dance. I never realised it was so hard. It’s lovely to be part of it though.
“A few people have commented I have lost a bit of weight and look trim. I was like, ‘Was I overweight or something?’”
- Dancing With The Stars continues on RTE One tonight at 6.30pm.
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