Behind the persona: Who is the real Garry Lyon?

REDUCED to 2am trips to Coles as he fought the demons that can come with fame, Garry Lyon’s easy on-air persona hides a brooding soul, Jon Anderson reports.

Melbourne training at Gosch's Paddock. Garry Lyon during his interview.

THAT fickle friend named fame has never played favourites.

She chews them up and spits them out all the same, from the tortured genius with the white glove to the Mumbai Master Blaster or the kid from Kyabram with the rare AFL gift.

Michael Jackson, Sachin Tendulkar and Garry Lyon may seem far removed, yet each in their own world has succumbed to a mistress that takes no prisoners.

If only we could ask Jackson how it ever got so crazy that he had to request a 3am visit to the monkeys at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, while Sachin Tendulkar chose the same hour to take his Ferrari 360 Modena for a spin on the streets of Mumbai to avoid his maddening fans in a city of 12 million?

Going to a Coles supermarket at 2am doesn’t have quite the same air of super-stardom, but that’s what Lyon was reduced to as he fought the demons that can come with fame.

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Lyon and Billy Brownless are very different types but formed a close friendship.

It ensured there were no requests for autographs or pictures.

For as easy as he seemed on air, Lyon away from the screen or microphone was at times a brooding soul, biting his fingernails to the quick as he struggled to deal with the everyday types that made up a healthy proportion of his audience on The Footy Show.

Maybe that’s why he and Bill Brownless became such good friends, given they say opposites attract, Billy being the antithesis of Lyon as he welcomed Joe Public with an embracing “G’day Cocko, what do you like in the fourth?”

Garry Lyon and wife Melissa.

The balding court jester from Jerilderie with a girth that belied his high-flying on-field antics and the kid from Kyabram who in his playing career was largely seen as one of the boys before entering the world of media fulltime on his retirement in 1999 after 226 games, 426 goals, two best and fairests and three All Australian selections.

There are those close to the now 48-year-old who believe his battle with the black dog known as depression started as early as 2000.

Six years later he said in an interview in this newspaper that hosting a Grand Final edition of The Footy Show was a “huge buzz …. you have 13,000 people out there. I don’t know if you feel like a rock star, but you can just imagine what those sort of people go through”.

Certainly there were times when he dressed and acted like a rock star seeking anonymity, although wearing a Peter Roebuck-like straw hat and dark glasses to a country pub on a Saturday afternoon wasn’t the smartest way to find it.

Kyabram kid: Lyon in his playing days.

This week when Channel 9 released a statement detailing Lyon’s fight with depression, it was hard not to cynically view it as typical television spin given it came on the day news of his affair with Nicky Brownless broke.

And don’t worry, television stations are very good at callously protecting their stars — and that dates back to when the medium launched in this country 60 years ago.

But the health fears are genuine, a close Lyon source said: “We have been very concerned about Garry’s health for some time. He is in a really bad place and don’t think this is being said to excuse what has taken place.

“He is going to get some help, which is something he has been avoiding. He is a very strong personality who thinks he is in control of everything — which clearly he isn’t. Away from the public eye he’s a different person.

“That’s why his marriage broke down. He’d come home grumpy, s---ty on everyone and everything. Maybe this will be the catalyst to jolt him into reality.”

Lyon and wife Melissa with Nicky and Billy Brownless.

The Lyon camp doesn’t expect too many favours from outside, aware he has made some powerful enemies with a manner that can be dismissive and belittling.

Several in the industry have been on the end of a vicious tongue-lashing, only for a message to be left a day or week later apologising for the severity of his outburst.

At times it was almost as if there were two personalities, one full of paranoia, the other the likeable young country kid.

Right now his friends are rallying, such as those he crossed the line with each weekend in the red and blue.

Those same teammates who knew him from the 1980s recall an academically-gifted youngster with an obvious ability to lead, someone who was listened to when he spoke. He liked a drink and liked a party, although he was more onlooker than centre of attention.

The Footy Show castmates Sam Newman, Garry Lyon and James Brayshaw.

As his life headed down media street he moved in a different direction than his closest Demon mates, such as brother-in-law Brett Lovett (Lyon and Lovett married sisters Melissa and Jodie Snow). Rod Grinter and Todd Viney were replaced by James Brayshaw and Sam Newman.

Lyon had dabbled with the media as far back as 1989 when he wrote voluntarily for the Shepparton News so he could gain some journalistic experience. Then there was the AFL Squadron show, Inside Football, Herald Sun, The Age, Today , the Ernie Sigley Show, The A Team and Sports Today on 3AW, Morning Glory on SEN, crosses to Hey Hey It’s Saturday, Triple M, the Sunday Footy Show and of course, The Footy Show.

It’s a highly impressive media CV from someone who chose that path over another obvious choice in coaching an AFL team.

One workmate yesterday suggested he should have coached because he was made for it.

But would it have changed anything, given he still would have sparred with fame? And lost, as sadly so many do.

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