Special thank you to Moog for my copy ;-)
The Big Issue Christmas 2006
By: Alex Canfor-Dumas
George Michael: I'm Your Man
By: Alex Canfor-Dumas
George Michael: I'm Your Man
With his first tour in 15 years rapturously received and a chart-topping album, George Michael is not letting the 'nasty people' in the business grind him down. Celebrating 25 years
in music, one of the UK's greatest singers tells Alex Canfor-Dumas about fame, notoriety and Stevie Wonder's timing
Before George Michael stepped out on to the stage at the end of November, for his first London gig at Earls Court as part of his 25 Live tour, he was - rather surprisingly and
endearingly - nervous of his audience's reaction. "I was sort of expecting it to be a 'London show' - a little bit stand-offish," he tells me when we meet the next evening, backstage,
before his second show at Earls Court. He needn't have worried. When he walked through the sliding doors - and the flashing lights - that first night on to the stage, the crowd's
reaction was as thunderous and as welcoming as if they had, collectively, retained The Ashes, won the World Cup and picked the winning lottery numbers all on the same day.
Here he was at last - all gleaming teeth, designer stubble, sartorial elegance and tinted shades. The perfect pop star with the immaculate voice was back, and inviting us to his
very own private knees-up. "Let's push the furniture back and have a party!" he suggested to the roaring crowd. Then the man went on to show us exactly why he was celebrating
25 years at the top of the music industry. He started off with Flawless and the crowd danced with him as he took us .through his back catalogue of hits. Faith, -Freedom and Too
Funky were all there, as well is I'm Your Man, which must be one of the best popdance songs to come out of the 1980s. When he got to Careless Whisper at the end of the
show he seemed genuinely amused that the crowd were determined to sing it loudly with rim, the whole way through. But since most of hem had been miming it into their
hairbrushes for over 20 years, they probably knew the words better than Michael himself.
"That was a lot of love, wasn't it?" he recalls when we meet the following the day. The tour las taken the singer/songwriter through Europe and much of the UK and he's been
met, generally, with glowing reviews from fans and critics alike. But it's the reaction of the London crowd that seems to have really surprised and touched him. "I've never felt
that much genuine love coming towards me and I just can't get over the response. Maybe it's because my fans are older now and they know me better - who knows? But I do
feel that there's something very special about my audience -I can sort of feel from their energy that they're very kind people."
Michael hasn't toured for over 15 years, but a lot has happened in the interim and most of it has been well documented. He's weathered the pain of bereavement twice, losing
his first great love, Anselmo Feleppa, to an Aids-related brain haemorrhage and then his mother to cancer. He's taken his record company to court and found new love with
Texan businessman, Kenny Goss. He's made headlines for 'coming out' and he's been criticised for staying in [his house too much, that is.) "Has he become a recluse?"
screamed the tabloids as the press (who were camped outside his home)
in music, one of the UK's greatest singers tells Alex Canfor-Dumas about fame, notoriety and Stevie Wonder's timing
Before George Michael stepped out on to the stage at the end of November, for his first London gig at Earls Court as part of his 25 Live tour, he was - rather surprisingly and
endearingly - nervous of his audience's reaction. "I was sort of expecting it to be a 'London show' - a little bit stand-offish," he tells me when we meet the next evening, backstage,
before his second show at Earls Court. He needn't have worried. When he walked through the sliding doors - and the flashing lights - that first night on to the stage, the crowd's
reaction was as thunderous and as welcoming as if they had, collectively, retained The Ashes, won the World Cup and picked the winning lottery numbers all on the same day.
Here he was at last - all gleaming teeth, designer stubble, sartorial elegance and tinted shades. The perfect pop star with the immaculate voice was back, and inviting us to his
very own private knees-up. "Let's push the furniture back and have a party!" he suggested to the roaring crowd. Then the man went on to show us exactly why he was celebrating
25 years at the top of the music industry. He started off with Flawless and the crowd danced with him as he took us .through his back catalogue of hits. Faith, -Freedom and Too
Funky were all there, as well is I'm Your Man, which must be one of the best popdance songs to come out of the 1980s. When he got to Careless Whisper at the end of the
show he seemed genuinely amused that the crowd were determined to sing it loudly with rim, the whole way through. But since most of hem had been miming it into their
hairbrushes for over 20 years, they probably knew the words better than Michael himself.
"That was a lot of love, wasn't it?" he recalls when we meet the following the day. The tour las taken the singer/songwriter through Europe and much of the UK and he's been
met, generally, with glowing reviews from fans and critics alike. But it's the reaction of the London crowd that seems to have really surprised and touched him. "I've never felt
that much genuine love coming towards me and I just can't get over the response. Maybe it's because my fans are older now and they know me better - who knows? But I do
feel that there's something very special about my audience -I can sort of feel from their energy that they're very kind people."
Michael hasn't toured for over 15 years, but a lot has happened in the interim and most of it has been well documented. He's weathered the pain of bereavement twice, losing
his first great love, Anselmo Feleppa, to an Aids-related brain haemorrhage and then his mother to cancer. He's taken his record company to court and found new love with
Texan businessman, Kenny Goss. He's made headlines for 'coming out' and he's been criticised for staying in [his house too much, that is.) "Has he become a recluse?"
screamed the tabloids as the press (who were camped outside his home)
dampened his enthusiasm for popping out to the corner shop, or anywhere at all, really.
And of course, he's had to put up with some sensational headlines this year, too.
"When the papers are launching their homophobic attacks on me or they're writing
bullshit, I sometimes think, 'why me?'" says Michael evenly. "But then I realise that I'm
strong enough to take these things and turn them to my advantage, because if you
can succeed through them, then you're always winning. Actually, I honestly believe
that the people who campaigned against me this year really thought they could stop
me getting on stage. There are so many nasty people in this business and they have
no respect for the artists who they make a living from."
Thirteen years ago - wearing a sharp suit and a pair of 'Joe 90' specs - George
Michael strode into the High Court to take on his record company, Sony Music
Entertainment. He was the David fighting a Goliath to free himself from the slave
masters who, he said, had no respect for his musical talent or the direction it was t
aking him. Although the judge found in favour of Sony initially, Michael got his way
in the end proving, even then, that he wasn't someone to be trifled with.
"I create music, which is a totally positive thing to do," says a reflective Michael. "But
I also work in an industry which can be very negative, so it can be difficult to reconcile
the two sometimes, and it's why I've had so much trouble over the years. I think if I
was more accepting of things then I could have been even more successful than I
am today."
But it's hard to imagine how much more successful - or famous - Michael could possibly
be. The singer, whose career with Wham! and subsequent solo stardom has become
the template for many a boy band member since, has come a long way from the little boy
who once upon a time sat through an Elton John performance at Earls Court and then
waited for his mum to collect him from the venue and take him home again. Did he think
then, as he sat in the audience, that one day all this could be his? "Nah," quips the
singer, "I was thinking, 'One day I'm going to get to the tube station on my own!' Because,
you know, I always remember the sea of people going down to the station, and that was
part of the excitement." Talking of which, does he ever wish he could get on a tube train
now, in the rush hour, just like everyone else? "No!" laughs a baffled Michael. "My
memory's not that bad. I mean, it was dirt cheap then but it was still atrocious!"
Ask him if fame has made him happy and he considers before answering. "It's made my
life much more extreme but it hasn't made me happy per se. It didn't in 1984 or 1985
so, obviously, I'm horrified by the way it is today. On the other hand, it's brought more
into my life then I could ever have dreamed of, so in lots of ways it's been worth it. I was
a very insecure child and I was driven by a desire for fame, although, to be perfectly
honest, I can't
remember what I was expecting it would give me. Anyway, the fact that my desire was matched by some innate talent didn't occur to me until later - maybe not until my teens when the
writing thing started to happen. What I can say, though, is that my music - and the public's response to it - has made me happy."
But there is another positive aspect to being a well-known face and it's not mentioned, the singer thinks, because celebrities take it for granted. "The one thing that nobody ever seems
to say about fame is that most of the faces that greet you in your life, also smile at you. Do you know what I mean?" he says, smiling himself at the thought of it. "I mean, it's like, don't
they understand that indifference is what most people get used to, but we get used to a smile?"
His own fame, of course, has meant that he's been able to work with two of his childhood heroes - Elton John and Freddie Mercury. And he almost got to collaborate with a third. "I was
invited down to meet Stevie Wonder in his studio at three in the morning," recalls Michael with good humour. "I tried three times in a row - having stayed sober all night especially - and
each time I turned up I found I'd just missed him because he'd gone home! He's a lovely guy, but he's got this weird thing where he doesn't live on anyone else's schedule a because he's
blind, everyone let him get away with it. But, I mean there's only so much you can take so I gave up on the Stevie Wonder experience and did a record with Aretha [Franklin] instead."
His collaboration with the soul legend produced the hit single I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me] in 1987.
Sitting with George Michael now, about half an hour before he due on stage, it's hard to belies that performing live in front i thousands of people was one a terrifying ordeal for him. He's
relaxed and witty and charming and seems to be genuinely enjoying the whole touring experience more than he has in the past. "I think I'm doing it the right way this way this time
because I get to come home between shows," he explains. "When I was performing in Europe I would fly back on quite a regular basis and that totally saved my sanity. That wasn't s
option when I was younger because it just would have been too expensive. But now I can come off stage - having performs to 50,000 people - then get straight on to a plane and be
back at home with Kenny and the two dogs. I'm such typical Cancerian; I can't bear being away for too long."
Twenty-five successful years in the music industry is no mean feat, and age and experience have taught Michael a few thins along the way. His new album may be at the the of the charts,
but his feet seem to be place firmly on the ground and you believe him when he says, referring to the rapturous crowds who greet his shows: "It can be overwhelming, but you have to
keep it in perspective otherwise you end up thinking you're more special then you really are. This time around, I'm definitely beginning to realise what a privilege it is to entertain people
and generate such a warm response. I don't think I really understood that when I was younger."
With only about ten minutes to go before he is i due on stage, George Michael gallantly jumps up from his make-up chair to wish me farewell and then I'm escorted out of his room, past
the layers of security and suddenly I'm at the back of the stage. I can feel the intense, electric anticipation of the audience, and I take a peek to see what it's like from the singer
perspective as he waits to go out front. Crikey Good Heavens, and Shiver Me Timbers! There are thousands and thousands of people out there, and it looks absolutely terrifying!
But George Michael, it seems, is taking it his stride. Well, he has got the largest backing group in the world, and they all appear to be singing into hairbrushes. Funny that. George
Michael's 25 Live tour plays Wembley Arena, London, December 11,12,14,15,17, with a special date added at the Roundhouse for NHS nurses on December 20. Twentyfive
available as both a double and triple albums and double DVD - all out now on Aegean SonyBMG.
writing thing started to happen. What I can say, though, is that my music - and the public's response to it - has made me happy."
But there is another positive aspect to being a well-known face and it's not mentioned, the singer thinks, because celebrities take it for granted. "The one thing that nobody ever seems
to say about fame is that most of the faces that greet you in your life, also smile at you. Do you know what I mean?" he says, smiling himself at the thought of it. "I mean, it's like, don't
they understand that indifference is what most people get used to, but we get used to a smile?"
His own fame, of course, has meant that he's been able to work with two of his childhood heroes - Elton John and Freddie Mercury. And he almost got to collaborate with a third. "I was
invited down to meet Stevie Wonder in his studio at three in the morning," recalls Michael with good humour. "I tried three times in a row - having stayed sober all night especially - and
each time I turned up I found I'd just missed him because he'd gone home! He's a lovely guy, but he's got this weird thing where he doesn't live on anyone else's schedule a because he's
blind, everyone let him get away with it. But, I mean there's only so much you can take so I gave up on the Stevie Wonder experience and did a record with Aretha [Franklin] instead."
His collaboration with the soul legend produced the hit single I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me] in 1987.
Sitting with George Michael now, about half an hour before he due on stage, it's hard to belies that performing live in front i thousands of people was one a terrifying ordeal for him. He's
relaxed and witty and charming and seems to be genuinely enjoying the whole touring experience more than he has in the past. "I think I'm doing it the right way this way this time
because I get to come home between shows," he explains. "When I was performing in Europe I would fly back on quite a regular basis and that totally saved my sanity. That wasn't s
option when I was younger because it just would have been too expensive. But now I can come off stage - having performs to 50,000 people - then get straight on to a plane and be
back at home with Kenny and the two dogs. I'm such typical Cancerian; I can't bear being away for too long."
Twenty-five successful years in the music industry is no mean feat, and age and experience have taught Michael a few thins along the way. His new album may be at the the of the charts,
but his feet seem to be place firmly on the ground and you believe him when he says, referring to the rapturous crowds who greet his shows: "It can be overwhelming, but you have to
keep it in perspective otherwise you end up thinking you're more special then you really are. This time around, I'm definitely beginning to realise what a privilege it is to entertain people
and generate such a warm response. I don't think I really understood that when I was younger."
With only about ten minutes to go before he is i due on stage, George Michael gallantly jumps up from his make-up chair to wish me farewell and then I'm escorted out of his room, past
the layers of security and suddenly I'm at the back of the stage. I can feel the intense, electric anticipation of the audience, and I take a peek to see what it's like from the singer
perspective as he waits to go out front. Crikey Good Heavens, and Shiver Me Timbers! There are thousands and thousands of people out there, and it looks absolutely terrifying!
But George Michael, it seems, is taking it his stride. Well, he has got the largest backing group in the world, and they all appear to be singing into hairbrushes. Funny that. George
Michael's 25 Live tour plays Wembley Arena, London, December 11,12,14,15,17, with a special date added at the Roundhouse for NHS nurses on December 20. Twentyfive
available as both a double and triple albums and double DVD - all out now on Aegean SonyBMG.