Unabashed pop groups with fervid teenage followings tend to get trivialized, at least in the media. They’re dismissed as being slick and calculated and superficial. But there’s a story in “Wham!,” the new Netflix documentary about the quintessential pop duo of the 1980s, that testifies to what a chancy and audacious artist George Michael was even back in his teen-idol days.
The year is 1983. Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, coming off their first album, “Fantastic”, have established Wham! as an effective lightweight pop machine, with its two young stars prancing around the stage in sexy sportswear. The time has come to record “Careless Whisper,” a song they’ve had in their back pocket for several years (we hear the super-early demo version of it that they recorded in 1981 in Ridgeley’s living room on a Teac 4-track Portastudio). Michael has become enough of a powerhouse to hook up with Jerry Wexler,...
The year is 1983. Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, coming off their first album, “Fantastic”, have established Wham! as an effective lightweight pop machine, with its two young stars prancing around the stage in sexy sportswear. The time has come to record “Careless Whisper,” a song they’ve had in their back pocket for several years (we hear the super-early demo version of it that they recorded in 1981 in Ridgeley’s living room on a Teac 4-track Portastudio). Michael has become enough of a powerhouse to hook up with Jerry Wexler,...
- 7/8/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Queen fans were devastated in 1991 when the band’s legendary frontman Freddie Mercury died. While many bands disband after an essential member dies, such as Led Zeppelin and Nirvana, Queen wanted to keep going. Nobody could replace Mercury, but some fans had ideas. One person many fans suggested was George Michael, and while the singer did perform with Queen, he never joined the band.
George Harrison impressed many when he performed with Queen George Michael | Mj Kim/Getty Images
In 1992, George Harrison joined Queen on stage at Mercury’s tribute concert and performed three songs: “These Are the Days of Our Lives”, “39”, and “Somebody to Love”. The concert was a star-studded event and many audiences were wowed by Michael’s performance with the iconic band. Rumors at the time suggested that Queen would ask Michael to join the band as their permanent frontman.
Speaking after the concert, guitarist Brian...
George Harrison impressed many when he performed with Queen George Michael | Mj Kim/Getty Images
In 1992, George Harrison joined Queen on stage at Mercury’s tribute concert and performed three songs: “These Are the Days of Our Lives”, “39”, and “Somebody to Love”. The concert was a star-studded event and many audiences were wowed by Michael’s performance with the iconic band. Rumors at the time suggested that Queen would ask Michael to join the band as their permanent frontman.
Speaking after the concert, guitarist Brian...
- 5/3/2023
- by Ross Tanenbaum
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
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