A "short" 3 post YM for you.
Also, George Lewis will be pleased to
know that the oft
promised update to my web page is complete, but there
are some problems at the moment with it publishing to
the
web. Hope to have it up by Wednesday.
AND AWAY WE GO...
***************************
Jonty.Fiorano-at-btinternet.com
(Jonathan Flower) writes:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
George Michael
Interview on GWR FM - 30th May 1997 -
Part One Of Two Parts
I promised that I would let you know how the interview
went
when it was broadcast in Bristol last Saturday 7th
June. So here goes:
I Knew You Were Waiting
Mel: "George I
got over that ra-ra skirt that I wore in the
80's. Did you get over those lovely white shorts you wore?"
George:
"Oh I've got them all!! I keep them at home, I
wear all that stuff from the early Wham videos at home
just to make me
feel younger. I'm constantly telling
people this because obviously I'm incredibly embarrassed
by most of the visual
stuff"
Mel: Why?!!
George: "If you think about it I was 18/19 years old and
I was so clueless anyway in
terms of how I should look
which I think a lot of young people are"
Mel: "But everyone loved you for it didn't
they?"
George: "Well obviously it worked. I mean half the
country was screaming, the other half was laughing
but....."
Mel: "I had you on my wall I must admit"
George: "Did you? At least there was somewhere to
go
from there. It couldn't have got much more basic than
that, but we had fun. I just grew up in public I suppose,
definitely
my wardrobe grew up in public!"
Mel: "When did you first realise you were famous then?"
George: "I
don't know. I don't think there was a moment
it happened. I remember thinking the first time I ever went
on Top Of The Pops
that the day after I would walk down
the street and everyone would notice me, I thought that
was the way it worked, and when
it didn't happen I was
quite pissed off. Hello!, Hello!, I was on TV last night! I
should have gone out wearing all the same
gear. Actually
I probably did! It happens kind of slowly. I think I realised
chances were I was going to be famous for a long
time.
Because when you're a kid all I ever saw was there wasn't a
world beyond Top Of The Pops. Once I was there that was
it"
I'm Your Man
Mel: "What's the worst thing about being famous?"
George: "Not many, I like
it really and you can't have the
good things without the bad. The worst thing at the
moment, I keep seeing these wonderful
houses I'd like
because I live in the same house I lived in 10 years ago.
It's a lovely house, but in all honesty for someone
in my
position it's a bit of a hole really. It's in North London, it's
a one bedroom house which really isn't big enough
anymore.
I'm starting to trip over the things I collected 10
years ago and I'm looking. I don't need a lot of space and
I don't need to
feel I'm in a house that represents how
much money I've made. Looking but realising that half
I'd love are bang on the street
or somewhere really visible
which is not an option for me in terms of the basic things
that people like out of their life -
one of the most important
things is your house and that's a fairly large restriction"
Faith
Jesus To A Child
Telephone
Question 1:
Linda: "Where do you see yourself in 10 years time
professionally, what will you be doing?"
George:
"Out to pasture probably! Actually I've really
no idea. One of the things I feel luckiest about is actually
that I really
would love to think that I'll still be doing
something creative in some form until the day I die"
Linda: "I hope
so"
George: "I really hope so. I also think that because I
started so young, I think I've got quite a way to go
before
I run out of steam. People forget I was 18 or 19 when I
started, so the people that are seen as my
contemporaries,
I've got about 5 years on all of them
even though you'd never know it to look at me! Best
chance is I'll still be making my
own music with other
people on my record label because that's a real passion
of mine right now and from there on I don't know,
I guess
that's up to the public really isn't it?"
Linda: "I hope you're still going. I've followed you since
the
Wham days, I've been a huge fan, think you're brilliant.
I love your music and so do my children"
George: "I get
15 or 16 year old people come up to me
and I say "What's your name?" and they say "No, it's for
my mum!"
And they're probably telling the truth!"
Careless Whisper
Radio anouncer: "George is still looking for your
calls if
you want a chat or if you want to listen to your favourite
George Michael tune, you can give us a call" (George
was
several thousand miles away in America by then -
the whole thing was pre-recorded as everyone knew.
How false!)
Don't
Let The Sun Go Down On Me
Telephone Question 2:
Mel: "All right we've got Jonathan Flower on the
phone, how's it
going?"
Jonathan: "Hi George, how are you?"
George; "I'm good, how are you?"
Jonathan:
"I'm very well thanks, yeah"
George: "I just want to tell you before you ask me my
question, I actually went
to school with somebody
called Jonathan Flower!"
Jonathan: "You didn't did you?"
George: "I did
indeed, he was about 6 foot 4, and he
was only 12!"
Laughter
Mel: "Alright Jonathan, what's your question
for George
then?"
Jonathan: "Question is, back in 1990 Listen Without
Prejudice Volume One"
George:
"Uh huh"
Jonathan: "The very nature of the title suggests that there
should be a Volume Two otherwise it
sounds like
unfinished works, what do you say to that?"
George: "Well I really intended there to be a Volume
Two
actually. But actually before there could be a Volume
Two I had my falling out with Sony. And the actual
intention was to put
out a Volume Two relatively quickly
afterwards, but I soon realised that there was going to be
no point in that because things
had got so bad between
myself and the 'Senior Executives' (said in a piss take
way!) in the U.S. Company, that there was no
way. When
you have a really bad time with the people who are
releasing your record, you don't have any confidence in
them
promoting it, then it's just too hard to make the thing
you know?"
Jonathan: "Sure"
George: "So
it didn't happen and I think by the time I got
over the legal problems, by then you're bored, you want to
do something with a
new title. But you never know, I
might just throw it out there one day"
Jonathan: "It would complete things
wouldn't it?"
George: "Yeah it would but I don't suppose by the time I
do it that they would actually match one
another
particularly well"
Jonathan: "Can I be cheeky?"
George: "What's that?"
Jonathan:
"My girlfriend asked me to ask you this and
I know you'll say no!"
George: "Uh huh"
Jonathan:
"I'm going to be in London a week tomorrow
and she wants to know if we can come round for a coffee!"
Laughter
George:
"For a coffee?!"
Mel: "I wanna go for a spin in his car!"
George: "To be honest you can, but
I'll be in America!"
Jonathan: "Just leave the key under the mat!"
George: "OK, that'll be fine,
I'll just leave a little note and
the key, that's fine as long as you don't tell anybody!"
Jonathan: "Alright I
won't!"
George: "Nobody's listening anyway!"
Jonathan: "OK, that's fine!"
Mel:
"Thanks Jonathan"
George: "Thanks a lot, bye!"
Fastlove
Somebody To Love
Mel:
"Alright George, what's been happening to you in
the last few months then?"
George: "Oh just hard work
really. I guess a lot of my
fans know my mum died recently and rather than let that
kind of slow me down, I've tried to use it
as inspiration in
a way. She was incredibly proud of what I do and I think
probably parents can be the only people that enjoy
a
career like mine more than the actual person involved.
She was amazingly proud. So I think definitely she'd be
proud of
the way I've worked through it. The recording of
Star People that's been on the radio recently, that actual
vocal recording I
did a couple of days after she died and
it was almost like my way of putting my energy into
something positive"
Mel:
"So it's pushed you on then?"
George: "Yeah, absolutely. I mean with the label, I'm
just starting a new
label, and all of that is very much
about.... I've spent a lot of years making records that
actually drew from a lot of misery
you know? And it's
a strange thing to say, but I don't feel that way anymore.
I feel a lot more positive about things. I think
actually
some of the best music I've made is the really positive
sounding stuff and with the label it's almost like that's
more
important to me right now"
Star People ' 97
Spinning The Wheel - Forthright Edit
Mel: "When you're out
do you get spotted all the time?"
George: "As long as I can get away I don't mind. I don't
mind people spotting
me once I've actually gone past
them, that's OK. I am quite a self conscious person in
general and I'm actually a lot more
confident just being
up on stage and having the advantage of knowing that I've
got something of value and something to give to
people
than just walking down the street and anyone who knows
me will tell you that I'm not particularly...."
Mel:
"You're not into disguises then?"
George: "No. none of them ever seem to work actually.
In the times that
I've tried them they haven't worked for
some reason. I must have a little light above my head or
an arrow that just says
"Look who this is!" I'm not
confident about the way I look"
Mel: "Why?!"
George: "It's
just the way I am, it's just part of me,
although I'm better"
Mel: "But you're georgous. I know I used
to fancy you
so much (laughter) It's really weird sitting here opposite
you actually!"
George: "Most people
who don't feel good about the
way they look, or haven't done, will tell you that it
doesn't matter how many people actually
tell you it.
You know it's really got to come from inside, and I'm
a lot better than I was"
Praying For Time
Part
Two to follow very soon! Sorry to repeat some of
what has already been said ie: my bit with him, but I
thought all the Yoggers
would be interested. The
conversation I had with him was over 5 minutes, but the
broadcast bit above was edited down and
lasted only 1
minute 45 seconds. Did you notice how many times he
said "Actually" !!
(Thanks for taking the
time! Looking forward to part 2.
AG)
See you
Jonathan Flower
***************************
Jobanputra-at-cardiff.ac.uk
(Dipen Jobanputra.) writes:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To all my fellow
Yoggers, thank you for the past few
months. Now I know that I am not alone and have
more information than ever on my favorite
artist; but
the time has come for me to graduate and loose my
email account.
I would however like to say something that
some may
find rude and quite out of place.
GM is a very talented artist, indeed he maybe
considered as a genius
songwriter; but before we
place him up with the stars we must remember that
his output has been limited.
He himself
stated that his reason for not doing the
publicity thing was because he wanted to write more
and that he wanted to emulate
others such as Elton
John and David Bowie (when they were putting out an
album a year/ 18 months) but this has not happened.
Please
don't get me wrong, I am glad that he has not
sacrificed quality for the sake of quantity but there
are artists who can do
both and the publicty thing as
well. ( An example being Oasis. Whether you like
them or not there is no getting away from the
fact that
the majority of there singles have had 3-B sides.
"Whats the story" also confirmed them as being a
band
that spouted more than just noise, and they
appeal to a very wide audience).
My belief was that after patiently waiting for
nearly six
years (a life time for my young cousin) I would be
flooded with six years of quality material and a chance
to
finally see the man live. It just doesn't seem to be
happening. I thought that the STW EP ( two new songs)
would be the shape
of things to come but no, the other
singles do not have new material. Remixes are nice for
a while but my interest stems from
his lyrics and the
way he crafts the music around them. I feel in some
way that I am losing out, fans of "the
artist", madonna or
jacko have an emense amount of material.
Are we as GM fans loosing out? There have been a
negligible
amount of videos and interviews/appearances
since 1991, yet we still remain loyal. Now with him
posibly touring next year
there is a chance that a few
will be able to see him but smaller theatres mean
increased ticket prices, okay for those that
can afford
them but what about the rest. I rember trying to get
tickets for the Cover to Cover shows and being asked
for
stlg140 for one ticket!, if I had have had the money
I would have paid. We must also remember that if he
does tour it will be
in Europe (refering to GM's thoughts
on touring in Bare).
(I'd rather pay a couple hundred and be able to see and
hear
him than $30 to watch a TV screen. AG)
I am not angry, and I am proud to be a GM fan (even
though you suffer a hell of a
lot of punishment for it
even in the UK and esp at Uni) but I belive that we as
GM fans should be more objective.
We
have waited a very long time and that, in my
opinion, has blurred our thinking. We wanted so
much for Older to be good that
there was no way
that it would not be. This is not to say that it is a bad
album, friends who are independent have testified
that
it is a thinking persons album, but we deserve more.
(You think I listen to No Doubt for nothing? AG)
It is our
duty as those who apprieciate good quality
music to make our thoughts know. Every time I read
YM I sense that a large numer of
people just seem to
want to be yes people, yet in private emails with
YMers I get a different reaction. If GM is reading YM
then
it is only fair to say what and how we feel. At
least that way GM can receive a clear picture of how
we feel. Then it comes to
the crunch, if he respects
what we say then maybe something will be done about
it if not, then he (really dont want to say
this) is another
media type who just happens to be a great song writer.
(I have taken my fair share of shots at him, and I
get the
flames telling me to back off. AG)
In his AE mission statement there was a lot of talk
about respect for the
musician, maybe there should
also be a space for the audience and thats why we
should speak up and be heard.
Thank
you, once again I do not meen to offend but have
to say what I have to say.
(As I told you personally, I agree with much of
what you
said. In many senses, it seems like we are a fan of a
great independent artist, which is just fine with me, --
have
you read my other mailing list? -- but it is still
frustrating as all hell...while I don't see anyone having
the power to
usurp George in my personal hot 100, if
anyone out there thinks all I listen to and admire is
George... AG)
***************************
verbind-at-worldaccess.nl
(Mariska Sloot-Hohé) writes:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear yogfellows,
Is
there anybody among you who lives in Congo (former
Belgium)? I really would like to get in contact with you
because my aunt
and uncle are working there and my
family can't get in contact with them. They're in Point
noire about 400 km of Brazzeville,
so maybe just the
telephone lines are dead....If any of you can reach me,
please e-mail me!
Amanda, thanks for printing
this, i know it's not a
yogmessage but i don't know any other way to get in
contact.
(Family is family. AG)
Mariska
***************************
To
Wrap it Up:
"Hmmm."