YOU'VE GOT YOGMAEL!!!

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."

 
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