When my 11-year-old self listened to “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” I thought Wham! was going to be bigger than the Beatles. Infectious pop music, two cute guys, the sky’s the limit, right? It was not to be. When Wham! broke up after only two records and George Michael started his solo career, I couldn’t wait for his first album, Faith. The debut song, “I Want Your Sex” made my 14-year old self extremely uncomfortable to listen to around my uber-conservative parents, but they must have been oblivious because my parents let me buy the album. I remember that album as the soundtrack to the time shortly before and after my father’s death. After that, I sort of lost track of George Michael and what he was doing, beyond his duets with Aretha Franklin and Elton John. He dropped off my radar, and now I know why.

George Michael: A Life takes a deep dive into the life of one of the biggest pop stars of the 1980’s. Most of what I knew of George Michael was incorrect, fed to me by teeny bopper magazines. There was speculation for a long time that Michael was gay, but I didn’t care. He was drop dead gorgeous, had a smooth and silky voice, and wrote some of the best songs to the soundtrack of my formative years. Even at a young age, I didn’t care about sexuality, but George Michael did. In the early to mid-1980’s, coming out was not something one did without serious repercussions, and George Michael did not want to alienate his rabid female fan base. He was also keeping his sexuality a secret from his parents, although he did eventually come clean to his mother shortly before her death.

Because Michael was in the closet, he led a tortured life. I can’t imagine what it was like living a lie for so long, especially to his very traditional Greek father. He was a genius, but a tortured one. Isn’t that always the case? As he craved and then received fame and adulation, his perfectionism and fright at his sexuality being found out put a huge strain on Michael.

Michael’s life seems like a textbook case of sex, drugs and rock and roll. He began to smoke pot and graduated to various harder drugs and alcohol to numb his internal pain. In the late 1980’s George finally came clean to his fans and admitted he was gay because he’d finally found love. That bliss was not to last, however, as his partner contracted AIDS and died. The U.K. press was vicious to him throughout the rest of his life.

George Michael’s career after that did not make too many headlines in the U.S.A., which may explain why he sort of dropped off my radar. His subsequent albums following Faith did not register too high on the American charts, and he got very little radio play. And that really bugged him. He was successful in the U.K. and other countries, but continued success with North American audiences eluded him.

I had no idea until reading this book just how many times Michael crashed his Range Rover or was caught with his pants down in a public bathroom. I simply don’t know why or how I missed these scandals, as at that time it was my habit to watch celebrity gossip shows like Entertainment Tonight. What’s most shocking is how lightly Michael got off for each offense. Well, maybe not. In Wisconsin, where we have seven of the ten drunkest cities in the U.S., repeat drunk drivers rarely make the news until it’s their tenth OWI. Reading about Michael’s slow decline and repeated drug use was hard to swallow. George Michael’s various run-ins with the law just didn’t gather much press in the U.S.

I do remember the shock of hearing of Michael’s death at a relatively young age. The official cause of death was heart failure, but now I know there was more to it than that. Michael became one in a long line of entertainers who killed themselves with drink and drugs, and I got really depressed reading the book, as often happens when I read the truth about celebrities I’m interested in. I’m glad I got a closer look at Michael’s life, because his music brings me joy, and hope that he’s found peace at last.

I was lucky enough to be granted an e-arc of George Michael: A Life. I grew up in the 80s, and I am familiar with Wham! and Mr. Michael himself as an entertainer. I like his music a lot, and was saddened by his death years ago. I was eager to read this biography – especially given that it is 528 pages. I figured it would be extensive and informative. I was right.

It begins with his youth and his upbringing, goes into his friendship with Andrew Ridgeley and other young men, into the beginning of his musical career and the start of Wham! before it settles into his post-Wham! life.

There is so much about his life that I had no idea about, and I think that will prove to be the same for most people. He was a private person, and unfortunately some of his mistakes were plastered all over the papers (in England, anyway). I wasn’t aware of his drug habits or troubled childhood. He is so much more than his scandals, though. He was a talented singer and songwriter and he is greatly missed by the world. He was also a big philanthropist, and wanted to keep his donations private. What a class act.

It was interesting to learn the origins of some of his songs, and how the music videos came about. “Freedom ’90” is one of my favorites, and learning more about it was cool. I also learned about some performances that I didn’t know about – singing with Beyoncé onstage, being on a TV show with Ricky Gervais, being a guest on Catherine Tate’s Christmas special, and co-starring on a show named Eli Stone.

Overall, if you are a George Michael fan, or just a fan of biographies in general, I suggest giving this book a read. You won’t be disappointed.

Kelly

4/5 stars

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big George Michael fan - loved his music and stage presence and cried during the documentary about his life, Freedom. I never saw him perform live but was always spellbound watching him on television. This well-researched, well-written book about his life was captivating as it helped me understand his upbringing and how that formed many of the decisions he made in his life and what he chose to share about his personal life. Addiction is heartbreaking and until reading this, I had no idea he was in so deep and so ill. What a loss to the world. I loved reading this book and am so grateful to Abrams Press for the advanced copy.

First of all this book is over 500 pages and was a bit of a slog finally getting through it all. When I reached the 80% mark it transitioned to End Notes and I was relieved. This is not to say it wasn't a good book...it certainly was. In its marketing blurb it says it is the "definitive biography" of George Michael...and I'm sure it is!

I get all warm, fuzzy and nostalgic when I think of George Michael's dreamy "Careless Whisper" undulating through my stereo back in the eighties when I was dating my future husband and going to college. I bought that single, and it's my favorite song of his. I was on the fence about whether to read this because I'm just a casual fan, but because of his rather early, untimely and mystifying death, as well as his inner torture about revealing his sexuality- it intrigued me. One of my favorite music videos and recordings is of George Michael and Elton John performing a duet of "Don't Let the Sun go Down on me" in concert. I think George absolutely killed it and outsang Elton on this one!

The book spans the total arc of his life from youth until his death and the public aftermath. One of the most interesting parts of the book for me was how he met his future Wham! musical partner, Andrew Ridgeley. When George transferred to a new school at about the age of 12, he was at the stage of a very gawky appearance. He wore thick, large glasses, had a unibrow, and dense hair that defied combing. His pathetic stature prompted the teacher to ask the class for a volunteer to to look after "Georgios". The classmates were mystified when Andrew Ridgeley raised his hand. Andrew was handsome in an androgynous way, with all the girls swooning over him. He oozed with confidence and swagger and sometimes even wore a touch of makeup. They seemed an odd couple, but Andrew became Georgios' mentor and they soon bonded over a shared love of music.

A large swath of the book covers George's secret turmoil over his homosexuality. His Greek Orthodox family sensed George's persuasions, but it was mostly swept under the table because it was a great taboo- especially with his father Jack. His mother Lesley later confided her fears to George because his uncle was thought to have committed suicide because of his closeted homosexuality. She sensed the same proclivities in George and his sensitive nature troubled her. When his professional career in music took off, the record companies did not want George to reveal his sexuality; they wanted him to appeal to women and promote this lie in his music videos. He dated an Asian woman named Kathy Jeung who appeared in the video for "I Want Your Sex", and made sure that they appeared in public for publicity photos. Regardless, he was constantly hounded in interviews about his rumored gay sexuality. He was finally outed after getting caught in a compromising situation by an undercover policeman in a public bathroom in a London park.

George was a control freak about the recording process in the studio, as well as making music videos. He often took over both mediums until it met his liking. He grew disgusted with the publicity hounds and decided to not even appear in his own music videos, preferring to hire and orchestrate famous models to lip synch his songs. He was addicted to various drugs and got into repeated car accidents where he would nod off at the wheel. Often times he would get off with a slap on the wrist because of who he was, but there came a time when the law could no longer look away without repercussions.

I came away from this book realizing what a tortured soul this passionate singer was. It wasn't a surprise that he died in such a way...he actually predicted his own untimely death. He died on Christmas Day in 2016 under mysterious circumstances, found dead in his bed by his live in lover with whom he had purportedly argued with earlier. This is certainly an all-encompassing study of this very talented singer/songwriter/performer.

Thank you to the publisher Abrams Press who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

It seems appropro to post this on Memorial Day as George was such a fighter for not only his music, but for the rights of his fellow artists, and for many of us his music sparks vivid imagery of special moments in our lives. If you've seen any of the bio pics out there, much of the book will be familiar, but there is much to learn. It always amazes me how people with such BIG talent, can often be the loneliest among us, as they can't truly trust those around them, and often build huge inner walls of protection. The tortured soul that could pen such amazing lyrics was filled with self-destruction, and the book makes you wish that you could turn back time and give him the help and support he so so obviously needed. he book reminds us that putting 'stars' on pedestals is harmful for both them and their public, and it should be a mandatory read for all of those looking for fame and fortune.

As a teenager I, like billions of others around the world, fell in love with George Michael and his rebellious style and ways were the soundtrack to my youth so to have a look behind the facade was fascinating to me. His relationships with people, both famous and not, we’re nothing short of tragic and heartbreaking to see how people took advantage of his generous spirit. While I kind of felt this may have been a little too long, I understand why the author felt it necessary to go to minute details around some situations because they affected things later down the line, he seemed to just reinforce the fact that George was gay over and over. Which, while I understand at the time was shocking to some, but it didn’t make up his complete personality and for the author to pound that fact over and over seemed a little trite and unnecessary.
That being said, looking behind the curtain at how he made music and moreso how he struggled when he couldn’t find any music in himself so he resorted to drugs and sex to ease his pain was so painful to read about. He was consumed with self loathing and I had no idea and it just breaks my heart to think that someone so talented had no value of himself.
Thanks to Abrams Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I wasn't a huge George Michael fan but always jump at the chance when there is a musician biography to read. I know Michael's popular songs, especially "Gotta have faith," and there was a lot of emphasis on that cementing his musical career. I liked learning more about his personal life and his addiction to drugs led to his death. Gone too soon.

The interesting parts of this: his dad was against him having a career in music, his flamboyant stage presence masked his shy personality, and that he wrote poetry.

The bad parts: way too long to keep my interest and I became bored.

Still a good biography if you are a fan. Thanks to Netgalley, James Gavin and Abrams Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 6/28/22

I enjoyed this ARC book, quite a bit. Even though I’m not what one would call a fan, George was nonetheless part of my HS soundtrack. You get the essence of that 80s-90s vibe here. What you don’t get is the details one would want about George himself, though that’s not the fault of the author. The book makes clear how private and modest George tended to be about his life. The book is little long and drags in bits, though I trust some of that will be handled by an editor before final print. George’s strong sense of family comes through, even though his relationship with his father was difficult. The author doesn’t neglect to bring in details of the culture and heritage that effected George as well. Additionally if you’re the fan who wants deep cut details about videos, wardrobe, mixes: It’s all here. A worthwhile read about a gifted entertainer who struggled with his talent, demons, love and was gone too soon.

James Gavin's "George Michael: A Life" is an in depth biography, charting Michael's childhood through his rise in Wham!, his solo career, his complicated relationship with the music industry and press, through his latter years and early death. At 500+ pages, the reader needs to be committed to the journey, as Gavin does not leave much out. At times, periods in Michael's life can appear repetitive and unnecessary to explore outside of showing pattern of behaviors. He was a complicated man who lived through a challenging period in both the music industry, changing attitudes towards homosexuality, and internet culture. He had both successes and failures along these themes, which Gavin explores in depth. It was depressing to read about his later life which I was not as familiar with- how he was insulated/enabled by close contacts, in a complicated relationship, and with rampant drug use and mental health complexities. This biography was able to shade in a lot of unknowns that I had about Michael and provides an example of how one dealt with fame/celebrity in an ever-changing climate.

Thank you to Abrams Press via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

First off, thank you to ABRAMS, Abrams Press and NetGalley for granting me access to read this digital ARC of George Michael.

Being a big fan of his music, I was excited to be able to read this ARC and learn even more about the man behind it all. James Gavin does a fantastic job of bringing George Michael's story alive in this 500+ page read. It was a lot to digest so I read it along with another book. It was amazing to learn more about him, it was eye opening and clearly based on this book he was a genuine lovely person. Pop culture will forever be changed and influenced by him. Really great story telling!

I enjoyed George Michael's music, and I was interested in reading this book. There are a lot of facts here, and it's obvious the author did his research. However, I didn't connect with the book as I expected to do. It felt more like reading a bunch of facts online vs. hearing someone share a life story with me. So I felt disconnected overall. It did give me a greater appreciation for George, and there were a few facts I didn't know prior to this book.

George Michael was an immensely talented singer and songwriter. He died too early, as did so many in the entertainment business of his era. In George Michael: A Life, James Gavin illustrates Michael’s vulnerability, self-consciousness, generosity, and humor, as well as his fear, anger, and the gnawing effects of the ever-present imposter syndrome many experience when constrained to be anything less than their true selves.

Gavin does a deep dive into Michael’s relationships, including those with agents, management, and record companies, quoting from those who worked one-on-one with George Michael or knew him personally. At times, the almost microscopic inspection of relationships and transactions bury the story of the man himself.

To the detriment of the storytelling, Gavin details every story, gossipy tidbit, nuance, and thought process. For this reader, it was too long and repetitive with overlapping timelines, and there was simply too much reference to others’ memoirs about Michael. I expect such a work to be well-researched and properly attributed, but I do not expect such a work to be a compilation of others’ writings on the same subject.

Gavin is known for meticulous research and highly detailed writing. If you are looking for a very detailed account of George Michael’s life, this book might be right up your alley.

My thanks to NetGalley and Abrams Press publishers for an E-ARC in exchange for an independent review.

I will always be very sad that we lost George too soon for him to write his own story. So because of that f act I am so grateful that there was a writer that would take the time to tell his story. If you are a fan, this is the book for you.,

Growing up in the 80s, I really was excited to read this book. And then I tried to read this book. I first downloaded this galley back in November 2021 but set it aside when I just could not get into it. I went back to it earlier this year and, honestly, it's no better. Clearly, it's exhaustively researched. Gavin describes ad nauseum seemingly every recording session and tour. I thought I was a fan but not that big a fan. The description of making the "Freedom '90" video with director David Fincher is a highlight. However, most of the book is just unentertaining tedium. This isn't the gossipy celebrity bio I would have appreciated. I just did not have the attention for this much extraneous information and found myself nodding off several times. Like Michael's life, the book left me feeling slightly depressed. Unlike Michael's life, the book was far too long.

This biography will be available everywhere on June 28, 2022. I was given the opportunity to review an early galley from the publisher Abrams Press in exchange for an honest review.

I will proudly admit that I have been a Wham! fan from the get-go. When their first singles started hitting the local college radio station in late 1982/early 1983, I was a high school senior. I jumped on their first album Fantastic when it came out, and it quickly became part of the soundtrack of my college years (along with the next two as well). When the band broke up and George Michael went solo, Faith was a big part of my post-college nights of dancing. However, when the music became less frequent in the 90's, I sort of dropped off as a listener. I had not listened fully to his final few albums until very recently.

This biography helped me understand why the music dropped off; the book goes into great detail on how miserable the singer was for decades. George Michael slammed against numerous self-constructed barriers: struggles with his self-image, an overwhelming self-imposed high bar of success, the secret of his sexuality that he kept hidden from the public, and various self-destructive decisions relating to his career. As the book details, the rampant drug use further added fuel to this career and life on fire. All together, it is no surprise that he struggled with depression for most of his life. He was the one of the biggest pop stars in the world; if only he had allowed himself to relish in the joy and happiness of it. He truly was a tragic, tormented figure in the most Shakespearean of terms.

If you are a fan of his music or if you have a strong general interest in popular music of the 80's and 90's, I would very much recommend this biography. It is big (over 500 pages), but it is also very thorough. It covers every aspect of his music and his life in excruciating detail.

George Michael deserved better. His heartbreaking saga deserves proper attention and he gets it in “George Michael” by James Gavin. Burning brilliantly at a ridiculously young age, Michael delivered perfect teen-pop and grew up with possibly the greatest 1980’s greatest solo album, Faith in 1987. He was 24. An unforgiving public crushed his gentle psyche and he died at 53, never reaching such a pinnacle again.
I have never read a better researched biography. Gavin seems to have located and interviewed a player from every significant moment of Michael’s life. There’ s his disapproving parents of a teenager who wanted a risky musical career. We discover that Anthony Ridgley(derided as a non contributing member of Wham the duo he and Michael formed) is revealed as a Fonzi figure who tutored the forever shy,pudgy and pimply wannabe soul singer.George was not an accomplished musician, but insights from musicians and engineers explore what an intuitively creative artist he was. His gifted singing (as well as devilish good looks after he matured some) found him cuddling and singing with Aretha Franklin and appearing onstage with his idols(he always considered himself a soul singer first), Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder,
But a Shakespearean twist doomed his charmed life from fulfilling his happiness- his sexuality. Although two of his most revered role models, Elton John and Freddy Mercury seemed to be as adored as ever after their gay identities came to light, Michael received no such compliant adoration.
Michael’s sexual revelations became scandalous. The world seemed to go back to a time when the medical world attempted to “cure”homosexuality with medical shock treatments to save a poor soul from scorn. The same society that made George Michael a superstar left him broken with this scorn.

An awesome biography of the late, great George Michael. Everything you wanted to know, (and maybe some things you didn't) are included in this book. An amazing talent who was taken too soon.

*Special thanks to Abrams Press and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Such an exhaustive coverage of the life of George Michael, this book taught me much I hadn’t known about the singer/songwriter I listened to back in the day. I had his Faith CD and had to keep replacing it as my younger relatives kept making it disappear. It dives into his early life with a father who was against him going into music. His friendship with Ridgeley and their various attempts at bands before eventually making it with Wham. Also his solo career and the ever present search for love. His sad later years and too early death are also covered. His demons seemed to rule his life in many ways. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Growing up I love George Michael. No matter if he was with Wham or so, He was adorable and seem like the sweetest person. And this book from James Gavin about George Michael, he didn’t come-off likable at all. I know he had to to live in the closet and he eventually had a boyfriend with HIV, but a lot of his actions made him look like a spoiled baby. It is always my policy never to take out my anger on those around me. Clearly not George Michael. And one chapter he would look selfless and giving when it came to children’s homes in HIV chowder, but another incentive he look like the most selfish grown up you could buy. So I guess like everyone George Michael had his bad days. I think James Gavin has a great book with the George Michael biography and I can’t wait to read more about this author. I totally enjoyed his writing style and found myself not wanting to put the book down. It seems to be well researched and I found out things I didn’t even think I wanted to know. I received this book from NetGalley Shelf and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily. Please forgive any grammatical or punctuational errors as I am blind and dictate most of my review but all of the opinions or my own. #GayPride, #LGBTQ,#NickGalley

In Gavin’s over 500-page tome, George Michael's dazzling artistry and rebel heart is ultimately overshadowed by a tabloid-like chronicle of addiction and excess. This is unfortunate because Michael was an artist of rare complexity – both tortured and anchored by a poetic genius that laid bare his soul and garnered him legions of fans.

Michael’s shyness and insecurity are contextualized against the savagery of the music industry in the first part of the book. For this examination, Gavin deserves credit. Michael’s years as front man in Wham! serve as backdrop to the evolution of his creativity and the stubborn perfectionist he would become. But what we miss in this telling, is an evaluation of the musical bible Michael was creating – something he would refer to in his final interview as the “Red Line.” It was a transcendent artistic reckoning borne of deep pathos he would mine again and again and it would define his unique catalog of work from one metamorphosis to the next.

Michael’s ability to synthesize pop, rock, and soul, then merge them with his own lyrics created a unique sound unlike any of his contemporaries. Plus, his beautiful, soulful voice could deliver the rockabilly funk of “I Want Your Sex” then transform into a poignant spiritual on “One More Try.” Few had the song-writing skill, nor chops, to turn out music of such contrasting dimension.

A huge part of that dimensionality owes its vigor to the fact Michael was a gay man who had spent years in the closet. He’d meticulously created an alter ego of a “straight” man who could appeal to the masses – and it worked. But, coddled by a vicious industry whose very existence depends on absurd levels of scrutiny, Michael had pinioned himself into an untenable position. The era of AIDS unleashed a homophobia that was normalized through a lens of oppression and fear. Michael was in the bullseye of this maelstrom and without doubt it had to both exhaust and terrify him.
But despite the constant scrutiny, the steadfast derision of the press, and associates and lovers who abused his generosity and vulnerability, Michael never stopped evolving and refused to be categorized. Gavin unpacks some of the exhaustion, depression, and loneliness Michael suffered, but omits an intrinsic part of Michael’s legacy – his ability to reinvent himself and channel inspiration and grief into brilliant hooks and unforgettable choruses. Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1, derided by critics when it first appeared, is now considered a classic tour de force – but Gavin barely mentions this. Creatively, Michael never stood still and pushed those around him to keep up – at times provoking associates to anger and exasperation. Hey, he was the boss after all... Just days before the end of his life, he was in the studio, working.

The author abandons a more measured approach in the first part of the book to rehash a tabloid Hell in the second half. Gavin rhapsodizes on escorts, gold-diggers, peevish lovers, and drug-fueled parties. It’s what sells, apparently, and no doubt it will catapult the book to substantial sales. Private email exchanges from drug dealers, deleted Twitter posts from vulgar gigolos, sensationalized tabloid articles, dubious forum gossip, and copious quotes from an ex-confident who sold private information about Michael to the tabloids because he “needed money,” plus numerous other annotations from acquaintances and session musicians, are presented verbatim – most in service to the fact Michael was desperately struggling with addiction.

The very thing Michael despised in life, the incessant scrutiny of the press and their relentless judgement of him, ends up superseding all else in Gavin’s biography. Of course, addiction was a part of Michael’s life and it’s a tragedy that bears recounting, but not at the expense of the very thing that endeared him to millions – his transcendent talent and his refusal to compromise his artistic vision.

As I wrote this, “Praying for Time” came on my play list and I marveled at the beauty of his voice, his ability to effortlessly interpret a lyric and deliver a tsunami of emotion on one delicate, gossamer note. It is heartbreaking to think he was so unhappy despite being able to provide joy to so many. And though Gavin charts the heartbreak and sadness, what is most sorely missing from this book is heart and soul.

For a legendary artist that journeyed through delirious highs and ruinous lows, whose vulnerability and pathos cast him as savior or Satan – depending on who was looking – and as someone who desperately strived for grace and beauty even in calamity, there is a perfunctory coldness to the narrative. Yes, thorough research was conducted, but we never feel the author is trying to do much more with it than convey his sources’ insider perspective – and it sometimes reads as bitchy gossip.

Though in the epilogue Gavin concedes, Michael “Left his mark” on the cultural cataclysms of over three decades and provided gay artists with a conduit to pursue their endeavors openly, he also observes Michael suffered greatly for all his success. Sadly, this is true. Michael was vulnerable, guarded, frail, full of bravado, angel – and sometimes, demon. He was messy, and in that caldron of tumult he unearthed a searing creativity that only now – after his passing – do we realize the beauty of. George Michael’s legacy is his music – not his addictions. This biography does little to advocate for that bounty.


Many kind thanks to Abrams and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the ARC.