I decided to separate the two blogs entirely, and started up a new one.

www.bridgeoftime.wordpress.com

See you there.

I actually started a long-ass post about why I don’t update this blog anymore – but decided against it in the end. It would put me in the same category as other people that I’d rather not share a category with.

Anyway.

In 2004 thing started going down-hill George-wise. Interview went to hell because of a certain c*cksucking bastard motherf*cker who managed the man. I was a Scandinavian 22-yr-old and he treated me like I was bloody Saddam Hussain. That kinda behaviour is always charming, especially from a 50-something. Guess I hurt his ego by talking to George myself and George actually making up his mind about something without consulting Andy first. I’m such a shit, really, for coming there and making George feel mildly enthusiastic about doing a short interview. My bad. Sincere apologies.

Shortly after, George apologised for his manager’s piggish behaviour, and I appreciated that a lot. It was very noble and polite, and he was very uncomfortable doing it. Unfortunately, the magic was gone at no fault of his. Sure, I was involved in doing this blog and all that, but that extra bit of enthusiasm never really returned. That was OK by me, tho. When the concerts were announced, it came back for a while, and I saw about a dozen concerts all in all. It was fun, but it was the end.

Or so I thought. When the US shows were announced, I was contacted by a US magazine to do an article about him. I accepted, and contacted his US representatives and asked for a quote. Meanwhile I wrote about his career, about seeing him live, about him as a real person… cos that’s what they wanted.

I was thoroughly examined by his PR woman, she said he wanted to know who was doing it, he wanted magazines to read and so on. We provided all they requested, and finally the quote came ticking in, plus a promise of exclusive use of a front cover plus exclusive Eli Stone pictures – at no cost. The Eli Stone thing was cancelled at the 13th hour but everything else pulled through and we could pick and choose images. The magazine came out the same week that we were supposed to have done our interview, some years earlier.

To me, that was full circle.

There’s no drama about it anymore. Trust me, I’m over it. I’ve been over it for a long time. So over it, in fact, that I can’t sum up the enthusiasm to keep blogging about something that was a big part of my life for about ten years. At the moment, I’d be enthusiastic if he ever released anything. (Speaking of which, where’s that bleedin’ live DVD!?) Preferably a new CD or at least some material on his webside that we’ve heard about since 2003, but not really seen much of. Well, except December Song, which was greatly appreciated.

He’ll always be great. He’s one of the most talented musicians alive. The little I got to “know” him, I think he’s quite a guy. Not because he’s George Michael, because he’s talented and all that – but because he’s a decent guy underneath that somewhat arrogant exterior. I never experience his arrogance, I just experienced his sense of humour and willingness to reach out.

It’s nothing personal, I still think he’s great – I’ve just moved on.

OK, so those that know me won’t be shocked when I say that I hate Christmas songs – with a few exceptions. George is actually featuring on three of the handful of X-mas songs I can stomach: “Last Christmas”, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and “December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas)”. Imagine that (harr harr).

In recent years, in particular, George’s songs have been of the you have to hear it half a dozen times before you can decide whether or not you like it kind, but I don’t think this song is like that. Fortunately he’s not turned into Prince (read: creating music that only those – usually self-proclaimed – musically sophisticated can understand well enough to like) (really read: pretentious crap) and does in fact make tunes that are very listenable.

It could be that I’m easy now cause I’ve stepped away from ‘the whole thing’ and am actually able to listen to a George Michael song on the same level as people that aren’t fans listen to a George Michael song: Listen once, decide whether you like it or not, play it again if you do, put it away in a folder if you don’t. I spent so much time and energy trying to like some of the songs on “Patience” – I managed to get my head around it, and I like the songs, but it was a hard album, really. Some ‘easy’ tunes, but some were kinda… ya know. lol.

This song, much like his last(?) output “This Is Not Real Love” (has he done anything after that except “Feelin’ Good”? I forget…) is easy to listen to. Not easy listening, just easy to listen to. Or easier than some previous stuff.

The bottom line is, the song is very George Michael, the way I choose to think of him. It’s got that heartfelt vocal, it’s got lyrics that could mean four different things if you choose to dwell on it, the melody is simple yet sophisticated if you know what to listen for – and there’s absolutely no way it could have been anyone else. This is why George Michael, the talented artist, will be remembered for just that in years to come: His talent.

Just for the record, other Christmas songs I can stomach is “O Helga Natt” (Swedish version of “O Holy Night” – either with Jussi Bjorling or Jan Werner), “The Christmas Song”, “Fairytale of New York” (just cos it’s f-ing hilarious), “La Det Sne” (“Let It Snow” in Norwegian – done with a sense of humour) and “Thank God It’s Christmas”. Most other X-mas stuff I can do without, really.

Anyway, lyrics. Blatantly stolen from Remarkable’s Buzzin’ Blog.

December Song
(I Dreamed Of Christmas)

written by George Michael & David Austin

Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
May your every New Year dream come true

Sweet December song
The melody that saved me
On those less than silent nights
When snow would fall upon my bed
White sugar from Jesus
And take me to the day
She could always smile
The Virgin Child would always show the way
Just to save me
(Just to save me)

There was always Christmas time
To wipe the year away
I guess that morning they’d decided
That the war would have to wait

There was always Christmas time
Jesus came to stay
I could believe in peace on Earth
And I could watch TV all day
So I dreamed of Christmas

Maybe since you’ve gone
I went a little crazy
God knows they can see
(the child)
But the snow that falls upon my bed
That loving I needed
Falls every single day
For each and every child
The Virgin smiles for all to see
But you kept her from me

There was always Christmas time
To wipe the year away
I guess that morning they’d decided
That the war would have to wait

There was always Christmas time
Jesus came to stay
I could believe in peace on Earth
And I could watch TV all day
And so I dreamed of Christmas
Yes, I dreamed like you

Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
May your every New Year dream come true

28 September 2006

Yeah, I dunno.

Long-suffering Kenny Goss issued the stark ultimatum after the Wake Me Up star was nicked, yet again, in a public loo—this time with the killer form of cocaine.

Long-suffering? If it was that bad, he could have packed his bags years ago. Nobody put a gun to his head, at any given time, and there’s no marriage license. This is the thing in any relationship: If you don’t like it and don’t wanna be there – leave.

And I’m sorry, but I don’t buy that he’s on cocaine. The killer form or not. He may well like ‘living on the edge’ but I don’t think he’s that stupid. We’ve learned by now that if George has tried something, he’ll talk about it – and all he’s said about cocaine is that he’d never do it. I’d sooner believe he had Ecstacy.

What I don’t get in all this is… If he had possessed cocaine, or in fact any class-A drug, would he have been let off with a warning? Possession of a class-A drug is up to seven years in prison or an unlimited fine – or both. What, the police were just in a good mood this particular weekend and thought it was cute that he had more than just cannabis this time round?

Now George is heading to rehab in an effort to tackle his love for narcotics once and for all— and to win back his fella.

Right… George in rehab… That would be admitting he has a problem, which he wouldn’t. We’ve all heard him say he doesn’t have a problem with addiction (except for sex-addiction, obviously…)(and sleeping pills…), so unless this is some recent admittance, then I can’t see him going to rehab to please anyone. Unless, of course, he’s come to some grand realisation that it’s time.

My source reveals: “It was the final straw for Kenny. They’ve been together 12 years but enough is enough and he’s given George an ultimatum: the drugs or him. Falling in love with crack cocaine is something Kenny will not tolerate.”

I would have applauded him for this ultimatum if I thought this article was actually based on facts.

Tony Parsons (aka Parsehole) had his say in The Mirror today. A few “ouch”es, really. A few “uhu”s.

Somewhere inside that fat, sleazy, bloated old geezer is the George Michael I used to know. Somewhere inside that middle-aged man caught with crack in a public toilet is the fresh-faced boy who I first met nearly 25 years ago.

Fat, sleazy, bloated old geezer? He clearly didn’t see that picture of George with his shirt off the other day. I did. Fat and bloated? Hardly. Tony should be so lucky to be that trim at 45. And when it comes to that boy he met 25 years ago – and screwed over for three interviews in The Mirror some years later – I don’t think George cares too much what the sleazy, old geezer (that’s Tony, btw) puts in print about him.

That kid was smart, funny and he had a heart of gold (…) We haven’t been close for years, but he doesn’t look as though he laughs quite as much these days.

He’s not that stupid, dull and stone-hearted now, really, is he? I haven’t met him for years either, but he seemed perfectly lovely when I did. More than lovely, in fact. He didn’t have to be nice, funny, charming, welcoming, huggy and all smiles. He really didn’t have to. But he was, and it didn’t seem like that much of a stretch for him either. We had some good laughs, mostly over him being self-ironic. A man that knows self-irony, especially someone like George, will probably laugh quite a bit.

Even in the fog of the puff he loves so much, George Michael is still smart enough to know how it looks.

So now he IS still smart, then? Interesting, cause above I kind of read his statement as ‘he used to be so smart, but now…’ I think there are a few things the guy is in denial about. That’s George I’m talking about – primarily. He’s made statements like, “I know smoking cannabis may work as a depressant for other people but not for me” – which doesn’t show that great an insight, to be honest. He also said something about it creating paranoia for other people but again, not for him. This comes from the guy that thought he was under surveillance, is on antidepressants and has seen the same shrink for nearly 2 decades… Sure he’s not depressed and somewhat paranoid and it’s obviously got nothing to do with the smokin’.

Having said that, he could have been depressed before he started all that – but I think we can agree that it certainly doesn’t help.

It can’t go on for ever because Parkinson has retired and that apology about boring us made me smile. If only because I sensed the young George behind it and how much he would have despised the sad man he has become.

I somehow don’t think George views himself as sad. Maybe except for when he’s in his bedroom crying – as we all do sometimes. But sad in the sense Tony is referring to? I’d like to think his ego blocks the view of the supposedly sad act. He keeps saying he’s not embarrassed, and jokes that he went and did it again, but I think he is a little embarrassed (but only cause it makes him look stupid) – I also think he keeps doing this for a reason. Look at how he talks about the toilet-arrest (the first one) now: It was a cry for help, basically, to get him out of a certain state of mind. It certainly did that. What is he trying to get away from this time?

It could be as easy as boredom. He’s been on tour for 2 years and is now stuck in his huge-ass house in a lovely neighbourhood with a man he doesn’t even sleep on the same floor as. For someone like George – who clearly bores quite easily – the thought of being monogamous and cuddling up with Kenny (or any man) every night must bore him out of his skull. He blames his sexual desires for getting (probably) all his action outside the master bedroom. (Well, he might get it in the master bedroom, but Kenny will most likely not be there…)

It could also be a case of fuck the system – maybe he felt his protests in a couple of Wham! songs were too lame (and now out-dated), and now he wants to see what he can and can’t get away with. Again I think I’d put it down to boredom. He’s been the biggest artist in the world, millions have seen him live in the last 2 years alone, he’s earned hundreds of millions of pounds – most of which he invests in obscure art by obscure artists so the taxman won’t take it all. He’s sold an insane amount of records. For a while, everything he released charged up the charts. He’s duetted with pretty much all his idols (except for Lauryn Hill that kept getting knocked up to get out of it).

Maybe he’s just achieved everything he set out to achieve and is now wondering what the fuck to aim for next?

George Michael fans are giving up on him.

Who’s giving up? Anyone? Sure, people will have their say and roll their eyes – but I don’t think any of those that say “what an idiot” will not run out tomorrow if he released another album or did another gig.

The young George Michael was just such a lovely guy. He could sing, he could write great songs and he could even dance (a little bit). In private he was always, always great company – kind and generous, warm and funny. The boy he was once is still in there, buried under all the middle-aged sleaze and disappointment.

“A little bit.” lol. Moving on. Words like “sleaze and disappointment” is a bit rich coming from a guy that screwed over a friend to publish three very personal interviews in a sleazy publication like the Mirror ten years ago. I admit, I loved those intervews, because it gave a real insight into who George is and where he was at that point in his life. If you think his interviews in recent years have been honest… I don’t think they have been. I mean, sure, he’s told the truth about certain events – but he’s not offered an insight into who he is. Not really. People might think he has; by revealing all the – to use Tony’s word – sleazy stuff he’s done and all the outrageous things he’s been up to. If I’m being honest with you, I think he’s made up quite a bit of it to just see what happens.

To me, all that is just a front, really. The shadows of a kid that didn’t get any for quite a while, and likes to brag that he can make up for it now by doing anyone with a pulse. Anywhere. All the while he’s – shock horror – in a relationship already. And – eek – smoking cannabis and taking sleeping pills. Wow, I’m so shocked. It’s been clear – for quite a few years, actually – that he’ll say anything to make people gawk. I think it amuses him, a lot, to see the aftermath of what he’s said and how it evolves into something completely ridiculous and out of proportion. The press is using him, so he’s using them – who gets the last laugh, really?

So he went cruising in a toilet ten years ago. How sensational. So he did it again – big fucking deal. Who says we’re here to learn from our mistakes? I don’t think George views those things as a mistake at all – I think he probably views them as him living on the edge. Some people jump out of parachutes, others go out at night trying to avoid getting arrested. Each to their own.

Can we go back to waiting for that new song now?

PS For your information; Tony Parsehole – age 55 – is past his middle-age. So for him to make middle-aged-sleaze quips is a bit rich… if you ask me, which I know you didn’t

Does this look fat and bloated to you?

How’s that for a bad quip?

So while George made the news by getting himself arrested again (don’t even get me started…), I found myself a few yards from the legend Stevie Wonder. It took a while to just realise that I was that close to the-one-and-only. It was even more surreal than seeing George for the first time.

He was guided out onto the stage by his daughter (the long-legged thing next to him in the picture to the right) and during the first half they did a lot of jammin’ and I have to admit that many of the songs were unknown to me. Although, obviously, I did recognise “Knocks Me Off My Feet” after about 20 minutes. We also had a few examples of the power he had over the audience. He did some truly ridiculous “repeat after me” stuff that made it quite clear he was taking the piss – but the thing is, if Stevie says jump, you jump. He was laughing his head off on several occasions, laughing at his own jokes and being quite adorable, really.

At one point he used a vocoder and did “Norwegian Wood” – funny.

He joked more and more with the audience and after his daughter did a song, and the audience went wild (in my humble opinion, nothing wrong with her voice but if she wasn’t Ms Wonder Jr…) he went, “Wow, wow, wow, woooow there… that’s just a bit too much.” Adding that he was, obviously, joking and how proud he was of his offspring, blah blah. His mood got better and better, and in between campaigning for Obama (he actually got the audience to sing Baaaaaaarack Obaaaaaama…)(which was hilarious, more than anything), he made dry jokes about his background. At one point he said, “I want you to sing with me”, someone shouted something and he goes, “Did someone just say no? You don’t mess with me, I’m from Detroit! Stevie from the hooood.”

The 2nd half was a real hit-parade. “Isn’t she lovely”, “Uptight”, “Signed, sealed, delivered…”, “I just called…”, “Living for the city”, “Sir Duke”, “As”, “Superstition”… you name it, really. He left out “Pastime Paradise” and I missed “Blame it on the sun”, but other than that, I was pretty much out-Wondered by the time we headed home at 11.30pm after 2 hours and 20 minutes. He even took over as bass-player and drummer(!) for a bit. Quite impressive too, especially on them drums!! The man can’t see!

Stevie Wonder is all smiles, teeth, perfect pitch, dry humour and charm – and it wasn’t really any question whether it was worth it. So now I can cross another one off my artists to see live before I die list.

So I went to see George on Monday. *The final one. I’ve got a bad back, and I’m standing up for three full hours, watching/listening to him doing 2 1/2 hours. That’s about half an hour more than the ones I’ve been to previously. On average. I got myself back to my residence for the evening, had an opportunity to sleep for 2 hours but that all shot to shit, so when I finally got back home yesterday and went to sleep I’d been awake for just about 40 hours. I’m still exhausted, but George is always worth it.

I have to say, I laughed just a little bit when a woman next to me lunged over three people to get to Kenny when he walked past. He seemed less than interested, but that didn’t stop him from parading through the room one more time before settling somewhere further back. George’s family (father, Melanie, Yioda), David Austin etc were to our left.

Anyway, to the concert. lol. It’s not like most people here haven’t already either been to a show themselves, been on YouTube and caught the best clips or read the reports by a million other people before this. So all I can say is that it was a great, great night. He looked absolutely exhausted in the beginning(!) but I guess having his arse massaged by a hot straight guy does something to your energy levels, because it seemed to pick up. Although he had to sit down at the end of the gig and chat for a bit He seemed a bit emotional there for a bit, bless.

I have to say, I’ve not seen him this fit since Faith, and that’s bloody 21 years ago. He must have shrunk about four sizes since he started out – I can’t imagine he’s more than 160-165 pounds now. It was nice to look at. I guess when you work out for several times a week for 2 years, running around a stage, that’s what happens! Vocally he was tons better than the start of the tour as well – again, with daily exercise of the voice… He should go into a studio NOW and record, cause this is when he’ll sound the best! So, how about it, want to add 11 other songs to that Christmas song, written with David Austin – “my bestest friend since I was like one”? Go oooooooooon!

The songs I can’t say I’ve heard live on this tour were: One more try, Precious Box, Feelin’ Good, Fantasy and Roxanne. I haven’t really listened to my recording yet, but I may have left one out.

Being a George Michael fan, I’ve come to realise, is like being in a relationship with someone you love dearly, but they annoy the fuck out of you for so many reasons that sometimes you just have to steer clear of them for a while. You sit around and wonder why the hell you bother sometimes, and yet you can’t really stay away for most of the time – and when you DO see each other you forgive, forget and feel bad for even thinking that he’s annoying. When reality kicks in, and the buzz is over, you’re back to ‘why the…?’ but at the same time, the dedication you feel towards him makes you hang on to see what he’ll do next – both to please and annoy you. lol.

*The final one: As far as I’m concerned, the Denmark show never happened. So there

The chestvoice… hallelujah. Seriously, the fact that he can hit them notes is one thing, but when he starts giving it his all… anyone should be inspired. Pay extra attention between 4.00 and 4.20

Yeah, he got me there, I didn’t expect that. The fucker.

Whatever. I think in a little sick way he likes us spending our hard-earned £100 on him (plus travel, of course, which is always about 3-4 times as much, including a place to stay), show after show after show. What’s next? A final final FINAL show in his back yard to show off his new balcony-free wall, for nutcases only?

Well, I’m not going to this one. Guess I’ll be going to the 2nd to last one then. That’ll be something to tell the grandchildren I’ll never have… just as well, I don’t think they’d be impressed. “Why didn’t you go to the FINAL one then?” “Well, you see, because the wanker made sure we got expensive tickets for the supposedly final one before announcing the actual final one.” “Was this something he did a lot?” “Yes, but he caught me off-guard, for once.”

Anyway, rant over. Good thing is, all the clips of these new songs and new stage will be on YouTube in rotten quality that won’t capture him on his good side at all times, which is some consolation

July 30th, 2008

George announces one last show in Copenhagen

We are excited to report that George Michael will play the last concert of his two-year worldwide tour at Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium on August 30th. This special performance, titled The Final One, will allow George to say thank you to his loyal fans, not only in Scandinavia, but also across Europe. For this show, fans will be treated to songs that George has not yet performed in Denmark, along with additional, unique staging!