Below is the transcript of Mel Everett’s interview with George Michael on the GWR FM 96.3 radio in Bristol on March 30, 1997.
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.
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 gorgeous. 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
Read Part 2: George Michael Interview on GWR FM (1997)
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