Watch and read the transcript of this Kristy Wark interview with George Michael aired in July 2005. George talked of the story behind his duet with Sir Paul McCartney at the Live 8: The Long Walk to Justice charity concert, as well as other duets he wants to do.
Kristy Wark: George Michael has performed at some of the biggest charity concerts in the last 20 years and has sung with some of the greatest artists alive. Most recently, he appeared with Sir Paul McCartney at Live 8.
[Drive my car]
KW: What was it like being with Paul McCartney given that you used to busk Beatles songs as a child?
George Michael: Oh it’s fantastic! You know the man forgot to introduce me, you know, that’s that everybody thought that I ran on everybody thought I ran on in this fad. I’ve got this great piece of footage that my best friend had. He was filming at the side of the stage and I was really in a bad mood anyway because they’d got me there twenty minutes early, sort of standing at the side.
KW: But that’s just 20 minutes
GM: Yeah I know but it’s 20 minutes! It really takes away from your vibe when you just want to walk on stage anyway.
KW: What will I do now?
GM: Exactly! So after the 20 minutes, I heard the beginning of “Baby You Can Drive My Car” start up. I was just, “Wait a minute, you were supposed to be doing a different song.” They cut out a song from the set without telling me and he forgot to introduce me.
So this there’s this bit of film of me going, “Nobody told me to *** go on!” And then my mate going, “Now just run off for the course, run off for the course!” So that’s what I did — I just ran on just before I was first to sing the chorus! But otherwise, I nearly didn’t make it to Live 8. Poor Paul must be hysterical.
KW: Are there other people that you want to sing with that you had not yet?
GM: I’ve performed with just about everybody I want to, really. Just about. There are a few to go.
KW: And what’s gonna happen? Are you going to make that a possibility?
GM: Well, I was supposed to … I nearly got to do something with Sade because I thought that would be great. I love Sade. But she didn’t want to do it, and actually, I think she was too nervous to do it. And she’s never made she’s never done and duets and I’m quite sure a lot of people have asked her, so I believed her when she said that. I’d like to I think Lauryn Hill is one remaining ambition but I don’t know if that’s a possibility either. We’ll have to see.
KW: Do you think then that you will release an album of duets?
GM: Ahhhhh … I mean I suppose it’s a definite possibility.
KW: Or a download of duets? So is George Michael going to back into the limelight again?
GM: We know the strange thing is I don’t know how this will … I don’t know how this will work out. if the charity site is inspirationally successful, I don’t really know where my limitations in terms of promotion are. Because I know what my limitations in terms of promotion are when it’s a matter of whether I sell more records or not, which is that I hate doing it and I feel very un-British and very kind of … I see a kind of hard sell promotion as prostituting myself. I can’t help it. Even if it’s a complete fallacy, that’s how I see it. I’m of that generation and but it’s confusing. When you’re talking about if, if I can make money for charity and I can do it for other people, then maybe I won’t mind. I really don’t know.
KW: Just one final point. Elton John very recently said that what George Michael needs to do is lighten up.
GM: Mm-hmm
KW: Is that good advice?
GM: Oh God, yeah! I wish I could lighten up. I spent my whole life wishing I could lighten up, you know. I think that was probably what was so good for me about Andrew, you know. Well, Andrew’s quite a serious chap these days. We kind of reversed roles a little bit these days, and I … I have a lot more fun as a 42-year-old man than I did as this massively successful 24-year-old man. There’s no question. I just … it was a very lonely journey at some times, and I think that … I think that if I’ve been a little less taken in by being an 18 year old you know that maybe things would have been slightly different. But I am, as I said I’m not complaining. I’m incredibly happy with the results of all of that. It’s just it could have been a different journey, you know.
KW: George Michael thank you very much
GM: Thank you
[Music]
Kirsty WaRk, 2005
Thank you!
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