From the Billboard.com article “George Michael’s ‘Outside’ and Its Celebration of Cottaging Is Still Bolder Than Most Pop Music 20 Years Later” (requires Billboard Pro account) written by John Norris:
To this day, I might be out somewhere where “Freedom ‘90” comes on, and a stranger will raise an eyebrow, smirk, even point in my direction, as George Michael declares his disdain for “the boys on MTV.”
The fact that my longtime employer figured its way into a lyric about artistic emancipation, as emblematic of the lemming-like pop conformity from which the artist sought to be emancipated in the early ‘90s — well, it’s a miracle that this one-time boy from MTV got to interview famously press-averse George even once. That I was able to do it five times, I consider a privilege. His was a unique life and career, showcasing superhuman musical talent but fueled as well by a pugilistic determination to do things his way, including the unexpected way he was to come out as a gay man. It was the thorniest decision of all, and one that ultimately was done for him.
There are many great memories of those interviews and other times spent with George, but the one that makes me smile the most is the one where he seemed, at long last, personally free and at peace: a live MTV special 20 years ago this fall, called George Michael TV. On it, the singer joined me for the premiere of “Outside,” one of the unlikelier PR wins in pop music history, a beyond-cheeky video celebrating getting busy en plein air that was not only bold, but went further than most queer artists today would dare to.
Similar Posts:
- An Audience with George Michael: Interview with Chris Evans (1996)
- George Michael: The Reluctant Pop Star (Calendar Magazine, Sept 1990)
- George Michael Interview with Capital FM Radio with Dr. Fox (Dec 1998)
- George Michael on the Filming of the ‘Too Funky’ Video (Details 1992)
- George Michael in Q Magazine Interview (October 1990)
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