Andrew Ridgeley’s memoir titled Wham!: George Michael and Me is a loving reminiscence of Michael and Ridgeley’s friendship and their journey to pop superstardom as the duo Wham!
Here are the 10 quotes about George Michael that stand out from Andrew Ridgeley’s book, though there are dozens more to choose from.
Perfect Summary
This quote, which is the very last sentence in Andrew’s book, perfectly summarized his friendship with George and the amazing journey they had as Wham!
Brit Awards Tribute
On February 22, 2017, the Brit Awards paid tribute to George Michael. Former Wham! bandmates Andrew Ridgeley, together with Pepsi and Shirlie (real names Helen DeMacque and Shirlie Holliman) paid homage to George and introduced Coldplay’s Chris Martin who performed George’s song “A Different Corner”. The quote was part of Andrew’s speech:
On Christmas Day 2016, the greatest singer-songwriter of his generation, an icon of his era and my beloved friend George Michael was lost. A supernova in a firmament of shining stars had been extinguished and it felt like the sky had fallen in.
George’s contribution to the great archive of contemporary music rests alongside the immortals. Here’s a legacy of unquestionable brilliance and one which will continue to shine and resonate for generations to come.
George’s left for us in his songs, in the transcendental beauty of his voice and in the poetic expression of his soul, the very best of himself. I loved him and in turn, we, you have been loved
On Their Deep Friendship
As Andrew said in an interview with People magazine, “The strength of our friendship is that we’ve known each other so long there are no surprises.” And even if they lived in different worlds when they grew older, “forty years later the depth of feeling we’d had for each other was undimmed.”
Freddie Mercury Tribute Performance
On April 20, 1992, George Michael performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert to celebrate the life of Queen’s frontman, Freddie Mercury. Freddie died of an AIDS-related illness five months earlier on November 24, 1991. Andrew described George’s performance at the tribute as “a magnificent performance that gave me goosebumps. It was powerful, moving and incredibly emotional, and George’s vocals amazed me.”
Being a Master of Covers
George Michael was a master of covers. He performed and recorded a number of cover songs throughout his career. As Andrew said in his book: “Even as a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old, he could step up to the tape recorder in his bedroom and match the likes of Freddie and Elton.” Check out the List of Cover Songs Performed by George Michael
Wham! Final Programme Notes
When Andrew Ridgeley reminisced about the farewell concert of Wham! in the book, he mentioned this line that he wrote in the programme notes for the Wham Final Concert:
We all wake up in the middle of our best dreams, just as you move close to the first kiss, just as you open your mouth for the first bite, just before she says to you…and so this dream ends, but, in this particular instance, we get to kiss the kiss, bite the bite, to say goodbye and thank you.
Wham! Final Concert Program: Letters of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley
The Power of George’s Singing
Andrew has always been in awe of George’s talent, even stepping back to let George fulfill his talent as a singer-songwriter.
On Fulfilling His Talent
Andrew through the years has been effusive in his praise of George and his amazing talents. He wrote in his book that he told George that “if he were to stand a chance of finding happiness he would have to fulfill his talent … there was only one thing for George to do next, and that was to claim his place as the greatest singer-songwriter of his generation.”
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