WHAM! have a new record, a new enthusiasm new haircuts. So where have they been for the last year? And how many ‘O’ levels has George really got? And how come he’s got a scar on his leg? And why doesn’t he ever read newspapers? Surely we’ve got the right to know these things. Well, wonder no longer. LINK-UP TRACKED down a heavily suntanned George swanning around on a Miami beach and gave him a thorough going over.
LINK-UP: Why haven’t we heard anything from you for so long?
GEORGE: Basically because we’ve been involved in court proceedings with our old record label, Innervision Records but now they’re over and we’ve signed with Epic Records. We started recording our new single the day we signed with Epic.
LU: Will you have a new look when we see you again?
G: Very probably. It’s in its formative stages at the moment. One thing that will be different is that I’ll have fairer hair because I’m just about to go off and have my hair dyed. I’ve had some highlights put in and I’m going to have some more put in today.
LU: Will you ever get married and have children?
G: I don’t know if I’ll ever get married but I’d definitely like to have children.
LU: Do you argue with each other a lot?
G: No, not really. We very rarely have a serious argument.
LU: What do you argue about?
G: We usually argue about business or about how things should be presented or about what interviews we should do but such arguments are over very quickly. We have very few real fights but we have a go at each other all the time.
LU: Do each of you think you’re better looking than the other?
G: We both know we’re better looking than the other.
LU: What sort of place do you live in and how have you decorated it?
G: We’re both still looking for flats, so we can’t answer that question yet. Ask us again in a couple of months time.
LU: How do your parents feel about your success and do you get on with them?
G: We both get on very well with our parents and they’re all thrilled – they probably get more enjoyment out of it than we do.
LU: Who are your pop stars and what are your records?
G: I don’t have any favourite pop stars to be honest. My favourite records at the moment are Chaka Khan’s ‘Ain’t Nobody’, the SOS Band’s ‘Just Be Good To Me’ and Scritti Politti’s ‘Wood Beez’.
LU: Have you got any girlfriends?
G: No one steady.
LU: Do you ever worry about getting old?
G: It’s a bit early to answer that one!
LU: Do you get any ‘O’ levels or ‘A’ levels and do you think they’re worth having these days?
G: I got five ‘O’ levels and two ‘A’ levels, Andy got five ‘O’ levels and no ‘A’ levels, I think. For me they weren’t really worth anything but to some people they’re worth a lot – it depends on your situation.
LU: If you were in charge of the country, what would be the first things you would do?
G: I would try to get the public behind me in nuclear disarmament.
LU: Are you superstitious?
G: I always look for a second magpie when I see one.
LU: Where do you buy all your clothes?
G: Various places – I’ve just bought some in Miami. Other than that I just nick things off friends.
LU: Do you often get drunk?
G: Too often.
LU: I read somewhere that Andy’s nicknames were ‘‘, ‘Normal’ and ‘Nodge’ – Why was that?
G: I’ve heard ‘Nodge’ before – for some reason Ridgeley became Nodgeley – but the other two I’ve no idea about. They must be someone else’s invention. He has friends he hasn’t been telling me about.
LU: What’s your idea of an ideal night out?
G: Going out with Andy and a few other friends, dancing, getting drunk and not having a hangover in the morning.
LU: Now that all these people idolize you, do you think you’ve become a bit big-headed?
G: No, I don’t think so because I was actually very confident before. The only thing that’s changed is people’s attitude towards us. I suppose the only thing that could make you big-eheaded is the young girls screaming at you, but when you look around at some of the other people they’re screaming at, you realise it’s no big compliment.
LU: What would you do if you had a week to live?
G: That’s a very awkward question. I don’t think along those lines.
LU: Do you ever go to church and do you believe in God?
G: I never go to church and I don’t follow any religion but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of a force of some kind. It would be stupid to rule it out.
LU: What’s your most frightening experience?
G: Running through the glass of a French window when I was seven and cutting my leg open.
LU: What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you?
G: The week that ‘Young Guns’ went down in the charts. It was 48 and I expected it to climb but it went to 52 and I thought we had a second flop single in a row. The week when it went up and was on Top Of The Pops, that was the best week of my life.
LU: Which newspaper do you read?
G: I don’t read newspapers – they get my hands dirty.
LU: Have you got any secret fears?
G: Well, if I told you, they wouldn’t be secret any more, would they?
LU: Have you ever been really ill?
G: No.
LU: What’s your most prized possession?
G: I really don’t have one.
LU: Do you collect anything?
G: I’ve never collected anything before but I’m hoping to start collecting gold and platinum discs.
LU: What’s your all-time film?
G: ‘Hud’ with Paul Newman.
LU: What’s the person you like most in the world?
G: I’ll say me, then I won’t offend anybody.
