Wham! Words: Christmas Stuffing (1986)

The article “Christmas Stuffing: Wham! Words” was published on December 20, 1986

After a long silence there will finally be a new George Michael single — his “I Knew Your Were Waiting duet with Aretha Franklin — out at the beginning of January.

Meanwhile, George has been looking back on Wham!’s final year in Rolling Stone magazine …

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I seem to be seen by a lot of Americans as a sex symbol to thousands of virgins. It’s true that I totally threw away my personal credibility for a year and a half in order to make sure my music got into so many people’s homes. It was a calculated risk and I knew how I would have to fight my way back from it.

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The time was right to strike home with 60s escapism. 60s presentation, 60s attitudes towards the songs. That’s what made us big. Basically we made everything look wonderful. Wham! was a 60s pop group in the 80s.

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I’m not very good at being a popstar in broad daylight. When people started expecting it 24 hours a day, it became very stressful to me. That’s when I’d say to Andrew “I can’t see this going on forever!” And he never gave me the impression that I had any obligation to continue.

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And on the Final Day …

“It p_ssed down on Rod Stewart when he played at Wembley, and it rained on Queen. But when it was our turn the sun was shining, it was the hottest day of the year, and it was fantastic.

I’m not particularly religious, but someone had been smiling down on us for the last four years, and they weren’t going to turn their back on us the last day. Lucky boys, we were.

Similar Posts:

• Wham!’s Last Week, Smash Hit Magazine (July 1986)
• George Michael Interview on Parkinson Show (1998)
• An Audience with George Michael: Interview with Chris Evans (1996)
• “Michael Unmasked:” George Michael Interview in Chicago Tribune (1988)
• ‘Souled Out: George Michael’ Published in Interview Magazine (1988)