Interview with George Michael in Russian. Latest interview: George Michael spoke candidly about his lover in a documentary

On December 25 in England, at the age of 54, the popular British singer, former member duet Wham! George Michael. According to the BBC, he "passed away peacefully at home on Christmas Day." The police did not find any suspicious circumstances in the singer's death. George Michael is believed to have died of heart failure.

“The family requests privacy during this emotional and difficult time. On at this stage no further comments will follow. We ask that you respect our silence and not disturb us,” said family spokesman Michael Lippman.

His colleagues Elton John, Mark Ronson, Liam Gallagher, Ryan Adams, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, as well as millions of fans around the world, have already expressed their condolences over the musician’s death.

“Abroad” recalled some interesting facts from the artist’s biography.

Origin and nickname

The singer's real name is Yorgos Kyriakos Panayiotou, and the first twenty thousand copies of his album “Wham Rap!” came out with his real name on the cover - George Panayiotou. However, then, according to the artist himself, he quickly realized that it was time to choose a sonorous pseudonym, and named himself after a certain Michael Mortimer, the father of his childhood friend, with whom he had a very warm relationship.

Homophobic father

In one of his interviews, the singer admitted that he hid his sexuality for a long time because difficult relationship with his parents: “My father, a Greek Cypriot by nationality, a man of the old school, would never have come to terms with the fact that his son was gay,” Michael asserted.

As for the mother, according to the singer, all her life she was afraid that her only son had inherited the “homosexuality gene” from his uncle named Colin, who committed suicide. “Feeling guilty, she allowed her father to be a terrible homophobe,” the singer admitted.

Beginning of a career and Last Christmas

In 1981, the singer, together with his school friend Andrew Ridgeley, decided to conquer world stage and create first The group Executives, which failed to achieve success, and then a duo called Wham!. The group quickly became popular after the song Young Guns (Go For It) appeared on Top of the Pops. Other successful compositions include songs such as Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, A Different Corner and Last Christmas. Moreover, the latter became an absolute Christmas hit and was covered by many artists. Remembering this song on the day of the singer’s departure, many journalists noted that in a sense its title turned out to be prophetic - George Michael passed away on Christmas Day 2016.

First solo hit

The singer's first solo hit was the song Careless Whisper, released in 1984, which tells Touching story love and betrayal. The composition was entirely written by George Michael, but was also performed by Wham! and was on their album Make It Big). In 1985, Careless Whisper was recognized better than a song and topped the charts in 25 countries with total circulation about 6 million copies.
As Michael himself said in an interview, he wrote this song at the age of 17, while riding the bus to work. At the time, the singer was working as a DJ in a Bel Air restaurant near the town of Bushey in Hertfordshire. According to him, the song was born to him at the moment when he was paying for the fare.
“I remember that suddenly a melody came into my head, and then I sat on the farthest seat of the bus and began to come up with words to it.” At the same work, the singer first performed a demo version of the future hit.
“On the evening of my last day at work, I played it and people came out to dance. They had never heard it before, but they went out anyway. I thought then that this good sign" At the same time, according to Michael, the restaurant owner never liked his music and forbade him to play his own compositions.

First album and first award

On October 30, 1987, George Michael performed the song Faith, which was included in his first solo album of the same name. Already in the first week, more than a million discs were sold, which became an absolute record among the albums ever sold by a British pop artist. A year later, the composition became the best-selling single in the United States, and the disc was recognized as one of the most successful in the history of pop music and received a Grammy Award for best album of the year.

In 1992, Roman Polanski chose Faith as the soundtrack to his film Bitter Moon.

Open provocation

The singer always loved to shock the audience: one of his most provocative compositions was the song I Want Your Sex from his first album, released in 1987. Because the title and lyrics were too explicit, it was banned from being broadcast on BBC radio during the day, and the MTV channel completely edited the video clip for the song, cutting out almost half of the material.

“I turned into the Antichrist for a couple of weeks,” George Michael said at the time.

The singer later explained that in this way he spoke out against people being afraid to have sex for fear of contracting AIDS.

First love

In January 1991, George Michael met Brazilian designer Anselmo Feleppe, who, according to the singer, became his first serious love. This happened after the musician performed in Rio de Janeiro at the Rock in Rio festival.

Three years after meeting Michael, Feleppe died of a brain hemorrhage caused by AIDS. The death of his lover greatly shocked the musician. For a year and a half he did not write new songs, and only in the fall of 1994 he wrote the song “Jesus to a Child,” which he dedicated to Feleppe.

Sex scandal

In April 1998, the singer was arrested in a public toilet in Beverly Hills for "indecent acts." This incident prompted Michael to openly admit his homosexuality. “I want to say that right now I am in a relationship with a man. I haven’t dated women for more than 10 years,” the artist said in an interview with CNN.

This statement had a negative impact on the artist’s career: many fans were shocked that the fairy tale about the handsome groom had collapsed. Michael's popularity fell along with the sales of his records, which caused the singer's creative crisis.

Political satire

In the summer of 2002, George Michael released a song in an unexpected genre. political satire— “Shoot The Dog,” which mocks George W. Bush and Tony Blair. In particular, Blair is depicted as a dog, obediently fulfilling the wishes of its owner, the President of the United States.

The most expensive clip

Song Freeek! was written in 2002 and was included in the album Patience, which was released two years later. The composition quickly achieved popularity and topped the charts in the UK, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Denmark. The video for this song cost more than 1.5 million euros and is still considered one of the most expensive videos in the history of the music business.

"George Michael: Another Story"

In 2005 at international film festival The premiere of the documentary film “George Michael: Another Story” took place in Berlin, in which the singer spoke frankly about his personal life and work.

The film also includes interviews with Andrew Ridgeley, backing singers of Wham! Pepsi and Shirley, as well as with Sting, Mariah Carey, Elton John, Noel Gallagher, Geri Halliwell and Simon Cowell.

After the film's premiere, the musician told reporters that it was important for him to explain himself to the audience who loved him before he left the stage, and added that he was going to leave the recording industry forever. “I’m leaving show business. I won’t stop writing music - it’s in me, I know how to do it and I will do it. I just won't sell it. New songs can be downloaded from my official website."

Man of dreams

In 1996, George Michael began dating Kenny Goss, a businessman and former athlete from Dallas. At the end of 2005, the singer announced that he was going to legalize his relationship in the UK, but due to negative public reaction he decided to postpone registration for more late time. On August 22, 2011, during his performance as part of the Symphonica Tour, the singer admitted that they broke up two years ago. As the Daily Mail wrote with reference to internal sources, the singer considered Goss “the love of his life” and took the breakup very hard. Their relationship lasted 13 years, and main reason The breakup was caused by Michael's explosive temper and his addiction to drugs. As the Sun tabloid wrote, citing the words of the singer’s friends, after the breakup, Michael “gave up and gradually became a shadow of himself.”

"On the brink of death"

In 2011, the singer canceled his tour for the first time due to acute pneumonia. The performer underwent surgery and treatment in Vienna. Afterwards, in one of his interviews, the singer admitted that he was “on the verge of death.” Having defeated the disease in the summer of 2012, George Michael recorded the song White Light, in which he talks about his experiences during his illness and thanks everyone who prayed for his recovery. The artist performed this song on August 12, 2012 at the closing of the XXX Summer Olympic Games in London.

Drug problems

On July 4, 2010, George Michael, while under the influence of drugs, crashed his car into a camera shop in north London's Hampstead.

At his trial in late August, George Michael pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis and was sentenced to two months' imprisonment and a fine of £1,250. In October 2010, the singer was released after serving half of his sentence. But even after this, the singer was unable to overcome his addiction.

Almost a year before his death, George Michael underwent drug addiction treatment at the Swiss Küsnacht clinic.

Secret charity

According to the ITV portal, George Michael secretly spent a significant portion of his funds on charity. In particular, the singer made anonymous donations to children's charities such as the Terrence Higgins Trust and Macmillan Cancer Support. And presenter Richard Osman said that one woman on Deal Or No Deal said she needed £15,000 for artificial insemination, after which George Michael secretly called her and transferred the entire amount into her account, asking in return only not to use his name.

George Michael about himself and his work

“I believe with all my heart that music is one of best gifts God to man,” the singer said in an interview at the beginning of his career.

“I deserve my fans. They are the very type of people that I love,” said George Michael, already a famous performer.

“If I died, I would be happy. Do you know why? I have given the world so much quality music that I can safely leave this world. My ego is in perfect order,” the artist admitted in 2009 in an interview with The Guardian.

Behind last years famous singer More than once I was faced with the fact that his personal life, its discussion in the press and rumors were getting out of control. Most likely, this is what prompted George to give one of his most candid interviews to Gay Times magazine.

In it, he spoke extremely frankly about his personal life, about the fact that before public recognition in his orientation he had only 3 girls, why it was so difficult for him to admit his addictions to his parents, that the massive spread of AIDS forced him to end relationships with girls and why he was never interested in his partner in Wham! Andrew Ridgeley.

Translation into Russian especially for you!

George was already 29 years old when he confessed everything to his parents. His mother's fears that her only son might inherit the "gay gene" cast a shadow over her life: the singer's uncle (her brother Collin) was gay and committed suicide.

“My mother was always afraid that I was gay,” says George. “She was incredibly afraid that I would be the same as her brother, which accordingly meant that I would not fight for life. She almost physically felt that she had passed this gene on to me. Therefore, on such pressing issues, she largely supported and even shaped her father’s position – homophobia.”

George Michael with his mother and father

“There lived a gay waiter above the restaurant that our family ran, and I was strictly forbidden to go to the top floor when he was in the restaurant. She was very afraid that I might accidentally pick up his lifestyle and become gay.”

“Knowing my father, I can say that he never even imagined that his son could be gay, simply because this could not happen, because we are a Greek Cypriot family. But the mother was very afraid of her father’s anger and condemnation. Now I already understand that she was simply afraid that this gene in me, if there is one, it will lead me to the same thing that it led Collin to.”

George dedicated the song “My Mother Had A Brother” from the Patience album to his deceased uncle.

“My mother didn’t tell me about my uncle until I was 16. I don't know if it was a conscious decision on her part or if she just couldn't muster up the courage. When I found out, it radically changed my opinion of her because she had seen her own father die as well. They both committed suicide by gas poisoning, and the mother was “lucky” to find the corpses of both of them.”

“She spent years repenting that she couldn’t turn back time. And over the last 20 years of our lives, I think we haven’t said a single harsh word to each other.”

In an interview, George said that he was able to confess everything to his parents only after the death of Anselmo Felippe, the Brazilian designer, his first love. They met at the Rock In Rio festival in 1991. 6 months later Anselmo learned that he was ill. And in 1993, he died from a cerebral hemorrhage, which was caused by the disease.

Anselmo Felipe

George remembers those times:
“I sat at the table, not knowing whether the person I madly loved was sick, or whether I myself was sick. It was probably the loneliest time of my life.”

He was so devastated by the loss of Anselmo that he was no longer afraid of how his parents would react to his confession of homosexuality and eventually decided to write them a letter.

“I wrote them a 4-page letter and it was one of the easiest things I've ever written. This was the only unresolved issue - to confess everything to my parents.” - says George.

“Mother said that it was the most beautiful letter she had ever read, that it completely explained my feelings and that she did not have to worry about me. It was the easiest thing to do, although it should have been one of the most difficult. I need to ask my father to show me this letter again!”

Brooke Shields

IN early years in Wham! George had girlfriends. He dated actress Brooke Shields, model Pat Fernandes and makeup artist Kathy Jeung. Besides them, he still dated men.

At the height of his success, he became so afraid of AIDS that he personal life at that time he himself described it as “rubbish” (nonsense, nonsense).

“I only had three girls, but I was still looking for sex on the side. True, as a result, this only happened when I was busy with completely different issues. While drunk, I toyed with the idea of ​​my bisexuality. But then HIV appeared and I could no longer sleep with a woman without warning her that I had also slept with men. To be honest, my interest in women wasn't strong enough to have those conversations, so I just stopped sleeping around altogether.
As a result, I had virtually no sex between 1985 and 1994, except for Anselmo, my first partner, to whom I was absolutely faithful.”

Interestingly, at school everyone thought that Andrew Ridgeley was gay, not George: “Andrew loved extravagant clothes. He came to school in cherry silk pants. Everyone around was whispering “is he gay?”, and I answered “no, what are you talking about!”

George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley

“He was handsome, but not in a way that attracted me. He was too nice, too charming, too elegant. I can understand why people think we slept together - but he loved women.”

When the two friends became famous as Wham!, George felt that admitting his true sexuality could be detrimental to their careers.

“I spent a lot of nerves. I wanted to tell everyone everything, but I had no idea how successful we would become. And in general, it was beyond understanding. I was about 20, and we were already the most successful band in Europe and for two years the most successful pop group in America. And if your goal is to become the best-selling artist in America, then you won’t try to make it even more difficult.”

Until a certain time, he did just that. But only up to a certain point. In April 1998, George was arrested and later charged with attempting to induce a plainclothes police officer to have sex in a public toilet. It was the most shocking coming-out imaginable. Moreover, it was aggravated by the fact that at that time George had already found his new love- Kenny Goss. The beginning of their relationship coincided with the death of George's mother from cancer.

George Michael and Kenny Goss

“I met Kenny three years after Anselmo left. I called my mother to tell her (about Kenny) and she told me she had cancer. She insisted that it was at a very early stage, but that was not true. I found myself on my knees again. Terrible."

George's life has always been an emotional rollercoaster. And the recent story with the trial is no exception. First he is put on trial and the continuation of his tour is in big doubt. The court then issues a fine, community service and disqualification, and the next day George opens the renovated Wembley Stadium. Now he plans to work as he sees fit and officially register his relationship with Kenny, despite the fact that he constantly denies rumors about the upcoming ceremony.

“This will be just our ceremony, we are not Sonny and Cher. And I don’t want any more troubles, believe me, I will try.”

Illustration copyright Reuters

Musician George Michael died suddenly at his home in England on Sunday. His outstanding abilities as a singer, songwriter and producer have made him one of the most successful artists in the world.

God gave him a magnificent appearance and good voice, and his stage presence made him beloved concert performer for several generations of popular music lovers.

He achieved his first success as a member of the group Wham!, and his solo career brought him many awards and made him a multimillionaire.

At the same time, problems with drugs and conflicts with the police greatly undermined his reputation and for some time even overshadowed his musical talent.

The singer's real name is Yorgos Kyriakos Panayiotou; he was born in London on June 25, 1963. His father came to Britain from Cyprus in the 50s and ran a small Greek restaurant. His mother is English, a dancer.

Childhood future star it was far from cloudless. Michael later recalled that his parents worked constantly to support their family, and there was almost no time left for warmth.

“I was never praised, never hugged. I was very far from a happy fairy-tale childhood,” he complained in an interview.

When Yorgos was a teenager, the family moved to Hertfordshire. There, based on a common interest in music, he became friends with classmate Andrew Ridgeley, and soon with several other friends they founded a group that played ska music. She didn't last long.

In 1981, Michael and Ridgeley founded Wham! Wham's first single "Rap!" went largely unnoticed, but the second - "Young Guns (Go For It)" - brought them fame after Wham! at the last minute invited to take part in a popular television program Top of the Pops, after which the song rose to third place in the British charts.

At first Wham! they looked like such rebels - dressed in leather and singing songs like Bad Boys. Gradually, however, the duo began to shift towards more standard pop music. In the video clip for the song “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” which became a hit on both sides of the ocean, leather was replaced by the look of sleek fashionistas.

Michael was the undisputed frontman of the group, and his transition to a solo career was almost inevitable. The single "Careless Whisper", released in 1984, although it was written together with Ridgeley, was practically a solo record by George Michael.

Wham! finally disbanded in 1986, and already in the spring next year Michael released the single "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" - a duet with the idol of his youth, American singer Aretha Franklin.

The first doubts regarding his sexual orientation also date back to this time. In an interview with the Independent newspaper, citing the reason for his depression after the collapse of Wham! he cited a growing conviction that he was not bisexual, but gay.

Legal problems

Michael spent most of 1987 working on his first solo album Faith, released in the fall of the same year. The album climbed to the top of the charts in Britain and the United States, sold 25 million copies and brought the singer a Grammy Award in 1989.

The single with the song from the album "I Want Your Sex" caused an extremely controversial reaction. Many American radio stations refused to put the song in rotation; others preferred to air a more decent version, in which the word “sex” was replaced with the word “love.” Be that as it may, the song reached third place in the charts in both Britain and the USA.

The 1988 world tour solidified Michael's status as a superstar, although the endless touring, accompanied by the squeals of teenage fans, greatly exhausted him and only increased the frequency of his bouts of depression, which had become regular by that time.

He even refused to promote his second album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1. None of the singles were accompanied by a video clip. Much more concerned with personal issues than Faith, the album was aimed at an older audience.

In America it failed to repeat the success of its predecessor, although in Britain, on the contrary, it sold even better than Faith.

While on tour in Rio de Janeiro during the Cover to Cover tour in 1991, he met Anselmo Feleppa, who became his long-term partner, although Michael still avoided publicly admitting his homosexuality.

The relationship with Feleppa was short-lived - in 1993 he died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

Plans to release Listen Without Prejudice Vol 2 were never realized due to a legal dispute with Sony. The dispute turned into a protracted and costly legal battle that ultimately led to Michael's final split with Sony.

In November 1994, Michael released the single Jesus to a Child, dedicated to his late lover Felippe. The song immediately rose to the top of the British charts. It was included in the album Older, published in 1996, on which the singer worked for three years.

Coming out

In the melancholic and at times even gloomy Older there are many hints of sexual orientation Michael. His appearance also changed - to replace long hair and the beard came short haircut and leather vestments.

In Britain and other European countries the album was very popular. In the USA, he practically failed: there the public still longed for George Michael - a pop star, and not the serious artist he aspired to become.

On annual award Brit Awards he was recognized as best solo artist. He also received the Ivor Novello Award for the third time as best author songs.

The death of his mother from cancer again plunged him into a protracted period of depression. In an interview with GQ magazine, he admitted that he was thinking about suicide and that only the support of his new partner Kenny Goss saved him.

In April 1998, he was arrested in a public restroom in Beverly Hills by a plainclothes police officer. He was charged with committing indecent acts. He was fined and sentenced to 80 hours of community service.

This incident prompted Michael to openly admit his homosexuality and that he was in a relationship with Dallas businessman Kenny Goss.

He continued to record and in 1999 released an album of cover versions, Songs from the Last Century. It took two years to work on a new original album, Patience, which was released in 2004.

The album was perceived as a return to form. In Britain it became an instant success and even in the USA, despite previous failures, it rose to 12th place in the hit parade.

After the release of Patience, Michael said in an interview with the BBC that he would no longer record albums for sale. Instead he will post his new music online for free, asking his fans to donate money to charity.

In 2006, after a 15-year break, he went on tour and became the first artist to perform at the newly built Wembley Stadium.

His private life never ceased to appear on the pages of the tabloids.

In 2006, he was arrested and charged with drug possession. In July of the same year, the tabloid News of the World reported that Michael was seen performing sexual acts in London's Hampstead Heath park.

Michael threatened to sue the photographers for harassment and interference with privacy, but at the same time admitted that he often goes out to the park at night in search of “anonymous and non-binding sex.”

In 2010, he was sentenced to eight weeks in prison for driving while under the influence of drugs. He was released after serving half of his sentence.

On the eve of a concert in Prague in 2011, he announced that he had split from his partner Kenny Goss two years earlier, attributing the breakup to Goss's alcoholism and his own drug problems.

George Michael's talent made him a global star, but he always felt uncomfortable in this role.

He once admitted that his teen idol persona was just his alter ego, a mask he wore when he went on stage to do his job.

He strived hard to be recognized as a serious songwriter and music producer. He changed his style in an attempt to appeal to an older audience while struggling with depression and doubts about his sexuality.

He will remain in memory as one of the most bright musicians generation of the 80s.

53-year-old George Michael's heart stopped while he was peacefully in bed at home. Police arrived and described the cause of death as "unclear but not suspicious." So 2016, as if planning to knock more major figures off the chessboard of world music, took another victim - I would like to believe, the last one.

Wham! "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go"

Georgios Kyriakos Panayiotou was born on June 25, 1963 in north London in the family of a Greek restaurateur and an English dancer who came to England from Cyprus. When his family moved to Hertfordshire, new school Georgios met with Andrew Ridgeley. Together with him, they first created a group playing pop with significant influence ska. After a short time, the line-up was reduced to a duet called Wham! , - this is how George Michael and big show business first met each other.

George Michael "Careless Whisper" - this song was released on the album Wham! , however in the US it was signed as "Wham! with the participation of George Michael,” and in other countries as his solo recording.

Road Wham! success was not so long - after the appearance of the song “Young Guns (Go For It)” on the “Top of the Pops” program, it entered the English charts. "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" became a worldwide hit. George Michael was the obvious leader of the duo, so the beginning solo career seemed like the next, absolutely obvious step.

George Michael "Faith"

Wham! broke up in 1986, when George Michael released his most successful album, Faith. 25 million copies of this record were subsequently sold worldwide. The combined circulation of records by George Michael and Wham! exceeds 100 million copies.

George Michael "Freedom! "90"

Recordings with Elton John and Aretha Franklin, Grammy awards, huge sales - that's what his life consisted of in the late 80s and early 90s. He performed at Wembley with by Queen at a concert in memory of Freddie Mercury, while the Iron Curtain was being destroyed under his songs. Residents of the USSR watched the video “Freedom! 90” with supermodels Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford - and the advantages of the capitalist system and democracy over socialism became clear to them as daylight.

George Michael "Too Funky"

Despite the fact that his songs, as a rule, were about sexuality and passion, and his videos looked very vicious, George Michael was forced to hide his homosexuality for quite a long time. In 1998, there was a molestation scandal in a public toilet in Beverly Hills. The Latino to whom the singer showed his whistle turned out to be an undercover police agent.

George Michael not only came out, but also made an epoch-making video “Outside” based on this scandal. The policeman tried to sue the singer for 10 million, but the court did not believe that the moral damage caused to him was so significant.

George Michael "Outside"

20 years ago, the album “Older” was released, perhaps the last solid and significant recording of George Michael. The record was rated much higher in Europe - but in America, George's star began to decline.

George Michael's "Different Corner" is a solo song released in 1986 by Wham! I was just about to give a large-scale farewell concert at Wembley Stadium.

After Older, George Michael repeatedly complained about creative block and generally reduced his productivity quite significantly. Singles like "Shoot the Dog," which attacked Tony Blair, George W. Bush and the invasion of Iraq, did not resonate as much as they had before. His last studio album came out in 2004.

George Michael "Fastlove"

But the scandals did not end. In addition to the incident in the American toilet, there were others. He was arrested several times for drug-related offenses. He was stripped of his driver's license after his Range Rover rammed a London store window - Michael, who was driving, was under the influence of drugs. Journalist Simon Hattenstone, who interviewed Michael twice,