Having been a George Michael fan since he first emerged on the pop scene with whim, I was excited to read his biography. It was sad, though, to read of his continual internal conflict. Despite all of the seeming success that he so desperately strove for, he never could achieve happiness. His life was shaped by a strict Greek father who shunned homosexuality thus compelling George to stay closeted for decades. The book focuses heavily on George Michael’s sexuality but I am assuming that was because it played such a large role in his life. When he died suddenly at age 53, I was saddened as so many other of his fans. To read of his decades-long addiction and health crises aided me in understanding his death at a young age. A compelling read for anyone who has appreciated the songwriting and music of George Michael.

Ahhhhh- all that was George Michael has been included in this non-fiction book which makes for a very long read (over 560 pages) which is my only negative comment. This was a well thought out, well researched look at who George Michael the man really was- I was a fan of George M and this story didn’t nothing to change that Thank goodness!

Thank you Netgalley for offering this book! Although I loved George Michael’s music, I never knew much about his life story and this book is the one book to read for an in-depth look at the boy, the man, the musician and his troubled soul.

This was a great book on the rise of George Michael to fame and the fall to drugs and alcohol. I didn't realize until reading this book that he wrote and produced all his music. He was very talented but unfortunately very troubled. I highly recommend this book to any of his fans.

I chose this book as part of Non-fiction November. I have been a George Michael fan for a long time and thought this might be an interesting read. He was a talented, tortured man, who died too soon.

This book is written well, its very in-depth and through, going all the way back to his tumultuous childhood. His surge into stardom and the aftermath of his coming out and his untimely death. For me, this book was really slow. It is intensely detailed and I found myself sometimes skimming the chapters just to get to an interesting part. Its fascinating to read about someone I grew up listening to. Reading about his life, I felt sad and wondered if he was ever truly happy. From the tone of this book, I'm guessing the answer is no. This book is also a glimpse into the inner life of a man who craved love and privacy. It just goes to show that you never truly know what is going on in someone's mind, especially someone in public view.

If you are a fan of his or want to know more about his life and career this is a book you should pick up. The author gives a detailed biography of a man that few really knew. A man who was so undoubtedly unhappy. He brought so much joy and happiness to those who listened to his music, I just wish he could have had that in his own life.

As a teenager growing up falling in love with George Michael and using his music as an anthem of my youth his story behind the façade has always interested me. Although this book was very slow moving and seemed to revolve solely around the fact that George was gay and had trouble coming to terms with it, it was also the undercurrent of a man so possessed with trying not to fail that he ended up isolated and afraid. I had no idea that he struggled to keep writing and singing after the SONY debacle and that up until the very end the drugs he was abusing played a huge role in his demise. After reading this book I can now say that George Michael was a man filled with self hatred and consumed with the idea of failure. Not something I would have felt with his otherwise.

I'm a Gen-X/MTV Gen kid and George Michael first came to my attention through his song Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go with Wham! At the time, I was too young to understand its camp and humor and homage to the girl soul groups of the 60s. It wasn't my favorite song, though if you watched MTV it was unavoidable. I was also too young to have any real concept of gay or straight, but let's just say I sensed something was "different" here. (As I did with Culture Club. At that age, we'd ask ourselves "Was Boy George a boy or girl?" Me and my friends honestly did not know, but we didn't care either.) The next time GM came on my radar was with his string of massive solo hits: Careless Whisper, Last Christmas, I'm Your Man (which all thought was written for famous virgin Brooke Shields, whom he was supposedly "dating"), Father Figure, I Want Your Sex... and mostly "Freedom 90" with its iconic video of the supermodels of the day. (If you weren't there it's impossible to convey how famous these ladies were.)

Then George basically fell off my radar. In reading George Michael by James Gavin, I see why... it was about this time that he sank from favor with US radio, though he remained quite famous in Britain. While I vaguely remember him being caught cruising in a park or bathroom or something like that, I didn't follow him or read enough tabloid trash to have a full handle on the problems he was having at this time. So it was quite sad and shocking for me to read in excruciating detail his long, slow, mostly self-inflicted demise with drugs and what appears to be a sex addiction that kept him relentlessly trolling for anonymous, drug-fueled sex, and at the height of AIDS, no less.

Nor did I realize that GM was essentially a musical genius, writing most of his hit songs in his late teens and early 20s. As a young gay man, how could he have written so convincingly of a blue collar hetero marriage gone wrong? Yet he did in "Everything She Wants." He also produced and arranged everything - all without any formal training. It does not appear he took one vocal lesson yet could sing rings around just about anyone, and easily held his own with icons like Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston.

What is also apparent in the book is the deep scars inflicted on him during his childhood by his Greek Orthodox homophobic father who only showed some pride in his son after he realized how much his son could buy for him.

Sadly GM never got over the two loves of his life - partner Anselmo, and his mother. These early deaths unfortunately sparked GM's downward spiral into massive drug usage and eventually his body gave out. It's tragic that he spent the last years of his life hounded mercilessly by the UK's outrageously cruel tabloid media, and doing so many drugs that he was mostly out of it. At times it was very hard to keep sympathetic to him as he crashed one car after another driving under the influence, and could have easily killed someone. This was obviously a man in deep deep pain. But he was intelligent and sensitive to know how much he was revered by millions. And that is comforting to know.

Do yourself a favor and if you are a GM fan, pick up this book.

I really enjoyed this expose on Mr. George Michael. I feel like I was really in his brain so to speak. This is incredibly well researched and enjoyable to read. I do feel it would be somewhat embarrassing to Mr. Michael to have all of this information out there without him being able to give his side of the story, but I am also fairly certain he would be glad he lived a life worth memorializing. I think some editing is necessary before publication; if anyone, Michael believed that a true artist should not be afraid to make good edits whenever necessary.

I have loved George Michael as long as I can remember so I was thrilled to be able to read this biography! This was a long read so that made it a little difficult to get through, but I felt like it ewe very well researched and out together. As a long time fan, parts of this book hurt my heart to learn that George clearly a tortured soul. He was in a lot of pain but someone truly created beauty (in his music) out of the near-tragedy that was his life. I hope he finally is at peace.

Thank.you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this early! It will be released in June 2022. I will share this review to my Instagram blog (books_by_the_bottle) soon!

In reviewing a biography, it can be difficult to separate the subject from the writing. Gavin writes a well researched book and, in my opinion, retains an objectivity about his often sensationalist subject. George Michael's life is awash in gossip and speculation, yet Gavin delivers a biography that does not feel like a tawdry tabloid piece. Still, as a fan of George Michael, it is difficult to read the book without feeling a profound sadness for a man who was so obviously unhappy. But I think it has increased my appreciation of his talents, to have created such beautiful music from a place of pain. We likely will never know the truth of George Michael's complicated life. While the biography provides a valuable insight, I prefer to remember the artist for his glorious voice and the joy his music brings me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. I am curious to see what the final cover image will be, and what tone it brings to the book.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

If you were a fan of a Wham, or owned the album Faith back in the day, you will enjoy this excellently researched bio of George Michael. I did enjoy this.

My only negative comments, This was 528 pages long. It could have been a little shorter. Too many details I really didn't need to know. I do recommend though.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy for review. This title will be out next spring, and gets three stars from Bon.

It was very thorough examination of George Michael's rise to stardom, his time in the sun, and the tragic close to his life.

Unfortunately, I found this book an extremely slow start and a slog to get through, its very thoroughness comprising its readability and appeal. It's probably a good long-haul coffee table or bedside table read, though, and fans of his music get a complete picture of what was going on.

Balancing sheer volume of fascinating info with the tedious feeling as I read it, this gets three stars.

George Michael
A Life
by James Gavin

I liked the book. I LOVED Geroge Michael. It had some details, some others may have not known. I have no idea if James Gavin wrote the memoirs with permission, or not. It seemed some was a bit outlandish but mostly rings true. as the press made him out to be.

A very thorough review of both the recording career and personal life of George Michael. The author has obviously done his research, though it seem as though he was not granted access to anyone in George's inner circle. One is left feeling sorry for this supremely talented singer who just couldn't put his demons behind him, including his feeling that he was never given the adulation that he deserved and that the media was always out to get him. The details about his early days in Wham! and his rise to solo stardom are fascinating but the vast majority of the second half of the book is unfortunately (but ultimately, truthfully) focused on his dependence of drugs and alcohol and his numerous run-ins with the law. But if you're looking for a full career summary, this book certainly does its job.

This has been an interesting read. Set against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic and 80s new wave, it's a good reminder of the climate Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou was facing as he rose to fame. Born in 1963 and raised on Greek music and Motown, his blue eyed soul received a lot of early rejection. At one point his own father, who long despised his music aspirations, told him that if he didn't land a record deal within 6 months he would be kicked out. At that point George wasn't out to most of his friends and family.

As a musician and songwriter it was also interesting to hear about his early songs and ideas. A song initially called Guilty Feet came about while George was serving tables and playing music at restaurants, just beginning the duo that would become Wham. George was quite shy but Ridgeley's outgoing pairing helped bolster his confidence. As you may guess, the song became Careless Whisper and became an international hit as they fought to gain record label attention, sometimes misleading gatekeepers to get even a few minutes with decision makers.

This book is due out next summer. Whet your appetite for it with my cover of George Michael's "Faith" as a duet with @DavidBlairSongs on my new album, Recovery - out now. #LinkInBio

#GeorgeMichael #NetGalley
@JamesGavinBooks #JamesGavin
Publish date 28 Jun 2022

#LGBT #Music @georgemofficial #GeorgeMichael #Pop #80s #80sMusic #Instagood #Songwriting #England #Greece #Vocalist #Biography #LGBTQIA #Out #Tribute

George Michael with his tremendous voice spent most of his life looking for “Somebody To Love”. This book was too long and slow to start, but I enjoyed once it got past the “Faith” years reading how the fame affected and the drug addiction and tabloid scandals overrun his life. Such a talent, gone too soon. Thanks for netgalley for the advanced reader copy.