George Michael interview on the Dutch music program Countdown televised in 1988.
Hello George, let’s start talking about your album.. new album first, Faith. Where did you record it and which musicians did you use?
I recorded most of it in Denmark and some of it in London. And some of the musicians were people who were previously on Wham! albums, namely Deon Estus who’s a bass player and Hugh Burns who’s a guitar player. And most of the rest of the album I played myself, with the exception of some keyboard parts who were played by a new player called Chris Cameron. He’s very good.
What about touring?
I’m touring.. as of next February I start the tour in Japanand I work my way from Japan to Australia. Then here to Europe. Where I’ll beplaying here in Holland and surrounding countries. And then England and thenfinally America.
When Wham! stopped you wanted toshake off your teenage image. Do you think that you are more professional now?
I would hope so. I mean one of the.. one of the things thatI can’t do anything about is that I’m still only 24, you know. I’m still quiteyoung so if.. I would never try to get rid of anybody who’s appreciated mymusic or for any reason.. if I’ve been appreciated for any reason, I wouldnever say that I wanted to get rid of any kind of recognition. I’m verypleased.. for all the people that been loyal to me the last four or five years.But I want to add to that. Obviously, as amusical challenge I want to widen my audience. And I think a lot of thepeople that started out as Wham! fans have grown up with me, you know. Andthere are definitely things on this album that would appeal to a totallydifferent audience. But it’s really not a conscious decision to try and get ridof one thing and gain another. I think the thing that was most frustratingabout Wham! was not the attachment of some kind of image to me. It was more themusical restrictions that I felt I imposed on myself with the band.
In an interview I read that when youget makeup on your face, that it’s quite erotic. And that you fall in love withthe makeup girls for about 30 minutes. What’s true on that?
Well I have my makeup.. this week I’ve been getting it downa lot, but it’s of course – my girlfriend is a makeup artist so that’s all veryabove board. It’s very true, I mean I always used to talk about this withAndrew. If the makeup artist on hand was, you know, anything like presentable,you’d automatically found it very sexy when she’d been touching your facegently for half an hour, you know. It’s a very.. I mean, I think most people..actually most men as well, if you actually get them to admit it, really enjoyhaving makeup done. Because regardless of what they look like at the end, youhave this sensation.. very kind of sensual sensation while it’s going on.
So sometimes I can write something very deliberately and slowly and it will be successful. And sometimes I can write something that really just comes, and before I know it I finished it. And it can be some of my best work.
George Michael (1988)
Is it correct that you will loseweight for the upcoming tour?
Not really, no. I mean I’m pretty much the same weight Ihave been for quite a while. I do tend to photograph pretty fat, so they’vealways got a nice fat photograph of me so they can say.. because I mean, somephotos I look really fat and all the other photos I look pretty much as I amand.. so they always got a photo to say “he’s just lost two stone,” you know.‘Cause they got one with me like.. (he’s making a face)
No I haven’t really.. I’m working out for the tour. I’mtrying to get fit. But the papers said there I was 13 stone. I’m actually 11stone, I’ve been 11 stone for quite a long time.
Is it difficult for you to writesongs and how long does it take to write a hit song?
I rewrite some things, some compositions, and usually the best ones I think tend to happen very, very quickly. Some of the biggest, most successful records I’ve had, have been recorded incredibly quickly. I mean A Different Corner took me about 14 hours – writing and recording – from beginning to end. And Go Go took two days, which was pretty quick. And then on the other hand things like Careless Whisper was written.. even though it was written when I was a lot younger, that was written over the course of a couple of months. There are some.. there are some records on the new album that have been written over the last two years. But for instance, there’s a track on the album called One More Try – which is my favorite track on the album – which was recorded and finished within eight hours. And that was written as it was recorded, you know. So sometimes I can write something very deliberately and slowly and it will be successful. And sometimes I can write something that really just comes, and before I know it I finished it. And it can be some of my best work.
Is it true that Faith was nevermentioned to be a single?
Faith was never actually intended as a single when I firstrecorded it. And then I listened to it more and more and.. ‘cause in fact,originally it was only two minutes long. Originally there was no guitar solo.There was no real guitar sound on it or anything. And everyone said it’s great,it’s great, but it’s too short, you know. And everyone kept saying that I loveFaith, I love Faith. So I thought, well maybe I should put it out as a singlewhen it came to that. I said, I think a two minute long single is a bit, youknow… so I went in and extended it. Butit was originally never intended as a single. It was just gonna be like a smalltrack on the album, a really short track.
Similar Posts:
- An Audience with George Michael: Interview with Chris Evans (1996)
- George Michael Interview with Capital FM Radio with Dr. Fox (Dec 1998)
- ‘Souled Out: George Michael’ Published in Interview Magazine (1988)
- George Michael on ‘Listen Without Prejudice’ (1990)
- George Michael in Q Magazine Interview (October 1990)
