The UK at the beginning of the 1980s was a highly-charged environment. Thatcher’s brutal economic policies, high youth unemployment, the urban riots of the summer of 1981, and very politicized new wave and Two-Tone music scenes fuelled a tense atmosphere.
George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley were best friends, having met at school in 1975 aged 11 and 12 respectively. They were socially and politically aware but also wanted to have fun. They were thick as thieves and spent their days goofing around, writing comedy sketches, and toying with the idea of starting a band. Theirs was a playful brotherhood and they were living the dream, never wanting to grow up. Andrew, the more assertive of the two, really wanted to form a band and persuaded George to ignore his Cypriot family’s career pressures and join him. They formed The Executive, a mediocre ska band that lasted about a year in 1981. During this time they discovered the delights of London’s West End nightclub scene. Clubland inspired them into a different musical direction and by the beginning of 1982 they had formed Wham!, a pop band fusing rap and disco with socially aware lyrics. Their early lyrics were as socially aware as any new wave or Two-Tone band but they also projected fun and sunshine into the mix, capturing the attention of a British youth who were ready for an alternative to the doom and gloom of the previous few years.
They worked hard at perfecting their sound but were rejected by every record company until Innervision took a chance on them. Their first single. Wham Rap!, released in June 1982 failed to hit the top 40, and their second single, released in September 1982, Young Guns (Go for It), stalled at no. 42. The music press liked them but their record company was losing patience. Then in November 1982, they were offered a canceled slot on Top of the Pops, the UK’s leading chart music TV show, and, following that, Young Guns shot up the charts. The rest is history.
Wham! Is a fantastic new documentary directed by Chris Smith (FYRE – The Greatest Party That Never Happened), currently on Netflix. It charts the rise of the band from its humble origins to global superstardom before they decide to call it a day just four years later. Smith combines voice-over narration by both George and Andrew, interviews with George’s father and ex-manager Simon Napier Bell, excellent vintage footage of the band, together with exerts from the dozens of scrapbooks on the band created by Andrew’s mother. The resulting film is a fitting tribute to one of the most successful bands of the Twentieth Century. George’s contribution is obviously from past interviews and Andrew’s is from current conversations. It’s so well produced that it feels as though George is still alive.
George came out as gay to Andrew and his other friends in 1983 whilst they were filming the video for Club Tropicana in Ibiza. George, however, thought his homosexuality would adversely affect his career so he kept quiet about his sexuality in public. The UK was very homophobic back then but George’s decision to keep quiet caused him a lot of inner angst and stress. The Wham! track Nothing Looks The Same in the Light is about his coming out to Andrew. George ended up leading a double life as a global heartthrob to millions of young girls on one hand whilst cruising for men outdoors near his parent’s home in suburban Bushey, Hertfordshire on the other.
The band enjoyed hit after hit – Wham Rap!, Young Guns, Bad Boys, Club Tropicana, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Careless Whisper, Freedom, Everything She Wants, Last Christmas and so on. Their albums include the seminal 1983 ‘Fantastic’. They became huge in America, doing a sell-out stadium tour. They also played Live-Aid and were the first Western band to perform in China. By 1986, however, it was clear that George’s voice, showmanship, songwriting talent and production skills were bigger than the band and the duo agreed to call it a day on Wham! to allow George to pursue his solo career. Andrew’s generosity in wanting the best for his best friend is heart-warming. This is the ultimate theme of the documentary – the love story between two platonic male best friends. One gay, one straight. Highly recommended.
Queerguru’s Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah
