Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: George Michael

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: 

George Michael

In my big gay church there is a wing dedicated to The Divas Who Represent. They're not all flashy or cocks of the walk - in fact, some never officially came out of the closet during their lifetime - but they are all extraordinarily gifted, sharing their songs, music, and insights, allowing the world at large to learn, in the most subtle of ways, what it's like 'being green'. Thanks to their gifts and their bravery, they help make the world a little more gay every time their voices are heard. And that's been their true super power all along... their voice; they were heard. They mattered. And, whether they liked it or not, they represented!

One such talented soul...

George Michael.

Yes, you gotta have faith!

And George Michael. 

Has there ever been a such a voice? He once commented that he didn't believe that - musically speaking - he' ever made a mistake. One could quibble, but... his track record is rather stellar.

He exploded on the scene. There was no mistaking his impact. No denying his talent.

And he seemed on a one way trip to the stars. 

But he took a detour. Several, actually. 

The public has always second-guessed many of his choices. But self-preservation is strong, especially among those truly gifted. 

He was interested in more than merely serving up hot pop hits for the masses. 

He wanted to save his integrity. And he needed to save himself. 

First, he pushed away an industry that was eager to use his talents to satisfy their endless hunger for product. When it came to business as usual, our boy George said, no!

And while he'd subtly hinted for years... it would take a rather traumatic, and very public outing for him to own all that he was. And when it happened, typical of Mr. Michael, he did the unexpected; he wrote a hot dance tune and put together a marvelous video to commemorate the event!

From there, he drifted in and out of our collective consciousness. The odd single here. A new album, there. The intermittent tour. The occasional scandal. 

He lived life as he loved... on his own terms. 

Along the way, he populated our world with tunes and images we still can't get enough of. 

And that is his legacy. That is how he remains forever. 

The gospel according to him? 

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from his lips.

The topic? His Sexuality.

"I define my sexuality in terms of the people that I love."

"I have never thought about my sexuality being right or wrong. To me it has always been a case of finding the right person."

"I think for most of us, our biggest frailties are sexual."
 
"I spent years growing up being told what my sexuality was."

"I had very little fear about it, but basically, my straight friends talked me out of it. I think they thought as I was bisexual, there was no need to. But it's amazing how much more complicated it became because I didn't come out in the early days. I often wonder if my career would have taken a different path if I had."

"My depression at the end of Wham! was because I was beginning to realize I was gay, not bi."

"I'd been out to a lot of people since 19. I wish to God it had happened then. I don't think I would have the same career - my ego might not have been satisfied in some areas - but I think I would have been a happier man."

"I'm 10-12 years into life as an out gay man, and I'm a different person. I think there are things about my journey that might be useful to other people, and coming up with a hit record on its own doesn't seem to be enough anymore."

 "I would advise any gay person that being out in the real sense can never happen too soon."

 

"It's only when the kids are in their late twenties that families really face up to what they are."

"In the years when HIV was a killer, any parent of an openly gay person was terrified. I knew my mother well enough that she would spend every day praying that I didn't come across that virus. She'd have worried like that."

"I know I have a very self-destructive tendency since my mother died, I have got to be honest."

"I mean, I've done different things at different times that I shouldn't have done, once or twice, you know."

"For some strange reason, my gay life didn't get easier when I came out. Quite the opposite happened, really."

"The truth is my love life has been a lot more turbulent than I have let on."

"In terms of my work, I've never been reticent in terms of defining my sexuality. I write about my life."

"I do want people to know that the songs that I wrote when I was with women were really about women. And the songs that I've written since have been fairly obvious about men."

"There are so many things and so many aspects to gay life that I've discovered and so many things to write about. I have a new life, and I have a new take on dance music because of that life."

 "With pop stars or film stars, we become the object of people's self-definition, as well as the object of sexual definition."

"The press seemed to take some delight that I previously had a 'straight audience,' and set about trying to destroy that. And I think some men were frustrated that their girlfriends wouldn't let go of the idea that George Michael just hadn't found the 'right girl'."

"My American gay audience have continued to dance and sing to the music I make in a way that straight Americans haven't. I am grateful to them for that."

Faith - George Michael

Like Jesus To A Child - George Michael

An Easier Affair - George Michael

And one last parting shot...

"I think the media is a real demon."

"The media has affected everybody's consciousness much more than most people will admit."

"Because of the media, the way the world is perceived is as a place where resources and time are running out. We're taught that you have to grab what you can before it's gone. It's almost as if there isn't time for compassion."

"It's strange. At some point in your career, the situation between yourself and the camera reverses. For a certain number of years, you court it and you need it, but ultimately, it needs you more, and it's a bit like a relationship. The minute that happens, it turns you off... and it does feel like it is taking something from you."

"It takes so much strength to say to your ego, 'You know what? You're going to keep me lonely, so I have to ignore you'."

"I used to believe that George Michael was a total actor. It was self-defeating, because it made me also feel fraudulent."

"In the very early days of Wham! the attention felt great, but I do wonder how much freedom I gave away by trying to become something I wasn't."

"I realized those things my ego needed - fame and success - were going to make me terribly unhappy. So I wrenched myself away from that. I had to. I had to walk away from America and say goodbye to the biggest part of my career because I knew, otherwise, my demons would get the better of me."

"I'm not stupid enough to think that I can deal with another 10 or 15 years of major exposure. I think that is the ultimate tragedy of fame... People who are simply out of control, who are lost. I've seen so many of them, and I don't want to be another cliché."

"There is no such thing as a reluctant star."

"Stars are almost always people that want to make up for their own weaknesses by being loved by the public and I'm no exception to that."

"Celebrity and secrets don't go together. The bastards will get you in the end."

"If I can just live further from the spotlight I think that'll be better for all really."