Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
3.5 ★ A bit redundant, more than a bit withholding, and definitely *not* scandalous (Elton John’s memoirs disclose/acknowledge more about George’s struggles than his former “best mate’s”), but this is well-written/edited enough to be considered decent, light reading.
I saw this in the “new biographies” section when I was looking for She Came to Slay and I grabbed it like Gollum and the One Ring. If you were a Wham! fan, you know that Andrew Ridgeley was George’s best friend who disappeared back into private life after Wham! ended. You may think, “Well, here’s Andy cashing in.” But remember, Andrew never said one bad thing about George, even when George was in his really messed up, depraved, carcrashing phase. This is a very loving memoir of Andrew’s life with George. It mostly ends when Wham! ends, save for the final chapter about George’s death. When you thumb through it, you’ll see that it’s full of photos (many, many photos), the font is large and the margins are large too. You might chuckle. And then you’ll see the dedication, which reads:
This memoir is dedicated to the memory of my dearest friend, with whom I did the only thing I ever really wanted to do and was the only person I ever imagined doing it with.
And you’ll read every word and love it like Andrew loved George.
Like Eat, Pray, Love, this book was written expressly for me. Therefore I give it FIVE STARS and a can of Aqua Net, but if you’re not me, you’ll give it a solid three.
This memoir is dedicated to the memory of my dearest friend, with whom I did the only thing I ever really wanted to do and was the only person I ever imagined doing it with.
And you’ll read every word and love it like Andrew loved George.
Like Eat, Pray, Love, this book was written expressly for me. Therefore I give it FIVE STARS and a can of Aqua Net, but if you’re not me, you’ll give it a solid three.
A good, fun quick listen. Interesting to hear Ridgely’s perspective on Wham! and George Michael. There is not much deep introspection and sometimes I wondered if he was being totally honest, but it was very fun to see music in the 80’s from his point of view.
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it if you are a big Wham! fan. If you’re a more causal fan, only a George Michael fan, or just curious about the group, then you probably won’t get what you’re looking for. Having been crazy about them back in the day, I found this to be a fun (and surprisingly emotional?!?) read.
Leave your expectations of a deep dive or tell all behind. That’s not this book. You’re probably not going to learn much or anything new about Andrew and George, so if you are looking for that, you will be disappointed (and based on some negative reviews, you won’t be alone). This is a book about a young friendship and their dreams come true, from the day that Andrew met George through the end of Wham! with a big jump to George’s death. My only agreement with some of those negative reviews is that I would have liked to read about the friendship in those years after Wham! ended. Despite my disappointment there, I appreciate what the Wham! level of fame must have taken from them, and I have to think that Andrew shared that which was mostly already public and kept those more private years to himself. And I can’t blame him for that.
Look, I realize nostalgia is a significant reason why I enjoyed this book, and I jumped all in on those memories. I used the internet as a supplement, pausing every time Andrew mentioned an event, music video, or concert, and finding most of it online**. Although I lived these things when I was a preteen or teen, the adult perspective was interesting and reliving it all made the journey fun (videos, concert clips, interviews - so much is out there).
This book was written by someone who still mourns and misses his friend. And I appreciate that he shared that friendship with us.
**I even managed to find an audio recording of the September 8, 1995 Whamerica concert in Philly, which is where I got to see them live. Yes I listened to it!
Leave your expectations of a deep dive or tell all behind. That’s not this book. You’re probably not going to learn much or anything new about Andrew and George, so if you are looking for that, you will be disappointed (and based on some negative reviews, you won’t be alone). This is a book about a young friendship and their dreams come true, from the day that Andrew met George through the end of Wham! with a big jump to George’s death. My only agreement with some of those negative reviews is that I would have liked to read about the friendship in those years after Wham! ended. Despite my disappointment there, I appreciate what the Wham! level of fame must have taken from them, and I have to think that Andrew shared that which was mostly already public and kept those more private years to himself. And I can’t blame him for that.
Look, I realize nostalgia is a significant reason why I enjoyed this book, and I jumped all in on those memories. I used the internet as a supplement, pausing every time Andrew mentioned an event, music video, or concert, and finding most of it online**. Although I lived these things when I was a preteen or teen, the adult perspective was interesting and reliving it all made the journey fun (videos, concert clips, interviews - so much is out there).
This book was written by someone who still mourns and misses his friend. And I appreciate that he shared that friendship with us.
**I even managed to find an audio recording of the September 8, 1995 Whamerica concert in Philly, which is where I got to see them live. Yes I listened to it!
As a huge George Michael and Wham fan I could not wait to read this book from his best friend and the other half of the band who has over the years been incorrectly reported on and sometimes under approximated for the success of Wham and also the development of George Michael from self conscious school boy to global superstar. This book is a beautiful tale of two boys who just wanted to be in a band and a friendship that spanned the years until we sadly lost George in 2016. I have an even greater appreciation of Andrew and George since reading this book.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I don’t really read memoirs but as a younger Wham!/George Michael enjoyer I had a feeling that I should read this book and see Andrew’s perspective.
This is a beautiful book about two childhood best friends wanting to achieve their goals and aspirations. I’m so glad that they were able to remain friends after Wham! disbanded and it’s safe to say that I did in fact cry during the end of this book (which is rare for me).
This is a beautiful book about two childhood best friends wanting to achieve their goals and aspirations. I’m so glad that they were able to remain friends after Wham! disbanded and it’s safe to say that I did in fact cry during the end of this book (which is rare for me).
There are very mixed reviews about this book and I can see why. Some people say it’s a great insight in to George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s friendship and Wham! but there are also reviews which talk about how the book comes across a bit “Don’t forget about me! I did stuff too!”.
I felt it was a bit of a mixture of the two. I loved the nostalgia of the 70s and 80s and returning to an area of north west London I knew from my childhood. You only see the polished end version of bands and singers so the history of how they come in to existence, their musical influences and their hard work is always interesting to read about. And the friendship between Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael was evident. There is a real fondness in the writing in places and the last chapter was just sad.
That said, I can totally see why the other reviews comment on the “and me! I did things too!” and “that was my idea! It wasn’t all George you know!” element - there’s quite a bit of that feeling too as I was reading it. A hard balance to get right without sounding like you are a bit bitter!
It has made me listen to some Wham! again which has been lovely! Not sure how it could have all been 40 years ago though…
I felt it was a bit of a mixture of the two. I loved the nostalgia of the 70s and 80s and returning to an area of north west London I knew from my childhood. You only see the polished end version of bands and singers so the history of how they come in to existence, their musical influences and their hard work is always interesting to read about. And the friendship between Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael was evident. There is a real fondness in the writing in places and the last chapter was just sad.
That said, I can totally see why the other reviews comment on the “and me! I did things too!” and “that was my idea! It wasn’t all George you know!” element - there’s quite a bit of that feeling too as I was reading it. A hard balance to get right without sounding like you are a bit bitter!
It has made me listen to some Wham! again which has been lovely! Not sure how it could have all been 40 years ago though…
I only went to Tesco for broccoli and came home with George.
Despite this book being in The Times best seller list I wrongly pre-judged Andrew and assumed this would be a memoir passively laced with envy, how he was the ‘hidden’ talent , stories of in-house fighting and ‘Careless Whispers’ sex stories about his mate (thats not why I picked it up in Tesco).
I was absolutely on the wrong page. This book is written by a guy with a lot of tenderness about his love and admiration for his old school friend Yog. A friendship that blossomed from the intensity of teenage years - (an age when only friendships can be this intense) and endured for decades even when their lives stopped being ‘Wham Rap’ and ‘Club Fantstic’. Andrew tells the story of these two ‘Bad Boys’ enduring relationship with not one ounce of malice. I think George would be proud.
What’s clear from reading this book is that Andrew didn't have the time or the preciousness to envy George’s song writing skills, he knew from the beginning in their bedroom learning their craft that George was special .There are no cruel ‘Jitterbugs’ in this book but instead a story of acceptance for his friend who he knew one day would want his ‘Freedom’ from Wham to pursue ‘A Different Corner’ once they had ‘Made It Big’.
Despite the waning of their intensive friendship of early Wham days there remained a mutual respect and kindness for each other over the decades and then for Andrew (Pepsi and Shirley) a gut wrenching sadness and confusion around his ‘Last Christmas’ in 2016 . Too many years before George was finished with his talent. ‘The Final’ was premature.
In summary this is a simple story. 2 boys meet at school. They form a band with mates. It fails. They become a duo of ‘Young Guns’ and as we all know that’s a ‘Go Go’. George and Andy were each other’s ‘I’m your man”. One of the duo is a song writing and vocal genius, the other portrayed in the tabloids as a ‘Love Machine’ but together Andy and ‘Yog’ followed their dreams to not only crack China (and help thaw relations with the West) but become one of the most commercially successful bands of the eighties. With their political slogan T’shirts, catchy lyrics, tight bum pinching Fila white shorts, crop tops and perma tans they caught the hearts and angst of a generation and took most of the 80’s female teenager into ‘Club Tropicana’ with them.
For me Wham was never a one man band, my teenage hormones said both were equally important but finally the one known as ‘the other man’ gives us his story.
I loved this book. Heart warming , it was ‘Everything she wants’ and gave me that fuzzy feeling right in my stomach and a wanting for a Choose Life T-Shirt. The photos are bang on as well.
Despite this book being in The Times best seller list I wrongly pre-judged Andrew and assumed this would be a memoir passively laced with envy, how he was the ‘hidden’ talent , stories of in-house fighting and ‘Careless Whispers’ sex stories about his mate (thats not why I picked it up in Tesco).
I was absolutely on the wrong page. This book is written by a guy with a lot of tenderness about his love and admiration for his old school friend Yog. A friendship that blossomed from the intensity of teenage years - (an age when only friendships can be this intense) and endured for decades even when their lives stopped being ‘Wham Rap’ and ‘Club Fantstic’. Andrew tells the story of these two ‘Bad Boys’ enduring relationship with not one ounce of malice. I think George would be proud.
What’s clear from reading this book is that Andrew didn't have the time or the preciousness to envy George’s song writing skills, he knew from the beginning in their bedroom learning their craft that George was special .There are no cruel ‘Jitterbugs’ in this book but instead a story of acceptance for his friend who he knew one day would want his ‘Freedom’ from Wham to pursue ‘A Different Corner’ once they had ‘Made It Big’.
Despite the waning of their intensive friendship of early Wham days there remained a mutual respect and kindness for each other over the decades and then for Andrew (Pepsi and Shirley) a gut wrenching sadness and confusion around his ‘Last Christmas’ in 2016 . Too many years before George was finished with his talent. ‘The Final’ was premature.
In summary this is a simple story. 2 boys meet at school. They form a band with mates. It fails. They become a duo of ‘Young Guns’ and as we all know that’s a ‘Go Go’. George and Andy were each other’s ‘I’m your man”. One of the duo is a song writing and vocal genius, the other portrayed in the tabloids as a ‘Love Machine’ but together Andy and ‘Yog’ followed their dreams to not only crack China (and help thaw relations with the West) but become one of the most commercially successful bands of the eighties. With their political slogan T’shirts, catchy lyrics, tight bum pinching Fila white shorts, crop tops and perma tans they caught the hearts and angst of a generation and took most of the 80’s female teenager into ‘Club Tropicana’ with them.
For me Wham was never a one man band, my teenage hormones said both were equally important but finally the one known as ‘the other man’ gives us his story.
I loved this book. Heart warming , it was ‘Everything she wants’ and gave me that fuzzy feeling right in my stomach and a wanting for a Choose Life T-Shirt. The photos are bang on as well.