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carolynfls 's review for:
Wham!, George Michael, and Me
by Andrew Ridgeley
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!