Sometimes fabulous trainwreck George Michael has finally released details about the ultra-gay album he’s making to apologize to gay kids. You’ll recall that Michael felt bad for repeatedly letting down little queerlings with his repeated toilet trumpery, drug sniffery, and car wreckery; but we’re ready to forgive you George! After all, it’s not like you imprisoned a male escort and illegally purchased stolen masterpieces like Boy George or anything.
Michael told NME:
“For this album I’m going to be working with either gay or gay-friendly artists, and it’ll be a mixture of tracks sung by me and others by great young gay artists – possibly unknown ones. And I’ve lined up some really great dance producers to work on it too, so it’ll be a pretty stunning record.”
Michael added: “I’ll be 48 when the album comes out, but I have to say that gay men’s relationship with dance music probably doesn’t end at the same time as straight people’s does.”
Sounds great Mike, just lay off the disco dust, eh?
EdWoody
I have a lot of time for George. I mean, sure, he’s a mess, but he’s completely upfront about being a mess. How many people would have the balls to take the humiliating and probably career-ending mistake of being caught cottaging by police, and turn it into his biggest hit single in years?
Was it that big?
Was it really that big of a single? I think the last thing he did that anyone cared about was Fast Love. Pretty much went south after that.
Cam
I’m sorry, but after he got caught and outed, the first thing he did was come out and ASSURE his fans that in spite of what had just happened, that his romantic songs like Careless Whisper were definitly written for and about women.
Ok, so now he has no career and he’s uber gay, good for Goerge, and I’m glad he’s gotten that aspect of his life together. But when he had a chance to do the right thing he didn’t. If the song is good, I’ll buy it, but am not going to make a special effort as I would for some of the other out performers…few that they are.
EdWoody
@Cam: “I’m sorry, but after he got caught and outed, the first thing he did was come out and ASSURE his fans that in spite of what had just happened, that his romantic songs like Careless Whisper were definitly written for and about women.”
So what? He has also been completely open about not coming to terms with his sexuality until later in life. So those songs probably WERE written about women, because they were the only relationships he’d had up to then.
Really, what point are you trying to make there?
jj
Love this guy. Love his music. “Patience” is a great album. Didn’t one of the Fiennes brothers fuck a lady hooker/flight attendant in the toilet of a moving airplane heading to/from Australia? I think it was Ralph. The outcry from heteroland was tremendous. Nearly ruined his career. Oh wait, no it didn’t.
jason
George Michael exploited the concept of being a heterosexual male when he was at the height of his success. He made a lot of money from it. That’s why he now lives in mansions and not dog kennel-sized apartments.
This heterosexual facade is extremely common in the music industry as far as male singers are concerned. It’s in their contracts. They are required to say they are heterosexual and are forbidden from saying or acting pro-gay. If they are gay, they are required to hide it. It’s particularly a male thing in the sense that it’s applied to male singers but not so much to female singers.
xander
Despite GeoMichael’s repeated troubles, his music has got me through some rough spots in life. It’s less caloric than icecream, more potent than rum, and legal in most jurisdictions.
Will most definitely give the next set of tracks a good listen.
Cam
@EdWoody: said….
“So what? He has also been completely open about not coming to terms with his sexuality until later in life. So those songs probably WERE written about women, because they were the only relationships he’d had up to then.
Really, what point are you trying to make there?”
______________________________
Really? You couldn’t figure out what my point was?? Wow, and here I thought that the part where I wrote:
“Ok, so now he has no career and he’s uber gay, good for Goerge, and I’m glad he’s gotten that aspect of his life together. But when he had a chance to do the right thing he didn’t.”
Seemed pretty darn clear to me, but then again, if your goal is to miss the point so you have something to complain about, I guess that would explain your question.
EdWoody
@Cam: No, you still haven’t actually made a point for me to get. What “right thing” is he supposed to have done? Claim that his love songs prior to his coming out were written about men, when he’s already said that they weren’t? Who are you to claim you know more about those songs than the man who actually wrote them?
Your example was “Careless Whisper,” his first solo record in 1984, when he was officially still a member of Wham. He’s been completely open about not having had any same-sex relationships at that point in his career. So what relationships is he supposed to write about if not those with women? But anybody can see that “Listen Without Prejudice” (1990) is his unofficial coming out album and that by the time of “Older” (1994) he was clearly writing about relationships with men. He has never made any claims otherwise.
I’m NOT trying to find something to complain about – I’m asking why YOU are complaining about something when I don’t see anything worth complaining about.
@jason: I’m not saying it never happens, because I believe it does. But I think you’re mis-applying this to George. Again, he’s said perfectly openly that he was NOT pretending to be straight for the benefit of money and press during the Wham years, because he genuinely believed he WAS straight at the time. He hadn’t come to terms with his sexuality with himself, so you can hardly claim he was deliberately lying about it in full knowledge of the truth.
I also believe you are wrong to claim that “he made his money from pretending to be straight, and only then came out.” I have no doubt he’s made a lot more money in the “out” years than before. With Wham he had the teenybopper audience. Now he has the former teenyboppers, the gays, the grannies, the lounge lizards, and more. He still sells out stadium concerts, and he does it as an openly gay musician.
Abirdwillingtobeitself
@EdWoody: I just don’t see how you can respect celebrities who have trouble coming out.
EdWoody
@Abirdwillingtobeitself: Doesn’t almost EVERYBODY have trouble coming out? Did every one of us on this site have the smoothest ride and were perfectly accepted without a hint of worry? Why should a celebrity get less concern than the average person?
Abirdwillingtobeitself
@EdWoody: Why should he get any concern at all? That’s his fight. The community can offer support, but not like anyone close to him can.
Cam
@EdWoody:
There are always the blind fanboys that will defend anything.
George Michael didn’t go out of his way to do anything for the community therefore I’m not going to go out of my way to buy a song by him. If it is great, I’ll buy it, but I’m not going to make a special effort.
AGain, my point that you keep pretending to miss is this. When he had the opportunity to do something great he didn’t.
You keep trying to claim that in spite of the fact he is gay, that maybe his early love songs were written about women….sorry, while talk like that may work on a straight blog, you’re on a blog full of gays here. Nobody here is buying that. But again, you go ahead and keep inventing scenarios.
AS for that one record being his “UNOFFICIAL” comming out record…how about a little LESS unofficial comming out from celebs and a little more honesty.
KD WHANG
@Cam
You don’t have to buy it, he’s got zillions of fans to do that for him. Look, I didn’t come out until I was 21, I knew I was gay from about age ten but I didn’t tell anyone, and that is my right, yes?
It was also George Michael’s right not to divulge a part ( a very private part) of his life to the general public. I don’t see how he has done anything wrong in that respect, he’s still a human being whether he’s rich and famous or not.
It’s ok if you don’t want to support him or buy his music because frankly nobody cares what you think or do.
Understand?