George Michael

[Josef Svejk]

You see, what I don't understand is why someone would go out of their way to piss on the memory of George Michael. He's not a socially or Politically divisive figure.

You know full well that when Stalin or Thatcher died that there would be people just itching to get on every conceivable outlet to either laud or scorn their life, impact, deeds and legacy. And rightly so. These people impacted on life beyond comprehension, they helped the few and fucked over the most, there will be people who would walk over nailed floors to tell the world what an impact these psychologically damaged people did to impact negatively upon their lives. You can understand, synpathise and empathise with that.

But this is George Michael.

A gay man, who, for a while lived a straight life to sell some records. You might think his music was shit, ok, but you can't, no matter hoiw jaundiced you are, dispute that he brought pleasure to billions of people and his legacy is nothing but good.

In his life and in his death he did good, he helped people, by his music and his action To actively seek out a tribute thread on a man who championed LGBT rights, who used his wealth for good, mostly anonymously, which is more than most will ever do, just because you thought he crafted a few love songs to knicker wetters, is something of a puzzling and pointless exercise and says alot about those concerned.

How can you argue that George Michael wasn't a pop 'superstar'? In the days where a Boxer makes one defence of a meaningless title and is called a legend, where some bellend dances nicely to a tune on the telly and everyone loves him/her...George Michael did more for mankind than most do in several lifetimes.

If you don't like him that much, find out where he's buried and piss on his grave if it means that much to you.

He was gay, so fucking what. He wrote songs about the human condition. So did Shakespeare.

Maybe it's just me, but I was always taught that if you had nothing good to say about those who had died, especially those who used their exalted position to do good, say nothing.

Isn't doing good for others and championing the rights of the oppressed and the underdog what we do on here?

So, he was a nice gay guy who made popular music. What's that got to do with objections to the quality of his music?

[Josef Svejk]

George Michael was a legend, who made multiple timeless classics over decades , end of discussion, no Internet nerds opinion is going to change that.

Consider me convinced by the overwhelming weight of your intellect.

[Josef Svejk]

Protest song as pop ballad. Never bettered on either front.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goroyZbVdlo

 

In light of the musical snobbery around his output, some irony in the fact this came from an album called Listen Without Prejudice. It's almost like he knew.

Either front? Ever?

 

Is VH1 the sole source of your musical knowledge?

[Strontium]

Look at the Faith promo material. That's fucking Shakin Stevens for MTV.

 

Oh, was Shakin' Stevens a gay man trying to hide the fact by exaggerating his masculinity too?

[stringvest]

Oh, was Shakin' Stevens a gay man trying to hide the fact by exaggerating his masculinity too?

 

 

He was trying to mask the fact he was Welsh.

[Strontium]

Either front? Ever?

 

Well, Shoot the Dog, also by George Michael, comes close on the protest song front.

 

Is VH1 the sole source of your musical knowledge?

I'm well aware of the disdain you have for popular music.

[Josef Svejk]

Well, Shoot the Dog, also by George Michael, comes close on the protest song front.

 

 

I'm well aware of the disdain you have for popular music.

Apart from the examples I mentioned previously. (For starters, Brian Wilson is probably my principal musical hero.)

[Josef Svejk]

Oh, was Shakin' Stevens a gay man trying to hide the fact by exaggerating his masculinity too?

No, he was just a shit retro-rock&roll performer.

 

Also a nice guy, incidentally. (Family experience confirms this.)

[cloggypop]

[Josef Svejk]

Musical snob! Homophobe! And, eh, anti-Semite!

[Spy Bee]

This is a bit of an unexpected cover: 

[Josef Svejk]

Roxy Music - Do The Strand

Amy Winehouse - Love Is A Losing Game (This was his "if only allowed one" choice)

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Gnarls Barkley - Crazy

Pet Shop Boys - Being Boring

Goldfrapp - Paper Bag

Rufus Wainwright - Going To A Town

Kanye West - Gold Digger

Those were genuinely his musical choices? From the entire history of (at least recorded) music?

[Paul]

Those were genuinely his musical choices? From the entire history of (at least recorded) music?

Those are rhetorical questions, right? Designed to show your dripping disdain? Got it.

[Jairzinho]

Those are rhetorical questions, right? Designed to show your dripping disdain? Got it.

 

Those are rhetorical questions, right? Designed to show your dripping disdain? Got it.

[Mook]

Those were genuinely his musical choices? From the entire history of (at least recorded) music?

I was quite shocked by how awful his choices were to be honest.

 

The Pet Shop Boys in his desert island discs? I mean fucking hell, was he deaf? I can only guess that he deliberately picked a load of shite for some unbeknown reason.

 

*I don't think it's all shite before anyone (Nirvana fans) starts

[Strontium]

The Pet Shop Boys in his desert island discs? I mean fucking hell, was he deaf?

Very clearly you are.

[cloggypop]

I was quite shocked by how awful his choices were to be honest.

 

The Pet Shop Boys in his desert island discs? I mean fucking hell, was he deaf? I can only guess that he deliberately picked a load of shite for some unbeknown reason.

He was too busy watching Deal Or No Deal to listen to much music. Used to listen to Radio 1 occasionally in the car.

[cloggypop]

[Mook]

Very clearly you are.

Thank fuck for that, I'll never need to hear The Pet Shop Boys again.

[Rico1304]

The idea of DID is to pick songs that mean something.

[Strontium]

The idea of DID is to pick songs that mean something.

 

Correct. Even if you don't appreciate the sheer genius of the artist or the song, it's not hard to see why a track about losing friends to AIDS would resonate with George.

[Tony Moanero]

I was quite shocked by how awful his choices were to be honest.

The Pet Shop Boys in his desert island discs? I mean fucking hell, was he deaf? I can only guess that he deliberately picked a load of shite for some unbeknown reason.

*I don't think it's all shite before anyone (Nirvana fans) starts

The Pet Shop boys are boss. I'd have 'Suburbia' in my desert Island discs.

[Juniper]

I've ignored this thread for a while. But there's so much that's objectionable about this post, I barely know where to start. So, to save myself the effort, I'll start at the end.

 

The Elvis fucking comparison. Jesus, I may overstate my criticism. But nowhere near your overstatement of praise.

 

Listen to the Sun recordings. Listen to the Memphis recordings. You are absolutely nuts if you think a single song George Michael ever recorded deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Elvis Presley.

 

Elvis, for all his imperfections, defined rock and roll at its very best. And, if you think iconography matters (which I don't), then George Michael has more in common with Shakin Stevens than Elvis Presley. Look at the Faith promo material. That's fucking Shakin Stevens for MTV.

 

Lord, I despair...

Can see where you're coming from I do think comparing someone like George Michael who wrote some classics to Shaking Stevens is a bit wide of the mark.

 

Also, Elvis didn't write any songs. The closest he got was being credited as a co-writer.

[Moo]

I've ignored this thread for a while.

Honestly, you'd have been better off continuing to ignore it cos at best you're coming off as very mean spirited.

 

You came on complaining about the praise George Michael's music was receiving, ignoring the fact that accepted wisdom is that he was a very talented writer and singer. Yes, accepted wisdom, across people from all walks of life and all areas of the music industry. You don't like that because you don't like him, but instead of respectfully disagreeing with accepted wisdom you insist on forcing your entirely personal opinion onto the thread by repeatedly discrediting his abilities.

Deal with it, George Michael was a hugely respected, talented, singer-songwriter.

[Kloppite]

Fucking how on earth does a George Michael thread get so much attention; are you guys on acid.