Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge ,from Thomas and Mercer Books, via #Netgalley for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it. All opinions are my own.
The definitive biography of George Michael, offering an expansive look at the troubled life of the legendary singer, songwriter, and pop superstar
Synopsis:
George Michael was an extravagantly gifted, openhearted soul singer whose work was both pained and smolderingly erotic. He was a songwriter of true craft and substance, and his music swept the world, starting in the mid-1980s. His fabricated image—that of a hypermacho sex god—loomed large in the pop culture of his day. It also hid—for a time—the secret he fought against revealing: Michael was gay. Soon his obsession with fame would start to backfire. As one of the industry’s most privileged yet tortured men began to self-destruct, the press showed little sympathy. George Michael: A Life explores the compelling story of a superstar whose struggles, as well as his songs, continue to touch fans all over the world.
Acclaimed music biographer James Gavin traces Michael’s metamorphosis from the shy and awkward Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou into the swaggering, dominant half of the leading British pop duo of the 1980s Wham!; he then details Michael’s sensational solo career and its subsequent unraveling. With deep analysis of the creative process behind Michael’s albums, tours, and music videos, as well as interviews with hundreds of his friends and colleagues, George Michael: A Life is a probing, definitive portrait of a pop legend.
Review:
It seems appropro to post this on Memorial Day as George was such a fighter for not only his music, but for the rights of his fellow artists, and for many of us his music sparks vivid imagery of special moments in our lives. If you've seen any of the bio pics out there, much of the book will be familiar, but there is much to learn. It always amazes me how people with such BIG talent, can often be the loneliest among us, as they can't truly trust those around them, and often build huge inner walls of protection. The tortured soul that could pen such amazing lyrics was filled with self-destruction, and the book makes you wish that you could turn back time and give him the help and support he so so obviously needed. he book reminds us that putting 'stars' on pedestals is harmful for both them and their public, and it should be a mandatory read for all of those looking for fame and fortune,
About the Author:
James Gavin is a writer and music biographer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Time Out New York, and Vanity Fair. He is the author of Deep in a Dream: The Long Night of Chet Baker, Is That All There Is?: The Strange Life of Peggy Lee, and Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne. He lives in New York City.
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