George Michael

A Life

By: James Gavin

Narrated by: Paul Bellantoni

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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 James Gavin (P)2022 Tantor

Well researched

Ultimately a sad story about one of pop music's most gifted singers. Sad he was exploited and taken advantage of. Shows we all seek genuine connection.

A Modern Elvis

This was a rare trifecta - fascinating subject material, superb storytelling, and engrossing narration. One of my all-time favorite artists gets the treatment he deserves.

heartbreaking

I learned things i never knew about this man with the voice of an angel

Amazingly written and performed!

Terrific book/performance that does George Michael’s complex life and legacy proud. 10/10 recommend.

Disappointed in the author

The author’s opinion and many blatant prejudices take over this book. I was hoping for a well researched account without constant opinions. I’m not even halfway through and find the constant judgment absolutely exhausting.