Categoria: News

Hello everyone, “Lovelies” everywhere… 30 years ago today 25th June 1988…

A few of you, who were there in Birmingham (England) will remember Yog’s Faith Tour concert at The N.E.C, as we do with great fondness.

A special guest appearance on the night from the mighty Mr Ridgeley – sporting moustache and goatee if I remember correctly… for a bouncy rendition of Wham’s ‘I’m your man’ – reliving for a moment, those crazy early days together… full of shared joy and amazing humour.

For Yog & Andrew, it was a fantastic time in their lives… and by taking their fans as well as their good friends along for the ride, they had wonderful youthful joyful times to look back on… great memories for us all.

We remember that night, just before Yog sang ‘Faith’, our friends and family took cupcakes on stage and the whole place sang Happy Birthday to him….

We’ve been reflecting on those 30 years, between then and now (and like all of us, most of it was fine, some of it, not so much) we think he would want you to remember that, for him, there were some fulfilling career highs that many artists never experience in a lifetime, being able to make and share his music and above all connect with the people that ‘got him’ brought him great joy.

Like all artists who are masters of their craft, part of that ‘giving’ you never get back, especially if you share those parts of yourself that really mean something….

Although our sorrow still sometimes overwhelms us, only we know how much of his time was spent doing what he truly loved, surrounded by friends and family, and a team who adored him, and how much satisfaction it brought him, that he could share it with so many of you who appreciate and love him (ignoring those who choose to misrepresent him and profit from his talent).

We remember his words, uttered at the end of his last show at Earls Court, sitting on the perspex steps of the stage at the end of his 25 Live concert, at the very end of 2 years of shows around the world… talking to his fans about all those  25 years….
“It’s been an amazing, amazing ride but there have been so many moments when the compromises have seemed too much…but I have just spent the last 2 years working out that every bit of aggro was worth it for this, I thank you for that, I really do….”

So do we.

Happy Birthday Yog…We’ll turn your music up today knowing you’re smiling down, feeling all our love and laughing at our dancing!

Melanie, Yioda, Jack & David x

Source: georgemichael.com

by Andre Paine

The director’s cut of the Freedom: George Michael documentary is set to be screened at international film festivals.
The widely praised feature-length film first aired on Channel 4 in October 2017 to coincide with the reissue of Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1. Sony Music Commercial Group won for Catalogue Marketing Campaign at the Music Week Awards last week in recognition of their No.1 success with the reissue.
Pre-production, research and assembly of the film started in late 2014 with filming commencing January 2016. The original version was completed prior to Michael’s sudden death in late 2016 and subsequently edited for a TV special on Channel 4 in the UK.
Directed by George Michael and David Austin, Freedom: George Michael Director’s Cut tells the story of the making of Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1, as well as the court case which followed. It features a cast of contributors including Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Liam Gallagher, Tony Bennett, Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson, Mary J Blige, Kate Moss, Tracey Emin, Ricky Gervais and James Corden.
Freedom: George Michael Director’s Cut will be screened at film festivals around the world, starting with Documentary Edge Film festival in New Zealand (May 13) and Krakow Film Festival (May 29). Further screening dates are still to be announced.

Source: MusicWeek

Hello everyone, & the lovely ‘Lovelies’,
Firstly, thank you for your sweet messages about Abby, she will be much missed but it is helping us all, imagining she has joined forces with Meggy, Mo, and Hippy up in the clouds….
Our Family feel, that the time has now come to share some decisions we have taken around our new reality, and situation since we lost Yog. That means we have had to come to decisions about many issues, some of which are more sensitive than others.
All of these decisions have been difficult but, they do need to be taken, ultimately keeping all things and all people in mind. One we have thought long and hard about, are the tributes at Highgate and Goring-on-Thames.
We’ve been touched by your many tributes celebrating and remembering Yog, reminding us how very much he is missed and loved. However, we feel we cannot expect our Highgate and Goring neighbours to continue to accept as normality, the memorials so personal to you all, to remain as and where they are any longer although, we do appreciate your recent efforts to minimise their impact.
However, this is what we feel we now need to do.
We would like to ask anyone that wants to, to come and collect your tributes to Yog, between the 1stMay (Tues) and the weekend of the 26th/27th of May, (Leaving any you wish us to have) so we can return both Mill Cottage, and The Grove to their former simple state.
This will take time to do properly, so we ask for your patience whilst trying to improve the grass and railings, at The Grove.
Yog liked his privacy, his homes were true havens for him (-such a Cancerian!) and, ultimately, long term, we know he would not want to disturb or change the quiet neighbourhoods he so loved, for the people in the local area, who honestly , despite reports otherwise have been gracious and very understanding.
As many people have now discovered, Yog did a lot of quiet giving over many years. Perhaps in his memory, you may want to ‘pay it forward’ and support, through either volunteering, or by way of donation, one of his favourite charities which, so many of you have already done to fantastic effect, or maybe some ‘random acts of kindness’ would be a fitting tribute. Sometimes it’s those little thoughtful things, which feel so good to do, that can really make someone’s day.
We like, whenever we are charged with making decisions in Yogs’ name, to think ‘what would Yog do’, and the family will continue to take decisions as we think he would have done.
We are hoping, into the future, to get back to you with some more thoughts on ways and ideas to remember Yog that we hope you’ll like, and be a part of.
Thank you all for your understanding,
Take care,
Mel, Yioda, Jack & David