My favorite artist of all time has been George Michael, and will always continue to be. I love him because of the beautiful music he wrote and his ability to touch the listener. His songwriting was exceptional and his voice was like velvet. No one will ever, ever know the trials and tribulations, and how it felt except for George, but maybe the closest people to him. He maintained dear, lifelong friends, since he was a child. He was godfather to several of his closest friends children . If George was such a troubled, chaotic person, I am sure these people would’ve removed themselves long ago. His friends all said what a wonderful, kind, most loving human being he was. Maybe from time to time he wasn’t good to himself for whatever reasons. Bereavement, his sexuality, his struggles with the music industry and the media. The media was relentless towards him, and portrayed themselves as knowing everything about George, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I choose to listen to what the closest of his friends said, about the man and want to think of him as not a flawless person, but a massively, talented human being with issues along the way. Can you imagine if we had cameras on us all the time? We would all be made to look like troubled lunatics. George had an uphill battle with the media and how they portrayed him. I’m certainly not saying he didn’t have incidences throughout his life, but nothing, absolutely nothing that he did should’ve ever caused the media to portray him in such a horrible way. Fortunately, I know George maintains a massive fan base that still enjoys his music today. He has truly left us a gift of a lifetime.

It’s so annoying that Gavin is saying that George was afraid to come out. George in an interview clearly said that all of the people around him were aware he was gay because he told them. Actually he told his 2 closest friends, which were Andrew and Shirley back in the very early 80s . He didn’t feel like it was the medias business or the publics business, which was his right. He wasn’t afraid of that, he just didn’t want to announce it, and why should he? The incident in the public bathroom, although it was very poor judgment on George’s behalf was clearly entrapment. A SWAT team pouncing on him outside of the bathroom tells it all. Swat Teams are just walking around waiting for an incident! It’s ludicrous!!! By the way to George’s fans, that did not ruin his career whatsoever. His talent was much bigger than that incident.

Love George hard to believe he's gone😮

He couldn’t come to terms with Sony because he couldn’t get over the fact that they called him an absolutely disgusting name because he was gay . He no longer wanted to work with people who felt like this about him, and who would fail to promote his music. America become a place where he no longer wanted to be, so he backed himself out which obviously cut out a huge part of the market, but that was his decision. Where are bits about George being a massive talent, about his songwriting skills, about his impeccable production skills? He wrote all his music in his head, and never wrote it down until he went into the studio to record. What about the relationships with his backup singers that lasted 30 years plus and what about that beautiful impeccable music he left his fans and the fact that his group was the first Western group to perform in communist China, and what about him being the first pop artist to be invited to perform at the Palais Garnier in Paris, one of if not the most prestigious opera house in the world. First and foremost about the generosity, which was barely mentioned. I was really hoping that this interview would highlight this man’s talent and touch on some of the struggles equally! After all that is what makes up a person. It’s almost as if the struggles are only the things that George was about, and that is clearly not true. By the way, the Older album was massively successful, and from what I understand to date has six singles released that went into the top three, which is either still the record or right up there. It’s really arrogant to think that the US market is the only one that counts. Just because it didn’t have the massive success as Faith did, doesn’t take away from this 6x platinum album . Although it was several years in between music released, George maintained his popularity and success, not only in his home country, but in the rest of the world.

Great 👍🏻 interview thank you, will certainly get the book about time a decent book written about wonderful George

I love you George❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

I love your style of interviewing your guests. George Michael's life was so tragic. Self hatred is difficult to deal with. I hope he is resting in peace now.😢

This interview is one of the rare occasions where all persons, the interviewer, the interviewed, and the person in focus, contributed to the better world. It feels so warm, important, and classy. The man who wrote Jesus to a child deserved nothing less. True loving empathy and a bow.

James is such a great writer and great guy. I exchanged a few emails with him when he was writing his great book on Lena Horne😊 He is respected but I definitely think he is underrated as a writer ❤

Bless George. Hated he struggled. Loved his music.

thank you for the interview, also thank you to James Gavin whom I can only congratulate from far as I did not read the book...Though, I never studied psychiatry, I notice or now suppose GMichael, unfortunately, had reached a very high level of depression, even if it did not lead him to resort to a direct, rapid form of suicide. To my mind, he well committed suicide, perhaps like every drug addicted person...? When all is said and done, being talented, especially that talented, is not such a gift, in fact...! Even for a God believer, as he was. This did not even help..ok, I exgereate : among other factors it may have helped, otherwise he could have died even younger...

@harveybrownstone, another great interview Harvey!! 👏 😁

I think your facts are ascu, George first and foremost was a fabulous singer, songwriter, producer, and generally wonderful human being. If at anytime you took a moment to realize what a great artist George was. I cannot believe George agreed with your book. He was a human being, with chaos and turmoil daily, like most other people do. Just because George was gay, no one cared. Really, except for people like yourself, newspapers, and reporters. Who wanted to make money from him. He was sensitive and caring, he loved deeply Alselmo, his mom. Is it a crime to love and care deeply. If you could only be a quarter of the man George was, you should be grateful. Leave the man alone he's deceased and can't defend himself.

George wanted out of the Sony contract because they insulted him over George's unwillingness to promote his Freedom album and be himself in the video.

I was lucky enough to see wham, in a small hall. George was a great musician, but seemed to doubt his abilities.

He came out when Anselmo died. his sadness was caused by this death this loss of a man he was in love with. Americans do not know George. He would of come out sooner but did not wont to worry his Mother because of AIDS do your damn homework.

oh please sex was given credence in the 60s the 70s it was rife freedom lol your talking USA not here in the UK.

You are 66 years old!! You look 20 years younger!

Agree Elton was jealous of George. George had male lovers walked in the street with them holding hands he just never told the press, but they all new

Lady GaGa controlled her fame by releasing a record her fans could not understand.

My English is not enough to understand all interview.. What a pity!..The transcript can help me to translate with Google... But my English is enough to say: "THE MAGNIFICENT LEGEND GEORGE MICHAEL THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING 🎶🍃🌹🍃🎵 REST IN PEACE 🕊⛅ From Türkiye..

What a load of bull he's never even met George and his father Jack took a while but excepted it ,George was out to the most important people in his life that was family and friend's

Hmm...i am a huge George Michael fan!...but I don't like biographies written by someone that never even met the person they wrote about!😢 this book was a bit salacious and gossipy, sorry😢