Religion and Ethics Forum
General Category => Literature, Music, Art & Entertainment => Topic started by: Shaker on December 25, 2016, 11:26:40 PM
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Breaking news - said to have passed away peacefully at home in Oxfordshire; no further details as yet:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38432862
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2016 you can just fuck right off.
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ETA: Police say the death is unexplained but there are no suspicious circumstances.
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George Michael rest in peace. gotta have faith....
I know you're asking me to stay
Say please, please, please don't go away
You say I'm giving you the blues
Maybe
You mean every word you say
Can't help but think of yesterday
Before this river
Becomes an ocean
Before the end of Christmas day.
The flow of life George your Oceans end.
The time has come to say goodbye my friend.
Until the time is right and we meet again.
You need faith to know that we may live
again, The music never dies and the
songs of love will keep our souls alive.
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While I wouldn't class myself as a dedicated fan as such, GM was clearly massively talented with an amazing, strong, flexible voice. The various live versions of Praying for Time show it off magnificently:
https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=QAn-RGFtnFE
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Beautiful stuff, Shaker.
A very, very interesting man, so complex.
I saw George Michael a few years back at the Hampton Court Festival. He wasn't performing, he was in the audience (all seated in tiers). He came running up to the stairs to a seat, a few people did a double take; I looked at him a few times but surreptitiously, he didn't notice, was intent on watching the performance.
Nice looking chap, not very tall, quite neat.
So sad to lose such a big talent so young.
2016 sucks.
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Thank you for posting the link, shaker. I have just listened. When my sons were young and had the radio on, when the music used to sound like a lot of noise, George Michael's voice was one that would always stand out and catch my attention.
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His manager has said that GM died in his sleep of heart failure, though how he knows that at this stage is anybody's guess. Thames Valley police say that they won't make further comment until after a post-mortem has been carried out. So who knows.
Either way, what a talent to lose at such a young age :(
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2016 you can just fuck right off.
Although there is sad news for some , 2016 is simply an arbitrary number with no significance in its self.
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Whilst I didn't like his early, Wham-related stuff, he certainly had an amazing voice. Another sad loss.
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Sad
https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/dec/26/george-michael-press-encounters-publicist-tabloids?CMP=share_btn_tw
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Letter from Frank Sinatra to George Michael
http://www.lettersofnote.com/2010/05/come-on-george-loosen-up-swing-man.html
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2016 hasn't finished with us yet!
🙁
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People sharing stories of his generosity
https://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/people-are-sharing-stories-about-how-generous-george-michael?utm_term=.vx2Aw5J6N#.qu3oqdKnV
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I like the story, (Guardian link above), of George giving the journalist a lift home, and he (journalist) hid down the side of the house, and George pressed the door bell, journalist's daughter opened the door, and presumably screamed. What do you want? Not you.
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This from Owen Jones, is, from my perspective pretty spot on:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/26/george-michael-defiant-gay-icon-sex-life-lgbt-rights?CMP=fb_gu
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Thanks, Trent, and I agree.
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This from Owen Jones, is, from my perspective pretty spot on:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/26/george-michael-defiant-gay-icon-sex-life-lgbt-rights?CMP=fb_gu
Without his musical talent no one would have heard of George or his sexuality.
His death and rememberance is about his achievement in the musical world.
Not his sexuality, God knows he was hounded enough by stupid journalist in life for his antics.
No and NO, George like every other star whether musical or other should not be remembered for their sexuality because it was not their sexuality which made them famous or gave them their talent.
To be honest they/you are doing the gay rights movement no favour in posting such things or writing such things. Because frankly like many of my gay friends I believe that if you accept homosexuality as normal then like heterosexuality you don't paint a person by this when their Talents are what made them known.
My gay friends say there will always be bigots while we constantly tell those who are bigots that they are wrong not to believe that being gay is natural. Most people now on both sides of the fence are accepted by friends and family who love them. Why should Fred Bloggs really matter when they can do nothing which affects them?
Sick to death of people jumping on the gay wagon, when George is celebrated for his music and not his sexuality. His sexuality...being gay was not an achievement. If every gay person believes it to be natural then why, why make George Michaels death about his sexuality and not his warmth as a person, artist, composer, and recording artist?
I certainly hope when Cliff Richard casts of his mortal coyle they don't make it about his religion and not his talent as an artist. You can see Frank Sinatra put his talent and his way of life all down to God and blessings. So that is fair enough. But even he saw that George should be grateful for his talent.
TALENT is what made all those men famous NOT their sexualities or their religion.
Yes! I personally believe without God creating them there would be no talent.
But I am aware when remembering them for their talent and achievement we do them a disservice if we make that about sexuality.
So rest in peace George,if they will let you. A great talent, performer and a great voice. He was an all rounder.
That is what people will miss. It is all about George and his musical talents coming to an end and his legacy he has left.
Nothing more and nothing less. Let us keep this about George and what he achieved in his life.
Not a stage for bigots and gay rights to have their say.
I understand where you are coming from Trent, but this is NOT the place for it.
This is the place to remember George for his talent and achievement in the music world not his sexuality. For his sexuality was not an achievement. We all have a sexuality. It isn't a talent.
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Whoosh - straight over your head as usual.
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Whoosh - straight over your head as usual.
I am sorry you feel that way, (((Trent)))
But George was more than his sexuality. He was first and foremost a recording artist who wrote some amazingly good songs. I am sad he is gone and I know he will be sadly missed by many.
But if that was my Son, I would prefer people remembered him for what he achieved and how he lived his life.
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I am sorry you feel that way, (((Trent)))
But George was more than his sexuality. He was first and foremost a recording artist who wrote some amazingly good songs. I am sad he is gone and I know he will be sadly missed by many.
But if that was my Son, I would prefer people remembered him for what he achieved and how he lived his life.
I never said he wasn't more than his sexuality. Neither did the author of the piece I posted a link to. What he was saying was that there shouldn't be an avoidance or ignoring of the fact that George was gay. It was his sexuality that gave his particular brand of song writing much of its potency.
If you doubt that listen to 'Jesus to a Child' about his lover who died of Aids. His sexuality more than any other recent songwriter I can think of (with the possible exception of Freddie Mercury) informed and imbued his work with a particular accent - and that accent whether you like it or not was gay.
Anyway I leave you with this:
You take the grey skies out of my way
You make the sun shine brighter than Doris Day
If that wasn't the biggest gay wink in pop music in the 80's I don't know what was.
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I am watching George Michael's 2012 concert at the Palais Garnier Opera House in Paris, with other footage and commentary by him. It's lovely.
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I never said he wasn't more than his sexuality. Neither did the author of the piece I posted a link to. What he was saying was that there shouldn't be an avoidance or ignoring of the fact that George was gay. It was his sexuality that gave his particular brand of song writing much of its potency.
If you doubt that listen to 'Jesus to a Child' about his lover who died of Aids. His sexuality more than any other recent songwriter I can think of (with the possible exception of Freddie Mercury) informed and imbued his work with a particular accent - and that accent whether you like it or not was gay.
Anyway I leave you with this:
You take the grey skies out of my way
You make the sun shine brighter than Doris Day
If that wasn't the biggest gay wink in pop music in the 80's I don't know what was.
At that point he was still letting the world believe he was heterosexual.
I think it was 1998 when he first came out to the world he was gay. He was 27 before he had a gay relationship. So perhaps uncertain at that stage.
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Almost certainly not uncertain. Just guarded, which so many of us needed to be thanks to attitudes at that time.
Guarded, Sass because some people have nothing better to hate. You know you could hate poverty, or child abuse, or war, or injustice or female mutilation, or Celine Dion; but no, two guys getting it on brings on an attack of the vapours and the need to assert one's masculinity in no uncertain terms by beating some poor gay guy or woman up. So we were guarded.
For the record it would appear that young George knew exactly what he was much earlier than is widely known:
http://www.petertatchellfoundation.org/george-michael-my-personal-recollections-of-his-life/
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Indeed, he said as much in the programme I watched last night, it is also well recorded (you only have to google George Michael), how conflicted he was, wanting to do the right thing, but didn't want to worry parents. That is quite normal and was quite usual in days gone by.
I enjoyed watching him in concert last night and thought he was a really goo, quite polished performer who captured a mood or 'feeling' extremely well. I could empathise with the content of some of the songs he sang.
Nothing to do with being gay - unless you are gay in which case it will hit home in a different way to how it hit me.
George will be remembered first and foremost for his music but he was a gay man, someone who had a struggle, extremely complex, kind, so the empathy will be strong with many of us and I don't think Mr Michael will mind that one bit.
Bless his heart, he was such a talent and so engaging, long may he be remembered for all aspects of his persona.