George Michael
Q Magazine UK|March 2017

George Michael died at home on Christmas morning and the world gasped. Everyone has a favourite song written by him, either with Wham! or as an all-conquering solo artist. Adrian Deevoy remembers the highly intelligent, emotionally deep and hilarious man he interviewed several times in his pomp.

Adrian Deevoy
George Michael

The solitary sympathy card on the mantelpiece dominated the front room, just as the death of his boyfriend had come to overshadow George Michael’s life.

He had recently recorded Older, his dark masterpiece, and several of the songs, most poignantly Jesus To A Child and You Have Been Loved, addressed the passing of Anselmo Feleppa, his first great love.

“It was the most enlightening experience I’ve ever had,” George Michael marvelled, setting down two mugs of tea on his kitchen counter, thoughtfully sharing some taramasalata on toast.

“The minute someone you really love is irretrievably lost you understand life in a different way, your perspective changes. You understand how short life is, how incredibly painful it can be. But once you’ve seen the worst of things, then you can see the best of things.”

He was in a surprisingly positive mood. It was our third long and winding interview at his London home, since he’d put the shuttlecocked high jinks of Wham! behind him and become a serious, chin-stroking solo artist.

In keeping with the obsessive detail he applied to all aspects of his career, he would grant exclusive interviews to announce that he would no longer be granting interviews. And, for such lofty pronouncements throughout the busy ’90s, I was his man. 

He loved to chat. For a reclusive fellow, given to intense bouts of introspection and an almost Rastafarian fondness for marijuana, he could talk the balls off a buffalo.

This story is from the March 2017 edition of Q Magazine UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the March 2017 edition of Q Magazine UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM Q MAGAZINE UKView All
Fight the Power
Q Magazine UK

Fight the Power

After organising last month’s anti-inaugural ball in los angeles, rage against the machine’s Tom Morello says the music world’s battle against the trump presidency has only just begun…

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2017
Do You Remember the First Time?
Q Magazine UK

Do You Remember the First Time?

So, what are the greatest debut albums of all time…

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2017
The Kick Inside
Q Magazine UK

The Kick Inside

She may have been a teenager, but Kate Bush's amazing 1978 debut was years in the dreaming.

time-read
8 mins  |
April 2017
Urban Renewal
Q Magazine UK

Urban Renewal

Guitarist Nick Mccabe And Photographer Chris Floyd Revisit The Verve’s 1997 Masterpiece. 

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2017
Girl Ray
Q Magazine UK

Girl Ray

Teenage Love Can Be an Awkward Affair. Prepare to Fall for the Trio Who Spin It Into Wry, Indie-pop Gold. 

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2017
New To Q Mary Epworth
Q Magazine UK

New To Q Mary Epworth

Join the Nature-loving Cosmonaut on a Trip to the Weird Side… 

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2017
George Michael
Q Magazine UK

George Michael

George Michael died at home on Christmas morning and the world gasped. Everyone has a favourite song written by him, either with Wham! or as an all-conquering solo artist. Adrian Deevoy remembers the highly intelligent, emotionally deep and hilarious man he interviewed several times in his pomp.

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2017
Happy Together
Q Magazine UK

Happy Together

There was a brief moment between The xx’s second LP and the recording of their new third LP, when – for the first time since they were kids – the three best friends in the band didn’t see each other. It drove them crazy. But it also made them realise how much they need each other, how much they are each other. Dorian Lynskey delves deep into The xx Files.

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2017
Where Are You Right Now? Jehnny Beth
Q Magazine UK

Where Are You Right Now? Jehnny Beth

The Savages Singer Isn’t A Fan Of Wobbly Puddings Or Northampton, But She Is Really Good At Doing The Washing. 

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2017
Liam Gallagher: The Big Payback
Q Magazine UK

Liam Gallagher: The Big Payback

As His Solo LP Reaches Completion, The Time for Talking Is Nearly Done. Nearly...

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2017