BEST KEPT FOR LATER

CONDENSED FROM A CHAPTER IN MY BOOK ABOUT WHAM! GOING TO CHINA - 'I'M COMING TO TAKE YOU TO LUNCH', PUBLISHED BY UNBOUND

It was great seeing George Michael inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame over the weekend. He would have loved it. Especially with Andrew doing the inducting.

But George didn’t always enjoy awards ceremonies. Sometimes, when you’re all primed up to get one and you don’t, it can be soul destroying. A case in point being the American Music Awards in January, 1986.

We all arrived in LA the night before – well, actually we didn’t. Andrew got up late and missed the plane, so there was just George, plus me and Jazz Summers, his two managers. We’d all been on our New Year’s holidays – me in Thailand, Jazz in Spain, George in Australia.

Wham! had nominations for two categories but the only one George cared about was Favourite Single. He’d refused to come unless we could guarantee he’d win it. We couldn’t, because it was down to a public vote. But before he’d got on the plane we’d asked the organisers to check the votes and he was in the lead.

‘I’d better bloody win this or you’ll have screwed-up my holiday for nothing,’ he said when he arrived.  

‘Don’t worry,’ Jazz said confidently. ‘You’ll get it.’

I wasn’t so sure. The American Music Awards weren’t like the Grammys; they weren’t influenced by behind-the-scenes pressure or lobbying by the management, they were voted for by the public and the voting went down to the line. Nobody would know the winner until the last minute.

The following afternoon as we set off in the limo George was in a good mood. At the theatre, as he stepped out, he was besieged by photographers and TV crews. But only until Whitney Houston arrived, sliding out of the next car in a silver-lamé top slashed to the waist. She was with Clive Davis, the head of Arista Records, and a few seconds later Jazz bumped into them in the lobby.

‘I’ve got a proposition for you,’ Clive told him. ‘I want George to record a duet with Whitney. They’d be magic together and I’d guarantee you a Number One. Do you think he’d do it?’

Jazz was certain he would but immediately had a better idea – something more prestigious, more impressive, classier, and less pop – a duet with Aretha Franklin (another of Clive’s artists). But with Whitney standing in front of him this wasn’t the time to suggest it. He told Clive, ‘I’m sure he’d like to. I’ll ask him and get back to you.’

Because in the USA ‘Careless Whisper’ had gone out as Wham!, the American Music Awards’ organisers had wanted both George and Andrew to be there, but really this was George’s thing. In the UK it had been a solo record and it was George’s pièce de résistance. In fact, because Andrew was such an unselfish person, I rather suspected he’d missed the flight on purpose to allow George to savour the moment for himself.

He sat at the end of a row where he could easily move to the stage when needed. As the awards were announced he looked a picture of enthusiasm, applauding each winner – Bruce Springsteen, Favourite Male Artist - Tina Turner, Favourite Female Artist - Chicago, Favourite Group.

When the moment for Favourite Pop Single arrived he became tense. His hands were clenched on his lap but I could sense the huge smile he was holding inside, ready to burst out when his name was announced. And then it came ...

‘Huey Lewis and the News.’

Watching George’s face you’d have hardly known he cared. I saw only the briefest flicker of pain. And as Huey Lewis passed him to collect the award George beamed congratulations straight into his face.

George had wanted that award more than anything else. He’d flown from Australia especially for it, yet he was managing to look cool and unhurt as someone else went up on stage to collect it.

Next came Favourite Male Video, Bruce Springsteen - then Favourite Female Video, Pat Benatar. Now it was time for Wham!’s second nomination, the 2^nd chance of an award.

‘Favourite Pop Video. And the winner is ...’

George looked less on edge than previously. Perhaps despair had already set in. Maybe he was already resigned to winning nothing - preparing to live with humiliation.

‘Wham! – for “Careless Whisper”.’

They’d got it. Or rather George had (for Andrew wasn’t even featured in the video). But the smile which burst on his lips wasn’t the full release of emotion he’d been preparing for the Favourite Single. It was a smile of relief – relief that he hadn’t completely lost face.

He went up alone, played it cool, beamed broadly, said very little and appeared genuinely overwhelmed. But I knew when he’d missed out on the Favourite Single it had hurt him badly. And with the show only halfway through, there was still another hour to endure, sitting under the cameras, applauding and smiling.

When it finally finished Jazz and I moved out of the auditorium to stand beside George in the queue of stars waiting for their limos. Jazz saw Clive Davis standing alone and went across.

‘How about ...’ Jazz suggested, ‘not Whitney, but Aretha? It would make it so much more credible.’

Clive loved it. ‘Brilliant! I’ll fix it.’

A few seconds later Jazz was back with us, whispering the news to me, bursting to tell George.

Our limo came and George walked down the red carpet. The crowds screamed but when he reached the car he didn’t pose for the photographers like other artists, just stepped straight inside. Jazz and I followed and slammed the doors.

As we pulled away, cushioned in soft upholstery, the air- conditioning hissing coolly, I told George, ‘Pretty good, wasn’t it? Two nominations, one award.’

He didn’t answer.

I went on. ‘Jazz and I are going back to the after-show party. We’ll just come a short way with you first.’

Then George exploded. ‘I was humiliated,’ he snapped, his face thundercloud grey.

Jazz asked, ‘How could you be humiliated when you won an award?’

George’s eyes spat needles. ‘Because Huey Lewis got Favourite Single! Don’t you understand? Favourite Video means nothing. People think it’s down to the director, not the artist. You were meant to get me Favourite Single. You didn’t do your job properly, man. You fucked up!’

The news about Aretha seemed best kept for later.

CLICK SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE YOUR EMAIL. IT’S FREE. A PIECE A WEEK