Choosing to watch and review this may well surprise a few people!
I am well known for loving to discuss and immerse myself in music, and especially that of the 1980s, but Wham! is not a band you would have ever heard me include in those discussions.
I guess that's not strictly true - because from 1983 and 1986 I would probably have frequently said "what the heck is this rubbish?" I wasn't totally immune to populist groups of the day; Duran Duran were great and I could kind of see why people liked Spandau Ballet (well the first few singles anyway) - but Wham!? It's just two pretty boys singing lightweight pop nonsense!?
Well, yes it was all that - but what I have realised more recently, is that there was more to it than that, and this documentary gives a really good overview of what actually happened to George Michael (born George Panayiotou) and Andrew Ridgeley between the mid 70s and the mid 80s. Also, several people I really respect have recently declared that this is well worth a watch, and so I did.....
Directed by Chris Smith (known for his work on Tiger King of all things) and available on Netflix, the documentary charts the lives, friendship and burgeoning pop career of Michael (Yog, as Ridgeley affectionately refers to him) and Ridgeley. There is tonnes of home movie footage of those early pre-fame days, unseen tv footage, with a mix of old interviews, expertly spliced together to provide the running narrative (along with some new interviews with Ridgeley). There is also the contents of around fifty scrapbooks that had been lovingly collated by Mrs Ridgeley Sr, covering the four years of their rise to fame to last gig.
We begin with a young Michael moving to Radlett in Hertfordshire and starting to attend Bushey Meads school in 1975, where he soon befriends the slightly older Ridgeley. United by a love of music and a desire to be successful musicians, the two played in a number of bands, separately and together, before forming Wham! in 1981.
The documentary was timed to mark the fortieth anniversary of debut album, Fantastic, which became a UK number one in 1983. Because they dominated the press so much, a lot of the next three years was a poptastic blur of fame and excess that everyone knows everything about, whether they liked the band or not. You know - screaming teens, talented Michael, talentless and reckless Ridgeley, etc. etc.
Wham!: I'm Your Man - https://youtu.be/6W0d9xMhZbo
Except it wasn't at all like that, it turns out - well, except for the screaming teens, maybe. In reality, it appears that Ridgeley was the real driving force in the early days, slowly becoming eclipsed by Michael's growing songwriting talent, but hardly ever, it seems, annoyed by his relatively diminishing position in the relationship (or the public face of it anyway).
Wham!: Wake Me Up Before You Go Go - https://youtu.be/AVrIXJcxGwU
(|Final gig at Wembley Stadium - not greatest quality)
What comes across quite clearly, above all else, is the quite beautiful love and brotherhood that these two men shared. Ridgeley accepts his backseat position with grace, gives Michael the space and understanding he needs as comes to terms with his sexuality (many years before it was ever public), and in the end seems grateful to draw Wham! to a close and allow Michael his mega solo stardom. We finish with the emotional final gig at Wembley Stadium in June 1986 - a fitting end to a brief but rollercoaster ride.
And while I am not going to sit here and suddenly say that I love Wham! I enjoyed finding out more about what made this pop phenomenon tick - and yes, I will admit they did have a couple of bangers along the way.
Verdict: if you like pop music, this is well worth ninety minutes of your time.
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