In the 1980s, two boys from a London suburb dominated the world with outrageously catchy pop songs like "Careless Whisper" and "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go." Wham! was the brainchild of Andrew Ridgeley and Georgios Panayiotou (known to Andrew as Yog and to the rest of us as the late George Michael). Best friends since high school, they shared a passion for music that evolved from wearing out records by Elton John and Led Zeppelin into a yearning to craft hits of their own.
The stakes were high for the sons of immigrant fathers (Andrew's from Egypt and George's from Cyprus), for whom a steady job meant far more than silly ambitions of fame. But with a bit of cajoling and several second chances, an outgoing young Andrew convinced a shy, strait-laced George to pursue music. And thank goodness! Their early setbacks only served to push them further along, and the duo formed a bond that set the foundation for their decades-long friendship as well as their explosion into fame.
Ridgeley narrates his memoir, Wham! George Michael & Me, with such heart and generosity, it's nearly impossible to emerge on the other side without a few tear-stained pages. Even through moments of frustration, like when songwriting shifted fully onto George and set him on a path to solo superstardom, Ridgeley brushes aside any hint of bitterness. Instead, he marvels with sincerity at his friend's prodigious talent. This book is more than simply the history for one of the most powerful forces in pop music; it is a dazzling portrait of a friendship weathering the unpredictable nature of fame. --Dave Wheeler, associate editor, Shelf Awareness