Heaven Knows We Sure Had Some Fun Boy ~ In Memoriam George Michael

It was the beginning of July in West Belfast,  2001. My fellow interns had set me up on a surprise date with a local waiter - who turned out to be going to law school. That night had been particularly violent in North Belfast getting a ride out of West Belfast wasn't going to happen until early in the morning. It was over homemade spaghetti carbonara that he asked if I had heard George Michael's song with Mary J Blige, As. There I was on a date, in a stranger's house listening to this beautiful song and outside there was pandemonium. George always had his way of leaving an impression on my life.

George Michael was introduced to me, of course as for many, through Wham. Who didn't love the catchy beats of  Wake Me Up (and those shorts in the video) or the infamous saxophone on Careless Whisper. It would be Faith of course that impacted me forever. While at 10, I didn't know what any of those songs were about, George was cute and those songs were like nothing I had heard before. The grooves on that album are worn more than any other I have. 

I went through some typical identity issues growing up and Listen Without Prejudice and Older became my therapists. Notwithstanding, the video for Freedom combined my love of supermodels and George. Songs like They Won't Go When I Go and Cowboys and Angels were nothing compared to the songs on Faith. I was growing as his songs were. His career was marred by loss, poor decisions, and health issues.While his celebrity did fade, no one can take away what talent he gave to an entire MTV generation. And as days passed, the genuine, giving, and selfless George Michael is rrevealed. The man lived to love and give.

The summer of 1992 is marked by the video for Too Funky. More models but with the line from The Graduate: Would you like me to seduce you? It became my line for the summer. And again, I was the quirky one quoting things way outside of my age group.

George Michael's loss at only 53 extinguishes a voice that so many recognize as a part of their youth. Faith remains one of my favorite albums, at the ready for the turntable when stress strikes or I want to reminisce of days of young. 

You put your tears behind you
Better get yourself where you wanna be
I think of all the days and nights I spent crying
Before my angel set me free

 

Ain't No Sense In All Your Crying - Michael Hutchence

 

But you tore a hole in space
Like a dark star, falls from grace
You burn across the sky
And I would find you wings to fly
And I would catch you
I would catch your fall

1997 was a rough year for celebrity ... Jeff Buckley, Princess Diana, and our shining star, Michael Hutchence. Almost twenty-five years on, we still awe at his wonder and talent. We were sad by his early and public demise. His daughter, Tigerlilly, has grown into a philanthropic young woman that he would be so proud of. The band, while still popular in memory, is struggling to have life after Hutch. He was more than the glue that kept the band together. He amplified the members of the band, bringing out their best with his charisma and charm. 

Much is being done to remember Michael properly, aside from tabloids and docu-dramas. His fans want to learn about the man and musician. His family wants people to remember the man they loved. It is safe to say that Michael is still miss so very dearly and that his legend grows as the years pass.

November still 22nd hangs in my heart so heavy - the day Michael's smile faded into obscurity and his legend tarnished with the actions of his final years. But still, we grieve, we mourn, and we celebrate the caramel rock god of our adolescence.

It's been 25 years since INXS lost their magnetic north. INXS exists now only in our memories...and what glorious memories they are.

Fancy dinner parties, ballerinas on the Charles Bridge, red desert sunsets, beautiful blondes, brunettes, Mad Max underworlds, and motorcycles in Hong Kong painted the video world of INXS. Live Baby Live gave us the Michael we all know. He enthralled the 74,000 fans in attendance at Wembley, making us sway back and forth like high school lovers when we heard the first notes of Never Tear Us Apart and The Stairs. He was a musician, actor, son, brother, friend, and father. What he gave to us and to his fellow band mates are incredible memories cemented forever in some of the best times of our lives. 

Again, I must thank my flat mates in Sydney for taking that very hot trek to see Michael's memorial. Who knew how many cemeteries there were in suburban Sydney. It was a nod to my past and the musical memories he gave me. I had to thank the man I crushed on for years. It was hard to think how quickly his bright star could quickly be diminished. And thank you Bono for the moment under the Brooklyn Bridge, hugging on November 22, 2004 in memory of your friend. 

In our hearts, he lives on as the charismatic lead singer. In our memories, he is the sad ending of a paparazzi nightmare. In our ears, his voice will be forever golden.  

I Just Want To Be A Guy With A Guitar - Jeff Buckley

I have no advice for anybody; except to, you know, be awake enough to see where you are at any given time, and how that is beautiful, and has poetry inside. Even places you hate ~Jeff Buckley

Jeff would have turned 50 this week and once again we celebrated his life and legacy at Arlene's Grocery. Musician Robert Urban once again brought together stellar performers who all share the same love and passion about Jeff and his talent. With all of the recent passing of legendary performers this year, many of Jeff's influences became an impromptu double celebration of  life and the love of music.

Edwin J. Blas started off the evening with All Flowers in Time as everyone began to trickle in.  Canadian musician fünyboht aka Michael A. Myszkowski gave us stirring versions of Grace's  Eternal Life and Sketches' Sky is a Landfill.

Opened Once, The Way Young Lovers Do came from Spain via Angelo Magni.

A return Tribute performer, Elijah Black performed Jeff's covers from Runaway Train, a stunning Nothing Compares 2 U,  and Border Song. 

The ladies followed with Francesca MacAaron singing Lilac Wine and Lover You Should Have Come Over. More songs from Sketches with Danielle Grabianouwski singing Morning Theft. Tracy Stark began with a Joni Mitchell classic Peoples' Parties and then gave us a chance to sing along with the song that introduced us to Jeff: Hallelujah. 

The man behind the evening, Robert Urban always treats us to covers that Jeff performed at Arlene's or Sin-e. With Bob Dylan's recent Nobel Prize, his  Just like a Woman was a perfect choice for the night, played and sung so perfectly. 

From France, we saw a band you must check out:  This is Chronicles. They were very thankful to be performing not just for an artist they were inspired by, but because one year ago, they all lost friends at the Bataclan in Paris. Before the audience could regain their breath from that statement, they went into a heavy yet soothing  Dream Brother and What Would You Say. They followed with an original, Let Me Disappear.

Tribute veterans Mike Linkens and The Jenny's were again phenomenal. Their delivery of  I Want Someone Badly and Nightmares by the Sea are classic Buckley with heavy chords and the harsh and soft voice yin yang that Jeff perfected. Their performance is always a highlight of the night.

And for his second year, Gary Lucas, Jeff's collaborator and Gods and Monsters founder told personal stories of writing and playing with Jeff. He was joined by the soulful Felice Rosser. Together Mojo Pin and Grace came to life in the venue that Jeff once played. 

 Each year, it amazes me to hear how many people are new to Jeff Buckley. Amazes me how few listened to anything other than Grace. Selfishly, I get jealous when those people do discover him. His voice, angelic and haunting, the rip tide and the gentle ebb, you want all to yourself. He sings to you and no one else. But, selflessly, the world needs a little more Jeff Buckley. 

 Leave your office
Run past your funeral
Leave your home, car
Leave your pulpit
Join us in the streets where we
Join us in the streets where we
Don't belong, don't belong
You and the stars
Throwing light