Bare: George Michael, His Own Story

by George Michael, Tony Parsons

George Michael comes forward and shares his story for us to read.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography

Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

George Michael (Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou) was an English singer, songwriter, and record producer, who rose to fame as a member of the music duo Wham!. He was best known in the 1980s and 1990s with best-selling songs such as Last Christmas, Careless Whisper, I Want Your Sex, Faith and Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. Michael sold more than 100 million records worldwide and won numerous awards including three American Music Awards, and two Grammy Awards from eight nominations.


Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Skylarr Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I have ever read.

[Erica Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Michael is very clever - and I would like him to be my friend. That is all.

[Gabriella · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read if you are a George Michael fan. It would be nice if there were an updated version of this book, as there would be so much to say on even just the evolution of his music over the years since this particular book was put out. I miss him and his music.

One thing that was a bit silly was the number of times per chapter where hairy, bearded, hirsute, and synonyms for any of the above were used. Truly, this book was the most times I've seen the word hirsute used in one place. 😄

[Chanel · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I have been fascinated with this unique, talented, charitable, handsome artist since I was 11 years old, I only knew him through his 1988 smash album, "Faith." After receiving a few R & B awards, some communities were not pleased with his cross-over appeal. Finally, with a lawsuit with his record company, George Michael's soulfulness disappeared from my radio station by 1991. I honestly did not know what had happened to him. However, I am an adult now, and I have had the pleasure to reconnect with his music and discover him as a person.

We are all complex individuals, and he was no different. This book discusses the Wham! era, "Faith" and the beginnings of the "Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1" album. Additionally, he and others explore his relationships with his family, friends, and the music industry in the book. It concludes before the infamous incident in 1998 and the public declaration of his gender preference.

This is a must-read for fans, and I truly enjoyed it. I hope that he is resting in peace.

[koylos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me admire him and love him even more.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've loved George Michael and his great singing and song writing talents since he first appeared in Wham! and I followed his career until he sadly died in Dec 2016. This is a great book to show you what was going on in his life from before he became part of Wham in the 80's and goes through his life and thoughts until the early 90's when it was published. There is a lot of first hand dialogue from George which is what I loved reading the most. If you are a true George Michael fan than definitely read this book, you won't be disappointed. RIP George <3

[Tracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is out of print and only available on eBay and used book sites for way too much $$. I thought I would never get to read it but then a friend “lent” it to me. The photos alone are worth the read. It’s one of those biography/autobiography stories, almost like you’re reading a Rolling Stone piece. A lot of people in his life contributed/were interviewed. It felt like a you really got to know some of the personal and a lot of the professional parts of his life. If you’re a fan you will enjoy every page.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish he would write another, considering how much has happened since this one.

[Brenda Moore]

At the end of the book George still wasn't gay. I need to find a more recent bio.

[HoneyDiana613 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh what I’d give for a more updated autobiography of this man’s life. But that’s not possible so I read this book keeping in mind that George was in a sensible position regarding his sexuality.

The book was honest and funny and it taught me so much more about the music industry in the 80’s and about UK culture than I ever imagined!

This man was truly so damn intelligent, you can tell from his witty humor and insight about the world and his honesty about his own faults and low moments. I truly hold this book very close to my heart and it makes me so sad that we don’t have a reprint in circulation. I had to search for it in the digital archive.

Bonus points for the captions on each picture and special thanks to his acknowledgement that his haircut was the same as that of Princess Diana. It made my day! :)

[MonyKanchna Kunvuth · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the most disappointing autobiographies. Most interesting and significant details are kept out. I fail to understand why he was so honest about alcoholism and drug use and never once mentioned his relationships with men. It's not like he never talked about those things in public, there were interviews and documentaries to prove.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure why but I found this an incredibly difficult read. I love George Michael, but something about this book dragged

[Bernadette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Kim Innes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about George life

[Sara ✯ · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan I loved it but hirsute, hairy, and bearded was used a lot.