Wham! documentary review: A fun watch for fans of the 80s pop duo

The story of Andrew Ridgeley and Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou aka George Michael’s short-lived but extremely successful band, as told by them

George Michael and Andrew Rigdeley had a successful but short-lived stint as pop duo Wham!

Wham!

Story: When 11-year-old Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou joined the Bushey Meads High School in Hertfordshire, 12-year-old Andrew Ridgeley jumped at the opportunity to take care of the newbie. A friendship blossomed and through their shared love of music, began writing and recording songs. Their first break didn’t come by easily, but once it did, the two youngsters went on to become one of the most-loved bands of the time, Wham! and producing gems like Wake Me Up Before You Go Go and Last Christmas, before disbanding only four years to let George Michael take off on a solo journey.

Review: If you’ve grown up in the 80s, chances are that you will remember Wham! with a certain fondness. Two young boys, prancing around in shorts and having a jolly good time, while also making some unforgettable music – that was Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael. As the lead singer and more prolific songwriter, George was the one in the spotlight, although Andrew was just as integral to Wham! Andrew was okay with this ‘power’ dynamic of the band as seen by the outside world, because there was never any animosity between him and George. As far as Andrew and George were concerned, they were too great friends set on becoming a music phenomenon and when they got to that goal, they bid adieu to the band, so that the latter could then pursue a solo career.

Netflix’s nearly feature length documentary about the pop sensation Wham! is almost entirely put together from archived audio and video footage of interviews and behind-the-scenes moments with Andrew and George and that is what makes it a must-watch for fans of the band, even though it offers precious little by way of new information. From the duo’s demos for hits like Wham! Rap, Club Tropicana and Careless Whispers being rejected by recording studios, to their eventual performance on Top of the Pops, after an artiste dropped out in the last minute, which literally put them in the path of stardom, the documentary explores the rise of Wham! and why they decided to call it quits. It also briefly touches upon George’s personal struggles with having to hide his sexuality – as a closeted gay man, who’d come out only to his best friend Andrew – while being celebrated as a pin-up sensation that women adored.

Although Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, Careless Whispers and Last Christmas always have me singing along and tapping my feet, I’ve followed George’s solo career more keenly, with songs like Faith, Father Figure, Jesus to a child and Fastlove, as well as his collaborations with artistes like Whitney Houston (If I told you that), Elton John (Don’t let the sun go down on me), among my personal favourites. So, hearing him and Andrew talk about their early days, watching them on stage, the backstory to the video shoot of Last Christmas and their China tour, all came us surprising nuggets of information that I thoroughly enjoyed watching.

Verdict: A must-watch for anyone who at some point has gone weak in the knees just looking into George’s eyes or listening to his glorious voice!

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