>> George Michael, Unique / June 2004
French Artistic Document - Exclusive!
Discover the story of a mysterious and talented artiste ! An unusual document, presented with a selection of photographs. A reflection on celebrity. A personalised investigation into the relationship between an artiste and his fans. A dedication to the admirers of this legendary singer who has seduced more than 80 million people throughout the world with his music. www.fannywalters.com

Interview Author

"There aren't very many works dedicated to George Michael. This book is, above all, a work motivated by passion, a documentary and a hommage."

"There are many artistes whom I admire. I'm very sensitive to their careers, their histories and their fight to remain at the forefront of the music scene. They don't have the same success as in the beginning but what's important is the joy and emotion one experiences on seeing or listening them."

"At the start, I did a lot of iconographic research. I went through thousands of photos, from the most famous to the lesser known ones. Some photographs had never even been published. This made me realise that George Michael is an extremely discreet person."

"Some of the photographs were already known to the public, while others were selected through a more natural process, to give a certain freedom to the book."

"I like the first photograph a lot, it represents "fame" in all its splendour in the flashlights and George's expression is so singular. This photo introduces perfectly extracts from the Michael Parkinson show in 1998. The painting of a sleeping woman by 17th century painter, Lord Frederick Leighton, the visual for the single Waltz Away Dreaming, introduces one of the key chapters of the book. The photo of Lesley (George's mother) is simple and magnificent. I also like the visual of the single Outside. It has an intelligence projected by the artiste (a man who recognises his error). And the photo of Andy and George, Wham!, during the final concert with the audience in the background. The two photographs at the end of the book are also important, they represent freedom (George at St Tropez) and creativity (George the artiste). They express so much feeling and they weren't selected by accident, in the same way that the song or any other extracts were not selected by accident, to embellish the book."

"George Michael is the subject of this work, his management had the right to keep an eye on this project. The various extracts of interviews, facts and the song lyrics perfectly integrate the artistic direction of the book. Without their authorisation, the book would never have seen the light of day. Through this book, I wanted to communicate that George Michael is a truly unique artiste, extremely sensitive and that his main passion is his music and his audience. He's not just a product but a human being like you and I. Fame is so particular, such a coveted power, but one which hides another reality."

"This book is aimed at a wide audience. The subject of the book is not exclusive revelations. If there are any revelations to be made, it's up to George himself to do it, his life belongs to him. I also maintain that one day, when George is no longer with us, his work will always be present, now and in the future. We can remember his mistake in a public park or his freedom of expression, his audacity, his personality, the things that make him a great artiste who made his mark on our era, like Elvis or John Lennon."

"Strangely, I left a copy of the book with a well-known singer in the UK whom I am acquainted with and he said "Why didn't you write a book about me?". I found that charming. Perhaps one day these two unique voices will meet, I would be so thrilled - and I probably wouldn't be the only one."

"The dedication is meant for all admirers... without his admirers an artiste could not live. It's for this reason that the chapter "A for Artiste and Admirer" contains several extracts of letter written by his admirers."

"There is no chapter on "Patience", I had to end the book at some point and I believe that the conclusion of the book does speak, in a fashion, of patience."

"His albums are unique. "Faith" is the album of a talented young artiste with a promising future. "Listen Without Prejudice" is lyrically and musically exceptional. "Older" is the revelation of a man who has thought about life and is revealing himself to a new audience. "Songs from the Last Century", purely classic, is a beautiful adaptation, at the same time magical and stylised. As for "Patience", this is my favourite album. There is a certain sorrow, but also much hope. The lyrics are profound and relatively more personal than the other albums. The music is detailed. Certain lyrics are very emotional, painful and liberating, while inciting a certain reflection on our world. The saddest title is, without a doubt, "Through". The jacket photographs are well thought through and adapted to each song, which confirms the author's determination. Children are very present in this album."

"Equally touching is the number of people George thanks in the jacket and his dedication to his audience is beautiful evidence of love, a way of making us understand that this album called Patience was made above all for his audience, his fans. I believe that this album was probably the most difficult of his career. In an interview with GQ, the English magazine, George speaks openly about depression, this disease which eats at our society and which kills all desire to create for certain artistes. He has obviously had enormous support from his inner circle. There is no artifice in this album, it's an open door to George's heart. It's now up to his loyal audience to accept that he his a man, before anything, extremely sensitive and enormously human. Patience is an album which speaks to his audience and reveals the depth of the author. In a way, he's telling his life story to music, and it must have been extremely difficult to produce such an album when one is going through such an unbearable period."

"In 1997, George Michael declared "The human soul is an amazing, inexplicable, sometimes needy thing". This is so true, when you have experienced depression. This declaration is so true to the conclusion of the book. "Patience" is one of the greatest gifts that George has offered his fans, but the greatest moment of all is, without doubt, the day he decides to appear live on stage for the pleasure of his admirers worldwide. We have to have faith..."

Extracts of interview GM INFOS

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