Singer opens up about his troubles, says that’s who he is

Dec 7, 2009 15:03 GMT  ·  By
George Michael says he’s sick of criticism, both in the media and from fellow artists like Sir Elton John
   George Michael says he’s sick of criticism, both in the media and from fellow artists like Sir Elton John

George Michael’s past troubles with the law are well known, having been at the time tabloid fodder and becoming stories with a life of their own. Whether it’s arrest for exposure in a public place, or smoking pot and then getting behind the wheel, the singer boasts a very colorful rap sheet. If, until now, it made for an off-limit topic, Michael is now finally talking about his personal life to The Guardian.

For starters, he doesn’t make any excuses for himself. He calls his lifestyle highly “dysfunctional” and is even surprised that he’s made it alive and successful so far. Completely unapologetic, George Michael says he has no regrets and would probably do things unchanged if he had another chance. As for fellow singer Sir Elton John’s fears (made public in the media) that he needed professional help for his addictions, Michael has just one thing to say: he needs to start living his own life and let him live his.

“Elton lives on that. He will not be happy until I bang on his door in the middle of the night saying, ‘Please, please, help me, Elton. Take me to rehab.’ It’s not going to happen. Elton just needs to shut his mouth and get on with his own life. Look, if people choose to believe that I’m sitting here in my ivory tower, Howard Hughesing myself with long fingernails and loads of drugs, then I can’t do anything about that, can I? […] People want to see me as tragic... those things are not what most people aspire to, and I think it removes people’s envy to see your weaknesses. I don’t even see them as weaknesses any more. It’s just who I am,” George Michael says for the British publication.

Even if he’s constantly surprised that he’s still alive, were he to die tomorrow or even earlier than that, George Michael would be happy with the things he’s achieved so far, he says. Unlike most other artists who simply stick to what they know and do best, thus limiting themselves creatively, he’s never been afraid to take chances, which is why he managed to progress so wonderfully throughout the years. The accident he was involved in earlier this year made him realize just how proud he is of his accomplishments.

“He came into my lane, and I had nowhere to go and ended up being battered between him and the central reservation, and I have to say it’s [expletive] amazing that I’m alive. The accident made him reassess things. If that juggernaut had killed me, I think I’d be perfectly happy with the amount of quality music I have left in the world. My ego is sated. I watch people who are not driven by creativity any more, and I think how dull it must be to produce the same kind of thing. If you don’t feel you’re reaching something new, then don’t do it,” George Michael explains.

See here for the full The Guardian piece on George Michael.