George Michael Finally Tells His Own Story in Upcoming Documentary
Six years after his death, George Michael is telling his story. In a new documentary, George Michael Freedom Uncut, the pop music singer narrates his own story along with commentary from a variety of celebrities. While other Michael documentaries have been released, this is the only one Micahel was directly involved with creating. He also co-directed the film, billed as his last piece of work.
‘I can’t really explain how overwhelming that kind of hysteria could be’
The trailer for the new documentary, George Michael Freedom Uncut, starts with an ominous voice-over from the singer. “I can’t really explain how overwhelming that kind of hysteria could be,” he says. “I remember thinking I don’t know if I’ll ever do this again.”
The quote plays over a montage of Michael at the peak of his career. George Micahel, born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, was one of the biggest pop stars in the ‘80s and ‘90s with hits like “Faith,” “Father Figure,” and “Careless Whisper.” Michael sold over 120 million albums and had eight No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. According to the BBC, he was the most played artist on British radio from 1984 to 2004.
Michael died on Christmas Day in 2016 at the age of 53. The documentary gives fans a rare chance to hear him talk about his legacy before he died.
Liam Gallagher describes George Michael as ‘modern-day Elvis’
Singers Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, Elton John, and Mary J Blige offer commentary on Michael’s career. Producer Mark Ronson, Nile Rodgers, Ricky Gervais, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, and Linda Evangelista were also interviewed for the documentary.
In one clip, Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher enthusiastically describes Michael as a “modern-day Elvis.”
Besides the legacy Michael’s songs left on music, his influence on music videos is also celebrated. In “Freedom! ‘90,” supermodels Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, and Linda Evangelista lip-synched to the song in what looked like a high fashion pictorial. In the documentary trailer, producer Mark Ronson describes it as “the Mona Lisa.”
Michael’s 1998 arrest is discussed in the new documentary
In 1998 Michael was arrested for a “lewd act” in a Beverly Hills restroom. During the trailer, Gervais jokes about it. He said he wanted to tell his friend when he came out of jail, “George go make a song and dance about it.” Gervais laughs and says, “and he did! He did a whole song and dance about it.”
Shortly after his arrest, Michael came out as gay. The singer loved creating music but seemed reluctant to be a celebrity. In George Michael Freedom Uncut, he says, “You have a right to walk away. The music industry takes away that right.”
The film was close to completion when Michael suddenly died in 2016. Initially slated for a 2017 release, audiences will finally get to see the last project from the beloved pop star. George Michael Freedom Uncut hits theaters on June 22, a few days before what would have been his 59th birthday.
During the final voiceover of the movie trailer, Michael says, “I want to leave songs, I believe I can leave songs that will mean something to other generations.”
