Wham!, George Michael and Me, Andrew Ridgeley
Wham!, George Michael and Me, Andrew Ridgeley
9 Rating(s)
List: $15.00 | Sale: $10.50
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Wham!, George Michael and Me
A Memoir

Author: Andrew Ridgeley

Narrator: Andrew Ridgeley

Unabridged: 5 hr 58 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 10/08/2019


Synopsis

For the first time, Andrew Ridgeley—one half of one of the most famous bands in the world—tells the inside story of Wham!, his lifelong friendship with George Michael, and the formation of a band that changed the shape of the music scene in the early eighties. 
 
In 1975 Andrew took a shy new boy at school under his wing. They instantly hit it off, and their boyhood escapades at Bushy Meads School built a bond that was never broken. The duo found themselves riding an astonishing roller coaster of success, taking them all over the world. They made and broke iconic records, they were treated like gods, but they stayed true to their friendship and ultimately to themselves. It was a party that seemed as if it would never end. And then it did, in front of tens of thousands of tearful fans at Wembley Stadium in 1986.
 
Andrew’s memoir covers in wonderful detail those years, up until that last iconic concert: the scrapes, the laughs, the relationships, the good, and the bad. It’s a unique and one-and-only time to remember that era, that band, and those boys.

About The Author

Andrew Ridgeley is a musician and record producer best known for his part in Wham!. He lives in England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Tina on January 14, 2021

I was such a big Wham! fan back in my teenage days. I especially loved George Michael! What an extraordinary talented man he was! I have been thinking of him and his song, "Praying for time" a lot these past few months. It really "calls" to me in this time of turmoil around the world. I think Andrew......more

Goodreads review by Mandy on November 09, 2019

Who didn't love Wham!? I loved listening to this book narrated by Andrew Ridgeley himself. The story of him and George growing up, their shared love of music and their quest to be famous. It was fabulous! So many memories. I cried when he talked about the passing of his best friend, I got Goosebumps......more

Goodreads review by MaryannC Victorian Dreamer on November 13, 2019

Being a huge Wham fan I was eager to read a first hand account of how two young men, best friends growing up in grade school went on to become the pop sensation that was a part of my early teen years and still is. Thinking that their infectious " Wake me up before you go go" was a bit hokey in the be......more

Goodreads review by Dj'aead1818 on October 09, 2019

A great read... After reading several biographies of George and reading "I'm Coming To Take You To Lunch" by Wham's manager Simon Napier-Bell it was blast to read the story from a different perspective, especially from the other main man who was there... Concise and to the point. Couldn't put it down.......more

Goodreads review by Kimberly on January 08, 2020

A disappointingly shallow recounting of their relationship from middle school onwards. 1) I think if you need to state "I was confident" every 8 to 10 pages for the first 250 pages of a book, then you were not, 2) Anyone who looked at George Michael could tell that he spent a lot of time on his hair......more


Quotes

“One half of one of the world’s most famous bands tells his (fascinating) side of the story, offering readers intimate access into how his friendship with George Michael developed, and taking them behind the scenes of Wham’s beginnings, heights, and lows.”
Entertainment Weekly

“A tender, admiring tribute to [George] Michael, whom Ridgeley repeatedly calls his best friend” 
—The Washington Post

“A memoir of a friendship as much as it is a look back on pop stardom, Ridgeley's first book is an enjoyable callback to a different, yet thanks to its preservation on videotape still instantly memorable, musical era... While the book is focused on Michael, it isn't an explosive tell-all — but that makes it a more enjoyable read. Ridgeley's motivations for writing the book seem as rooted in telling his side of the Wham! story as they are in reminding readers of Michael's songwriting genius, often overlooked by pop-averse critics and taken for granted by listeners who gorged on the hooky riches of the '80s. Written in sepia hues that allow Wham!'s floodlight-illuminated musical triumphs to glow even more brightly, it's a loving tribute to a friend and a more innocent pop era.”
NPR