The Day The Music Died

‘SILENCE the synthesisers and with muffled drum, take off your baggy “Frankie Says Relax” T–shirts one by one, pull down your posters, wake up and know, George Michel says it’s time to go-go.

Pop’s Che Guevara

As the Mirror reports, the singer has thrown in the blue paper towel on pop music. He’s had enough of being famous. And, in any case, pop music is finished.

“The genre is just dead as far as I’m concerned,” says George. “I just thought it was very important to explain that before I disappear.”

But before George turns his back on fame and walks off to a place where membership’s a smiling face, he wants to tell us more about why he’s off.

He says there is “no excitement” in competing with the likes of Robbie Williams and Will Young.

And he laments that nobody wants to hear about politics “or any kind of strong ideas in pop any more”.

Club Tropicana might not have been the protest song of a generation, but George did write an anti-Iraq war song, which included the seminal, thought-provoking line: “Mustapha, Mazeltov, The Gaza Boys, All that holy stuff.”

But all is not lost with George’s self-imposed removal from front-line pop, for over in Sun the Conservative and Labour parties are fighting for the right to say Will Young is one of theirs.

Both parties have asked the singer if he would like to sing their election campaign songs.

Says Will: “I’d be interested in doing this, but it’s hard to decide who for.”

Perhaps he should go with the party whose policies he prefers. Or decide if Labour red or Tory blue goes best with his eyes…’

Posted: 17th, February 2005 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink