Getting to Know George Michael

13 June 2008 - Somewhere there is a Dictionary of Pop that defines George Michael fans as 'George Michalists'. It goes on to describe them as the lost wondering members of a forgotten tribe in the Desert of Pop, who have maintained their faith in the messianic singer despite his less than flattering appearances in the press.

But for those of us who aren't so dedicated, who never were believers and who didn't want to wake George Michael up before we went went (yes, bad pun on the Wham! hit 'Wake Me up Before You Go Go'), it might be time to take a look at the former Wham! star in a different light.

So here at The Online Ticket Shop, we made a 'I didn't know that!' George Michael timeline:

• 1985:? Wham! was the first pop group to tour China. This was made into a famous documentary entitled Foreign Skies: Wham! in China.
• 1986: Rumours circulate that George Michael may be dating Whoopi Goldberg.
• 1987: George Michael makes his first debut as a solo artist with a duet with soul music diva Aretha Franklin.
• 1987: George's first single 'I Want Your Sex' off of his album Faith was banned by many radio stations throughout the UK and the US. The title was changed to 'I Want Your Love' by many DJs.
• 1988: George wins a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance.
• 1990: George reinvents himself as an adult contemporary music singer with the album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1.
• 1990: The video for the single 'Freedom '90' features supermodels Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz and Cindy Crawford. But no George - the models lip-sync the song.
• 1991: The single 'Mother's Pride' became a popular tribute in the US to soldiers fighting in the Gulf War.
• 1991: George tours Brasil and plays 'Rock in Rio' gig, where he sees Anselmo Feleppa in the crowd. Anselmo becomes his first publicly acknowledged homosexual partner.
• 1993: Anselmo dies of an AIDS-related brain hemorrhage.
• 1993-99: George becomes a major advocate for AIDS awareness, following the death of Freddie Mercury.
• 1998: George is arrested on 7 April for ?engaging in a lewd act? in a public toilet in a park in Beverly Hills, California.
• 2004: He releases 'Shoot the Dog', a criticism of Tony Blair's close relationship with George W Bush and the events surrounding the Iraqi War.
• 2006: George is arrested for possession of cannabis ? not to mention a traffic hold-up in northwest London after falling asleep at the wheel with his iPod plugged in.
• 2007: George tours the US with the ?1.45 million piano that John Lennon used to write 'Imagine'.
• 2008: George Michael offers street artist Banksy ?2 million to paint a wall at his home in North London.

Well, now you ought to have a better idea of the man who is and will always be George Michael. One thing is for sure, for fans throughout the world, his simple but enticing pop songs still outweigh whatever else public opinion might say.

George is giving London two back-to-back pop blow-out concerts at Earls Court in London on 24 & 25 August. So if you're a believer, get your tickets now with The Online Ticket Shop, because when everyone else sells out, we've always got more.