Episode #226 | 3.18.25

George Michael: Lewd Acts, Guilt, and Freedom

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In this episode

Seven arrests in 12 years and more than a couple sleepless nights inside a London prison. This reads like the description of a stereotypical Sunset Strip metalhead, not that of pop prince George Michael. George’s criminal transgressions include a bust for a "lewd act" in a public place, a crack addiction, and numerous car crashes. George Michael was on a collision course with an early death, but he died of a broken heart. Along the way he made great music. Here’s his story.

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Sources

George Michael: A Life, by James Gavin

Wham!, George Michael and Me: A Memoir, by Andrew Ridgeley

George Michael explains the sexual act in a public toilet (Far Out)

George Michael: ‘I’m surprised I’ve survived my own dysfunction’ (The Guardian)

George Michael on the Thrill of Cruising (Attitude, Part 4) (GM Forever)

Three Decades of Rock in Rio (Interview Magazine)

Disgraceland is a podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. It melds music history, true crime and transgressive fiction. Disgraceland is not journalism. Disgraceland is entertainment. Entertainment inspired by true events. However, certain scenes, characters and names are sometimes fictionalized for dramatic purposes.