Great Movies
Whether you were dancing in the ‘80s, or dancing now, it would be hard to find a more infectious track than “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go,” one of the biggest hits by the short-lived English '80s pop band Wham! While the band’s legacy was eclipsed by the mesmerizing rise of its lead singer and songwriter George Michael, the new Netflix documentary “Wham!” takes us back to the heady days of youth, when George and his best mate Andrew Ridgeley took on the world and the pop charts with fun, bouncy, memorable songs that are still as fresh today.
But it's not just about the music; the essence of the documentary is the incredible friendship between these two boys who first met and connected over their mutual love of music at school. The documentary shows how essential Ridgeley really was to sustaining the bond with Michael as the band took its meteoric rise.
Ridgeley, who has mostly kept a low profile since then, rarely speaking to the press, is now front and center taking pride and promoting the achievements of Wham!
Katherine Tulich had an exclusive chat with the musician, who spoke candidly about the music and his long friendship with George Michael in this video report.
Katherine Tulich is an Australian-born entertainment journalist now living in Los Angeles, where she covers music, movies and television. She is a contributor to the Los Angeles Times.
