When George Michael died – nearly ten years ago now – a slew of stories came out about his generosity (he was once watching ‘Deal or No Deal’ on TV, and when a woman didn’t win the £15,000 she hoped, for IVF treatment, Michael gave her the money with the instruction that his donation remain anonymous). Such acts are detailed in Sathnam Sanghera’s engrossing new book, but the author – a longstanding fan of Michael – also paints a rounded picture of a man who was often troubled. ‘Tonight the Music Seems So Loud’ is not a conventional biography, nor is it a deep dive into the songwriter’s genius (a la Ian MacDonald’s ‘Revolution in the Head’ about the Beatles). Instead, Sanghera breaks down various aspects of Michael’s life and career, from ‘Prodigy’ (Michael wrote ‘Careless Whisper’ when he was just 17) to ‘Casualty’ (which looks at Michael’s increasing dependence on drugs – not just cannabis – and untimely death aged only 53). He also examines Michael’s control freakery, his sundry political stances (Wham! – almost unbelievably – played a miners’ benefit concert during the 1980s strike alongside more outwardly left-wing bands like The Style Council), his celebrity, and his very public outing (and subsequent status as a Queer icon). But Sanghera doesn’t neglect Michael’s musical output – scanty as it was compared to the likes of Prince – and on finishing the book I felt compelled to dig out those albums once again to spend time with one of the UK’s greatest singer/songwriters. RM

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