Netflix’s new documentary on British band Wham! will be a joy for fans and transport them back to their teenage bedrooms.
The new film, that came out today, compiles massive amounts of archival footage and photos alongside a narration from bandmates Andrew Ridgely and the late George Michael.
At Christmas 1984 all I desperately wanted was the 12-inch vinyl of Wham’s Freedom, and I was spending a lot of time trying to get my hair to look like George Michael’s.
A lot of gel, I’d started using the blow dryer. I’d spend ages trying to make my hair bigger, I wore singlets. I was eleven.
I can’t tell you what it’s like to revisit the four years of Wham! mania that spanned from their first single in 1982 until their break-up just four years later from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with their career.
I was a fully-fledged devotee who worshipped George Michael.
My friends and I used to play Freedom from a boombox at the side of the town’s swimming pool, rewinding the cassette and playing it over and over. It’s enlightening to hear through this documentary that Andrew Ridgely has always thought that song was about Michael struggling with his sexuality and public profile and his confidence.
For me it was the song that gave me confidence, made me feel elated, and one of the earliest dawning moments of realisation that my sexuality was something other than heterosexual.
The documentary is filled with footage that takes a serious fan back to their childhood. Triggering memories of obsessing over photos in Smash Hits, tuning into Countdown each week, and learning all the words to Wham! Rap or I’m Your Man.
In making the film creators have made a clear decision to tell it from the perspective of two friends who went on an amazing journey to stardom. Using interviews with Andrew and archival audio of interviews with George, it’s as if two friends are recounting their amazing friendship and adventure.
We get to hear their start, making snippets of songs on a four-track recorder. Signing a record deal in a cafe and soon after releasing a slice of pop-rap that was a commentary on Thatcherite Britain. We’re reminded of their energetic live shows, global stardom, ambitious goals and rollercoaster ride of fame.
The film allows us to discover where the title of Wake Me Up Before You Gogo came from, we learn how much work went into Careless Whisper, we head to Live Aid, take a landmark trip to China, make it big in America, and it’s all a whirlwind rush.
A highlight is seeing many of the band’s video in high definition, strikingly transporting you back to the mid-1980s. The film has heaps of footage of the band performing live, amazingly there’s never been a full concert of the band released on film, despite them undertaking three tours within their short lifespan, and they ended their partnership with a massive concern at Wembly Stadium.
This gives the film a solid narrative and through line, but die-hard fans might find themselves wishing a few more voices were included. We don’t hear from Pepsi and Shirlie, there’s no talking heads, no other celebrities-of-the-day popping up with their anecdotes.
While it acknowledges George Michael went on to have a massive solo career, no mention is made of Andrew Ridgely’s solo album, or the later success of Pepsi and Shirlie.
Its focus is firmly on the childhood friendship of George and Andy, and their four fabulous years of fame as Wham!
The film is directed by Chris Smith who created the groundbreaking documentary Fyre. He also created acclaimed documentaries about Jim Carey and Andy Kaufman, and his most recent work was 2002’s Sr which captured the relationship between actor Robert Downey Jr and his late father.
Wham! is streaming on Netflix.
Graeme Watson – who knows all the words to Wham Rap.
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