Another non Prince topic, but i thought it was important.
cnn.com:

July 12, 2002.


LONDON, England -- Singer George Michael says he can no longer return to his U.S. home because of the uproar over his controversial new single and video.

The star -- whose single "Shoot The Dog" has been seen as anti-American -- said he felt his life was in danger.

He told ITV1's Tonight With Trevor McDonald programme, to be screened on Friday, that he put much of the criticism down to homophobia.

Michael has chiefly lived in the U.S. for a number of years with his lover Kenny Goss.

But he said an attack by a New York Post newspaper -- in which he was branded a "past-his-prime pop pervert" -- has made life too difficult in the United States.

He said he had been forced to undertake "damage control" with a number of interviews.

"It's been very heavily inferred that I was actually an al Qaeda sympathiser, that somehow I thought that there was something not horrific and shocking about the attacks on September 11.

"I was trying to do some damage control because my life was in danger. Americans are very reactionary right now and I -- because of that article -- cannot return to America, even though my partner lives there.

"I love my home there, I love Kenny's family, I spend time, sometimes, in Dallas and some time in LA."

The video lampoons the relationship between UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President George W. Bush.

"I did release a statement anticipating a misreading of the video to try and make people understand that I'm not anti-American in any sense," he stressed.

He said that his critics were unable to accept his opinions without his sexuality and arrest for lewd conduct being dragged up.

"I don't think that there's any real connection between what I'm saying and the fact that I'm a gay man. But there's a lot of connection in the press as to those two things.

"For some reason I don't have a right to talk about anything because I got caught four years ago with a police officer in a Los Angeles toilet.

"Somehow that eradicates all possibility that what I'm saying might be for the best or is worthy of being discussed.

"I can't fight that kind of homophobia here and now. I think that it might continue. I think I might be up for much worse homophobia."

He denied the controversy over "Shoot The Dog" was simply an attempt to whip up publicity to revive his career.

"This would be the most stupid publicity stunt anyone ever pulled. I mean look at the publicity, I've got out of it.

"I'm not stupid -- I knew I was going to walk into a wall of criticism because these are very reactionary times, but they're also very urgent times and I felt that I had to do this."

"Shoot The Dog" is not actually being released in the U.S., but is available in the UK on August 5.

---

What is going wrong with this country? Are our collective 'pants on too tight'? Are we unable to take a bit of criticism?? We sure do dish it out.
With the Baby Boomers getting older, it's only going to get worse people, you heard it here first.

(edit: took out poll copy, also here's the site:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/S...ndex.html) peace to GM. Many still love you here at P.org !!
[This message was edited Fri Jul 12 8:42:51 PDT 2002 by mrchristian]

All I can say is WOW! I thougth that GM was just making a funny single to make us think about what actually happend the 11sept! However I honestly doubt that he'll never return to the US.. he once had a fabloues house in Califonia (which I'd love to have) and now he got one in LA somewhere.. and Kenny is from Texas I strongly DOUBT that he'll never get back to the USA! I always take GM serious, but this time he's too serious to be taken serious!!!
I hope its just a fase!!

Whoever believed that George's track was a reference 2 Sept. 11th bought in2 media propoganda.

I hope the US public in particular can look past the media BS and C the truth - OUR PRIME MINISTER IS NEGLIGENT.

Wow George. Sorry about this trouble,but if you are ever in N.Y. you can stay at my house. You are always welcome George. You are so cool and I'm a big fan. Keep the Faith!

wow, I was unaware of all the controversy surrounding his new song/video/album

in fact, I was unaware that he even HAD a new song/video/album

maybe what I'm saying is: perhaps it's safer than he thinks here in the states, because nobody really gives a shit what the hell he's up to these days

mrchristian said:

Well this is the non prince forum.

I saw his interview and it seemed to me like George was making a big a deal out of this as everyone else. And then he complains ppl are making a mountain out of a molehill.

Get off the cross George, we need the wood for the fire.

George needs to stick to makin music for the dance floor imho...whatever happend to Freak?

10 points to George for not being afraid to stir shit up. Also, American media will definitely not be kind to him, and the album sales there will tank, no doubt. That's the price of airing your opinion in the paranoid, mass media-controlled non-thinking climate now. You can't comment on your leaders without being labelled an unpatriotic bastard and your life at risk. Sad. So sad how brainwashed the people are...

I have been noticing he seems to have hit a creative brick wall if the last 2 singles are any indication. I really had high hopes for this album, but so far...?

betra said:

and then backtrack by giving interviews and not coming back to his home...yeah, 10 points. If 10 points is the barometer, then he would have gotten 100 if he left the issue as it stood on record and came back home.



Get your facts straight--the reason its such a delicate issue now is because there was a major terrorist attack...America one of the FEW places where people are allowed to talk about their leaders critically and have dissent without being executed...thats why many come here..for political asylum etc...dont get shit twisted because some pop star whos afraid to come back home where he made most of his moola made a semi-political song.



Interesting how he makes a song with a controversial topic eh? I love GM btw.
[This message was edited Fri Jul 12 16:56:30 PDT 2002 by rdhull]

rdhull said:

Why is he afraid to come back if America is a good place to seek asylum right now after a critical piece on the gov? You reckon he's exaggerating?

edit: btw, George backtracking? No. He's clarifying his position that he ISN'T anti-American. Where's the backtracking?
[This message was edited Fri Jul 12 17:05:48 PDT 2002 by betra]

I Hope the Guy gets back to making Music.because He is a Good Vocalist&Songwriter.He started all the Artists Revolts Versus Record Companys.A Career for the most part has been Wasted&Forgotten at large.He is a Very Talented Artist hopefully He can Drop Up-tempo Jams&Leave that Last Century Lounge Material back in the Vault.

betra said:[quote]

rdhull said:

It still is good to seek asylum here right now--it isnt good to write rhetoric and expect no backlash from a certain faction in these delicate months--I never meant that one could say whatever whenever and

expect things

I call it backtrackig in him trying to explain his meaning of th e song...he knew the situation we are in now and he wrote that song KNOWING that its controversial and couold be construed by hard heads as unpatritoic etc..so now his ass is doing interviews saying "thats not what I meant..this is what I meant"..etc.

rdhull said:


Maybe not, but I think it would be an understatement to call the crowds non-receptive if he ever did, and I reckon there will always be some maniac trying to track you down & take you out for so much as a hint of dissent at the gov at this precarious time in American history. Especially with the brainless media misconstruing the song.



Yeh, he definitely took a risk, and he knew what was at stake (and the way the song could be interpreted). But still, he felt it was something that he had to do, which I think is great that he had the balls to do it, especially after Sept 11. From memory, I read that he was in the middle of doing the song when the events occurred, so it's probably important for him to get it off his chest. I still don't think he regrets it, but I think he is a bit shocked at the way the media treats him as a person that shouldn't be listened to or entitled to an opinion just because of a 'bathroom incident' years back, and use that as a weapon to invalidate anything he's trying to say, which I think is typical and expected from the media, but nonetheless pathetic.
[This message was edited Fri Jul 12 18:05:34 PDT 2002 by betra]

betra said:

But he loks like he doesnt have any balls and is pathetic because he wont come back to the U.S. Thats my overall point. So in essence he is validating what the media is doing...right?

rdhull said:

I still maintain he would have no balls soon after stepping on US soil

I don't know. You never know if he's been getting threats that he never lets on about. He might have valid reasons for not coming back. If the cops aren't beating the crap out of you, someone is capable of walking into an airport and opening fire on innocent people, if someone doesn't have a shoe bomb...we're living in perilous times.

A lot of Americans don't want to hear anything but praise for their country, no matter what. The criticism is always seen as being anti-American if someone points out the slightest fault in the system.

When Sinéad O'Connor refused to allow the US national anthem to be played at a gig she was lambasted. Along with the fact that she tore up a picture of The Pope and and was critical of some of America's socio/political policies.

To this day Jane Fonda is seen as a traitor (by some, not all, and mainly soldiers it seems) to America for something she did during the Vietnam war years ago.

Muhammad Ali was demonized for a while back in the 60s for his religious beliefs that prevented him from being drafted for Vietnam.

If Ronald Reagan (and many casual fans) had comprehended that Springsteen's "Born In The USA" lyrics were an indictment of political policy instead of a patriotic song "The Boss" might have been demonized too.

The National Guard killed protesting Americans at Kent State.

It's not really surprising that George Michael would be fearful. I mean, I don't think the government would be out to get GM (though I haven't seen the video), but by him being a non-American probably doesn't help. And I'm sure he realizes that.

Stay away from roadside rest areas & he'll be a-ok.