Rivalry & Unity

On December 25, 2016 pop music icon George Michael was found unresponsive at his Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire mansion by his long time partner Fadi Fawaz, a celebrity hairdresser and fine art photographer.  The Thames Valley police launched an investigation into the singer’s death which was characterized as unexplained but not suspicious.  On March 7, 2017 it was announced by Darren Salter, Oxfordshire Senior Coroner, that Michael died from natural causes, more specifically dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver.

To read more on dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis please visit: 
https://academic.oup.com/cardiovascres/article/60/1/5/322628/Myocarditis-and-dilated-cardiomyopathyAn

To read more on fatty liver please visit:

http://www.healthline.com/health/fatty-liver

Something natural happens following the announcement of a celebrity’s death in that it spurs a new-found curiosity and drive to reacquaint ourselves with their body of work.  For me, that meant reconnecting with an artist whose music provided much of the soundtrack of my formative years.  As the driving force behind the pop duo Wham! and then as a solo artist Michael's music was often ahead of its time.  Although, Michael had not released a new, studio album since 2004’s Patience he remained active recording and releasing music downloads, often for free or a charitable contribution.

At the time of Michael's death he was working on a documentary film, titled Freedom,which was originally scheduled to air in March.  To coincide with the film's broadcast George Michael and Sony Music decided to move the reissue of the "Listen Without Prejudice" album to the same time.  As of the publication date of this blog the documentary film has not been aired and the album is expected to be released in October.     

There’s no rhyme or reason as to how one reconnects to an artist but for me it meant listening to Michael’s music and reading and/or watching interviews that he had granted over the years.  It didn’t take long before I was completely engrossed by all things George Michael.  I, have to admit that there was a lot that I did not know about the late singer and I’m glad that I took the time to acquaint myself with not only the artist but the person that he became.  His generosity knew no bounds but it's his great humility, that I believe, which endears him not only to me but to millions of fans all over the world.

My quest then took a figurative different corner when I stumbled upon the Instagram profiles of Fadi Fawaz and Kenny Goss, both of whom were in long term relationships with Michael.  What I saw took me aback as there was an obvious differentiation between the public’s perception of these two men.  Fawaz, who was with Michael for the past five years, was under siege by a barrage of abuse and vitriol.  Goss, whose relationship with Michael ended in 2009, fared more favorably with the fans up until recently when he granted the Sun a four part exclusive interview.  

It should be noted that Kenny Goss was not personally paid for his interview by the Sun; however a sizable donation was made to benefit the Goss-Michael Foundation, which was founded in 2007 by Goss and the late singer.

To learn more about the Goss-Michael Foundation please visit: http://g-mf.org/

The apparent divide between the fans reminded me of the infamous feud between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes, of the 1990’s, in the United States.  The focal points of this feud were East coast-based rapper The Notorious B. I. G (Bad Boy Records) and West coast based rapper Tupac Shakur (Death Row Records).  Today rivalries between popular recording artists continue to make headlines around the world; however beefs, as they are commonly referred to, are normally squashed after a series of clap back recordings and normally do not result in the types of violence that erupted years ago. 

              

                           

What does this hip hop rivalry have to do with pop icon George Michael?  Honestly, it’s the first thing that came to mind when I was trying to put into perspective the polarization between the late artist’s fans on the subject of his former partners.  I didn’t want to be made to feel as if I have to choose between either of these two men but more often than not there were clear battle lines drawn and if you defend one as opposed to the other you were labeled a “hater”.  How was this rivalry even created when neither of them had met prior to Michael's funeral?

How much of the divide between Michael’s fans is organic as opposed to being seeds of mischief planted with the intent to create hype?  Hype is defined as extravagant or intensive publicity or promotion, despite the fact that it and of itself is not always positive in nature.  Social media sites are powerful platforms in which its users are able to deliver both positive or negative messages.  The presence of trolling profiles, which are fake profiles created with the intent to intimidate, threaten or demean others, plague most social media sites and are also referred to as cyber bullies.

People often confuse the words empathy and sympathy.  Empathy means to have 'the ability to understand and share the feelings of another: whereas sympathy refers to sharing ‘feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s misfortune.  Having the capacity to express empathy towards another human being, whether it be Fadi Fawaz or Kenny Goss, should not be the premise for labeling someone as either PRO or ANTI “such and such” but rather PRO DECENCY.  We all have the capacity to empathize but sometimes raw emotion and conflict override our capability to express it.

This writer does not personally know nor is affiliated with either Fadi Fawaz or Kenny Goss; however that's just it we don't have to know someone to feel empathy towards them or their situations.  Both men were seemingly happy fading into the back drop of George Michael's life and his fame but as a result of his passing both have been thrust into the public's spotlight.  I believe it's a fair statement to make that neither of these men should be considered celebrities just as a result of their association with the late singer: but by the same token both have been given extraordinary opportunities to make meaningful impacts with their lives.

A Different Corner: The Blog will lead you, its reader, through the writer’s personal experiences in the trenches of some of the hardest fought battles between Michael’s fans.  Unlike most notorious battles there were no winners or losers in these "discussions" as everyone was entitled to express their opinion(s). This writer attempted to use the platform that presented itself as a vehicle in which to deliver meaningful conversations on topics such as: addiction, mental illness and depression which were often topics that fueled emotion packed debate.

You'll also hear endearing anecdotes of the camaraderie, unity, and support between fans who banded together in their time of grief.  On the B side of this personal record you'll learn about the phenomena of super fans and the risks of forming unhealthy personal attachments.  This blog writer's journey has often lead her to lament in the words made famous by the late George Michael.

"Take me back in time, maybe I can forget. Turn a different corner and we never would have met." 

There are other blogs out there outlining their writer's point of view regarding the life, career, relationships, death and everything in between involving George Michael but A Different Corner: The Blog promises to be multi dimensional rather than a jaded "fan girl" effort.

For a complete list of the celebrities we lost in 2016 please visit:
wgntv.com/2016/12/28/full-list-of-celebrity-deaths-in-2016/