Out Takes

3 Jul 2023

The queer legacy of Wham! and George Michael… plus ‘Barbie’!

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The queer legacy of Wham! and George Michael… plus ‘Barbie’!

With a new documentary coming to Netflix this July and to acknowledge what would have been his 60th birthday, we dedicated this program to the legacy and impact of Wham! and George Michael on queer and pop culture. From their friendship as children through to their early start in music and on to George’s mega super stardom as a solo artist, these documentaries paint a picture of the opportunities and challenges they faced including George’s very public coming out and how he used his platform to help and inspire queer people around the world.

We were joined on the show by the wonderful award-winning stand-up comedian, television host, writer and podcaster Wil Anderson. You may not know this but is a big fan of George Michael which he highlighted in his recent Melbourne Comedy Festival show where he talked about managing his mental health and how a George Michael song and George’s resilience had such a strong impact on him during and post lockdown. We also looked at the documentary on George’s career and personal life that is streaming now on SBS on Demand.

Finally, we also took this opportunity to take a sneak peak at the ‘Barbie’ movie that is in cinemas from July 20 and has everyone talking for all of the right reasons. Three of the stars of the film – Issa Rae, America Ferrera and Margot Robbie (who also produced the film) along with its director Great Gerwig were in Australia recently to promote its upcoming release. Out Takes was invited to listen in to the virtual press conference and we’re sharing some of the highlights from the event hosted by Zan Rowe and held near Bondi Beach, just the place you’d expect to run in to Barbie down under!