IF YOU WERE THERE
MICHELLE The party idea was first conceived back in late February, by early March the party was reality ~ a birthday celebration for George. Now I am well known for my lousy sense of direction, so when I approached, what I fondly called, the party maze, I set out confident that I would go completely in the right direction and get to the centre without any problems. I took a few wrong turnings along the way, but by the time Saturday 27th June arrived ~ the date of the party ~ I had reached the centre of the maze relatively unscathed. No-one was more astounded than me when I realised just how dedicated some people are, with many fans from the UK, fans representing 7 European countries, as well as South Africa and the USA. My god are all these people crazy??? :o) The party, with 45 of us there, was a HUGE success and was a fitting tribute to the one man that we all admire above all else .... GEORGE MICHAEL. Thank you to each and everyone of you that was there ~ you guys made the party and in the process made me a happy person.
GEORGE ~ I hope your party was half as successful as mine :o)
[ These happy party goers include: Michelle, Bev, Debbie, Zuzana, Tom and Liz ] [CLICK THE PHOTOS TO GET A BETTER VIEW]
BEVERLEY...
My original plans to host the party had to be changed -- but for the very
best of reasons! So many people wanted to come that our cottage would have
been rather too "intimate" a venue! In total, there were 45 of us, partying
the evening away at the home of Debbie Pharoah (very brave of you, Debs;
thanks!). The living room walls were decorated with posters and pictures of
the Birthday Boy, and beautiful purple and silver balloons were hung around
the room. I can't help wondering if this was the biggest worldwide fan
gathering yet? The sheer numbers were a tribute not only to our admiration of
George himself, but also to Michelle Humphrey and her incredible enthusiasm
and organizational abilitilities. Once again, Michelle, thank you -- you are
amazing!!
The food was wonderful (every taste was catered for), the drink flowed, the
company was terrific, the music incredible (a mix of solo George, Wham! and
general 80s hits!), and the talk ... well, the talk was mainly about George!
The atmosphere was so friendly, everyone was laughing and thoroughly enjoying
themselves. Literally hundreds of photographs were taken during the course of
the evening!
We ran a competition. It's not a real party until you've had some party
games! Michelle had compiled a tape of brief instrumental snippets from 50
songs by George or Wham! And was it difficult to hear all the songs and write
down the titles! The first prize of a Careless Whisper picture disc went to
Holger, and the second and third prizes of videos went to Zuzana and
Catherine, respectively. Congratulations to them!
Obviously, a charge had been made for attendance at the party. Once food and
drink, and other expenses, had been deducted, we were left with a sum of money
that was unallocated. It was unanimously and very generously decided that this
money should be donated to a charity related to a cause close to George's
heart. I was deeply honoured when Michelle asked if I would be prepared
to coordinate this. I accepted, with the greatest pleasure.
Could there have been a better way to celebrate the birthday of this special
man, whose music means so much to us all? Thank you everyone, for making this
such a successful and enjoyable party! Next year, anyone?
[ Michelle always organises a funfilled evening including a competition The lucky winners are: Zuzana(2nd), Catherine(3rd), Holger(1st) ] [CLICK THE PHOTOS TO GET A BETTER VIEW]
SONJA...
I arrived Friday afternoon (6/26) in London by train (the Eurostar, the train that goes under the Channel). Thanks to the wonderful Michelle I got to share a room with Kyoung-Mee (KM). Girl, I'll never say again that Swiss people are boring. Not you!!!! She can tell you the most wonderful George bathroom jokes. (And I know George is someone how can stand bathroom jokes. Read his party invitation. He can take the piss out of himself. And the pun is intended. Flames are more than welcome. I want to email.)
When we came out of the Palladium a guy from Club Fantastic (Yes, the club is sponsored by George.) was handing out flyers. We went there and had a ball. They only play 80s music. God, I was in music heaven. I hate all music that started with Curt Cobain. (Sorry, if there are Curt Cobain fans out here. Flames are welcome.) I had missed that music SO much. They even played three or four Wham! songs. Three or four GM songs in one evening. Now, when was the last time you heard that in a disco ?
The next day (6/27) was the big GM birthday party!!!!!! :o)))) When KM and I finally got out of bed after that wonderful night, we went into town for some more goodies. What do you want ? We were in Georgetown!!! We rushed back to the hotel to get ready to parteeeee. We took the tube to Debbie's house. When we got there there were already 20 or 30 people. So GM fans are out there. The food and drink were excellent thanks to our fabulous party organisers. We danced to GM/Wham! music and 80s songs. Loved them, Michelle. All those hours of recording were well worth it!!! The competition was too hard for me though. Oh, well... Maybe next time. Nat, the Energizer bunny, was the life of the
party. It must be something in the Canadian water. ;o) You go, girl. We talked and danced and checked out the bathroom for George. We stayed until 02:00 and took a cab home. It was hard to get up the next day. But you got to get up to get down, right ? (And they call this a vacation. God, this is harder than work. I'll rest at work. Oh, no. No can do. I have this really strict boss. Me.) We went to Camden Town. If you are ever looking for rare GM/ Wham! goodies, that's the place to be. Zuzki, thanks for showing us this G heaven. And you can see the MTV studios there. Nat, I have ordered four copies of 'Bare'. I went back home at 14:10 on Sunday. (6/28). I was so tired but SO HAPPY. This is the best GM weekend I have ever had. I thank you all, you wonderful G NOTERS. And I thank my dad for getting my Internet access back. Lets hear it for them!!! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! Taxi!!!!
[ Two HAPPY party goers: Sonja and Jeannette ] [CLICK THE PHOTOS TO GET A BETTER VIEW]
JEANNETTE [aka JUUL...JULIA...etc.]...
Anyway, about "the other party" (which we know now was held somewhere in
Chelsea): you party people probably know that Kjersti, Bianca T, Sandy and
I were going to attend (hmm...)the Cowboys and Angels party after the main
:) party.
We ended up in a taxi to Covent Garden as some people "knew" (rather:
heard)it was held in a place called "Tramp".
The taxi driver didn't know how to find Covent Garden!! Or was it Camden
Market, Kjersti? *lol*
Should we have been more smart, we could have known, because the taxi
driver never even heard of George Michael! We decided to let him live as he
was the one to drive us...
Having found "Tramp" we didn't dare to get in. Finally, I took a deep
breath, and Sandy and I went in. I really didn't know what to say, because
you had to be a member to get in, so I started to say something like: "I
heard there is a big party tonight. A birthday party". The girl at the desk
asked: "Whose?" and I said: "One Mr Michael..." I felt really stupid and
embarrassed! (all the "booze" hadn't done their work right...). The girl
told us he definately wasn't there and if he were, she wouldn't tell. She
thought the party was held in a place called "Brown's" at..... Covent
Garden!! AAAARGH!
We decided to call it a day then and left for our hotels... :(
But... we had a lot of fun and a great laugh! :)
So, sorry to the people whom I promised to give their regards to George: we
didn't make it.
Anyway, I had a great time in London and I'm really glad to have met you all:
Cav/Bianca, Red/Mel, Boo/Leela, JenH/Jen: see you in ichat (we now know
what we look like...)
[ Everyone's dancing like crazy!! ] [CLICK THE PHOTOS TO GET A BETTER VIEW]
BIANCA [CAV]...
But luckily things seemed worse than they were.. and on saturday she was doing so great that she was released from hospital... big relief! The trip to London was ok, and after lunch and a bit of afternoon shopping, Karina and I went back to the hotel to get ready for the party and meet up with Jen, Lisa and Jeannette. In the underground on our way to Deb's place, I suddenly realised that (*hangs her head down in shame and looks really embarrased*) I forgot my camera, again! :o( Sorry Tracy.. guess the excitement was just too much for me! :) [ YEAH YEAH...I'M GETTING MY CONTACTS ELSEWHERE FROM NOW ON *LOL*...Gizmo] The party itself was great of course, meeting up with old and new friends.. and sing and dance to George Michael and other 80's songs all night! Great to see that 45 people were in a party mood, the europeans sure know to appreciate a good party! Fun part of the evening was finally meeting red (Melanie), we talk almost every night on ichat, but when the moment supreme was there we both didn't recognise each other! :o) Oh.. and I was not the only one in a forgetting mood coz red forgot to bring the tequila! I got a little drunk anyway though... hmmm, but I have an excuse, I suspect Indy (he was fixing my drinks later in the evening) was a bit too generous with the vodka bottle. Lol.. what was your excuse Samantha? :o) Anyway, it was a real shame the party had to end.. Sunday there was breakfast with Lisa, Jen and Karina.. and then Karina and I went to Camden Market to meet Sonja, Tijl, Nathalie, Zuzki and Kyoung Mee. I'm telling you.. if you're ever on the search for rare material, take Zuzki with you! She's a great girl and knows all the special places to find great George material. Old vinyls, rare cd's, lol.. we even found some mirrors of Andy and George! :o) The trip back home was not much fun.. won't bore you with the details but I missed my flight! :o( But overall it was a really terrific weekend and great meeting all. Michelle, thanks for organising such a great party and of course thanks Deb for putting up with us. Bev.. I promise to keep in touch this time! :) Nathalie.. what can I say, you're my partner in crime girl.. see you next time! Jeannette.. great to have found another "crazy" dutch fan.. we'll certainly keep in touch on ichat/email and we WILL have that dutch party someday! Red and Boo.. it was sooo great meeting you, shame we only had so little time to talk! Same goes for you Aaliyah.. great to see you again but I would have loved to talk some more, hmmm.. maybe next time we should consider a whole weekend?! :o) Kevin... hey, I missed my dance, next time don't leave without saying goodbye! :) Kyoung Mee.. great to meet you, but where was that shy girl? :) Zuzki..great meeting you too, can you please send me your email? Indy.. hmmm, well what can I say, remember to keep your promise or next time the strangle won't be so gentle.. lol! And of course it was great meeting all the others too, Sonja, Tijl, Lisa, Kjersti, Samantha, Jen, Tom, Gareth, Holger and everyone else who was there!
[ Nathalie, Sonja, Zuzki, Karina, Kyoung Mee and Tijl ] [CLICK THE PHOTOS TO GET A BETTER VIEW]
NATHALIE...
And now, on with my experience.... I arrived in London on Thursday
afternoon from Germany where I currently reside. From the first moment, I
felt a sense of complete freedom (was it because I had left my lovely
husband behind :0)!?.... Of course, not!!). I experience this emotion EVERY
TIME, I get to London. It's like a shot of adrenaline that last the entire
sejour in the most exuberating city in the world. Well, here I was at
Heathrow airport with a huge smile on my face for no other reason than
BREATHING English air. God! Do I LOVE London or what! And I am French
Canadian!!! (if you understand the History of Canada, you'll understand
this dichotomy). Once I checked in my hotel, I was quickly on my way to the
Museum of London (why not?). I was reading the book LONDON and wanted to
know more about its history. After the museum, I went to see LES
MISERABLES. It was great, but not sensational. After that, I was given a
free ticket to the Limelight Club, so I decided to check it out. I went
downstairs and guess what! 80's music all night. Of course, I made my merry
little way to the DJ and asked for no other than GEORGE's music. I told the
DJ Today was George's birthday and he happily announced it on the speaker.
God! I was already in heaven. I was feeling a close "connection" with
George.... although you didn't know, George, the connection WAS there, you
just had to feel the vibes in the air... Two O'clock, time to go to bed....
after all I'm no longer a spring chicken! More like a "summer chicken"!!
ha! ha!
Friday, I got up early and went to Churchill's War Museum... I love
History! Sensational place, I recommend it! Then, off to shopping on Oxford
and Regent streets. Friday night, I was meeting Leanna and Melanie who came
ALL THE WAY from California for this Party...... Quite delirious, but Oh!
so sweet. We had a great time, right from the start.... Of course, the pint
I had choked down, might have contributed to this euphoric feeling...
Nonetheless, from the time that "Taxi!" Melanie (inside joke, sorry guys,
you HAD to be there), lovely Leanna, and then, savvy Sonja from Belgium,
sweet & wild Kyoung-Mee from Switzerland, and finally, soul mate Zuzki
(dearly in love with you, girl!) from Slovakia arrived at our meeting, we
were all chatting away. Melanie and Leanna had in their possessions the
most BEAUTIFUL photos of George in Los Angeles. Beware girls, I could
strangle you for these INACCESSIBLE portraits of Gorgeous George. Damn, you
are so lucky! And think I have NEVER seen him in concert! Anyhow, while
trying to place one word after another that didn't only include George,
George, and more George.... Sorry George, this passion can get obsessive at
times :0)!, Melanie had the "brilliant" (Oh! so English!) idea of going to
see the one and only show that CHANGED George's life..... SATURDAY NIGHT
FEVER!
Absolutely BESERK! That's what I became at the end of the spectacle. We
were all dancing and singing away with the acrobatic
dancers/actors/singers. My euphoric mood was reaching the pinnacle of the
stratosphere level. I was so damn HIGH that reality had no boundaries
anymore. Who needs drugs! Wines, always, but drugs?? ha! ha! Well, upon our
exit from the Palladium Theatre, we were given passes to a "club"
innocently named...... CLUB FANTASTICS!
Guess what, destiny was showing its
lovely visage and opportunists we became. Forget about our growling and
empty stomachs, CARPE DIEM became our singular motto.... Once inside this
"George's sponsored" club, we danced until our "air" and "hair" were
completely down... Well, mine anyway! I was so drenched in perspiration
("ladies do not sweat," apparently.... *lol*), that absolutely nothing
other than dancing with friends and George (of course!) were my sole focus.
Two O'clock came and went. Eventually, we made it to our respective hotels
and simply crashed with exhaustion.
Saturday.... THE BIG BASH PARTY. My morning and afternoon were spent at the
Portobello Market. After a rapid meeting with my very close friend and
darling Michelle Humphrey, I finally made my way to the party at Debbie's.
From the moment I crossed the front door, the unimaginable feeling of
elation quickly returned. Michelle, Debbie, and Bev had already transformed
Debbie's place in a monument to George. George's photos were plastered all
over the living room. Oh! such a Dashing Fellow, isn't he! I had finally
reached the MECCA to George... This felt like being home. Already his
velvety voice and sumptuous melodies were dancing in the air. Michelle had
performed a tour-de-force in copying what appeared to be a hundreds of
records into 5 CD's. Once everyone arrived (close to 45 people), the party
was already high in energy and low in silence. Everyone was chatting away,
exchanging photos and stories about our delightful passion. This was SOooo
amazing, I had to calm down a few times in the toilet (also a favorite
place of mine, George! :0)) and regroup my chaotic brain. I'm telling you
guys, people who know me will say that I'm "Miss Energy", but I have to
admit, even this incredible level of awareness and euphoria was almost too
much for me! I danced and talked and more dance and less talk, all night
long until 2 PM.
I met "old" friends such as Michelle, Bianca, Bev, Debbie,
Sonja, Aaliyah, Samantha, also Michelle (and so many others, sorry, my
memory of names is defective) and met new incredible friends such as Zuzki,
Kyoung-Mee, Karina, Melanie, and darling Leanna. I know for a fact that I
have met a soulmate with Zuzki, from Slovakia. It seems amazing to me since
I really can count my very close friends on one hand. I was completely
intoxicated with the simple idea that all these incredibly nice people who
came from all walks of life and different countries, were meeting in this
venue for their marvelous passion that is George and his music. IF YOU WERE
THERE, George, you would have been proud of yourself and how your lyrics,
melodies, style, beauty, and art have influenced such beautiful people. You
should be proud of your fans too, for I have seen in their eyes a glimpse
of your amaranthine radiance.
Hope to see you all at the next meeting/party, wherever it may fall. I
thank all of you for your wonderful company and comforting sense that I am
not alone in sharing such a beautiful and soothing passion emanating from
George's essence. George, I love you, body and soul.... I only wish I could
get to know both of them better, ha! ha!
[ Debbie, Tijl, Nathalie, Zuzki & Jeannette ] [CLICK THE PHOTOS TO GET A BETTER VIEW]
ZUZANA [ZUZKI] ...
Beautiful people, great music (mixed and recorded especially for the party by "D.J. Mick"), difficult competition (a real GeMi exam ? congratulation to the winners, Holger and Catherine once again, I'm very proud I picked up 34 of the songs and won the third prize), good food, a lot of drinks ? and FUN FUN FUN! We all envy Debbie for the great posters and pics she's put on the wall ? especially the B/W photo with shy George rubbing his nose and the big poster ? the pic is known from the Spinning the wheel CD. I took some pictures of the dancing crowd and I'll scan them as soon as I'll be able. And I was very glad and proud - as Mick has announced that the £20 we paid each was too much, and if someone want, she/he can get a part of the money back. If not, the money will be spent for charity ? I don't think that anyone has asked for the money ? the money has gone out of our pockets, so way not to spend it for charity, if we've had so much fun? Great idea, girls! And so zuzki never forget: all the brave karaoke singers, Indy's diamond eyes, Gareth's red cheeks, Holger's dancing (lovely greeting to Germany!), the long photo session and Tijl's patience, Aalyia and her two cousin's ("All the people were strange, but you're still crazy, Aalyia?"), LeeAna on the dancefloor (the photo is the evidence), the wild dancing of Melanie, Jeannette and Nathalie (you go, girls!), Sonja with her "smell"-question, Kyoung-Mee's groovy shack (do it for me once again please! AAARGH!), the quote "Sorry, I have to check the toilets now?", the "Taxiii!"-joke which nobody except the Friday insiders could understand (and all others thought we were mad), the great chat with all the other guys I've had and all the red wine I drunk and the cigarettes I smoked (Nathalie and me, we're non smokers, right? Now we know where did our voices go?). In the middle of the party the "wicked zuzki" in me woke up again ? I went to the out door and as the music turned down I opened the door and knocked very loud, then I closed the door and run back into the room yelling "There's someone at the door!" Though I couldn't hide my wicked laugh, about ten people run to the door and then out on the street ? what, who, where ? is really George there? I laughed in the corner to death (I planed this since I knew I'm going to join the party) ? I know guys, some of you would like to beat me after this joke, some of you said you just needed some fresh air ? (bulshit!) Well, for me ? I'm very happy George didn't came to our party, because I didn't want to meet him there (ouch, don't hit me again) ? if I'd think there's a chance he'd come, I wouldn't attend. I've had my fun with you guys, because of you - because I was so lucky to meet you! Well, and maybe only half a hour later I did almost the same joke again ? dancing in the middle of the room I stretched out my hand and pointed to the door ? wide open mouth, wide open eyes ? now I really thought Melanie will kill me, she and some of other people turned to the door ? where nobody was standing, of course? Guys, it's so easy to tease you! Hey, don't be angry with me, it was just a stupid joke? well, two of them, actually? (*grin*) And a shot and a goal! I left the party with the last hardcore fans (thanks for the cab, Mick! It was only £12 to my hostel to Notting Hill Gate, no problem). Though I was pretty tired, I couldn't sleep in for long time ? I was in such great mood ? well, the whole five days, actually?
[ Left to right: Kjersti, Indy, Jeannette, Bianca(Cav) & Nathalie ] [ 2nd pic: Lisa & J(uul)eannette] 
[ Bianca T, Bianca(Cav) & Sandy at Amsterdam Airport ] [ Sandy, Holger & Bianca T ] 
[ The amazing group photo! As you will no doubt notice ;o) George is in the group pic! No, he was not there, but to protect the interests of those people not wishing to have their photo on the 'net, I have inserted George instead, for your viewing pleasure! ] [CLICK THE PHOTOS TO GET A BETTER VIEW] | Capital Cafe | Joni | Kris | Big Breakfast | Fashion Cafe | Fashion Cafe again | If you were there |
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