Ridgeley has always been a bit of a joke even during Wham!'s heyday - even small kids noticed that George Michael wrote all the songs, except, oddly 'Careless Whisper'. What role did he have? Was he crush of George's? Did he have blackmail material? Was it just luck? Lots of girls back in the day thought he was the cuter one but that's not exactly a ringing endoresment.
Well luck was obviously a lot of it - but from this (and this confirms with other stuff I've read) Ridgely provided George Michael with confidence. Michael had the talent, the songwriting ability and the voice... but Ridgley had the chutpzah to actually start a band in part due to more supportive parents than Michael's conservative Greek's (Ridgley's dad was Egyptian, mind). Also being a duo and genuine friends, the two of them had a chemistry that came across... they had a friendly vibe and clearly were having a great time. As great was Michael was, I doubt he would have been as big without Ridgley.
This is a warm and affectionate account of their friendship up until the end of Wham!... which is when the book cuts out. The rest is a chapter... Ridgley's acting career gets barely a paragraph, his racing career only a few pages and there's nothing about marrying someone who was in Banarama, and only a bit about his own album. I mean, self effacing is fine but come on. Why did he not keep going in music?
It's nice to hear about Shirley and the people from the early days and where they grow up. Fans of the band will enjoy it a lot.
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