George Michael in performance and (above) the singer waves to the crowd at a news conference for the documentary George Michael: A Different Story in Berlin. Pictures by Reuters

The caress of a careless whisper, the sadness of a love lost, the joy of freedom and faith? George Michael has wowed us with words and melted us with melodies. In the process, he has transformed himself from a callow youngster with wild hair and over-enthusiastic finger-snapping to a rock rebel with leather jacket and torn jeans to a mature man with an unbeatable sense of style.

And now, he?s quit.

Through it all, Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou remained a restrained rebel without a cause. Restrained, because he never really lived an out-and-out lifestyle of the rich and famous, although he admits to smoking ?too much pot?.

But the Londoner of Greek descent has invariably titillated fans and foes alike. Be it through lewd behaviour in a public place or through a song that depicts two of the most powerful men in the world as cartoon caricatures of dog and master.

And now, he?s gone silent on his fans.

Controversy has been part of the soft-spoken, ?secretive? man from Finchley?s life since he shot to stardom with Wham! in the 1980s. Shying away from publicity, he kept the fact that he was gay quiet for a long time, finally outing himself by being arrested in 1998 in a toilet in a park near Beverly Hills. Since, other homosexual singers like Boy George and Elton John have slammed him for staying in the closet for as long as he did.

And now, he?s shunned it all for the quiet life.

The 41-year-old often drew inspiration for his music from his own life. In his biography Bare, he admits that Careless Whispers was based on his own experience of two-timing. The meteoric rise to fame, from working on a building site to an usher in a cinema hall to DJ in a restaurant and then a health club (?my DJ career had been all downhill?) to superstardom as the frontman of Wham! and then a hugely successful solo career.

But the 80-million-dollar man has given it all up to write songs for others.

It hasn?t been an easy or smooth road. There was the battle with Sony, which he lost, and he had to fulfil the terms of his contract. He lost a boyfriend to AIDS in 1993, and then his mother in 1997. Michael admitted in interviews that when he got depressed and really down, he turned to commentaries on the state of the world for inspiration. Shoot the Dog followed, featuring George Bush and Tony Blair.

The furore didn?t deter him then, although the media frenzy did put him off.

And now, he?s giving all that a miss.

Once a rebel, always a rebel. After his last album, Patience, Michael announced that he wouldn?t release any more albums. He said his songs would be available free to download off the Internet. Fans could donate to his favourite charities instead. That, he said in an interview, would make him happier.

But he?s gone a step further and on February 16, at the Berlin Film Festival, after the screening of a documentary on his life, George Michael: A Different Story, he announced he was leaving the music industry.

He said the genre of music that made him famous was dead. ?Nobody wants to hear about politics, or any kind of strong ideas in pop any more,? the man of Faith declared, somewhat belligerently.

The candid documentary touched on most aspects of his life, even featuring Elton John describing his contemporary as ?frustrating?. The previous public spat between the two had John talking about Michael as ?wasting? his talents.

Now, the handsome clean-cut singer wants to write songs for other people, maybe a musical for the screen, not stage. His poignant parting words are perhaps a better indication of the man than the life he has lived ? ?I just thought it was very important to explain myself before I disappear? I truly believe that there?s a life for me that is not this one.?

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Brew beats

Much more than just coffee is brewing at the Barista cafe chain all over the country. Along with its fine coffees and savouries, the chain is now selling music, as well.
The cafe major has bagged exclusive rights to sell music CDs of Manu Rawal’s recent release Chai Pani Etc. The CDs of the film are available at Barista outlets across the country, for Rs 50.

Rewal’s film stars Konkona Sen Sharma in a double role alongside Zafar Karachiwala (seen in picture above) and Channel [V] VJ Gaurav Kapoor.

The Chai Pani Etc soundtrack features four songs composed by debutante music director Sawan Datta. The 34-year-old former architect, who composes jingles and signature tunes for TV channels and shows, has lent her voice to two of the tracks.