A clip of George Michael‘s classic introduction during his 1998 interview with Michael Parkinson has resurfaced after the legendary chat show host’s death.
The broadcaster “passed away peacefully at home” yesterday (August 16) at the age of 88 after a brief illness, his family shared.
Parkinson’s TV career spanned seven decades, which saw him welcome the worlds biggest stars to the studio including Muhammad Ali, Elton John, Madonna and many more.
One of the many memorable moments from Parkinson unfolded when Wham! star Michael appeared on the show in 1998, just months after his arrest in LA for “engaging in a lewd act” in a public toilet.
A clip of Michael’s introductory words to Parkinson is now being re-shared online, in which he starts off by telling Parkinson his appearance is “a great honour for me”.
George Michael’s incredible opening line when he spoke to Michael Parkinson in the wake of his arrest for lewd behaviour in LA pic.twitter.com/oDVATAFsWT
— Neil Brennan (@nrdbrennan) August 17, 2023
He recalled being and eight or nine years old when his mother allowed him to stay up late to watch Parkinson, adding: “She thought it would be a bit of quality watching so I’m very, very privileged to be here.”
Parkinson politely told the singer his words were “very kind”, before Michael added: “She probably wouldn’t have been quite as thrilled that I had to take my willy out to get on here.”
The moment was met by roars of laughing and cheers from the studio audience. “I mean really, would I have been on for an hour tonight without that incident?” Michael joked.
Fans who have been reposting the clip have praised the “two great iconic entertainers” for their charm and good humour. “Two icons chatting openly and with what seems to be a mutual respect for each other,” another person wrote on X (Twitter).
“Michael Parkinson was the greatest interviewer & chat show host ever,” one X user wrote, while another said it was “definitely my favourite” Parkinson moment.
Tributes for the late broadcaster have been coming in from David Attenborough, Stephen Fry, Dara O’Briain and more.
Fans of Michael, meanwhile, were able to look at the late pop legend’s journey with Andrew Ridgeley in the new Wham! documentary, which NME described as a “ray of sunshine through dark clouds” in a four-star review.
In a recent interview with Ridgeley, the musician recalled that one of his most favourite memories with his late friend was when they were kicked out of a Triple-X cinema in London’s Soho.
“We’d gone to a strip club when we were 16-17 and asked for the drinks bill and it was absolutely extortionate so we said, ‘We’re not paying that!’, until the doorman was fetched and it became clear we weren’t going anywhere until we did,” Ridgeley recalled. “They demanded every single penny we had – which was £20 – and then we were asked to leave.”
He added: “Like all good chums, we got into all sorts of silly situations.”
The post Fans are re-sharing this classic and lewd clip of George Michael being interviewed by Michael Parkinson appeared first on NME.
