Could Andrew Ridgeley actually play the guitar?

guitarjack66 · July 2023

Philly_Q said:

EricTheWeary said:

https://youtu.be/OnPJkd_7yj8

Despite holding a guitar in the video Ridgley is not credited with playing but this is, I think, one of the tracks that Paul Gray of The Damned played bass on. I just quite like that little known Wham!- The Damned connection.

Which becomes a Wham! - The Damned - UFO connection, I like that.

Make a sentence from those band names.

Philly_Q · July 2023

guitarjack66 said:

Philly_Q said:

EricTheWeary said:

https://youtu.be/OnPJkd_7yj8

Despite holding a guitar in the video Ridgley is not credited with playing but this is, I think, one of the tracks that Paul Gray of The Damned played bass on. I just quite like that little known Wham!- The Damned connection.

Which becomes a Wham! - The Damned - UFO connection, I like that.

Make a sentence from those band names.

............................

My imagination fails me.

SPECTRUM001 · July 2023

I really enjoyed the film - very quickly took me back to the era, and the awful fashion crimes so many of us were guilty ! Whilst obviously partisan, they both seemed to be nice people, and very loyal to each other (I was told a while ago, that George set up his publishing financials to ensure Andrew was always taken care of).

On Andrew's guitar playing - he definitely could play, although to what ability is debatable. Probably better than many of us here. And probably worth remembering he was doing this in front of a mass audience - which is no mean feat.

As for the loose punk connections, I reckon both George and Andrew were more interested than they publicly referenced. Firstly they signed to CBS (clearly they wanted to be on the same label as The Clash), secondly they got in Paul Grey from The Damned and thirdly -

Check out this shot from an early video. That's the logo for Crass on the left - the most vehemently anarcho punk band of the lot...

Right on George !

tadpole · August 2023

Hi I was asking myself this very question and found a clip of Wham live on the Tube. He is definitely playing live and seems pretty competent and comfortable with it. There is another guitarist but there are 2 parts which Ridgely sticks to for the most part. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQnIFz99_oA

ICBM · August 2023

CaseOfAce said:

YES he can play guitar and his style is barre chords / partial barres up and down the neck using a Nile Rogers funk rhythm

If accurate that's a huge compliment.

In the video above it does look like he's playing. Hard to tell if it's live or mimed - but even if it's mimed, his hand movements look like he's actually playing so I would say it doesn't really matter. It's usually obvious when someone who can't play is miming.

Philly_Q · August 2023

Andrew Ridgeley's actually had time to become pretty proficient on guitar in the time since this thread started...

vasselmeyer · August 2023

tadpole said:

Hi I was asking myself this very question and found a clip of Wham live on the Tube. He is definitely playing live and seems pretty competent and comfortable with it. There is another guitarist but there are 2 parts which Ridgely sticks to for the most part. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQnIFz99_oA

That actually looks very convincing. I'm pretty sure the band isn't playing live, but he's definitely making all the right moves.

ICBM · August 2023

If you watch the Netflix Wham! documentary and listen to their early demos, he can unquestionably play - even just from the evidence of a few seconds you hear, he’s a very competent rhythm guitarist.

guitarjack66 · August 2023

Philly_Q said:

guitarjack66 said:

Philly_Q said:

EricTheWeary said:

https://youtu.be/OnPJkd_7yj8

Despite holding a guitar in the video Ridgley is not credited with playing but this is, I think, one of the tracks that Paul Gray of The Damned played bass on. I just quite like that little known Wham!- The Damned connection.

Which becomes a Wham! - The Damned - UFO connection, I like that.

Make a sentence from those band names.

............................

My imagination fails me.

Wham! The Damned UFO (connection.)

markv · August 2023

I finally got round to watching the Netflix documentary. Covered some of the same ground as Ridgeley's autobiography, and well worth a watch I thought.

mike257 · August 2023

A colleague of mine played keys for them for a time (including at the final concert as seen on the documentary) and has commented that he was a perfectly fine guitarist and played live in the shows.

I think there's often an assumption by fans of "proper" music that people in "pop" music can't play. It's quite often far from the truth!

tadpole · August 2023

Until I found (and posted) the clip from their live performance on the Tube, I honestly thought he could barely play. Yet in the clip he is easily doubling up the bass line and doing a call and response part with the other guitarist. He looks comfortable, holds the guitar like a seasoned player and is enjoying the show rather than staring at the frets.

I think I may have to watch the docu. My younger self would never have allowed me to do that

ICBM · August 2023

tadpole said:

I think I may have to watch the docu. My younger self would never have allowed me to do that

They wrote some genuine, all-time classic pop songs and one that probably stands higher than that. It’s not wrong to like them

.

markv · August 2023

mike257 said:

A colleague of mine played keys for them for a time (including at the final concert as seen on the documentary) and has commented that he was a perfectly fine guitarist and played live in the shows.

Well that seems pretty definitive!

Can we close this thread now?

lawrev · August 2023

I thought he didn't really play the guitar, just held it in the videos, etc.

flying_pie · August 2023

lawrev said:

I thought he didn't really play the guitar, just held it in the videos, etc.

But can he really play it? To the accepted standards, that is. Not just bashing out a few simple chords every night like Ed Sheeran...

SpoonMan · August 2023

I don't know but I've heard he's a very nice man.

A very, very nice man.

SPECTRUM001 · August 2023

flying_pie said:

lawrev said:

I thought he didn't really play the guitar, just held it in the videos, etc.

But can he really play it? To the accepted standards, that is. Not just bashing out a few simple chords every night like Ed Sheeran...

‘Accepted Standards’ - is there such a thing ?

If I was Ed Sheeran and read it was suggested I couldn’t play to an acceptable standard, I would be…..er….counting my millions !!?

DrCornelius · August 2023

I refuse to believe he could play to a decent standard mainly because guitar players aren’t good looking - proper guitarists look like Gary Moore or Roy Buchanan

flying_pie · August 2023

SPECTRUM001 said:

flying_pie said:

lawrev said:

I thought he didn't really play the guitar, just held it in the videos, etc.

But can he really play it? To the accepted standards, that is. Not just bashing out a few simple chords every night like Ed Sheeran...

‘Accepted Standards’ - is there such a thing ?

If I was Ed Sheeran and read it was suggested I couldn’t play to an acceptable standard, I would be…..er….counting my millions !!?

Goodness me. I didn't think my post was too subtle.

That was my whole point. It was clearly satire. We've also had loads of threads about Mr Sheeran, hence the mention

SPECTRUM001 · August 2023

flying_pie said:

SPECTRUM001 said:

flying_pie said:

lawrev said:

I thought he didn't really play the guitar, just held it in the videos, etc.

But can he really play it? To the accepted standards, that is. Not just bashing out a few simple chords every night like Ed Sheeran...

‘Accepted Standards’ - is there such a thing ?

If I was Ed Sheeran and read it was suggested I couldn’t play to an acceptable standard, I would be…..er….counting my millions !!?

Goodness me. I didn't think my post was too subtle.

That was my whole point. It was clearly satire. We've also had loads of threads about Mr Sheeran, hence the mention

Ah - apologies I didn’t see that !

As for Ed, he’s not particularly my cup of chai, and there are those that see him as quite a manipulative or derivative musician. Hence it would not surprise me to see suggestions of lack of ability.

soma1975 · August 2023

Ed Sheeran is an excellent guitar player. I dislike almost everything about him and his approach to music but the boy can play and can entertain stadium crowds with just him, an acoustic and a looper.

Kittyfrisk · August 2023

soma1975 said:

Ed Sheeran is an excellent guitar player. I dislike almost everything about him and his approach to music but the boy can play and can entertain stadium crowds with just him, an acoustic and a looper.

Most people here could not entertain a stadium crowd with an acoustic, much less manage a looper too

dazzajl · August 2023

Quite!! I wouldn’t want one person see me being totally baffled by a looper, let alone a stadium.

Philly_Q · August 2023

Kittyfrisk said:
Most people here could not entertain a stadium crowd with an acoustic.

I think it's safe to say that is not an overstatement.

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Could Andrew Ridgeley actually play the guitar?

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