Comment: George Michael and Rick Parfitt: two ends of the mainstream Published on: 29 December 2016 Writing for The Conversation, Dr Adam Behr looks at the cultural significance of George Michael and Rick Parfitt A crowd enjoying a concert , The deaths of and Status Quo鈥檚 within a two-day period over Christmas might once have seemed extraordinary for the world of popular music. But it capped a year strewn with such losses. , and were major-league headliners. But the list is long: George Martin, the Eagles鈥� Glenn Frey, Sharon Jones, Earth, Wind and Fire founder Maurice White, Leon Russell, Merle Haggard, Phife Dawg, Keith Emerson, Greg Lake. From top-billed stars, to producers and session players, few genres are left that have not mourned an important loss in 2016. Social media has an , as shared clips and memories drive awareness, encourage public responses and magnify a sense of epidemic. It鈥檚 also possible that the post-war baby boom generation reaching old age 鈥� and the growing number of entertainers attaining household name appeal with the increase of mass media since the 1950s and 1960s 鈥� means that sheer demographics play a part. and a larger public space in which to respond. Any way you cut it, though, 2016 has been a grim year for music 鈥� and indeed . TV and cinema have fared no better 鈥� as I write this, news has just broken of the death of one of Hollywood鈥檚 favourite daughters, . Rick Parfitt of Status Quo on stage at the Isle of Wight Festival, 2016. David Jensen PA Wire/PA Images That鈥檚 entertainment The widespread posting of recollections and thoughts of Parfitt and George Michael also illustrates an aspect of popular music that can get lost in eulogies to genre defining (or defying) 鈥済enius鈥� 鈥� entertainment pure and simple, as a good in and of itself. Ascriptions of 鈥渁uthenticity鈥� in popular music are often attached to a sense of folk roots 鈥� speaking a broader truth 鈥� or aspirations to 鈥渉igh art鈥�, pushing the boundaries of a field. Both Rick Parfitt and George Michael, though very different, travelled at an oblique angle to these categories. Status Quo evolved from to the straight ahead, 12-bar based, boogie-driven hits for which they became best known. Often noted for their lack of variety, including in their own , they exemplified instead another, less frequently celebrated, aspect of the popular music continuum 鈥� reliability. There was almost a pantomime quality to the instant familiarity of their work. But, like it or not, pantomime is a staple of the British entertainment pantheon. Though hardly at the vanguard of musical invention, their 鈥渆nd-of-the-pier鈥� appeal remained undimmed and saw continuing healthy audiences for live shows. George Michael鈥檚 trajectory was different, and hinged on an overt effort to move from teen idol status with Wham to being taken seriously 鈥� his second solo album was titled 鈥� as a songwriter and record producer. His success in doing so helped to seal the idea that crossing over between markets was a part of the pop process. To an extent, his greatest lasting effect came outside of his music, though very much dependent on it, as his candour and humour in response to revelations about his sexuality drove forward the . Likewise, if his against record label Sony was ultimately unsuccessful in court, his public battles helped to shine a light on the inequities of major label deals. Cultural currency of the mainstream Parfitt and Michael occupied different spaces within the mainstream, though illustrated just how wide it has become. If Status Quo were the exemplars of pre-punk 70s straight ahead rock shorn of frills, Michael鈥檚 tight productions laid down a marker for the glamour of 80s and 90s post-Thatcherite pop (somewhat ironically, given Wham鈥檚 and the ambivalent stance on consumerism lying beneath the sheen of his music). But, despite the differences between Parfitt鈥檚 unadorned rhythm guitar chug and Michael鈥檚 crafted pop confections, their work was characterised by an underlying factor: accessibility 鈥� something that is often overlooked but deceptively difficult to achieve and a necessary condition for the mass appeal that they sustained. Certainly the tragic, early passing of entertainers is nothing new. When took his own life in 1918, it was after a period in the commercial and critical doldrums, as the popularity of music hall waned. Yet despite his comparative obscurity now, his hit 鈥淚 Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside鈥� has passed into the national consciousness. Simon Frith 鈥� sociologist, music critic and founding chair of the Mercury Prize 鈥� that popular music helps us to negotiate the relationship between our inner and public lives 鈥� that: 鈥淧op tastes do not just derive from our socially constructed identities; they also help to shape them鈥�. From music hall through rock 鈥榥鈥� roll to Top of the Pops and televised extravaganzas such as Live Aid, one of pop鈥檚 abiding functions has been to serve as common cultural currency. Status Quo and George Michael may not have been marked by Bowie鈥檚 chameleon-like propensity for redefining pop鈥檚 aesthetic limits. They may not have matched Cohen鈥檚 lyrical intricacy or Prince鈥檚 virtuosity. But large swaths of the British public will have danced and sung along enthusiastically and unironically to: 鈥淲hatever You Want鈥� and 鈥淲ake Me Up Before You Go Go鈥� 鈥� threaded through the fabric of their social lives, from school discos to Christmas parties and weddings. If the bad news is that the loss of beloved entertainers appears remorseless, the good news is that this shows how our stock of shared cultural memories is larger and richer than ever before. , Lecturer in Popular and Contemporary Music, This article was originally published on . Read the . Share: Latest News 缅北禁地 recognised with geography award 缅北禁地 has been awarded the Highly Commended Geographical Association Publishers Award for its collaboration with Time for Geography, the UK鈥檚 open-access, dedicated video platform. published on: 16 April 2026 缅北禁地 historians mark General Strike centenary To mark the 100th anniversary of the British General Strike and miners鈥� lock-out of 1926, historians at 缅北禁地 are organising a series of events on its enduring legacy. published on: 16 April 2026 Comment: NCP is in administration Writing for The Conversation, Erwei (David) Xiang discusses how some big companies like NCP are so dependent on debt that they can鈥檛 adjust to change. published on: 16 April 2026 Facts and figures
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