George Michael's Faith Guitar Goes Under the Hammer, Because of Course It Does
George Michael's Faith guitar, a Gretsch Synchromatic 160, is up for auction with a £60k-£120k price tag, along with other memorabilia from his assistant's archive - because nostalgia is a booming business.
The acoustic guitar that George Michael energetically strummed in the 1987 video for 'Faith' - a song that topped US charts for four weeks and cemented his post-Wham! solo career - is now up for auction. Because what else would you do with an iconic piece of music history?
The guitar, a Gretsch Synchromatic 160 with a sunburst finish, comes with a case sporting the words 'Rockabilly Rebel' - a nod to the twangy, 1950s vibe of the hit. Its estimated price: £60,000-£120,000. A bargain for a piece of pop history, or a reminder that nostalgia has a price tag.
The instrument is the star lot in an auction of memorabilia from the archive of Michael's former personal assistant, Siobhan Bailey, who died in 2014 aged 56. Bailey worked with Michael for over 20 years and amassed quite the collection: 31 lots including gold and platinum discs, tour programmes, and a metal lighthouse statue from Malaga city council (estimated at £200-£400 - perfect for your seaside-themed man cave).
The auction also offers a peek behind the curtain: handwritten notebooks, a running order for Live Aid 1985, and itineraries from Wham!'s groundbreaking 1985 China tour - the first by a Western act. That trip was documented, somewhat fractiously, by director Lindsay Anderson in 'Wham! in China: Foreign Skies', recently re-released as 'Wham! 10 Days in China'.
Also on offer: a promotional box set of Michael's album 'Older' never made public (estimated £300-£600), and invitations to events like an EastEnders reception and a 2002 lunch with David and Victoria Beckham (dress code: white tie and diamonds, rickshaws at nightfall - naturally). Plus 49 photos, some previously unseen, taken by Bailey.
Coincidentally, another Faith-era relic is hitting the block: Ray-Ban sunglasses Michael wore on the Faith tour, expected to fetch £15,000-£30,000 at the Music Memorabilia Live auction in London on 1-2 October. Because apparently, his eyewear is also priceless.
All this as the 10th anniversary of Michael's death approaches in December, and a renewed appreciation of the Faith era blooms. A new film, 'George Michael: The Faith Tour', arrives 6 November, featuring rediscovered footage from a 1988 Paris concert shot by 14 35mm cameras. Co-directed by Andy Morahan (who helmed the original 'Faith' video), it's preceded by a short film from Mary McCartney pairing unseen Herb Ritts photos with an unheard interview. An 18-track live album of the same name accompanies it.
The Siobhan Bailey auction takes place 29 October, online and at Sworders in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, with items on display in London from 20-27 October. So clear your calendar and your wallet.
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