George Michael to put his face in gold

The man with the golden...face?
The man with the golden...face?

George Michael is a man of wealth and taste. But a modest man? 'Fraid not. In fact, the singer is going to pay a reported $2 million for a 24-carat gold and diamond replica of his face.

Oh yeah...that's normal.

Apparently, Michael thinks so, having seen other such sculptures on the British TV show The Dragons' Stories. A source revealed: "George is very keen on getting a gold and diamond-encrusted statue of himself. He loves the idea of something so permanent."

Laban Roomes, who creates the pieces, said, "These statues sparkle like you wouldn't believe. They are the perfect Christmas present." (Is everybody writing that down? Yes? Good.)

The 44-year-old Michael is hoping to add the sculpture to the $100 million diamond-studded skull created by Damien Hirst which he and partner Kenny Goss own. The couple, who have an extensive art collection, are planning to open a bigger gallery to house their pieces.

An ever-expanding (ahem) collection

According to Goss, "Our collection is always expanding, so the need for more space is important. We would love to have enough space to have permanent displays as well as short exhibits. Our plan is to have one of the most interesting contemporary art spaces in the United States. If all goes as planned, we should be in our new home in the next three to four years."

The couple opened a smaller space in Texas four years ago, which hosts over 600 exhibitions of works drawn from the Goss-Michael Foundation's collection. Michael and Goss have been collecting art for over 11 years and have had other works commissioned for them.

MusicRadar has an idea for George Michael. It's a little out there, we admit, but hey, it's just a thought: How about making a good album? You know - one with some hits on it?

Like we said...just a thought.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.