George Michael and speaking the truth

I pass by this article: "Michael says trying to smoke less marijuana"and immediately, before reading it, I have an idea what it's about. (I'd rather not paste the whole story, but you know how it is - stories only remain on a page for so many days).

LONDON (Reuters) - British singer George Michael is trying to reduce his consumption of marijuana, the pop star told the BBC on Sunday. "I'm constantly trying to smoke less marijuana. I'd like to take less and to a degree it's a problem," Michael told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs program.

"Is it a problem in my life? Is it getting in the way of my life? I really don't think," added Michael. "I'm a happy man and I can afford my marijuana so that's not a problem."

Previously Michael, who has sold more than 85 million records with hits such as "Careless Whisper," has admitted to a dependency on prescription drugs and has called marijuana much less harmful than alcohol.

Britain relaxed its laws against cannabis in 2004 but warned the country's estimated 3.5 million users the drug remained illegal and possession of even a small amount could still lead to arrest.

Michael infuriated mental health charities last year by smoking a cannabis joint during a television interview and saying, "This stuff keeps me sane and happy."

In June the 44-year-old Michael was banned from driving for two years and sentenced to 100 hours of community service after admitting driving when unfit due to drugs.

Police had found Michael slumped behind the wheel of his Mercedes at a road junction in London in October and the prosecution said he had a cocktail of both legal and illegal drugs in his system.

Michael revealed in Sunday's interview he has completed 50 hours of his sentence, helping people with mental health problems as well as drug addiction.

"I've also scrubbed down some very dirty rooms", added Michael, "and make chicken fajitas for some homeless people. I was quite good apparently."

Michael ended years of speculation about his sexuality by announcing he was gay after he was arrested in 1998 for engaging in a "lewd act" in a Los Angeles public toilet.

"In a strange way I've spent the last 15 to 20 years trying to derail my own career, but it never seems to suffer," said Michael, who completed a 25th anniversary tour earlier this year.

"I suffer like crazy. I've suffered bereavements and public humiliations, but my career always seems to right itself like a plastic duck in the bath. In some ways I resent that."

Now I suppose some people - moralists, I call them, would be upset about this. Dirty man, such a mess, blah blah blah. I've never followed George Michael's career, but in the past few years, I've heard about his problems with the law. The thing is: he admits it, he tells the truth, there you go. To me, it's not even an issue about whether he's trying to work on not doing drugs; then again, the Libertarian in me believes drugs should be legal.

The thing that I love is, in this space where "celebrities" always lie about themselves and what they're doing (scratch that - celebrities have been lying about this as long as there've been celebrities), it's so refreshing to see and read about someone who just tells the truth about what's going on in his life.

Once again, what goes on in "celebrities'" lives isn't wouldn't be any of my or other people's business. As it is, these people purposely thrust themselves into the limelight. Once they're there, though, and they fuck up (as all humans do), they start lying about it. I really don't have a lot of sympathy for them. They put themselves out there - willingly - and then get angry with the media when their shit hits the press. If you don't want your business out there, I think, then get the fuck out of showbiz.

And then there are people who just tell what's going on then. Their weaknesses. Their struggles. Their - gasp - humanness. I'm not talking about the people who live their lives ducking cameras and lying through their teeth and then years or decades later, when they decide they want to make a few million, they come out with a biography. I'm not talking about the "yeah, this happened at one time, but I'm not there." I'm talking about the people who show themselves for who and what they are when they are that, when they're in mire, when life kind of sucks, at times like that.

Nothing more to say, but major props to George Michael for his honesty.