Boy George

George Alan O'Dowd, better known as Boy George, (born June 14, 1961, in London, England) is an English singer-songwriter and disc jockey who gained fame with his group Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, since he was heavily influenced by R&B and reggae, and also because his early recordings with Culture Club had a sensuous, romantic, unabashedly emotional quality which was reminiscent of American soul music of the 1960s and 1970s.

Musical career

Boy George's androgynous style caught the attention of music executive Malcolm McLaren, who arranged for George to perform with the group Bow Wow Wow, featuring Annabella Lwin, at various shows. Some people out of the band called him Lieutenant Lush and nearly stole the spotlight from Lwin. George's association with Bow Wow Wow didn't last long after that, and George started his own group with bassist Mikey Craig. The group was to be called In Praise Of Lemmings, but the name was later abandoned. Jon Moss (who had drummed with The Damned, Adam and the Ants and London) joined the group, followed shortly thereafter by Roy Hay, after the group's association with another guitarist, Slade, proved unsatifactory. The group abandoned another name, Sex Gang Children, and settled on the name Culture Club after realising that the group consisted of an Welsh transvestite singer, a Jamaican-Briton on bass, a Jewish drummer, and an Englishman on guitar.

Culture Club

The band signed with Virgin Records in the UK and with Epic Records in America (as Virgin didn't have a U.S. presence at the time), and released its debut album Kissing To Be Clever in 1982. The first single, "White Boy", almost failed to chart, but George was still happy because "five thousand people bought my single and didn't even know me". The next single, "I'm Afraid Of Me", was not a hit either. It wasn't until the release of the third single, "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me", that the group enjoyed massive success. It reached #1 in sixteen countries (#2 U.S.), and the group became a staple on American radio and the new MTV network. This single was followed by "Time (Clock Of The Heart)" (not on the UK LP), which reached #2, and "I'll Tumble 4 Ya", which reached #9. This gave Culture Club the distinction of being the first group since the Beatles to amass at least three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 from a début album.

1983 and 1984 saw the group at its peak, regularly featuring in charts, on MTV, and on magazine covers, partly due to the success of their next album, Colour By Numbers. The single "Church Of The Poison Mind" (featuring Helen Terry) became a Top 10 hit, and "Karma Chameleon" became a #1 single in numerous countries around the world, including the U.S., where it stayed at #1 for four weeks, and the UK, where it was the best-selling single of the year, spending six weeks at #1). It stands as the group's biggest hit.

"Miss Me Blind" and "It's A Miracle" were Top 10 and Top 20 hits respectively, and "Victims" was another UK hit. The group won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist - Duo Or Group, and George gave a speech to U.S audiences via satellite; "Thanks America. You've got style and taste, and you know a good drag queen when you see one". Colour By Numbers would go on to sell four million copies in the U.S. at the time of its release, and millions more worldwide, making Culture Club the biggest group in the world at the time. Years later, Rolling Stone magazine would include the LP in its list of Top 100 Albums Of All-Time. It was around this time of new-found success in 1983 that Boy George was involved in creating a demo tape with fellow cross-dressing friend Marilyn. Due to Culture Club's commercial impact, record companies were looking for artists with a similar look.

George's striking looks inspired many Boy George look-alike contests around the world, and his face became the image of Culture Club. He became an alternative teen idol, and had the extravagant lifestyle to go with it. His appeal was due to his distinct, soulful voice, his likeableness and his wit. He is responsible for one of the 1980s' most famous quotes, which he delivered to Barbara Walters on a TV interview - "I prefer a nice cup of tea to sex" - which many years later he would say was totally untrue.

By 1985, Boy George had become a household name in many countries around the world. That year, he appeared in a lead vocal role on the Band Aid single, which featured many prominent British and Irish artists in an effort to raise money for famine-stricken Ethiopia. In 1986 he guest-starred on an episode of the A-Team entitled "Cowboy George". However, two subsequent Culture Club albums (Waking Up With The House On Fire and From Luxury To Heartache) performed poorly as the band only manage to obtain two more hits; "The War Song" and "Move Away".

Throughout the years, George had been involved in a romantic relationship with Culture Club's drummer Jon Moss, and when the relationship failed, he turned to drugs. This caused the downward spiral of the group, and they eventually disbanded, as George could no longer work with Moss. One sign of the group's imminent breakup was that they didn't appear at the Live Aid event.

Solo career

George's struggled against his severe heroin addiction for many years, also battling severe bouts of depression, in part related to the breakdown of his relationship with Moss. He would appear in public under the influence of the drug, and even attempted to do concerts in such a state. Addictions to other drugs followed, and George's younger brother David, in an attempt to save his famous sibling from death, went on UK national television and blew the whistle on George. Some of George's associates had died of overdoses, but when an American musician he was working with named Michael Rudetsky was found dead at George's London mansion from an overdose, this hit home for George, and he stopped using drugs.

Virgin Records had now set up a U.S. operation, and George moved from Epic Records in America to Virgin worldwide. George's first solo album after the breakup of the band was entitled Sold. It was very successful in the UK, spawning many hit singles (including the #1 UK hit "Everything I Own"), but he could not duplicate that success in the U.S., though he did score a moderate hit with the song "Live My Life" (#40 U.S.) from the Hiding Out soundtrack. His next U.S album would be High Hat, comprised of songs from two of his solo British albums released after Sold. High Hat was critically acclimed, but had disappointing sales, although the R&B dance number "Don't Take My Mind On A Trip", produced by Teddy Riley, became a top 10 R&B hit.

Many of his following releases were songs to protest against the UK's proposed legal restrictions on sex education relating to homosexuality, (known as Clause 28). In 1989, George formed his own label, More Protein. He also recorded under the name Jesus Loves You, (writing under the pseudonym Angela Dust), releasing an underground club hit "Generations Of Love", and "Bow Down Mister", which would become a signature song, inspired by his involvement in the Hare Krishna movement.

In 1992, George scored a hit with a version of the song "The Crying Game" (produced by the Pet Shop Boys), which was featured on the movie of the same name, and reached the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100. Although he'd had solo hits in the UK, this would be his first and only big U.S. pop hit since Culture Club's 1986 single "Move Away". However, he did not capitalise on this success by releasing an album. By the time he finally released the rock-driven Cheapness And Beauty a few years later, the momentum had died. From that album, he released his version of the Iggy Pop song "Funtime." Still, George would say that the "Crying Game" era gave him a sense of satisfaction, after having been written off by the record industry in America after his drug problems.

Later life

Boy George continues to remain a global pop icon and a successful music DJ. He once again started touring the world as a DJ in the late 1990s and starred in the London musical Taboo, based on his life (George didn't play himself, opting instead to take on the persona of Australian-born performance artist Leigh Bowery). Taboo was a huge success in London's West End. During 2003 he presented a weekly show on London radio station LBC 97.3 for six months. In August 1994, a British court tossed out a paternity suit filed against him by a Californian woman.

Harper Collins published the autobiography of Boy George, Take It Like A Man, in 1995. George wrote of his relationship with Kirk Brandon, the singer with Spear of Destiny and the earlier Theatre of Hate, prompting Brandon to begin a High Court action against George. George, taking the witness stand, faced a "malicious falsehood" charge brought against him by Brandon, now married and a father, who denied that he once had a sexual relationship with George. Brandon lost. During the trial, Boy George had claimed that Kirk Brandon had been the love of his life and that he still loved him.

In his book, George also told his side of his secret relationship with Culture Club drummer Jon Moss. He stated many of the songs he wrote for Culture Club were directed at Moss. He also alleged that Moss had broken off his engagement to be with George, and that Moss was never comfortable in a same-sex relationship, although Moss was bisexual. During the Culture Club reunion, though, Moss did acknowledge that he had loved George deeply, although now he is married with several children.

In July 1998, a reunited Culture Club performed three dates in Monte Carlo and then joined Human League and Howard Jones in a "Big Rewind" tour of the US. The following month, the band appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and made an appearance in Britain, their first in 14 years. Later that year, the band had a Top Ten hit in the UK with "I Just Wanna Be Loved".

In 1998, Boy George began writing a weekly column in The Daily Express and hosted a weekly radio show on the Galaxy Radio Network.

Current activity

He wrote the foreword for a feng shui book called "Practical Feng Shui" by Simon G. Brown (published in 1998).

As a successful DJ, he occasionally tours. He remains a pop icon.

He has sung "Bow Down Mister" with the Indian singer, Asha Bhosle.

He has also recently appeared as a guest on the British comedy-talk show The Kumars at No. 42.

In 2002, he wrote the score for (and starred in) the stage musical Taboo, which featured Marilyn and other stars of the 1980s. The music was a West End Smash before transferring to Broadway in NY produced by Rosie O'Donnell.

In 2005 he published Straight in Britain, his second autobiographical book. He lives in Manhattan.

On October 7, 2005, he was arrested in Manhattan on suspicion of possessing cocaine, (BBC Online Report) and appeared in court on 1 February, 2006 (BBC News report). On June 17, 2006, a Manhattan judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Boy George after the former Culture Club singer failed to appear in court. This was taken back as another court date was set, and George was made to pay his $1000 fine for wasting police time. He has been issued with community service. (The Age) On 28 June, it was reported that George would perform his community service as a garbage collector. (Yahoo News)

Quotes

London newspaper, 1984: "I'm not gay, and I'm not a transvestite." (At other times he has characterized himself as "bisexual", "very confused", "not confused", and "not really all that keen on sex".)

The London Evening Standard, 20 February 2006: "Gay unions, what is that about? I haven't been invited to any ceremonies, and I wouldn't go anyway. The idea that gay people have to mimic what obviously doesn't work for straight people any more ... I think is a bit tragic. I am looking forward to gay divorces."

Source same as above: Madonna is "a living, breathing cash register".

Source same as above: On Kanye West's winning of the Brit award: "I was pleased because he is the first American rapper to say something positive about gay people. I met his mum, she's lovely."

Discography

Albums

Singles

Everything I Own (1987)
Keep Me In Mind (1987)
Sold (1987)
To Be Reborn (1987)
Live My Life (1987)
No Clause 28 (1988)
Don't Cry (1988)
Don't Take My Mind on a Trip(1988)
Whether They Like It Or Not (1988)
You Found Another Guy (1988)
Everything I Own 1991 (1991)
Funtime (1995)
Il Adore (1995)
Same Thing in Reverse (1996)
Love is Leaving (1996)
When Will You learn (1996)

External links

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