Boy George
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Boy George became a household name in the 1980s with his band Culture Club. His flamboyant, gender-bending style brought him almost as much attention as his music, and throughout his life, he has battled a powerful drug addiction and serious bouts of depression. He’s a hero to some and a villain to others, but he cannot be ignored.
Early Years
Boy George was born George Alan O’Dowd on June 14, 1961, in Eltham, Kent, in the south of England, to an Irish, working class family. He moved to London in his late teens in hopes of pursuing music and became a regular fixture on London’s club scene. By this point, he was frequently dressing in feminine clothes, and his style and attitude caught the eye of former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren. McLaren recognized George’s talent and arranged for him to join the already established band Bow Wow Wow under the name Lieutenant Lush. He performed with Bow Wow Wow for about a year before striking out on his own.
Post Bow Wow Wow, Boy George formed a band with his friend Mikey Craig, a bass player. The two named their band In Praise of Lemmings, but the band had little success. They soon dropped the name and searched out new players to join them.
Drummer Jon Moss was the next to join the group. Moss has drummed for Adam and the Ants and The Damned. They were briefly joined by a guitarist named Slade before settling on guitar player Roy Hay. George, Craig, Moss, and Hay first named themselves the Sex Gang Children but eventually re-christened themselves The Culture Club.
Boy George and the Culture Club
In 1982, Culture Club, who had signed to Virgin in the UK and Epic in the USA, released their debut album, Kissing to be Clever. The album was a smash right out of the gate, and the third single, Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, hit number one in several countries around the world. Two other top ten USA hits from the album followed, Time (Clock of the Heart) and I’ll Tumble 4 Ya, making Culture Club the only band at the time to have matched The Beatles’ record of having three top ten Billboard singles from a debut album. Their success at the time was furthered by the birth of MTV and music videos; a format which made Boy George’s outrageous appearance a selling point for the band.
Culture Club’s second album, Colour By Number, was released in 1983 and became an even bigger hit than the first. The second single, Karma Chameleon, stayed at the top of the US charts for four weeks and the UK charts for six weeks and is the song most associated with the band.
The group’s success was to be short-lived, however. By the end of 1984, the band had already fallen out of favor with many of their fans, and their third album, Waking Up to the House on Fire, brought disappointing sales.
Strife behind the scenes was taking its toll as well. George and drummer Moss were carrying on a volatile on-again/off-again relationship. Moss was not out of the closet and refused to allow their relationship to become public, even dating women while dating Boy George. During this time, George also began using heroin, an additional struggle for the band. They released one more album, 1986’s From Luxury to Heartache, and went their separate ways.
The band briefly reunited for a tour and a new album in 1998 but has since split again. Rumor has it that the remaining members of Culture Club will be performing in 2007 with a new lead singer.
Solo Career and Personal Struggles
He released his first solo album, Sold, in 1988. It was moderately successful in the UK but failed to make much of a splash in the US. Success would come again, though, in 1992, when Boy George had a hit with his version of the song The Crying Game, which was from the soundtrack of the successful movie of the same name. Since then, he has built a successful career as a DJ.
After the split of Culture Club, George’s heroin addiction spiraled out of control. He arrest for possession of the drug in London in the late 80s made him the subject of much tabloid gossip. His brother went on British TV to discuss George’s problem in hopes of “shocking” him into getting help. He refused to acknowledge his problem until a music producer overdosed on heroin and died in Boy George’s home; he then kicked the habit.
Taboo and Beyond
A musical in London’s West End called Taboo, based on Boy George’s, life was a huge UK hit. He performed in the production, though not as himself. It has not had the same success on Broadway, where Rosie O'Donnell produced the show.
In 2005, rumors of a drug relapse emerged when Manhattan police found him carrying cocaine. The singer failed to appear in court and was sentenced to community service, which he fulfilled by sweeping streets.
A new Boy George single is expected by the end of 2006.
More Info
For more information on Boy George, check out his memoir, Take It Like a Man.
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