Take like man boy george. George fight. George's new life

Englishman George O'Dowd was born on June 14, 1961 in Woolwich, a suburb of London, in large family of eight people. I don’t know which animal his parents liked the most (I’m guessing a rabbit), but they had children with amazing ease and ended up having one girl and as many as five boys (Zhorik was the third in a row). The father of the family worked as a construction contractor, and the mother, naturally, was in charge of the children and the household, so they had a very friendly proletarian family.

There were a lot of people everywhere, and young George was always eager to stand out. Very early on he was fascinated by the colorful colors of extravagant clothes, and, of course, the gloomy school uniform was distasteful. When he was 6 years old, he became the main attraction at his aunt Jan's wedding, dressed as a rooster. Imagine his disappointment when, after the aforementioned celebrations, his original black shoes with a silver buckle in front went to his cousin Denis! Zhorik sobbed for a long time and pathetically and with all his heart wished that every day one of his relatives would get married.

He had as much contempt for the school as for its uniform. It seemed absurd to him to keep so much unnecessary information in his memory. He often skipped “useless” lessons, addressed teachers according to assigned nicknames, spoke out against the system and wanted to quickly become famous so as not to depend on anyone. He was interested in art and poetry, not boring grammar. He did not like to overload himself with sports (except that he knew a couple of self-defense techniques).

At the age of 12, George became infected with the image of Ziggy Stardust, born in the brilliant mind of David Bowie. He did his hair accordingly and dyed his hair, but after several days of clubbing he was simply demoralized. Thousands of Ziggy clones were roaming around London, making it look like some kind of alien city. But still, Bowie became a correspondence teacher for George, who proved by his example that a man of art can change under the influence of not only moral teachings and inner beliefs, but with the help of makeup and wardrobe. It was very important for O"Daoud to understand that he was moving in the right direction. Fortunately, he did not have to suffer for long. At the age of 15, he was kicked out of school for disgraceful behavior, and from Principal Dawson he heard historical words: "Oh" Daoud, think about your parents! Think about what it's like for them! You'll never do anything with your own hands, O "Dowd. You're just a fool..." (from George's memoirs, described in his autobiography "Take It Like A Man").

When he came home that day, he had a chance to hear a couple of flattering words from his mother. “If you don’t go to school,” she shouted, “you have to work, you lazy fool!” George didn't want to work, but he was even more burdened by being a dependent. By the way, at one of his jobs (in a supermarket), he once stole hair dye right off the counter and, without waiting for another day, became blonde. The next morning, his mother showed him the door and ordered him not to return until his hair returned to its natural color. Later she bought him black paint, and George had no choice but to pour it on his wild head. However, he rinsed his hair too early, and it turned out something very similar to highlights (black stripes were visible on a light background). Mom wasn't very impressed, but it looked tolerable. And George was crazy because he now looked like Patty Smith herself.

From early childhood he had no shortage of nicknames, and one day the moment came when he himself realized that he was attracted to the wrong people. He staged his first homosexual experience in a dark corner of a club, and, in his deep conviction, it all happened in a rush mutual feelings. O'Dowd became a frequent guest of nightclubs for gays, transvestites and bisexuals and one of the most popular and extraordinary personalities of the London night club scene. At the age of 17, he left his parents' home and for a long time he huddled with his company in abandoned buildings, again working part-time in supermarkets, in a hat shop and in a vegetable factory. Life, imbued with the spirit of free love, nevertheless, he soon got tired of it, and he seriously thought about his future. All that he could do was to write poetry and partly to sound it musically, which, however, would never have become the property of the people if not for chance. The backing vocalist left the band BOW WOW WOW, and a new one was urgently needed to help the main soloist of the group, Annabella Lou Win. The team immediately liked George. He took the pseudonym Lieutenant Lush and participated in several concerts, after which he was kicked out of the door because the others did not like that the extravagant young man attracted too much attention to himself. The group's manager, Malcolm McLaren, spoke very flatteringly about George in the press and believed that, given his appearance and vocal abilities, he should organize his own group. Which O'Dowd soon did.

Multicultural club

In 1981, a team called SEX GANG CHILDREN was born. George then renamed it PRAISE OF LEMMINGS. The final name is CULTURE CLUB (its roots are to be found in wealth musical styles adopted by the group, and in the various cultural roots of the musicians) came after the permanent line-up was formed: Mikey Craig (b. 02/15/1960 in London, bass guitar), Roy Hay (b. 08/12/1961 in Southend-On-Sea, guitar and keyboards) and former member of LONDON, DAMNED Jon Moss (b. 09/11/1957 in London, drums), who also worked with Adam Ant. O"Dowd was looking for a new pseudonym for a long time, but he couldn’t come up with anything else but to put the prefix “Boy” in front of his real name (Boy George, in his opinion, fit well with the reggae motif). The group rehearsed a lot and recorded several demos, which were soon sent to the addresses of all major record companies in Britain. Finally, after widespread refusals, Virgin Records became interested in them, and in the spring of 1982, CULTURE CLUB already had a permanent contract. But the first two singles of the group, “White Boy” and “I"m Afraid Of Me" went unnoticed, and something had to be done.

Their manager was lucky. The producers of the famous BBC TV show "Top Of The Pops" ordered him to find one fresh hit song to perform on the show, in connection with which Boy George and his comrades hastily composed "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?", and after its brilliant It only took a month to perform for CULTURE CLUB to become the talk of the town throughout Britain. Out of the blue, everyone suddenly loved George and his band, and "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" sold a record 7 million copies and, of course, topped the British charts.

The guys agreed to divide all income equally and began to sign with a common name in the author’s column. Despite the fact that their debut album "Kissing To Be Clever" was significantly less hit than their singles, it was high-quality pop music, and George's unique voice with a clear soul tint and his bright talent as an intimate poet exalted CULTURE CLUB's music above all electro - priest.

Interest in the group and its imposing, made-up, feminine lead singer with pigtails and elaborate hats grew, and Virgin rushed CULTURE CLUB to release their second disc, "Color By Numbers", which was destined to become their most successful record (6 million copies sold, 1st place in Britain and 2nd - after Jackson's "Thriller" - place in the States). With singles such as "Church Of Poison Mind" and especially "Karma Chameleon" (1.2 million sales) topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, the group basked in worldwide fame and Boy George gradually emerged as their mouthpiece. a business card, with which, as often happens, an acquaintance begins and ends. Finally, this weird guy got all the attention he wanted. In his interviews, he seemed extremely self-critical, declaring that he was very ugly and makeup made him feel more relaxed, and “instead of sex, he prefers to have a cup of tea,” but newspapers and fans of the group believed their eyes, not the words of George, and the rest of the CULTURE members CLUB clearly did not like this state of affairs. It was difficult for them to change anything, but gradually this type of jealousy began to prevail in their relationship with the upstart. Boy became less trusted as a lyricist, and an organization called CULTURE CLUB began to look like bad marriage, although at first the romantic relationship between the main lyricists and music writers cemented the emotional power of their songs.

However, they still had to record two albums, "Waking Up With The House On Fire" and " From The Luxury To Headache" and penned such hits as "Victims", "It's A Miracle", "Miss You Blind" and "The War Song", which extended their internecine wars for three whole years, until the progressive drug addict Boy George officially did not declare his close relationship with drummer Jon Moss. But this is a topic for another discussion.

Love and drugs

George and John's love affair began as soon as CULTURE CLUB was created. George loved him very much and wanted to tell the whole world about it. For example, in "Time (Clock Of The Heart)" George says, "Don't put your head on my shoulders, rather drown me in a sea of ​​tears, but you gotta overcome your fear." Moss was very embarrassed to divulge this secret, because he always declared that he was normal. Despite constant quarrels on this basis, their relationship lasted for quite a long time, and Boy called his partner unique in nature. He always wanted to consider himself a unique (bisexual) individual, but even in the most piquant situations he was not completely feminine (as he liked to joke, “there are some details that are difficult to hide under makeup).

But the moment came when George could no longer forgive John’s infidelities with women, and he closed himself off and began to seek solace in drugs. There was another reason for this. All these years of living as a pop star cost him colossal internal discomfort. He tried almost every snorting drug known at that time (he still refused to inject drugs for fear of a possible overdose) and often behaved inappropriately in front of television cameras and at concerts. The terrible truth was revealed during the filming of the TV show "Sport Aid Race Against Time", when Boy George, pumped up on heroin, constantly fell asleep, and at the end he suddenly announced that his name was Julie Edrews. Viewers and television journalists were indignant, and O'Dowd's family could not look at the blue screen without tears. After that program, George's brother David appealed to the public to help convince Boy to undergo treatment as soon as possible, but this only angered George, and he vowed to break all relations with my brother.

He had lost a lot of weight, could hardly eat properly, his heart was beating at a crazy pace, but he still thought he could control himself. Very soon, even the most decent salary of a famous musician was not enough to buy heroin, and George and his friend Marilyn did whatever they could to get the next portion. One day they were on vacation in Jamaica and they ran out of heroin. It was not sold anywhere there, so without hesitation they went to New York, but the desire was so strong that halfway there they convinced the ship's captain to give them a boat to get to Guadeloupe. After several hours of useless wandering around the islands, they went to the nearest airport, where it turned out that planes to New York fly through Paris. They called their New York dealer and asked her to meet them in Paris. But again, they were so sick that it was no fun to wait, and the guys figured that if they got to Argentina, they would be on a plane to New York before their dealer took off from there. They succeeded, and five minutes after they intercepted the astonished girl with bags of white death, the entire toilet at John F. Kennedy Airport was splashed with the products of the rejection of their stomachs (probably it didn’t work or thirst killed the desire).

The worst days of Boy George's life have arrived. The press began a real hunt for evidence confirming his drug addiction. Tabloid publications like “Sun” and “Daily Mirror” tried especially hard, which began to publish notes with stories from George’s close friends about what he really is. Many of them were also complete drug addicts and chronically needed additional funding, so the amounts from 8,000 to 100,000 pounds that the newspapermen offered them were perceived as a lifeline.

George's situation worsened further after the drug overdoses of two of his friends (Mark Volteer and Michael Rudetsky, who was to produce Boy George's first solo album), for whose deaths no one blamed him but himself. But still, under pressure from an aggressive press, the police arrested George for drug possession and use. Boy appeared at the court hearing in his case pumped up with methadone (an analogue of heroin) and kept a bag of hashish in his pocket just in case. A huge crowd of his screaming fans gathered under the windows of the courthouse, and one girl even specially took with her about $16,000 (she mortgaged her own house to pay for her idol if he was released on bail). As a result, George paid a fine of 250 pounds for drug use, and the dealers from whom he constantly sold the “potion” received 4 years each.

George and him new love Michael Dunn left London after this, and in Montserrat Boy finally began recording his debut disc "Sold". And three days after his dealers were convicted, his first solo single, “Everything I Own” (a cover of the old BREAD song), was released, which turned out to be surprisingly cool and even topped the British charts. In 1987, he recorded three more successful singles, and the same number were released in the next year. Newspapers wrote about Boy George's miraculous resurrection from the dead, but a full recovery was still a long way off. He was taking anti-depressant pills prescribed to him by his friend Dr. Blum, but every time he found himself in clubs, he could not resist the temptation to get high on ecstasy and other recreational drugs available, so he still looked unusually sleepy. Finally, his personal therapist managed to convince him to undergo inpatient treatment. George voluntarily underwent treatment, took up yoga and went on a strict diet. And within a month he cleansed his body, corrected his nervous system, and he had new friends and goals in life.

There was no need for him to hide his homosexuality now. First of all, he decided to put Margaret Thatcher in her place, who, on behalf of the Conservative Party, launched a massive anti-gay campaign. “Children, who in theory should have been taught to respect the traditions and moral principles of society,” shouted The Iron Lady, - declared that homosexuality could be their inalienable right. Where have you seen this?!" In response to this statement by the British Prime Minister, George wrote the song "No Clause 28", referring to the article of the law prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality.

Although Boy was feeling much better, his next album, Tense Nervous Headache, fully revealed his physical and emotional condition for the period 1988, but, like the third "Boyfriend", was not released in the United States. However, in 1989, Virgin still dared to release George’s second American album, “High Hat” (named after the musician’s much-loved high hats), but, to be on the safe side, compiled it from the best tracks “Tense Nervous Headache” and “Boyfriend.” The musician again had to take a maturity test, but he felt that something was lost, although he did not know what exactly.

A new milestone in his life and work was the opening of his own label, More Protein Records, which in less than a year gathered under its wing an entire army of young talented dancers (Eve Gallagher, Lippy Lou, Amos). The single of the E-ZEE POSSE team (led by the white-skinned rapper MC Kinky, openly Boy George) “Everything Starts With An E” became a big club hit in 1989, and George himself organized a new group JESUS ​​LOVES YOU, although it was not a group at all, but a new sign for the musical experiments of George O'Dowd, who asked to call himself Angela Dust. But all this happened after the famous trip of George and Michael Dunn to India.

Hare Krishna

Escaping from negative impressions accumulated over the past last years, they retired to ancient land Krishna. Boy was always interested in ancient religions, he felt a colossal unity with nature and himself there, and when Michael went back to England, Boy continued his journey, reached Nepal and saw the wretchedness of Western materialism in comparison with Eastern simplicity. He became a convinced vegetarian and, together with his New York friend Nayana, visited Radha Kund, a sacred lake that is said to be fed by all the rivers and seas of our planet. There he wrote the magnificent hymn to Krishna "Bow Down Mister" and upon returning to London became a completely different person, a convinced Buddhist and a rare philosopher.

All the songs written during this period (including "After The Love" co-written with Jon Moss, with whom they reconciled and Moss publicly acknowledged his close relationship with George) were on the first JESUS ​​LOVES YOU album "The Martyr Mantras" . In addition to "Bow Down Mister", hits included "Generations Of Love" and "Sweet Toxic Love", Boy's compositional talent used synthesizers, guitars, sitars and even an exotic oriental choir, and most importantly, the words and melodies were full of freedom, which This is what a chameleon man named George O'Dowd sought for so long.

New life

1992 brought him his first success in the States. The lead single from the soundtrack to the Oscar-winning film "The Crying Game", produced by PET SHOP BOYS, hit the top ten of Billboard's top ten singles, and the duet with Prince Be (of PM DAWN) "More Than Likely" further strengthened its position in the New Sveta, demonstrating his professional growth. In 1993, the compilation "At Worst... The Best Of Boy George And Culture Club" was released, and a year later JESUS ​​LOVES YOU recorded their second and less noticeable album, "Devil In Sister".

DJing became George's new hobby. From hard work he turned it into prestigious profession, began to get paid well for his work, and his “rattle” could be found on all the most famous collections of the mid-90s. On the night of July 1, 1997, when Hong Kong was coming under the jurisdiction of China, a grand party hosted by DJ Boy George gathered more than 4,000 people on one dance floor, and George was very proud of the honor given to him to become the main witness and participant in one of the loudest historical events the end of the 20th century.

And in 1995 his last appeared on this moment album "Cheapness & Beauty", with which he paid tribute to three of the biggest idols of his youth (David Bowie, Marc Bolan and Iggy Pop), highlighting punk-glam rock guitar sounds and problematic lyrics (from "Evil Is So Civilized" about the homophobic murders sweeping America, to "II Adore", a requiem for his friend Steve Hughes, who died of AIDS in 1992), co-written with guitarist John Themis. In fact, this album became a kind of soundtrack to George's autobiography "Take It Like A Man", written together with Spencer Bright. This book went on sale simultaneously with the album and began to enjoy deserved popularity because it was written very frankly and with humor.

Boy George has since begun to regularly appear on the pages of various publications with his notes on the most pressing issues and sat down to write his second book. Kirk Brandon, one of his former lovers, has lost another lawsuit designed to keep George silent about his love affairs. Boy dedicated an entire song “Unfinished Business” to their relationship on his 1995 album (with photographs and an ironic caption under their photograph) and dedicated special chapter in his autobiography. The court believed George, and that day became a great celebration of the victory of the gay rights movement.

And in February 1998, the long-awaited reunion of CULTURE CLUB took place. They toured America for three months, while the world's major music television channels broadcast special programs dedicated to the group. And at the end of the summer, Virgin Records released the CULTURE CLUB double "Greatest Moments", the first part of which captured their previous victories (plus two new songs "I Just Want To Be Loved" and "Some Strange Voodoo"), and the second they reported about the tour that just ended.

Now they further fate how groups are not clear. But let's hope that even in this millennium, Boy George and CULTURE CLUB will still please us with their new songs, especially since now, apparently, they will not need heroin, Prozac and ecstasy.

On October 12, the 47-year-old singer releases a new anti-war single, “Yes We Can.”
At the same time, he begins a concert tour in the UK.
Boy George proudly declares that he is free from drug addiction - especially cocaine - and everything in his life is fine.

Is everything really so wonderful?

He is due to return to a courtroom in London next month to continue his trial in the captivity of the 28-year-old young man in his apartment for several days, handcuffed to the radiator.

Last October, the singer had to undergo forced labor in New York, where he swept the streets in an orange vest, which all the local reporters came running to see.
This punishment was handed down after 13 bags of cocaine were found in his Manhattan apartment, which Boy denied as best he could. The US authorities refused him a work visa, which means that he cannot go there on tour, but Boy is not discouraged and believes that everything will be resolved with time.

In his interview with The Times, BJ talked about how he decided to quit using cocaine and spoke about similar problems with Amy Winehouse:

"When you destroy yourself, everyone is just helpless - especially the people who love you most. Until she decides to change, no one can do anything."

They met at a concert last year and were both high. BJ announced to the public: "Amy is great, but she's a big-lipped cow."
When he came down from the stage, he apologized to her, but she said: “You are right! I am a big-lipped cow.”

George continues to admire her and says that she knows musical history and the roots of music, imagine how she would perform if she were in in good condition, and not half-heartedly, as now, when drugs completely take them away from her.
"When you're in that state, you don't notice or appreciate what's around you."

Despite his image, BJ remains a tough nut to crack.
In 2004, his father, who was a builder, died and had been a very tough and dominant person all his life.
In difficult moments of the singer’s life, his mother supported him.

A few years ago, an attempt was made to reunite the group "Culture Club", which made BJ a star international level, but in the end there were differences in views on further creativity
(George wanted to make the sound more modern)
incessant quarrels did their job - they broke up again.

Would they get back together?

BJ says: "No. It was terrible.
We quarreled constantly.
Someone shaved prostitutes in the bathtub... It's like returning to your ex-love. At first it seems like a great idea, but then old skeletons start coming out of the closets.
For a long time they tried to replace me with another singer in makeup, which I regard as an insult.
Then they didn't have to be called " Culture Club".
And yes... with the band's drummer Jon Moss (Kirk Brandon) - his ex-lover- they remain friends.

(in 1995 in his book Take It Like A Man BJ wrote about their romantic relationship, after which Brandon (at the time a married man and father) sued him for malicious falsehood.
In court, BJ claimed that Brandon is the greatest love of his life and he still loves him.
Brandon lost the case).

BJ does not feel nostalgia for the 80s, he is closer to the 70s - when punk music fought with disco.
He says that now - when everything around is flooded with various reality shows and competitions - everything is based on cruelty and outcasts.
He himself voted via SMS for an Indian guy who copied Michael Jackson on Britain's Got Talent: "I want a world where Cliff Richard massages Rihanna's shoulders and Jay-Z gives Status Quo.".

This week BJ will start working on a song for Kanye West ( "he just loves Karma Chameleon"), but he doesn't aim to conquer all the charts.

“There is another life besides being in the mainstream. And I never suffer if my song is not in the Top 10.
I never liked selling myself.
If, of course, he offers me a good amount, I will sign the contract. But the Internet changed everything. I will not sacrifice anything and everything for the sake of my career, like some... and then his voice becomes quieter: "We'll do without names."

What is this? Another one of his attacks on Madonna?

Their hostility was fueled by a series of similar attacks.
“I admire the fact that she didn’t become a drug addict or an alcoholic. She’s stubborn.
It would be interesting to know what is really in her heart. I've heard that she can be quite cruel. I wonder what it would take to stop behaving like that."
He was always in favor of ending the feud, so maybe the diva wars will be over soon...

About his personal life, BJ said that for 4 years now - with varying success - he has been dating one - sincere-sounding - lawyer.
“He didn’t know that I was high and that’s why I was acting so strange.
As long as they don't tell me that they love me, everything goes great. But as soon as these words are uttered, it is as if you are stepping into dangerous territory. Don't go there if you're not sure.
My capacity to love is quite enormous and terrifying."

BJ says he doesn't care that he's turning 50 or people talking about his weight. His head and neck are decorated with countless tattoos.
"When I look in the mirror, I think: 'What a handsome guy!'

He also has some sympathy for George Michael.
“At first, when Michael got into it, it was terribly funny to me. But when you get arrested, it’s the worst thing in the world. I know. Maybe he doesn’t care, of course, but does he really like it.
When I look at Michael and Amy, I know where they are.
I know what it's like to jabber, sweat chaotically, and have no clarity. Seek wisdom to calm your soul..."

New single Boy George

Boy George(English) Boy George; real name - George Alan O'Dowd(English) George Alan O'Dowd), genus. 14 June 1961) is a British singer and composer, one of the pioneers of the New Romantic movement. Former member of such groups as Culture Club and Jesus Loves You.

Biography

George and Culture Club starred as themselves in an episode of the popular 80s American TV series The A-Team.

Discography

Albums

• 1987 - Sold (UK #29, US #145, Switzerland #15, Norway #15, Sweden #18, Italy #22]
• 1988 - Tense Nervous Headache
• 1989 - Boyfriend
• 1989 - High Hat (American compilation, U.S. #126)
• 1990 - The Martyr Mantras (in England - as Jesus Loves You, UK #60)
• 1992 - Spin Dazzle (Culture Club & Boy George, master compilation)
• 1993 - At Worst… The Best of Boy George and Culture Club (UK #24, USA #169)
• 1995 - Cheapness and Beauty (UK #44)
• 1998 - The Unrecoupable One Man Bandit
• 1999 - Everything I Own (compilation)
• 2002 - Taboo Original London Cast (musical soundtrack)
• 2002 - Classic Masters (compilation)
• 2002 - U Can Never B2 Straight (UK #147)
• 2002 - Culture Club Box Set (collection of demos, remixes and unreleased material)
• 2004 - Taboo (Broadway musical soundtrack)
• 2004 - Yum Yum (under the pseudonym The Twin)
• 2004 - The Annual 1, 2, 3, 4
• 2004 - Dance Nation 1, 2, 4, 5
• 2004 - Yum Yum
• 2010 - Ordinary Alien
• 2013 - This is what I do

EPs

• 1994 - The Devil in Sister George EP (1993-1994)
• 2004 - Made To Measure (The Twin, promo)
• 2005 - Straight EP
• 2007 - Boy George & Kinky Roland EP

Singles

• 1987 - Everything I Own (UK #1, U.S. Dance #45, Canada #1, Germany #8, Switzerland #8, Italy #1, Ireland #1, Norway #1, South Africa #1, Holland #3, Sweden #8 )
• 1987 - Keep Me in Mind (UK #29, Italy #3)
• 1987 - Sold (UK #24, Italy #4, Ireland #8)
• 1987 - To Be Reborn (UK #13, Italy #13, Ireland #8)
• 1987 - Live My Life (UK #62, U.S. #40, Canada #9)
• 1988 - No Clause 28 (UK #57)
• 1988 - Don't Cry (UK #60)
• 1989 - Don't Take My Mind on a Trip (UK #68)
• 1989 - You Found Another Guy (U.S. R&B #34)
• 1989 - After The Love (UK #68)
• 1990 - Generations Of Love* (UK #80)
• 1990 - One On One (UK #83)
• 1991 - Bow Down Mister (UK #27, France #29, Austria #2)
• 1991 - Generations Of Love (remix)* (UK #35)
• 1992 - The Crying Game (UK #22, U.S. #15, Canada #1]
• 1992 - Sweet Toxic Love (UK #65, Austria #14)
• 1993 - More Than Likely (PM Dawn feat. Boy George) (UK #40)
• 1995 - Funtime (UK #45)
• 1995 - Il Adore (UK #50, France #69)
• 1995 - Same Thing in Reverse
• 1999 - Innocence Is Lost (with Groove Armada) (12" promo)
• 2002 - Swallow Me (as The Real Feminem) (12")
• 2002 - Out of Fashion (with Hi-Gate)
• 2002 - Run (with Sash!) (Germany #48, Croatia #1, Switzerland #98)
• 2002 - Autoerotic (with Dark Globe) (UK #165)
• 2002 - Psychology of the Dreamer (with Eddie Locke) (UK Dance #5)
• 2003 - Here Come the Girls (as The Twin) (limited edition)
• 2003 - Electro Hetero (The Twin)
• 2003 - Sanitised (The Twin)
• 2004 - Human Racing (The Twin)
• 2005 - Love Your Brother (Jesus Loves You feat. Boy George) (12" promo)
• 2006 - You Are My Sister (with Antony and the Johnsons) (UK #39)
• 2006 - You’re Not the One (with Loverush UK) (promo)
• 2007 - Time Machine (with Amanda Ghost)
• 2007 - You're Not the One (with Loverush UK)
• 2007 - Atoms (with Dark Globe)
• 2008 - Generations Of Love (with Phunk Investigation)
• 2008 - Yes We Can (Slovenia #1]
• 2009 - American Heart (with Bliss)

• In 2010, he returned an icon stolen 37 years ago to the Cypriot Orthodox Church. In 1985 I purchased it, not knowing about its origin.
• In 2010, a television drama produced by the BBC about the life of Boy George, Worried about Boy, was released.

Boy George is a famous musician, producer, DJ, writer, and the creator of his own label, Boy George. However, despite his abilities, he is mostly known to the public as an eccentric man with distorted views on fashion, and is also known for his open views on sexuality.

Beginning of the biography

Boy George, whose real name is George Alan O'Dowd, was born on July 14, 1961 in a London suburb. He had big family, consisting of 8 people. Besides him, there were 4 brothers and one sister. The father was engaged in contract construction, and the mother was forced to become a housewife and look after her six children. Thanks to the efforts of the parents, order and harmony reigned in the family.

From an early age, young George sought to be the center of attention of others. He was fascinated by the colorful colors of the unusual clothes. I felt real disgust for school uniform. He treated his studies at school in the same way as his student uniform. He considered it unnecessary to assimilate the useless, in his opinion, information that the teachers were trying to convey to him.

He skipped lessons that were uninteresting to him without a twinge of conscience. He communicated with teachers in a very unique way, calling them by nicknames, which he himself assigned. He showed some interest only in art and poetry. I also had no passion for physical education lessons.

The first time George dyed his hair a different color was at the age of twelve. At this time, he wanted to be like David Bowie's character, Ziggy Stardust. This experience eventually led to George realizing that he could change using only makeup and wardrobe, and not following moral teachings or any internal beliefs.

George's behavior led to him being kicked out of school at age 15.

Non-traditional sexual orientation

Two years later, having reached his seventeenth birthday, the young man left his family and left home. He lived in abandoned buildings, worked part-time in supermarkets and shopping pavilions. IN free time was engaged in writing poetry and music.

At the same time, he continued to experiment with his appearance. He became a regular at gay nightclubs. The first sexual contact with a representative of the same sex took place in a dark corner of such a club.

However, O’Dowd soon became tired of such a pastime. He began to think about what to do next. The only thing he was good at was writing poetry and music. And fate gave George a lucky chance. The band BOW WOW WOW lost its backing vocalist, and he was offered to fill the vacant position.

The beginning of a musical career

In this group he came to the court. For performances he came up with the pseudonym Lieutenant Lush. Took part in several concerts. However, after this he was fired. The reason was that he was the center of attention, and this did not suit the rest of the group.

However, the team's manager, Malcolm McLaren, advised George to create his own team, in which he would try to reveal his extraordinary external and vocal abilities. George followed these instructions and formed a group called SEX GANG CHILDREN.

After a short period of time, he renamed it PRAISE OF LEMMINGS. And then to the world famous CULTURE CLUB. This group now has a permanent lineup: Mickey Craig, Roy Hay, Jon Moss. George spent quite some time selecting a new pseudonym for himself and settled on adding Boy to his name.

In 1980, his team entered into its first contract with Virgin Records and created two compositions in a short period of time.

The subsequent creation of CULTURE CLUB is the single Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? - made the whole of England talk about the group. She immediately rose to the top of popularity. This was also facilitated by the extravagant appearance of Boy George, who impressed the audience with his effeminate appearance: ladies’ hats, bright outfits, hair in pigtails.

Moreover, his appearance was so extravagant that they talked about him much more than about the work of the team. This state of affairs created discord in the relationship between the participants, especially since Boy publicly declared a love affair with drummer John Moss.

John himself did not want such popularity; he told the press that he was normal. This situation constantly led to scandals, as emotional as the fight between Michael Bisping and George Sant. However, their relationship was quite long.

At the same time, Moss, proving his nature, constantly cheated on George with women. This led to Boy becoming withdrawn and began to seek his lost peace of mind in drugs.

Drug addiction

The musician began his addiction with soft drugs, subsequently tried everything possible, preferring snuff. I didn’t do intravenous injections, I was afraid of an overdose.

His drug addiction gradually became public. He began to appear in front of journalists, as well as at speeches, in an inadequate state. This led to his family cutting ties with him.

Numerous press publications followed about George's drug addiction. He was arrested by the police for possession and consumption. He got off fairly lightly and was released after paying a fine of £250.

Soon after this event, Boy George had a new attachment - Michael Dunn, with whom he left London and began recording his debut disc Sold. After some time, he created his first solo album - the single Everything I Own, which topped the British charts. In 1986, Boy George released three more popular singles, and the same number in the next year. The press showed leniency towards Boy and started talking about his return, but George was unable to get rid of his addictions.

He continued to take antidepressants and was constantly using ecstasy and other recreational drugs, which began to affect his health.

Treatment, controversy with Margaret Thatcher, new group

Doctors convinced George to undergo treatment. He heeded the recommendations, took a course in a hospital, began to get involved in yoga and follow a strict diet. Literally a month after that, he cleansed his body, nervous system his life came into balance, new life goals emerged, and friends appeared.

Taking into account the fact that George did not hide his homosexuality, he had a polemic with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who launched a major campaign against gay people in the country. Through his work, George drew public attention to the injustice of English law, which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality.

Boy George revealed his new talents when creating the More Protein Records label. Over the course of a year, a very large group of gifted young dancers united under him.

At the same time, he created a new group, JESUS ​​LOVES YOU, in which he performed under the pseudonym Angela Dust.

Indian period

However, in an effort to protect himself from negative impressions and emotions that have struck in recent years, Boy George and his lover Michael Dunn left for India. There he completely immersed himself in the study of ancient Indian religion, which allowed him to experience unity with nature and come to inner balance.

Despite the fact that Michael went back to England, Boy did not return with him, but continued to travel. He eventually made it to Nepal, where, he says, he experienced a great Eastern simplicity that could not be compared with the wretched Western world. Visited the sacred lake Radha Kund, where he created a masterpiece hymn to Krishna - Bow Down Mister, also known as “Hare Hare Hare”.

Boy George, upon returning to England, became a completely different person, a convinced Buddhist and a very unusual philosopher.

George's new life

After returning to London, he reconnected with Jon Moss, who publicly revealed the truth about his relationship with Boy. Boy George's personal life, he said, began to improve.

Since 1992, the musician began to conquer the United States. His soundtrack to The Crying Game, which won an Oscar, is considered Boy George's best work for the film, and reached the top ten scores in the United States. His duet with Prince Be was also successful, which further strengthened his position on the musical Olympus in the New World.

Subsequently, Boy George became seriously interested in DJing. Critics say that he turned this work into a prestigious profession, very well paid.

At the beginning of 1998, the CULTURE CLUB group reunited again. For her fans, this was a long-awaited event. The musicians toured the USA for three months. Almost all leading music TV channels prepared special programs about the group, broadcast its performances, and tracked its movements.

Currently, the artists are not performing, the future fate of CULTURE CLUB is not determined. The musicians released their last work, Cold Shoulder/Starman, in 2002.

In 1995, the musician wrote and published an autobiography, which became a notable event. It appeared on the shelves along with the release of his new CD Cheapness & Beauty. Readers note that it is written wittily.

George was also noted for the fact that in 2010 Orthodox Church in Cyprus, he returned a relic - an icon, stolen by unknown persons more than thirty years ago.

George's fight was never forgotten. Although he released his last album, Cheapness And Beauty, after a seven-year break. The changes in his fantastic image and the deafening scandals that accompanied his career attracted the attention of the public to his person more than his musical achievements. In addition, he recently published his extremely frank autobiography, Take It Like A Man. With her help, Andrei BUKHARIN... Read all

George's fight was never forgotten. Although he released his last album, Cheapness And Beauty, after a seven-year break. The changes in his fantastic image and the deafening scandals that accompanied his career attracted the attention of the public to his person more than his musical achievements. In addition, he recently published his extremely frank autobiography, Take It Like A Man. With its help, Andrei BUKHARIN takes a retrospective look at the path of the brightest star of the 80s.
Everyone knows George's fight, but few people remember the Culture Club group, and it was in its composition that he became a world-class star. When I first heard their debut record, I couldn't tell if it was a guy or a girl singing. And the photo on the cover couldn't help. However, it was not my Soviet backwardness that mattered. The English public, seeing Boy George for the first time on a television program, asked the same question. At first, Boy George managed to top the lists of both the best singers and the best female singers. This intrigue did a lot for his success. Although, of course, it was a combination of obvious musical talent, a beautiful voice and an image that was striking even for neo-romanticists.
The casket opened simply. Nowadays, everyone would immediately start discussing not his gender, but his sexual orientation. But I, like my friends, each of whom had Culture Club records at home, was not concerned about the issue of his homosexuality. It didn't matter to us. The music was exciting. Moreover, in the first years of his career, Boy George did not declare his sexual preferences. It would have been bad for business back then. When asked by a women's magazine about his sexual experiences, Boy George answered briefly but emphatically: “Sex? I prefer a cup of tea."
But in his shockingly frank autobiography, he more than made up for all the misunderstandings, starting with memories of his childhood years, when a child gradually learns about his difference from his peers.
George O'Dowd was born on June 14, 1961 into a poor Irish family who moved to England. In addition to George, there were five more children in the family, and until the moment he left the house, he did not even have his own separate room. He hated the clothes his mother bought him. He wanted bright colors, red velvet, high platforms.
His family lived very modestly, and little George dreamed of dressing like Marc Bolan or David Bowie.
It is generally accepted that punk and new wave, to which Boy George belonged, broke with the previous tradition of rock music. But there was also continuity of generations. This primarily concerns glam rock of the 70s. Boy George describes the David Bowie concert: “It was like an alien. It was the most exciting thing I've ever seen. I knew the words to all the songs by heart. On the way home, I sang into an empty Coke can. No concert since then has had such an effect.”
He spent the whole day standing among a crowd of fans outside the windows of the house where Bowie lived with his wife Angie. “She opened the window and told us: “Fuck off.” I was truly happy."
Little could George have guessed that in 1980, Bowie would come to the favorite club of George and his friends, “Blitz,” on purpose. to look at them. new romantics? He then used the costume ideas he saw there in his legendary Ashes To Ashes video.
At the age of 15, George left school, which, as you might guess, was a dark period in his life, and began an equally dreary labor activity. He did not stay in any one place for long. He was always late for work, where he arrived in striped overalls, mismatched socks and plastic sandals. The color of his hair was constantly changing: orange, yellow, white or shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow.
Real life for him began only with the onset of darkness, when night discos opened. “You didn't have to be rich or famous. If you had a Look, then you were a star." The apartment of his girlfriend (with whom, naturally, was purely platonic) became a laboratory where the most daring experiments with wardrobe were carried out. They spent whole days twirling in front of the mirror, styling their hair with gel, altering and combining different things. Her brother was studying to become a hairdresser, and they enthusiastically became his guinea pigs. Mom locked the doors and did not let him out of the house in these outfits, 15-year-old George left with his things in a bag and changed clothes outside the house.
It was 1976 and the explosion of punk rocked Britain. young people from disadvantaged families finally found rock musicians with whom they could identify. Their idols are their peers, not overweight millionaires who pack stadiums for their concerts. Then England was far from today's tolerance and freedom of morals. Ragged punks covered in pins were beaten in the streets. The number one punk band, the Sex Pistols, was targeted in a targeted attack. Even though they fought like gladiators, they were thoroughly beaten and cut with razors. It was not allowed to come to disco clubs in punk attire.
One of the security guards, having detained George at the entrance, took pity and advised him to go to the Bangs club, where people like him supposedly gather. George took the advice and for the first time found himself in a real gay club, where punks also loved to come. There he saw the legendary Sue Catwoman, the Sex Pistols mascot, and Billy Idol. Finally, George felt among his own. Here he became friends with Philip Saloon, an eccentric homosexual who became his punk guru. Philip was known in all London clubs, and with his help George entered the gay world. “Philip was a gay leper. And I was happy to join his colony.”
One of George's first real lovers was Les, the editor of a teen magazine. This man remained George's only lover, with whom he maintained friendly relations until his death from AIDS in 1993. When they met, Les gave him the latest issue of his magazine, on the cover of which was Jon Moss, a future member of Culture Club, the man who played important role in George's life.
At the age of 17, George left his parents' home and settled in a squat with a group of friends, among whom was a strange guy who later became a famous drag queen under the name Marilyn. George began writing poetry and singing. Before the eyes of every young man stood Sex Pistols vocalist Johnny Rotten. “If Rotten is a Singer, then why can’t I become one,” everyone thought.
The exhausted punk was replaced by neo-romantics with their decadent chic. Their clubs were Studio 21 and Blitz, opened by the leader of the Visage group, Steve Strange. Every evening George made a new Look, turning any of his public appearances into a performance. He loved oriental charm: kimonos, geisha-style makeup, hats with ostrich feathers, decorated with fruits, flowers and birds. Steve Strange hired him to work in the Blitz wardrobe. George recalls: “When I became famous, Steve never tired of reminding the world that I was his dressing room employee. True, he forgot to tell me how much he paid me.”
In 1981, George made his debut on stage as the second vocalist of the band Bow Wow Wow, which was patronized by Malcolm McLaren after the collapse of the Sex Pistols. George's photo appeared in the New Musical Express and immediately attracted attention. Negro bass player Micky Greg found him in a club and offered to create his own group. They were joined by Jon Moss, who worked as a drummer in such famous punk bands as Adam And The Ants and The Damned. The guitarist was Roy Hay. Jon Moss came up with the band's name. He said: “Look at us: an Irish transvestite, a Jew, a black man and an Anglo-Saxon. We are Culture Club.” George took the pseudonym Boy George, under which he became known throughout the world.
Culture Club was a serious undertaking. The guys wanted to achieve real success. The group's policy was directed by the single-minded John. The son of a millionaire, who had good professional experience, he clearly knew what he wanted. Culture Club not only rehearsed hard, but also worked on their costumes, trying to reflect the mixture of cultures. They were inspired by ancient astrological and Catholic symbols. The Star of David worn by Boy George came from a fringe Jamaican religion, Rastafarianism. The cover of their first single, White Boy, featured George as a geisha with Rastafarian dreadlocks (thick pigtails imitating a lion's mane).
The single sold 8 thousand copies. “I was so happy that someone bought it that I wanted to write and thank them all personally.” Boy George's dream has come true - his photo appeared on the cover of NME.
Their first album, Kissing To Be Clever, was typical neo-romanticism: passionate and even heroic songs about sexuality and prejudice. It remains the best, although not the most popular, album of the group. Culture Club has never played like this again.
No one knew then that the energy and desperation of their music was fueled not only by the young enthusiasm of the musicians, eager for fame, but also by Boy George’s feeling for Jon Moss. And although he was not gay, he could resist the love of Boy George, who outshone even the most beautiful women, he could not. The whole story of the rise and fall of Culture Club is the story of their love.
Boy George was invited to the TV program Top Of Pops, which was seen by 8 million viewers. After that the song Do You Really Want To Hurt Me. based on a reggae rhythm, rose to number one on the charts. In total, she became number one in 23 countries. Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris - a dizzying voyage began for a guy who had never been outside of England and never had a bank account. Wherever he appeared, everyone wanted an autograph. His family members have lost their identity by being related to Boy George. His older brother, boxer Gerald, was even announced in the ring as Boy George's brother.
The inevitable process of old friends falling away began, who had nothing to do next to the world celebrity. Hundreds of girls dressed as Boy George besieged his house, each exit from which turned into an adventure story for him. He had to get out of the house through the back window, which was not easy to do in his fancy outfit.
The intrusiveness of fans was a new experience for George. Fame makes life extremely difficult. This is the difference between the position of a pop star and a cult star. An artist who is called a cult artist has a much healthier popularity. He has a clan of ardent fans who appreciate and understand his creative achievements. At the same time, he has the opportunity to conduct normal human life. It's quite another thing when thousands of stupid teenagers copying your every move are constantly chasing you. True, there is also a difference in financial income.
“I lived under a magnifying glass. My image gave me firm confidence that I would never be able to go anywhere unrecognized.” Like every narcissist, he craved fame and universal adoration. He liked screaming fans, but not in his own home. George soon realized that fans were terrible people, for whom, like drug addicts, there is never enough. The more you give them, the more they want and the less they give you. This is why pop stars secretly hate their fans. But they are forced to feign sympathy for them, since they live on their money.
The group's second album, Color By Numbers, was based on soul and therefore gained enormous popularity in America. The song Karma Chameleon became business card Culture Club. No matter how much the British despise America, only it issues a certificate of world fame. Every English guy who picks up a guitar dreams of Babylon modern world- New York.
During the American tour, a real fight mania began. Three songs in the top ten at the same time - the first English group since the Beatles to achieve this. The second album sold 6 million copies in the States, becoming platinum six times. During the world tour, the warmest reception awaited the group in Australia. A wax figure of Boy George was installed at Madame Tussauds.
In principle, all this and what followed is the essence of the classic show business story, repeated many times with various variations, starting with the pioneer Elvis Presley. Boy George was 23 years old and as famous as David Bowie. In the blink of an eye, a boy and a large family poor family, suffocating in the grip of a miserable existence, became a millionaire. Reality has surpassed our wildest dreams.
Time passed by traveling and working. George wasn't even interested in his bank account. All doors were open for him. He didn't need money. It was like Kremlin communism: if he needed to buy something during a tour, he took cash from the tour budget. And, as usual in such cases, the group paid the manager more than he paid them.
Then the group began to have difficulties. The musicians were nervous under the burden of fame; they felt that they no longer belonged to themselves. Their connection with each other was lost. Wealth provided them with opportunities that were more interesting work. Songwriting became a painful process. As a result, their third album, Waking Up With The House Of Fire, retained characteristic style Culture Club turned out to be significantly weaker than the previous ones, which even the musicians themselves were aware of.
Everything was aggravated by the fact that in 1985 in New York, Boy George first tried a new drug - ecstasy, which made a tremendous impression on him. The drug odyssey began: marijuana, cocaine, acid... He rushed between Paris, New York, Los Angeles. Meetings with celebrities, cocktails, parties, fashion shows. star life spun him around. The most expensive hotels, rented limousines, drugs, first class travel. He had no idea how much he was spending on all this. He was accompanied everywhere by his old friend Marilyn, whom Boy George was later inclined to consider his evil genius.
Marilyn truly was an insufferable fruit. He belonged to the category of ambitious losers. Unable to follow up on the success of his first single in England, where Culture Club fans bought it because they knew their idol appeared everywhere with Marilyn, he whispered to Boy George: “Culture Club is you.”
Boy George celebrated his 24th birthday in New York in the absence of his bandmates. On the balcony of the Palladium Club, a mini-orchestra played Vivaldi. Among the 325 guests were Nona Hendricks, Madonna, Andy Warhol, and representatives of the European aristocracy. Marilyn presented a new song, which was produced by the birthday boy. He was also a backup singer. Then Marilyn danced with Madonna, whom he hoped to use to support his career, but managed to quarrel with her, calling her a bitch. For Boy George, the holiday ended with an attack of his chronic asthma caused by too much cocaine.
As George himself said, “...cocaine is God’s way of making you think you’re making too much money.” Drugs are the shortest way to meet a superstar. One can imagine how many hunters there were to supply Boy George with drugs. Eventually he turned to heroin. The jokes are over. With great difficulty, Culture Club recorded their fourth album, Luxury To Heartache, in Holland.
George went to London once a week to buy heroin, despite all the tricks of his colleagues to keep him in place. His relationship with John, who was increasingly moving away from him and starting affairs with girls, was clearly nearing its end. Bon George cried, wrote him ten-page letters, sending them to the trash bin, cursed him with the last words and increasingly lost control of himself. Real fights broke out between them. On the set of the Move Away video, Boy George knocked over a vase of flowers on the head of John, who was fully dressed and made up for work, and then hid in the toilet. An enraged John tried to break down the door and cut him with a piece of glass.
Due to constant flights, George was forced to undergo customs inspection while carrying drugs. Customs officers turned into an endless nightmare for him. He was invited to Stockholm to meet King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Having broken his promise to himself, he appeared before the royal couple completely stoned.
There was some amazing infantilism in all these drug stories. Boy George, like a child, wanted to eat all the candy in the world at once. Grass, acid, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin - everything was used in a row and in large quantities. Of course, heroin, due to its “natural gravity,” outweighed everything else. Ecstasy and cocaine destroyed the psyche, but heroin caused a real severe addiction.
The fourth album sold 1 million copies. But in business terms, when £500 thousand was spent on its recording, it was difficult to call it a success. And the real problem was not the statistics, but the fact that the soul and heart had left Culture Club’s music. The record became an excellent epitaph for the group.
Boy George told Smash Hits magazine: "I don't care about their business, I love music, I'm sick of being a pop star." He was a public favorite for a long time, but clouds were gathering over his head. And finally, thunder struck. His personal photographer made a sensational statement to the press that Boy George sold him a gram of cocaine. There were rumors that he received a tidy sum for this. Further, a story about their relationship with John was leaked to the press. The yellow Sun ran an article with the headline "Junkie George Has 8 Weeks to Live". The scandal grew like a snowball. There were even rumors that Boy George was infected with AIDS. The press simply went wild. The Daily Mirror directly asked the question on its pages: “Do the police intend to do anything?”
And the police heeded the voice of the indignant public, conducting raids and searches in the homes of his friends and himself. Letters, phone books, and answering machine records were confiscated. This whole story began to resemble the famous persecution of Oscar Wilde, to whom English society repaid in full for its adoration.
There are hundreds of thousands of people around the world who use drugs, tens of thousands of whom are true junkies. However, their fates were of much less interest to the media than Boy George alone. On their pages, he literally turned into a fabulous drug addict-giant, if you take on faith the doses that were attributed to him. As George himself said, “...they didn’t care what happened to me. All. what they need is to increase circulation.” The situation for poor George was truly terrible. He found himself in the position of a drug addict under a magnifying glass. It's not easy to buy and take drugs when the whole country is watching your every move.
The head of his company, Virgin, Richard Branson, came to George's aid. He hid it in his house and found a doctor who immediately began treatment.
The police were looking for George, and he himself, suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms, watched the events unfold on television. He felt himself. like a hunted fox. One of the newspaper headlines read: "Find Him!" What was it like to observe this vile hysteria for a person who was already experiencing terrible paranoia during withdrawal symptoms!
Branson took charge of negotiations with the police, keeping them informed. that George is under his care and undergoing an accelerated course of treatment. But the police sought the opportunity to question him. Finally, George was taken to his cell. He was interrogated twice for two and a half hours. Last time- at night.
In principle, the arrest and interrogation of Boy George was not a clean matter from a legal point of view. No drugs were found on him or in his house. It turns out that the police can go to any drug treatment clinic and arrest everyone there.
George's misadventures did not stop there. His American friend, the talented musician Michael Rudetsky, whom he had sent from New York to record a solo album, was found dead in Boy George's house on the first night. He died of morphine poisoning in the absence of his owner, who spent the night outside the house. A short time later, another friend of George’s, Mark Vautier, became a victim of drugs. This served as a milestone. Chaotically treated by different doctors, Boy George finally “gave up” with heroin, although his health could not improve for several more years. He himself admitted: “All my thoughts were about heroin.”
However, troubles did not leave him. George was arrested on the street with a group of friends, and 2 grams of hashish were found on him. The result was a suspended sentence of two years.
“It seemed like I was doomed to spend the rest of my life in courtrooms.” But nevertheless, his solo album Sold was a success. It was incomparably weaker than the work with Culture Club, but times have changed - and if Wilde’s career was over forever, then Boy George’s single Everything I Own again reached first place in the British charts.
The solo European tour, which Boy George went on while still suffering from psychosomatic pain, was less successful. During a performance in Hamburg, he began to have convulsions again. fortunately, on the last song. In Zurich, he stumbled and fell off the stage, and if it weren’t for the guard who caught him, he would definitely have broken his neck.
His next album, Tense Nervous Headache, turned out to be even less expressive than the previous one. And George stopped making records. He disbanded his band and started his own dance label, More Protein. specializing in acid house. George “fell ill” with it back in the years of New York madness. Moreover, a real acid boom began in England.
Once he got over his self-obsession and got involved with the label and the other artists he produced and helped write, his health began to improve. This is the feature psychosomatic diseases. Longing for the anonymity that house music taught him. George created a new group, Jesus Loves You. In it he performed under the pseudonym Angela Dust. That's how far refusing to be a superstar has gone.
After recording a single, they went to Australia. where the last time Boy George toured was a national event. This time they were met at the airport by a single fan and a TV crew. But George is old enough to be upset. Calling his mother in London, he laughed at how short the public's memory is. In Sydney, George met his New York friend, Hare Krishna Nayana, who invited him to India for Christmas.
For this occasion, to maintain style. George shaved his head and dressed in Indian clothes, which greatly surprised the Indians who met him. With Nayana and his lover Michael Dunn, who was next to him in the most Hard times, George visited Delhi. Bombay. Goa and even Kathmandu. Met with senior officials from the Society for Krishna Consciousness. Thus began Boy George's famous flirtation with Hare Krishnaism. Not having much faith in God, George decided that Krishna was the most stylish of the gods.
This fragile alliance was beneficial to both sides. Boy George has the opportunity to once again attract attention with his new exotic image. At the same time, he did not overly burden himself with observing all religious regulations. He chose those. which he liked, such as vegetarianism. The Hare Krishnas, in turn, reluctantly tolerated his homosexuality, realizing how important a person like Boy George, popular among young people, was for their religious propaganda.
Boy George visited our country twice. The first time as part of a national concert organized by Stas Namin. the second - within the framework of the Week of the Society for Krishna Consciousness. Then he gave exclusive interview“Arguments and Facts” in exchange for information support for the Hare Krishna Week.
Now, apparently, his passion for Hare Krishnas has passed, which nevertheless testifies to his sobriety. He writes: “I have not found God and do not follow any doctrine. I just believe. that there is something beyond our understanding that guides us step by step. It could be Krishna, Allah, Jehovah, energy force. Maybe. this is the God of orthodox Christianity.”
His new album Cheapness And Beauty is hardly outstanding. The authorship of his best song belongs to Iggy Pop and his childhood idol David Bowie. But this does not change anything in the public's attitude towards the man who was the most extravagant star of the 80s.
At 34, George Boy has learned to be free. Free to live his life as he chooses and to make the mistakes that are an integral part of it.
Andrey BUKHARIN,
"OM", January-February 1996