George was sentenced to 15 months jail today for handcuffing a male escort to a wall and beating him with a metal chain.
If you want to read a poignant April 2004 Dallas Voice interview [that’s no longer online], then Check This:
Let’s hear it for the Boy
Eternal club kid Boy George mouths off about Kevin Spacey, Chelsea Clinton, ‘Taboo’ on Broadway and Courtney Love
By Daniel A. Kusner Life+Style Editor
A quick phone call with Boy George is always a juicy treat. He’s sharply opinionated, refreshingly candid and never misses a beat on the underground scene.
His collaboration with Rosie O’Donnell, Taboo, closed in February, after a brief three-month run. Now living in New York, George is a spokesperson for the MAC cosmetics Viva Glam campaign, and he’s returned to deejaying — a gig he’s been working on the nightclub scene since the early ’80s. On Saturday, he spins into Dallas for a night of booty-shaking rapture.
When interviewing Boy George, you just fire off questions on any topic. He’s an expert at quick and sassy replies, and you always get a good earful.
All right, let’s get to it. What do you make of Kevin Spacey getting beaten up in a south London park at 4 a.m. and then saying it wasn’t true?
I know that park, and it’s quite rough. I think Kevin Spacey is a great actor, and I’ve heard so many things about him — rumors and gossip. But I’ve never heard him say anything anti-gay. So I’m more interested in attacking people who are homophobic — people who are in the closet and are nasty about other gay people. But if someone who wants to keep their sexuality to themselves, then it’s really no one else’s business.
You’re coming to George Bush’s home state, will that have any special significance for you?
I don’t think George Bush knows who I am.
Maybe his daughters know you.
Yeah. Well, I’ve met Chelsea Clinton — at a gay club in London called Heaven. I saw her dancing around, and actually, we traded numbers. I was going to invite her to “Taboo†in London, but she never answered my calls. So … she’s a bitch.
Is “Taboo†on Broadway a disaster story?
Not at all. It was a huge success story. I think what happened with Taboo was that the expectation at the beginning were a little too grand. We had really good houses every night — standing ovations from day one. I think they projected sales. And although our sales started to go up, they made the decision to close it, and you can’t reverse that. They didn’t give it enough time to grow.
I don’t see it as a disaster because, to me, some of the best things in the world last five minutes. Some of my best sexual experiences have been one-night stands. That doesn’t make them any less important than a 10-year relationship.
You say the expectations were too grand. Do you think because Rosie said it would sweep the Tonys that …
I don’t think it was Rosie. The most important thing is that she did it for the right reasons. She did it because she loved the show. She did it because she loved the music. What she did in New York was spectacular. The production value of “Taboo†in New York was just brilliant.
It’s always annoying when people say, ‘I’m so sorry.’ It’s like, don’t be sorry, it was a fucking triumph. We got “Taboo†to New York. We got Leigh Bowery on a Broadway stage with breasts and a tutu at a time when people were freaking out about Janet Jackson’s nipples. If they’re going to freak out to that extreme over Janet Jackson’s breasts, what chance has buggery got?
I saw “Taboo†in New York as playing it too safe. Clearly I was wrong. Clearly it was far too outrageous for people. You could see the way people reacted. You could see that the crowds were sometimes horrified. But not towards the end, because when we were closing, then of course, everyone panicked. All the people who wanted to see it came out. And for two months we had amazing reactions from the minute we got onstage until we left. It was fantastic. The closing of “Taboo†is very indicative of what’s going on with popular culture, generally.
What is going on with popular culture?
All that romance and mystery that was once a very essential part of performing and being creative has been destroyed. The information age — it’s like faith versus science. With rock ‘n’ roll in the ’70s, you didn’t know about all the mechanisms. You didn’t know what happened. You weren’t involved in every aspect of it. It would be like Hollywood movies in the heyday of Hollywood. Actors were like these gods because people put them on a pedestal. There was mystery. They weren’t like you. Now you’ve got this reality TV and everyone knows everything. And what we get as a result is something that’s really dull. That gorgeous mystery has been destroyed in all areas of performance — whether it’s rock ‘n’ roll, theater or movies. It’s all been taken away.
I think there are plenty of mysterious rock gods out there. And there are mysterious actors, like Kevin Spacey.
But that’s a different type of mysterious.
Speaking of mysterious rock stars, you were at that Courtney Love performance when was arrested?
I was.
You were someone who battled addiction in the public eye. Should we feel sorry for Courtney because she’s suffering from addiction or is this outrageous behavior a calculated publicity stunt?
You shouldn’t be asking me if you should feel sorry for her, you should be asking yourself. It’s very easy to look at someone who is successful and has money and say, ‘Oh why should I pity them?’
If you look at the reason why people want to be famous in the first place — the undercurrent of that is the desire to be popular, to be loved, to feel you’re worthwhile. I think people who perform are often very insecure beings. I don’t see why people shouldn’t feel sorry for Courtney Love.
So did Courtney throw a microphone stand and hit someone in the head?
Look, you can’t go to a Courtney Love gig and then moan that you’ve got a headache. If you go to a Courtney Love gig, you know you’re going to get jumping around, that people are going to be spitting at you and throwing things at you. And that’s what you go for. The show was very punk rock, and it was fantastic.
I really hate this whole suing culture. I think it’s really cheap. [In a whining voice] “I went to Courtney Love, and she hit me with a mike. So I’m suing her for a million dollars.” Well, fuck off. Just don’t go then. Go see a Disney show.
You started off in nightclubs and after all these years, you’re still playing them.
I’ve never really left.
What should be people expect when they come to see you in Dallas.
A good night out.
Will they be able to touch the hem of your gown?
No. This isn’t an in-store appearance. I’m coming to play music and play things they won’t normally hear.
Is the music lounge, chill, ambient?
It’s house — not lounge or chill at all.
Like aggressive …
Aggressive? How old are you?
Ummmm … 34
Oh, blimey. I’m older than you, and I would never describe house music as aggressive. House music is joyful, chucking, sexy, swishy, grinding bass and for people who know how to use their hips. For people who have discovered their G-spot.
You’ve always got your ear to the street. What are you listening to now?
One thing that amazes me about America is that everyone is going around trying to re-create the ’80s. What they don’t realize is that when the ’80s were happening, that everyone hated the ’80s. And we weren’t trying to re-create the ’60s or ’70s. We were trying to do something new. It would just be great if people tried to do that now. There are loads of great music out there that’s being ignored.
Like what?
The list is endless. There’s Avenue D, the Larry T stuff, Joan of Ass. There are so many records out there that people don’t know about. There so much great music on the Internet.
Nowadays when you ask people, “What’s alternative music?†They say Limp Bizcuit. Oh please, wake up! If you look to the pop charts for inspiration, you might as well forget it. So go on the Internet. Go through friends. Go back to the underground.
You download stuff off the Internet?
Absolutely. And I put my stuff on the Internet for free. Go look for a track called “Radio One†that I put out not too long ago.
You’re mastered pop charts. You’re a master DJ. You’ve conquered Broadway …
I wouldn’t say conquered. We passed through.
Well, Taboo still has a life. There’s even talk of a movie version.
Talk is cheap. That’s one thing I will always respect Rosie for — putting her money where her mouth is. She said she was going to bring it to Broadway, and she did it. As far as I’m concerned that was a success. And God bless her for that.
Did you get her a wedding present?
No. There’s nothing I can give her that she needs.
Did you at least wish her well?
Of course. We went out for dinner and I’m seeing her this week.
Cool George. I’m sure your Dallas devotees will turn out on Saturday night.
Well, I’ll try not to be too aggressive.