ZingB

Boy George

Was he the first famous drag queen/musician? Others played at it but he took it to a new level. He had a good run in the 80s. He was anti-drugs, Joan Rivers loved him, and he wrote all of Culture Club's early hits. But then things changed and he became a hypocritical heroin addict and coke fiend who ended up having to sweep the streets of NYC to avoid jail. What does DL think of this bitchy musical icon?

by Anonymousreply 93January 29, 2021 10:04 AM

I remember a few years ago he was fat and got arrested for chaining an escort to a radiator

by Anonymousreply 1January 27, 2021 1:12 AM

"What does DL think of this bitchy musical icon?"

Not much.

by Anonymousreply 2January 27, 2021 1:15 AM

Why has he never had a boyfriend other than Jon Moss (which was 35 years ago)? Kind of strange.

by Anonymousreply 3January 27, 2021 1:18 AM

George definitely took fame to a new level for that.

Je and RuPaul would be at the top of the list. In terms of financial success and people who know their names....depends on the time frame and generation.

I like George. Always have. He seems to be mellowing out a bit, though he's still feisty.

by Anonymousreply 4January 27, 2021 1:22 AM

He had Jon Moss when he looked like Joe Jonas.

by Anonymousreply 5January 27, 2021 1:25 AM

your time line is SHIT, OP.

by Anonymousreply 6January 27, 2021 1:30 AM

Jon Moss was a hot fuck back in the day. And huge hung

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by Anonymousreply 7January 27, 2021 1:33 AM

Whatever happened to his sidekick Marilyn? He'd be in his late 50s by now.

by Anonymousreply 8January 27, 2021 1:35 AM

If ONLY there was a way to answer that question R8.

by Anonymousreply 9January 27, 2021 1:36 AM

Marilyn and Boy George seem to have been in touch at least a few years ago.

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by Anonymousreply 10January 27, 2021 1:38 AM

RuPaul got the business end right. He's an industry. Meanwhile, Boy George is left judging things like Australia's Got Talent. I wonder how much of his money George was able to hold onto. They were huge moneymakers in the 80s and he got songwriter credit on all of them (big money).

by Anonymousreply 11January 27, 2021 1:38 AM

R7 how do you know he was hung ?

by Anonymousreply 12January 27, 2021 1:39 AM

Boy George made a doc recently about his youth in the scene. Marilyn was on it. They seem to get on fine.

by Anonymousreply 13January 27, 2021 1:40 AM

I don't think George ever got over Jon, who eventually married a woman and had three kids.

by Anonymousreply 14January 27, 2021 1:41 AM

He chained an escort to a radiator?!

by Anonymousreply 15January 27, 2021 1:43 AM

Wake up R15. Boy George's many scandals are well documented.

by Anonymousreply 16January 27, 2021 1:45 AM

Marilyn and George fall out and make up every so often. They hissed and loathed each other a few years ago, but seems like they may have made up.

That's been going on since they were teenagers!

by Anonymousreply 17January 27, 2021 1:46 AM

I love Boy George. He's had his problems over the years, but it seems he has managed to overcome his demons and live a healthy lifestyle for the most part. And he's remained his wonderfully bitchy self since the '80s. He is a treasure.

by Anonymousreply 18January 27, 2021 1:50 AM

When he started out he was very cute and had a lot of style. Had a great voice, too. Then fame went to his head and he became a junkie. He managed to recover from that, but never regained the level of stardom he once had. He seems to be a reasonably likeable person whose managed to survive to the age he had. Good luck to him.

by Anonymousreply 19January 27, 2021 1:53 AM

He was able to come back with "The Crying Game." His voice was in top form.

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by Anonymousreply 20January 27, 2021 1:56 AM

He actually claimed to be bi when he first hit it big.

by Anonymousreply 21January 27, 2021 2:03 AM

I remember one of his fall-outs with Marilyn who was going to perform at Area in NYC to debut his new song and hopefully further his career. George was supposed to take his mother to George Michael's concert which was a big deal with Princess Di, but George cancelled and took the Concorde to New York to surprise Marilyn at his show. Marilyn came out on stage, to a celeb-packed audience, started to sing but there was a sound problem. Marilyn, said "Fuck this," left the stage, got into his limo, and took off. Goodbye Norma Jean.

by Anonymousreply 22January 27, 2021 2:06 AM

Honey, he claimed he didn't like sex and would rather have a cup of tea when he first became big. He was trying to pass himself off as a harmless clown.

The cat was out of the bag when he said at the Grammys "You've got taste, style and know a good drag queen when you see one."

Meanwhile, Colour By Numbers is, for the most part, one long love letter to Jon Moss. Especially Victims.

by Anonymousreply 23January 27, 2021 2:07 AM

A shame that he turned into a junkie, he probably could've had several more years at the top if it hadn't been for that. Culture Club were wildly popular. By the time he got clean, music tastes had changed and his time had passed by.

by Anonymousreply 25January 27, 2021 2:24 AM

George has a net worth of $35M. Not too shabby.

by Anonymousreply 26January 27, 2021 2:26 AM

R25, yes that's the time line. OP has it completely wrong. Boy George strung out for half the 80s. He was not "anti-drugs" after he became a well known addict. The fuck? I met him in Ibiza in 88 and he was rail thin and high. The cocaine bust was almost 20 years later! And he kind of had a career in the 90s, too.

by Anonymousreply 27January 27, 2021 2:32 AM

Did you take a pill in Ibiza R27? Culture Club were only big from the early-mid 80s By '86 he was strung out so he was fucked up for half the 80s, the latter half, not the half where the group was riding high on the charts.

by Anonymousreply 28January 27, 2021 2:48 AM

I never, ever got the appeal of Boy George. He has always grossed me out.

So glad I could get this off my chest after DECADES.

by Anonymousreply 29January 27, 2021 3:03 AM

[quote]Was he the first famous drag queen/musician? Others played at it but he took it to a new level.

N

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by Anonymousreply 30January 27, 2021 3:16 AM

Do you really want to hurt me?

In a word, yes.

by Anonymousreply 32January 27, 2021 3:28 AM

My mother loved the song "Karma Chameleon", as did I. But I was very little at the time (I was born in 1980), and I found his appearance to be genuinely disturbing. Almost frightening.

I never really got into him or George Michael past the most popular hits. But I can appreciate.

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by Anonymousreply 33January 27, 2021 3:28 AM

the song Victims gets me every time

by Anonymousreply 34January 27, 2021 4:14 AM

R1 Ahhh! To age gracefully!

by Anonymousreply 36January 27, 2021 5:01 AM

The Culture Club episode of "Behind the Music" is pretty epic. George explains that as soon as he and Jon broke up for good, he lost all interest in the band. Just like that: breakup of the relationship and breakup of the band. It was #1 and then it was over.

George and Marilyn are still funny/bitchy to each other on Twitter.

by Anonymousreply 38January 27, 2021 1:43 PM

Marilyn is a really tragic case these days. He recently had to complete a hospital stay for a detox so was obviously still on the smack. He puts his entire life on SM though the most tragic recently were posts about him having to go to a food bank and selling his old records. Among these posts he'll put up pics from the old days of him with Diana Ross or Madonna or some publicity shot of him looking fabulous a very long time ago. He's obviously not very well.

Boy George has obviously blocked his number as Marilyn harasses him on twitter, following him around like a mentally ill toddler.

by Anonymousreply 39January 27, 2021 2:15 PM

Loved him and loved their fun videos.

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by Anonymousreply 40January 27, 2021 2:22 PM

Boy George, Marilyn and others were presenting as androgynous men back then, which I think is healthier than pidgeonholing people as strictly male or female based on gender stereotypes like what clothes they want to wear or what toys they like to play with as young children.

by Anonymousreply 41January 27, 2021 2:53 PM

George has definitely matured and mellowed, he seems healthier and more balanced in the last 5-6 years.

When I first started following him on social media circa 2012 he was still a bit negative to everything and everyone. He's chilled a bit. Probably partly because he's worked since then, partly because I think through social media he's realized he has a fan base that still appreciates him. Plus, the bitch is just mellowing in her dotage.

by Anonymousreply 42January 27, 2021 3:48 PM

I kind of knew BG growing up as his mother and my mother were friends.

We bumped into him at the hospital one day and he stopped to have a chat. I was very young, maybe six years old, and went into school the next day and told my teacher I'd met BG at the hospital and 'maybe his wife was having a baby!'. I remember my teacher replying "I don't think so".

by Anonymousreply 43January 27, 2021 3:53 PM

I never considered Boy George to be a drag queen, but more in the footsteps of the Club Kids, only toning it down for mainstream consumption. The Club Kids also played with gender roles but were still largely male or female in their features and presentation. Boy George was the same - never really trying to pass himself off as female.

by Anonymousreply 44January 27, 2021 4:10 PM

Marilyn WILL NOT BE IGNORED

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by Anonymousreply 46January 27, 2021 4:29 PM

How has Marilyn supported herself over the years?

by Anonymousreply 47January 27, 2021 4:31 PM

R44 how could Boy George be "in the footsteps of the club kids" when he worked up his look in 79-80! Gawd the shit ignorant timelines by DL's armchair "cultural historians".

by Anonymousreply 48January 27, 2021 4:34 PM

[quote] How has Marilyn supported herself over the years?

From George's breadcrumbs and whatever else was on George's coattails.

by Anonymousreply 49January 27, 2021 4:37 PM

Marilyn is a crazy loon based on her Twatter.

She also sounds like an elderghey DLer.

by Anonymousreply 50January 27, 2021 4:37 PM

R47 He appears to live in a council house/flat in one of those desperately horrible south coast seaside towns. Margate, I think? He does the odd TV appearance on those I heart the 80s programmes so might get a few quid from them but would otherwise be living on benefits. And of course he goes to food banks and sometimes resorts to 'threatening' to sell his old records. I wouldn't be surprised if there were old frau fans sending him the odd couple of quid.

by Anonymousreply 51January 27, 2021 4:38 PM

"Oh look, let's remember when I got George a shitton of drugs!"

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by Anonymousreply 52January 27, 2021 4:40 PM

OP, yes he had drug problems like every other pop star, but why was he a hypocrite. Explain.

by Anonymousreply 53January 27, 2021 4:42 PM

I don't recall him being anti-drugs. He had a great voice and is a genuinely funny bitch. I don't like makeup on men, but he really makes himself look unique and good.

by Anonymousreply 54January 27, 2021 4:49 PM

what's another name for a gay cruise? Joy Barge

by Anonymousreply 55January 27, 2021 4:54 PM

My friend and I saw the Culture Club at the small Tower Theater outside Philly in August of 83. This was before Colour By Numbers was released in the US, so we didn't know any of the "new" music, just the Kissing to be Clever stuff. But the band's performance and music was so infectious and enthusiastic that it remains to this day one of the most fun concerts I ever saw. And that night I heard Church of the Poisoned Mind for the first time and loved it...and still do.

by Anonymousreply 56January 27, 2021 5:06 PM

Loved him then and loved him now. I came of age in the UK during his peak years and it was an amazing time to be young, I wish I'd appreciated it at the time. I think his appeal was his personality, he came across as just himself with no airs or affection despite his appearance. Grans loved him as much as we did. I'm happy that he seems to be doing well and got through his rough years.

by Anonymousreply 57January 27, 2021 5:23 PM

Marilyn has been in and out of rehab for decades now. He had several council flats including one in Soho over the years, so it's not as if he's fallen through the safety net in terms of support. In the last flat he was given he had some of Amy Winehouse's furniture after she had died, presumably donated by the charity her father started up in her memory. Eventually a few years ago Marilyn moved back to London once again on Boy George's coat tails, moving into a flat share. He started recording an album with George producing but they fell out once again. Marilyn then started dated some scumbag/porno performer/rough trade/class war activist Adam Clifford, which was always going to end in disaster. Things then seemed to take an upward turn as he moved into an expensive private flat in expensive and swanky Hampstead. The pair of them were flaunting themselves staying at the Ritz hotel, trawling the expensive designer shops etc. Then bizarrely he moved to Margate a crappy seaside town on the coast and quickly purchased a house for £250.000, renovated and furnished it, and spent his time boasting on twitter about his fab lifestyle. He didn't say, but his very elderly mother had won the lottery and Marilyn copped for a million pounds. Of course things could only go one way and once the cash was gone Adam dumped Maz. Now the house in on the market as he is broke, visiting food banks and a couple of months ago was begging his fans for cash via a go fund me type of site to fund his drug habit. Marilyn has had a ton of opportunities come his way but he always blows them, he partied with Warhol, Madonna, Ross, Welsh etc, Boy George has always been wary as Maz knows all of the secrets from the early days and the New York smack years in the 80's. George had a rent boy on the payroll etc

Basically Maz is completely fucked up, always looking to ponce drugs or money.

by Anonymousreply 59January 27, 2021 5:48 PM

[quote] I heard Church of the Poisoned Mind for the first time and loved it

I remember hearing it months before it was ever out in the States on a great radio show called Rock Over London - it was recorded in the UK with a British DJ, then sent to the States to play here. Learned about a lot of songs either before they ever landed here, or songs that were never out here as a single.

by Anonymousreply 60January 27, 2021 5:52 PM

I have a memory of George describing living in a squat with Marilyn back in late70s. George and Marilyn would go out on the town, dressed to the nines, at the first opportunity Marilyn would hop into the car of a hot stranger and take off for the night/weekend. George was all are you crazy, you don't know this guy etc...sort of scolding from the sidelines.

When Marilyn released his first single "Cry and be free" George quipped it really should be called "Try and be me"

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by Anonymousreply 61January 27, 2021 6:44 PM

Is he really friends with Dorit?

by Anonymousreply 62January 27, 2021 6:55 PM

Did anybody ever ask the radiator how it was doing?

by Anonymousreply 63January 27, 2021 8:27 PM

[quote]OP, yes he had drug problems like every other pop star, but why was he a hypocrite. Explain.

I just thought that you could see Boy George on shows like Phil Donahue in the early 80s going on about not tolerating drugs in the band or anywhere for that matter. He was very vocal about it and it set Culture Club apart. And then he went straight to the bottom with drugs. It's all laid out in his book. But he's grown older now and confessed his sins.

by Anonymousreply 64January 27, 2021 11:45 PM

[quote]he has a gorgeous voice

Beautiful. We used to say he was a black soul singer coming out of a white drag queen.

by Anonymousreply 65January 28, 2021 5:35 AM

[quote]I never considered Boy George to be a drag queen, but more in the footsteps of the Club Kids, only toning it down for mainstream consumption. The Club Kids also played with gender roles but were still largely male or female in their features and presentation. Boy George was the same - never really trying to pass himself off as female.

R44, I never really thought about it before but think you're absolutely spot on.

by Anonymousreply 66January 28, 2021 5:36 AM

Gavin Rossdale can’t help Marilyn out financially? That’s sad.

by Anonymousreply 67January 28, 2021 5:41 AM

That “America, you know a good drag queen when you see one.” was more of a cheeky, wink, wink, fuck you than a claiming he was one. At the time all the talk was about androgyny and he and Annie Lennox were literally the cover models for it. He’s really throwing that term back into the faces of those who mistakenly said it.

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by Anonymousreply 68January 28, 2021 5:46 AM

[quote]Culture Club were only big from the early-mid 80s By '86 he was strung out so he was fucked up for half the 80s, the latter half, not the half where the group was riding high on the charts.

This is how I remember it also. IIRC, George's drug problems were starting to become known in late '84 and the band's new album at the time, "Waking Up with the House on Fire," did not live up to their previous efforts, at least in terms of popularity/sales. I always thought it was too bad because the first single, "War Song," was a great track with a great video.

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by Anonymousreply 69January 28, 2021 6:00 AM

The band did have a comeback hit in '86, "Move Away," from the album "From Luxury to Heartache," though I can't remember if it yielded any other hits for them:

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by Anonymousreply 70January 28, 2021 6:02 AM

It’s hard to believe that George Michael is gone and Boy George is still kicking. Very unfortunate.

by Anonymousreply 71January 28, 2021 6:03 AM

R71 I can’t believe you’re still around treat that you are.

by Anonymousreply 72January 28, 2021 6:05 AM

Two friends of Boy George, Michael Rudetsky and Mark Golding, OD'd in separate incidents in 1986 -- one in August, one in December.

Michael Rudetsky's mother sued O'Dowd. From the court's opinion in Rudetsky v. O'Dowd, 660 F. Supp. 341 (E.D.N.Y. 1987):

[quote]Michael Rudetsky was a 27-year-old songwriter. George O'Dowd, sometimes known as Boy George, is a singer. On August 3, 1986, Rudetsky contracted with O'Dowd and his agents in New York to work in London. O'Dowd was to provide Rudetsky with accommodations.

[quote]Two days later, while working with O'Dowd in Brixton, England, Rudetsky ingested heroin. When it appeared that Rudetsky was not well, O'Dowd put him to bed. The next morning, Rudetsky died of morphine intoxication. The British coroner has concluded that the death was probably caused by "misadventure," rather than by any criminal activity.

Why put someone who has overdosed to bed instead of calling an ambulance?

According to Man Parrish on youtube, there's more to the story, but he's saving it for an alleged book deal.

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by Anonymousreply 73January 28, 2021 6:29 AM

When George and Jon were together, who was the top and who was the bottom?

by Anonymousreply 74January 28, 2021 6:53 AM

Boy George was never a drag queen.

by Anonymousreply 76January 28, 2021 7:23 AM

Culture Club fans hated Duran Duran fans. And vice versa.

by Anonymousreply 77January 28, 2021 7:30 AM

[quote] Boy George was never a drag queen.

Indeed. He was part of the music New Romantic which was a mix of Punk, New Wave, and Glam Rock.

by Anonymousreply 78January 28, 2021 7:58 AM

"Gavin Rossdale can’t help Marilyn out financially? That’s sad."

PLEASE! He is too DEVESTATED by his break up with Marilyn. He couldn't kiss another person for two decades!

Oh, the pain! The PAIN!

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by Anonymousreply 79January 28, 2021 8:04 AM

Marilyn put his ass around plenty, in late 1984 Paul Weller of The Jam and Style Council fucked him. Those tales about how he couldn’t kiss another person for 20 years are bullshit.

by Anonymousreply 80January 28, 2021 8:49 AM

I hope that Man Parrish does write a book and finally tells the truth about what really happened on that night that Michael Rudetsky died, because that story of Boy George putting him to bed and then leaving his house is not true. There are several people who know what really happened that night, Boy George was very lucky to get out of that one.

by Anonymousreply 81January 28, 2021 9:02 AM

He kicked out/fired Jon Moss 3-4 years ago and Jon is suing him.

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by Anonymousreply 82January 28, 2021 9:10 AM

R82 Wow! I wonder what happened that even Mikey and Roy agreed to kick him out. Must have been bad.

by Anonymousreply 83January 28, 2021 9:58 AM

[quote]Boy George was never a drag queen.

Honey, he called himself a drag queen when CC accepted their Grammy award.

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by Anonymousreply 84January 28, 2021 10:01 AM

R83, I don’t think the rest of the band have any say in the situation. Boy George calls the shots because he is the face of the group, just like Stevie Nicks.

by Anonymousreply 85January 28, 2021 10:08 AM

I think Sylvester was before Boy George.

by Anonymousreply 86January 28, 2021 10:17 AM

I always felt George had a mediocre voice. Now Sylvester - that's a great voice.

by Anonymousreply 87January 28, 2021 11:26 AM

Boy George used to give my father the rage in the 80's when he came on Top of the Pops. He'd lean out of his armchair and froth and rage "What is it? Girl George more like - poofter! Disgusting!" His favourite artists were Johnny Mathis and Freddy Mercury/ Queen, they were proper manly men and heterosexual as hell (according to him).

My father is a clueless, bigoted dumbass and always has been.

by Anonymousreply 88January 28, 2021 5:01 PM

I didn't know about the Jon thing from 2019 but that explains a bit about the last album - they were on a real promotional push and then suddenly, nothing. George released a song online a few weeks later that was a solo.

Sadly the marrow was gone from the bone of this group long ago. Then it turns into the same shit that happened to the Go-Go's, where everyone turns into a bunch of old nasty cunts and just fight with one another.

by Anonymousreply 89January 28, 2021 7:19 PM

He was into drugs not anti-drugs. You stupid person.

by Anonymousreply 90January 28, 2021 7:36 PM

[quote]Boy George calls the shots because he is the face of the group, just like Stevie Nicks.

As I recall, there was a rumor back in the day that everything was fine in the beginning when they were referred to as Culture Club, then people started saying Boy George & Culture Club, which the guys were still okay with (because they understood that George, as the frontman, was the face of the group), but then it morphed into just Boy George with no mention of anyone else, and that's when the problems started.

by Anonymousreply 91January 29, 2021 12:47 AM

I always thought that it was Marilyn who od'd and died with George not the Michael guy. But maybe that's just what happened in my original universe.

by Anonymousreply 92January 29, 2021 1:07 AM

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Arica Deslauriers

Update: 2024-05-18