George of the Concrete Jungle?

From Luxury To Heartache is the title of the most underrated album by Culture Club, and it could also describe much of the life of its front man, Boy George. Like every child who came of age in the 80's, Culture Club was an integral part of my formative years (which could explain a lot), and George was my first introduction to men who were ..."European".

At the Grammy awards in early 1984, they were nominated for Best New Artist, and I was torn between my love for them and fellow nominee Eurythmics, not to mention the timeless appeal of Men Without Hats. Joan Rivers presented them with the award, and who can forget George's classic line "Thanks America, you've got taste, style, and you know a good drag queen when you see one."

It was sad that less than three years later, it would be pretty much the end of Culture Club, due in large part to George's well documented drug problems. He managed to stay out of the public eye for the next few years, releasing a few tepidly received solo albums, until he staged a mini-comeback in 1992, with the theme song to The Crying Game.

The next time we heard from him was when Rosie O'Donnell brought his autobiographical show Taboo to Broadway, and of course, we all remember his "garbage duty" community service from a couple of years ago.

Unfortunately, George is currently in the biggest legal mess of his life. He appeared in court this week to enter a "not guilty" plea to assaulting and imprisoning a male escort in his home. He showed up at the courthouse looking like a fashionable Uncle Fester, and it was a jarring sight.

The thought of Boy George doing serious prison time is not something I want to contemplate, so I prefer to remember him this way, plugging THE GREATEST PRODUCT IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND. Seriously, I'm this close to ordering it on EBAY.