Interview: Boy George on Lady Gaga, Madonna, Adele and Much More!

Boy George first garnered international fame in the early 80’s as the “androgenius” front man of New Romantic outfit Culture Club. With his soulful voice and dragamuffin appearance, he won over a generation of fans with singles “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?,” “Time (Clock Of The Heart),” and “I'll Tumble 4 Ya,” which famously made the group the first since the Beatles to achieve three top 10 hits from a debut album. “Karma Chameleon” off their next LP, spent three weeks at number one and became their signature track. The group would sell over 100 million singles and 50 million albums.

Although Boy George eventually went solo and achieved a Top 20 hit with 1992’s “The Crying Game,” a Grammy nomination for 1999’s “When Will You Learn,” and a Tony nod for his Taboo musical, he’d become more famous for being infamous. News of his previous tempestuous relationship with Culture Club drummer Jon Moss, drug problems, criticisms of other celebrities and 2007 arrest and later incarceration for assault and false imprisonment of a male prostitute, overshadowed his musical output in most people’s minds.

But now, after a five month stint in the slammer, a guest spot on Mark Ronson’s single “Somebody to Love Me,” and a 35-date European tour, a drug-free George is ready to seize the spotlight again — as an artist — with his first full-length in a decade, the uplifting, 16-track, electronic album Ordinary Alien, out this month. There is also a Culture Club reunion planned for 2012, which promises longtime fans a new album and tour.

AfterElton.com recently caught up with a calmer, gentler George to discuss among other things his new album, the Culture Club reunion, and perhaps his greatest legacy, making it OK for young boys to wear makeup.

AfterElton.com: So what is the significance behind the Ordinary Alien album title?
Boy George: Well, it doesn’t have a major significance, but I do think of myself as an ordinary alien. People seem to have weird ideas of who I am, because so much crap has been written about me, some true and some not. But Ordinary Alien sums me up. I’m the alien you can take home to your parents. I’m weird but not as weird as people think I am. It’s just a cute title that explains things about me.

AE: On the album you cover Fleetwood Mac’s "Go Your Own Way." With so many Fleetwood Mac songs to choose from, why that one?
BG: What happened is I was invited to do ‘Night of 1000 Stevies’ in New York and spent three weeks going through every Stevie song and every Fleetwood Mac song, but couldn’t find one that I thought I did well. There’s a lot of music that was so well done, and I thought, ‘Oh god, do I dare do these songs?’ The night of the event, I was a bit nervous, so I thought, ‘Why not try to do a song reggae style,’ and the original cover was done as a reggae track. That’s how we started and it worked like this — it suited the song and it’s such a brilliant song. If I could choose, I would have written it as a reggae track.

AE: You also cover soul artist Terry Callier’s "I Don’t Wanna See Myself." Does that sentiment apply to you?
BG: I love it because it’s a spiritual song, but it doesn’t knock you over the head. It’s spiritual, but it’s light of mind. It’s a song about looking in the mirror. There are plenty of times that I do that metaphorically, but not physically.

AE: When you do look in the mirror, after the makeup is washed off, what do you see?
BG: I never do that. I don’t wear makeup all the time anyway. Now I see the real difference when I’m not, because when I put it on, that’s a responsibility — becoming that person. Different things happen to me when I look different. It makes people behave differently and I get more attention. I’m becoming aware of the responsibility.

Makeup is an amazing invention and I like what it can do, but it does not dictate my life as it did when I was 19. Most of the time, I’m not dressed up. I use it for special occasions, like going to a party or performing. But I don’t feel obliged to be that person. There is no pressure to do that anymore. Of course I don’t like it when people stick cameras in my face when I’m not done up, which happens from time to time. So if I go somewhere public, I paint myself up. When I’m not, I try to lead as normal a life as I can. It takes practice, but I do.

AE: Your ability to channel so much light and optimism into your music might surprise fans since your personal life is often portrayed as plagued by darkness.
BG: I think people make mistakes, but because of a few bad headlines, they think my life is a disaster. But I grab a smile from every corner and if there was no positivity there, then I could not get through that stuff. With no humility or sense of perspective, how could I survive that stuff? Even people who think they’re not spiritual, in difficult situations, they’re praying and relying on a higher power. People should not think that my life has always been a drama. There is a lot of positivity. Most of the time, it’s like that, and those qualities are important … maybe they’re my saving grace.

AE: Are you able to enter the U.S. to tour the new album?
BG: Not at the moment, but we’re working on it. My lawyers are trying to deal with that as we speak. I’ve paid for my mistakes, and I came and swept up New York. I could have decided not to do it, but I did it, because I want to work and play in America. If you try to do the right thing, you have to be able to get on with your life. Rehab is about bringing people back to their rightful place. You have to let someone get on with what they do. But I’m optimistic. I hope it will be resolved.

AE: Do you miss America?
BG: Yeah, I have a lot of friends all over America, but now a lot come over here and that’s great. But New York is one of my favorite places. I do miss it.