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Boy George Reunites Culture Club For World Tour, And His Voice Is Better Than Ever

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 00:30 PST, Sep 21, 2016

Boy George was one of the iconic musicians of the 1980s pop culture scene, with his international hits like “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” and “Karma Chameleon.”

Born as George Alan O’Dowd, Boy George went on to become the lead vocalist and songwriter of Culture Club, the English music group that was formed in 1981. Boy George was arguably the most extraordinary member of the obscure band that was catapulted to fame thanks to the singer’s charisma. However, despite delivering a number of chart-topping hits and winning several prestigious awards at awards ceremonies – including the Grammys, the Brit Awards, and the American Music Awards – Culture Club’s glorious run proved to be short-lived and the group disbanded in the midst of Boy George’s drug problems and his legal hassles.

In 1986, Boy George was involved in a bitter legal dispute with the parents of Michael Rudetsky, a keyboardist who died of a heroin overdose in the singer’s London home. Additionally, Boy George’s failed romance with Jon Moss, the band’s drummer, drastically affected the dynamics of the group and the relationships between the rest of the band’s members.

For Culture Club, the failed romance between two of its key members proved to be the last straw, and the band decided to break up. According to AZ Central, Michael Craig, the group’s bassist, revealed the reason behind the disbanding of the group.

“It worked in a good way, in that I think a lot of creativity came out of it, but at the same time, it was quite destructive. That’s kind of why we fizzled out.”

Ever since the group disbanded in 1986, Boy George and the other members have each made several attempts to reunite the members to reform Culture Club. And despite their hiatus, Culture Club never faded from their fan’s memory, as was evident by the fact that Culture Club’s iconic song “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” was featured in The Wedding Singer, the 1998 Adam Sandler movie. According to TMZ, the late Alexis Arquette, the transgender actress who died recently, impersonated Boy George while singing the hit number in the movie.

In 1999, the band members produced Don’t Mind If I Do, their fifth studio album, which failed to make to the top of the charts. Meanwhile, the “Everything I Own” singer continued to deal with his anger and feisty demeanor. At one point in his career, Boy George’s problems worsened to such an extent that he was convicted by a London court for handcuffing, traumatizing, and beating a Norwegian male escort.

The public humiliation finally led Boy George to make a concerted effort to remain calm and patient in times of crisis. During his reinvention, the “Bow Down Mister” singer recited Buddhist chants as specified by the teachings of Nichiren Buddhism, a branch of Buddhism which Boy George follows.

Since then, the singer has successfully changed his lifestyle for the better, and now he has reteamed with his fellow members to work on Tribes, the group’s upcoming sixth studio album that is awaiting release. This is set to be a busy year for the band members, who will be performing on a tour that include the USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, and Australia.

Despite their attempts to reunite, the band members are still very much aware of the scars that were left by their members’ past troubled relationships. However, Boy George and his band members are in a better position to deal with circumstances that proved destructive to the group in the past.

Earlier there were speculations that Boy George might not be able to perform with the same amount of finesse that he possessed in the 80s. However, the doubts were quickly put to rest when Boy George’s recent performances proved that he might have even improved over the years. According to the Washington Times, Michael Craig spoke about how excited their tour has become due to the positive changes brought about in Boy George’s persona.

“It’s been great for George in particular. His voice is getting stronger as we go, plus his interaction with the fans is really nice as well. He humanizes himself much more than before.”

[Featured Image by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images]

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