Chameleon’s gigs
Boy George tells Nathanael Cooper why he took his career counsellor’s advice - for five weeks.
Now, he claims, there’s a whole generation of people who don’t know him from his music in the 1980s, but know him for the bangers he plays on dance floors around the world.
George’s mistakes have been well canvassed.
Drugs charges during his battle with narcotics, an embarrassing stint doing community service in the New York City Department of Sanitation, then in 2008 he was found guilty of assault and false imprisonment of Norwegian escort Audun Carlsen who had accused him of handcuffing him to a bolt on the wall, beating him with chains and threatening him with a sex toy.
George would spend four months in prison as a result.
But he doesn’t want to talk about those mistakes.
‘‘I’m not going to talk about those, I’ll let you do that, move on,’’ he says.
‘‘There’s plenty of songs written about it I think.’’
It could have been the second career-ending moment, but the phoenix again rose from the ashes, this time as a television star: initially on Celebrity Apprentice in the UK but, more recently, mentoring the next generation of musicians on The Voice.
‘‘I think TV used to be a dirty word,’’ he says.
‘‘It’s not anymore. You have shows like Game of Thrones and House of Cards and you are seeing great actors in your TV series and on adverts. People have adjusted.
‘‘All those rules about what you could and couldn’t do and how things should be just don’t exist anymore.
‘‘ The Voice sits comfortably with me because it’s music and you get to share some of your experience and wisdom with people.’’
George’s first turn on the series was last year in the UK and he has now made his debut on the programme in Australia. And he has been impressed with the breadth of talent presented to him through the reality singing competition.
‘‘I think the talent here is amazing,’’ he says.
‘‘I have been very impressed by the level of talent but also the attitude. The people we have seen, they have quite wide shoulders.
‘‘People get disappointed, but they aren’t arsey about it. Generally they just say thank you and that they are very grateful for the opportunity.’’
George is using his time in Australia wisely, reintroducing himself to Australians who may be wondering what he has been doing since the 1980s.
Before taking up his duties on The Voice recently, he played a DJ set at Melbourne venue Ms Collins’ third birthday party the day before launching The Voice in Sydney at a lavish ceremony at night spot The Beresford.
Given the era he came of age, he does have a vintage that probably suits a turn at the decks.
‘‘My generation had such exciting decades to live through. Being a teenager in the 70s was the most genius thing because we had glam rock, punk, post-electric and then it was the 80s.
‘‘It was the decade that just keeps giving.’’
And, apparently, so is Boy George. ● The Voice Australia 7.30pm, Fridays, TVNZ2.