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Reply to "boy george"

Boy George was one of my biggest heroes as a teen. As a child I had already seen Elton John, Alice Cooper, David Bowie, KISS and so on, but Boy George was My Generation and hit the scene as a huge star when I was in high school. I was so captivated, it was like he had beat all the odds and was being celebrated for being a freak. Of course his whole androgyny slant was a huge inspiration to me as an artist. But he was not just an image. He had real talent, and the band had serious musical pedigree. Boy George also gave props to the Motown performers that inspired him, like the Supremes and Smokey Robinson, so Mom and I bonded over that. What's interesting is that chronologically speaking Culture Club was really just a flavor-of-the-month band (they only had 2 good albums and 1 so-so album spanning about 3 years, the standard shelf life for teen idols). But George's influence and everything he stood for made an impact that outlasted all of that and he remains a much-admired figure for queer teens everywhere.

During the height of Culture Club fame, I remember him sitting with Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show being asked about his sexuality. George demured and said, "I'd much rather have tea than have sex" in an effort to play down his gayness - all the while dressed in some outrageous outfit and full makeup! How the world has changed. It seems so quaint and funny in retrospect.
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