"Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" by Culture Club

Part of the appeal of Culture Club to little 12 year-old me was the fact that Boy George used to drive my father crazy; we'd been rocking out to this song on the radio for months before he finally saw a picture of the Boy, at which point my father's full-on closet-case hypocrisy revealed itself for what it was. Fortunately it happened in the TV room and not on the highway.

Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? was a huge smash all over the world, propelling the band to stardom and their debut album, Kissing to Be Clever, along with them; fame being what it is - namely a hideous bitch goddess - the band's success proved to be its undoing, not that the inevitable descent into tabloid ignominy wasn't as hugely entertaining as it was tragic. While revelations of George's heroin abuse didn't much interest me, the stories about his affair with bandmate Jon Moss* did add an element to the scandal which was then quite unique.

*The object and subject of one of my most long-standing schoolboy crushes.
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Happy Birthday Boy George

I prefer to remember Boy George this way, before the toxic effects of fame really took effect...

Once upon a time he was a nelly bloke who wrote cryptic poems; now he's a rude bitch, mincing his way to oblivion.

Oh wait... I forget. Were we just talking about me or Boy George?

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"No Clause 28" by Boy George

While his was not the only song written to protest Clause 28 - UK punk legends Chumbawamba also recorded a song called Smash Clause 28! Fight The Alton Bill! - Boy George's No Clause 28 was the more widely distributed at the time. Plus it features this groovy Thatcher-baiting video; Thatcher-baiting invariably increases my enjoyment of whatever I may be watching, as I hope it does yours as well.
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BOY OH BOY

Troubled pop star Boy George has been arrested - again - this time on charges of false imprisonment, sexually harassing and assaulting a male escort he'd hired as a model.

Now, admittedly, I'm no expert in S&M. Okay, I've got the M part down, but the S... Not so much.

Anyway, even I know the secret is in consensuality and negotiation. Just because you hire a guy for sex doesn't mean he's up for this kind of thing. I suppose my unenlightened attitude means I'll be learning a thing or two about the S now...

Just in case, my safe word is 'Stephen Harper'.

[S O U R C E]
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