Within the court of British pop royalty, Boy George sits on top of a (impeccably decorated) throne. Throughout his decade-spanning career he’s topped charts, collaborated with superstars, travelled the world and seen more than his fair share of controversy. He can now be found judging Britain’s latest batch of new talent on BBC One’s The Voice.

Boy George appears on the cover of FAULT Magazine Issue 23 (available for preorder now). 

 

 

Congratulations on your work on The Voice so far. Did you have any reservations about joining the show? 

Not really. I think my only reservation was how involved I would be with the people that I chose; whether I could have any kind of impact on what they did. And, to my surprise, it is very interactive. You can get as involved as you want to.

 

 

You’ve had your fair share of demons: drugs, incarceration, negative press attention. How has this shaped you and your music?

Everything that happens shapes you and influences what you do, but I don’t tend to focus on the past. Why would I look back? Difficult things inform my writing but – if you want other people to move on – then you have to move on yourself… I try to live in the now – it’s the only sensible time to live. Living in the past or future is a bit insane: sometimes, in relationships, people spend all their time worrying about what the other person’s thinking or feeling, and get so engrossed in it that they miss living. I think it’s important to live in the now and not focus too much on what went wrong. Just learn from it and move on.

What else does the future hold in store for you?

[Culture Club} have got a tour coming up in the summer. I’m also doing stuff on my own: I’ve got a tour with Cyndi Lauper in about a month on the East Coast of America. At the moment I’m trying to build my empire, so anything’s possible.

 

Who excites you musically at the moment?

I really like Christine and The Queens. The music they make is really beautiful. It’s in French though, so it’s a bit difficult to understand, but you don’t really need to. I’ve also been getting back into Kate Bush: recently I came home, laid on the floor and listened to Hounds of Love in it’s entirety, and it was wonderful. You can really learn from the way people made records in the past. People had more freedom.

I like Stromae as well: I think he’s the best pop star at the moment. He’s really androgynous, and really out there.

 

Finally, what is your fault?

Where do we start! My weakness is probably…bread! Haha – I have no patience. I’m completely impatient.

 

FAULT MAGAZINE ISSUE 23 – THE ART ISSUE – IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW

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