When substance abuse entered the picture the demise of the band at hand. In July 1986, Boy George was arrested for heroin possession. Police had code named the project as "Operation Culture" involving the raids of houses and arrests of ex-boyfriend Jon Moss, friend Marilyn, Culture Club backing vocalist Helen Terry, friend Mimi and drug suppliers Ginty and Steve. Drugs would plague him for years to come, in 2005, Boy George was arrested in Manhattan on suspicion of possessing cocaine. He has never quite achieved the same pop success as solo artist. Though he remains constantly in the public eye in his native U.K.
In 1993 his collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys on the theme song The Crying Game from the movie of the same title put him back in the limelight on both sides of the Atlantic.
During the 90's and early 21st century, George continued to release music sporadically in Europe Several dance-oriented tracks were released in various countries. For example, Love is Leaving went top 3 in Italy and When Will You Learn reached the top positions in the Switzerland charts. When Will You Learn was also nominated for the Best Dance Recording, at the Grammy Awards. Though during much of this period he devoted his time to DJing, hosting, writing books and designing clothes.
In 2002/2003 he starred in the London musical Taboo, based on his life (George didn't play himself, opting instead to take on the persona of Australian-born performance artist Leigh Bowery). Boy George was nominated for a Tony Awards for the "Best Musical Score" and Taboo was a great success in London's West End, though a heavily altered Rosie O'Donnell-produced run in New York was short-lived (100 performances only, versus the two-year run in England).
The latest from Boy George is the single Yes We Can, which has very pop mainstream sound compared to much of his recent work. The song was inspired by U.S. Presidential candidate Barack Obama's message of unity and positivity. Some versions of the track (like the video) include audio of Obama's speeches. The song also includes a verse dedicated to troubled and drug worn singer Amy Winehouse.
In May of 2009, Boy George will be headlining the Here & Now Tour with Kim Wilde, Howard Jones, Kid Creole & The Coconuts and Altered Images.
Yes We Can
Boy George écrit de nouvelles chansons pour Kanye West.
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