Karma chameleon

RECENTLY, we’ve been running a competition to win tickets to see Boy George and we asked you why you should be the one to get them. In among the countless entries reciting Boy George lyrical puns (you know who you are) one entry caught our eye.

Neil Chase, a hairdresser from Widnes, claimed he had been a fan for 25 years, he had a room dedicated to Culture Club and he would even dress up as Boy George in an American flag costume if we let him go to the Philharmonic gig this Sunday..

Naturally, we thought he might be bullshitting so we asked him to prove it. He did (see below)

Point well and truly proved, we went and spoke to super-fan Neil who told us how his fixation began.

“I can remember seeing him on television for the first time and being mesmerised by his unique style and soulful style of singing.

"My very first cassette was Colour by Numbers which I played on my Walkman and memorised every lyric.

"When I got into senior school I spent my Saturdays going to the collectable record shops like Backtrack and Probe. My dad never knew it but, but I’d save my dinner money to buy all the 12inch and 7inch records."

Neil’s passion for all things George has seen him dress up as his hero for concerts, he has appeared on long lost TV Channel One and one time he even shared a stage with the big man.

“For the hit music Taboo, I sat in the front row and at the end of the show, George pulled me out of the audience and I shared the stage with him and sang along with Karma Chameleon. It was my thirtieth birthday and a night I will always remember”.

OK, Neil. We believe you now and you’ve well and truly raised the bar for future competition entrants. We’ll be expecting nothing short of an equal level of commitment and dedication if you want to win our fabulous prizes. So there.

And to prove Neil’s knowledge, we quizzed him in a feature we like to call…

George (on my mind)

1. What is Boy George's real name?

Answer: George Alan O'Dowd

2. Boy George first performed with which early 80s new wave band?

Answer: Bow Wow Wow

3. Boy George worked as a cloakroom attendant at which legendary new romantic club?

Answer: Blitz

4. Which English pop impresario first spotted George's talents?

Answer: Malcolm McLaren

5. Culture Club was initially formed under which name?

Answer: Sex Gang Children
Incorrect: In Praise Of Lemmings

6. Why was the name Culture Club finally decided on for the band?

Answer: It reflected the ethnic diversity of the bands members

7. Culture Club released their first album in 1982, what was it called?

Answer: Kissing To Be Clever

8. The album's third single, Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? reached what number in the US charts?

Answer: 2

9. In response to questions about his sexuality, what did George once famously say?

Answer: I prefer a nice cup of tea to sex

10. In 1986 which US TV programme did Boy George appear on as himself?

Answer: The A Team

11. In which year did George start work on his first solo album?

Answer: 1986

12. What was the title of this first solo record?

Answer: Sold

13. In 1989 George formed his own record label recording under the name Jesus Loves You, but what was the label called?

Answer: More Protein

14. George's 1991 single Bow Down Mister was inspired by his involvement with which religious group?

Answer: Hare Krishna

15. George had a hit with the The Crying Game in 1992, but who was it produced by?

Answer: The Pet Shop Boys

16. What was the name of George's musical that flopped on Broadway?

Answer: Taboo

17. The musical was nominated for a Tony in which category?

Answer: Best Costume Design
Incorrect: Best Musical Score

18. From 2002 to 2004 under which pseudonym did George produce experimental electronica?

Answer: The Twin

19. In August 2006 George was sentenced to community service for wasting police time, but what did he have to do?

Answer: Pick up litter

20. Boy George has run his own fashion label for a number of years, what's it called?

Answer: B-Rude

Neil scores a pretty formidable 18/20. Next in the series: Ringo superfans. Possibly.