12 Steps With Boy George

Nice to read that Boy George -- with the help of Narcotics Anonymous -- appears to be getting his life back on track. I don't think I've blogged about this before, but I have a HUGE affection for all five Culture Club albums (the first three were reissued to great effect). Of all my fave old bands that reunited for a new album many years after the fact -- Blondie, Go-Go's, Television, etc. -- "Don't Mind if I Do" was the rarity that sounded like a day hadn't gone by between releases, producing a handful of songs that rank with the band's all-time best. Boy's solo career has been a bit spotty, but even there I've been impressed more often than not. I was thrilled when I heard he was coming to play Culture Club songs a couple summers ago, only to have the U.S. deny him a visa. It seemed ridiculous at the time, but perhaps it was what he needed to finally clean his act up. He's gearing up to perform a series of intimate, acoustic shows, Up Close and Personal, in London in late December (swoon). Let's hope the Obama administration delivers America universal health care and Mr. O'Dowd in 2010. They're both long overdue.