Why Boy George can't wait to go back to prison...

IN his first interview since leaving prison, Boy George says he can’t wait to get back inside… to perform for inmates. Planning to tour as soon as his electronic tag is removed, he told his management: “If you get a gig in a prison, I’ll turn up.”

Boy George is ready to perform for the inmates Boy George is ready to perform for the inmates

The singer also tells how a letter from Elton John helped him cope with his four-month stint behind bars after he was convicted of falsely imprisoning a male escort.

“Elton offered me love and support from both himself and David [Furnish]. He also sent me a lovely music player.

“Stephen Fry, Matt Lucas, Antony Hegarty and Holly Johnson wrote to me too. The only time I got emotional in prison was when I got letters from friends. People that beforehand I wouldn’t have thought I could rely on. It was really humbling.

“I did have a falling out with Elton a few years ago because I was being a bitch [George called him “a humourless grand old dame”] but we made up and we’re really good friends again.”

Boy George, real name George O’Dowd, now wears an electronic tag and his curfew means he can’t even go out into his garden after 7pm.

“I’m a prisoner in my home. When the tag comes off, I’ve got another six to 12 months when I can’t leave the country. It’s just another form of prison.” Still, he insists it doesn’t get him down.

“I feel really fabulous. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. In the past year I’ve become aware of how lucky I am. I have a great life. It doesn’t have to be chaotic and miserable. I can be happy!” George was reluctant to be interviewed and only agreed to talk to us to promote the creative networking website Talenthouse as a favour to an old friend, Amos Pizzey, who set it up.

The former Culture Club singer and recovering drug addict was released from Edmunds Hill Prison, in Suffolk, in May. He was initially in Pentonville but asked to be moved because he was being offered “everything” drug-wise.

George compares prison to school. “It was exactly like that. Yes, I did hate school but I’m probably better equipped to deal with it second time around.

“Prison is as bad as you want it to be but you just get on with it. In a way, it was quite nice to have a routine! The reason I looked healthy when I came out was because I was getting up early and going to bed early. It certainly wasn’t the food.” He largely has himself to blame for that as he worked as a chef during his time inside. “I’m a pretty good cook and made all the vegetarian food.” One story claimed that George broke down in tears because he’d been terrified of prison. “I wasn’t crying,” he says. “Whatever I was feeling, I was determined not to show any emotion.” So was he afraid? “No. I mean, yes. Of course, I didn’t know what to expect. The experience hasn’t changed me. It just confirmed a lot of things I already thought.”

Inevitably, life inside was a far cry from George’s usual lifestyle. For example, when he was in a holding cell, no one would let him out to use a toilet so “in the end I peed in the cell”.

He denies that he received special treatment from guards and inmates. “What, like more potatoes? People like me and that’s the same whether I’m in prison or on the street. I was just unlucky with the jury…”

The jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London found George guilty of falsely imprisoning male escort Audun Carlsen, 29, by chaining him to a wall of his flat. They heard that the “drug-crazed” star had lashed Carlsen with a chain before the Norwegian managed to free himself and flee.

Having left prison with sacks of letters from well-wishers, it’s clear that despite his troubles (the star also served a five-day community service sentence in New York in 2006 for wasting police time) George retains a loyal fanbase and has his sights on the future.

He plans to work with little known Coby Koehl, “the male Amy Winehouse” while an album of dance songs is due before Christmas. The Talenthouse site is also proving a useful source of collaborators for George, since it’s a one-stop shop for anyone seeking film, fashion, music, art or photography talent.

The star is also collaborating with Culture Club producer Steve Levine and their CD will be released next April. As if that wasn’t enough, George will reward patient fans with a tour at the same time, including, perhaps, that prison gig.

Talenthouse is a place where creativity means business and where artists can showcase their work to a global audience creating an extra source of revenue and income. For more information go to www.talenthouse.com

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