'I was so insane': Boy George says he bears 'no resemblance' to outlandish figure that burst onto the music scene in the 80s as he kicks off Australian tour

By Jenny Awford For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 22:18 EST, 7 June 2016 | Updated: 02:03 EST, 8 June 2016

He shot to fame as an outlandish trailblazer of the New Romantics movement and later gained notoriety as a heroin addict and convict.

But Boy George has insisted that he hardly recognises the 21-year-old that burst onto the scene in 1982 after performing 'Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?' on Top of the Pops.

The 54-year-old Culture Club frontman even said that when he looks back at interviews from that time he thinks he sounds 'insane'. 

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Back on stage! Boy George joined his band Culture Club on Monday night, where the group kicked off their Australian tour in Adelaide

Back on stage! Boy George joined his band Culture Club on Monday night, where the group kicked off their Australian tour in Adelaide

'You can only be who you are now,' he told news.com.au, following the first leg of his Australian tour in Adelaide on Monday night.

'I wouldn't know how to be that person, as great as he was and in some ways, I bear no resemblance to him. 

'I watch interviews he did and think "What are you talking about?" Oh my God, I was so insane. But I do look at some of the photos and think "You look quite good there"'.

'I was so insane': Boy George has said he bears 'no resemblance' to the outlandish figure that burst onto the scene in the 80s

'I was so insane': Boy George has said he bears 'no resemblance' to the outlandish figure that burst onto the scene in the 80s

'I'm down under with a Roo!' Boy George - whose real name is George Alan O'Dowd - took to his social media sites to share snaps of himself posing with a kangaroo

'I'm down under with a Roo!' Boy George - whose real name is George Alan O'Dowd - took to his social media sites to share snaps of himself posing with a kangaroo

Cute display: Also posing with a koala, the 54-year-old tweeted, ‘You know you are really down under when you meet a Roo and Koala'

Cute display: Also posing with a koala, the 54-year-old tweeted, ‘You know you are really down under when you meet a Roo and Koala'

As as the lead singer has matured and changed - so too has the demographic of their fan base.

Boy George said the band are now seeing husbands, who were the boyfriends dragged along years ago, actually enjoying music at their concert.

He also said he rarely parties in clubs anymore - unless he is DJing - to preserve his voice.

And this careful approach seems to be working, as the singer said his voice is 'bigger and richer' than ever.

The Karma Chameleon hitmaker - whose real name is George Alan O'Dowd - is clearly keeping busy as he has just finished his first season as a coach on The Voice UK.

Staying healthy: He said he rarely parties in clubs anymore - unless he is DJing - to preserve his voice

Staying healthy: He said he rarely parties in clubs anymore - unless he is DJing - to preserve his voice

Eighties stars: The iconic band propelled to fame in 1982 after releasing their hit single, Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, which bagged them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year

Eighties stars: The iconic band propelled to fame in 1982 after releasing their hit single, Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, which bagged them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year

'You can only be who you are now': Boy George insisted that he hardly recognises the 21-year-old that burst onto the scene in 1982

'You can only be who you are now': Boy George insisted that he hardly recognises the 21-year-old that burst onto the scene in 1982

He will appear on the rebooted Celebrity Apprentice with Arnold Schwarzenegger later this year.

The star is also keeping up with his healthy lifestyle and 50Ib weight loss, making vegetarian meals and considering a possible Boy George cookbook.

This healthy outlook is a far cry from Boy George of 1986 who became an emaciated junkie the year Culture Club fell apart. 

He served four months of a 15-month jail sentence in 2009 after being found guilty of the false imprisonment of a prostitute, Auden Carlsen. 

Culture Club will be performing at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne and in Sydney's Hordern Pavilion on Saturday and Sunday.

Together again: Delighting fans with their vibrant aesthetics, the band performed their greatest hits - including Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, Karma Chameleon and Miss Me Blind

Together again: Delighting fans with their vibrant aesthetics, the band performed their greatest hits - including Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, Karma Chameleon and Miss Me Blind

 

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