Boy George, never one to sugarcoat, has admitted that some of Culture Club’s most iconic moments on screen were far less enjoyable for him behind the scenes.
“I have to be honest, I hated all of our videos!”
On paper, it sounds outrageous. This is the man who fronted a band synonymous with the 1980s’ golden age of music videos, when MTV could make or break a hit. Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, Karma Chameleon, Miss Me Blind, these weren’t just songs, they were cultural touchstones, etched into the visual memory of an entire decade. But for George, the filming experience was less about artistry and more about compromise.
“They weren’t really what I wanted to do,” he explained, recalling how directors often seized creative control. Videos became less about reflecting the song’s soul and more about indulgent set pieces. His irritation began as early as the Do You Really Want to Hurt Me shoot, where he was asked to submerge himself in water for a reversed pool sequence. “The idea of being wet was horrifying, with my makeup running. I was just so vain in those days!”
That vanity, or more accurately, self-awareness, hardened into disdain when he realised the imbalance: “What’s this got to do with the song?” he’d think. And worse, music videos began eclipsing the music itself, people asked if you’d seen the new single, not if you’d heard it. For a songwriter who believed in message and melody first, that inversion was intolerable.
Yet, even as he vented, George’s mischievous affection for excess crept through. On Miss Me Blind, he recalled gleefully pushing costumes and concepts into the absurd, “more and more ridiculous” across a lavish two-day shoot. And when it came time to film Everything I Own as a solo artist with his friend John Maybury, George finally felt in control, no boats, no gimmicks, just style he could stand behind.
Boy George may have hated many of Culture Club’s videos, but ironically, those same visuals helped elevate the band from chart contenders to global icons. His frustration is also his honesty: for him, the song should always come first.
