Boy George Wants To Startle You!

Boy George is celebrating his 62nd birthday today and says he still wants to “startle” people a little bit!

The Culture Club frontman shot to fame in the 1980s with hits like “Karma Chameleon” and admittedly threw a few people off with his androgynous appearance.

“When I first stepped on the stage, there was absolute horror about what I looked like and the fact that I really looked feminine,” said George, in an interview with Reuters.

“The amount of times I bump into people that say ‘When I first saw you on TV I thought you were a girl’… they were having arguments at school (over my appearance) but in a way that’s what I wanted,” George said.

“I wanted people to get upset, I wanted them to be a little bit startled. And I still want that in a way and I still get that.”

Culture Club formed in 1981 and broke up five years later. Now, he is about to hit the road again with two of his bandmates. They will open for Rod Stewart in Britain later this month and then go on tour in the U.S.

George said he loves performing in America. “I’m a cynical Brit, so I go to America and I’m allowed to be fabulous, which I like, I don’t have to keep apologizing for who I am in America. In America, it’s like ‘enjoy it’ and I think that’s good advice.”

Happy Birthday to Boy George!