Culture Club doc director: Boy George 'story more relevant now'

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1 of 5 | From left, Roy Hay, Boy George, Jon Moss and Mikey Craig are the subjects of the documentary "Boy George & Culture Club," playing at the Tribeca Film Festival. Photo courtesy of Duncan Raban
LOS ANGELES, June 6 (UPI) -- Director Allison Ellwood interviewed Boy George and his three Culture Club bandmates for the documentary Boy George & Culture Club, which premiered Thursday at the Tribeca Film Festival.
In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, Ellwood said the struggles George, born George Alan O'Dowd, faced in the '80s are sadly still experienced by LGBTQ people today. Though he has since come out as gay, George dodged questions about his sexuality at the time and was frequently asked about his flamboyant attire.
"I think, as such, their story is more relevant now than it perhaps was even at the time," Ellwood, 63, said.
When George referred to himself as a drag queen at the 1984 Grammy Awards, it fueled fan and media speculation about his sexuality. In the film, he says, "If you're not gay, what has it got to do with you?" He then repeats the question to include trans people.
"I feel like we're going backwards in that regard but that is still the question to ask," Ellwood said. "Why do you care?"
Ellwood said she researched the Culture Club story before interviewing George, Jon Moss, Roy Hay and Mikey Craig individually so she knew what to ask them about. Still, Ellwood said, she was heartened to learn George had supportive parents even before he was a celebrity.
"I had just assumed that his parents, particularly a father of that age in London, would have frowned upon his [sexuality]," she said. "They were very supportive of him which is really nice to hear."
The filmmaker said all four Culture Club members were forthcoming about every aspect of their story, including George's relationship with drummer Moss. George and the band also discuss George's drug addictions and their frustrations with their third album, Waking Up with the House on Fire.
"[George] was touchy about his friend who had died of an overdose at his house," Ellwood said. "He said, 'I could tell you about him but I don't want to talk about that.' That's understandable because that's going for the salacious thing vs. the relationship."
All four Culture Club members agree Waking Up was rushed into production and release. Ellwood believes the album and the subsequent From Luxury to Heartache are underappreciated as a result. She cited the song "Mistake No. 3" as one of her favorites.
"I'm hoping one of the things the film will do is have people go, 'Hey, I should check that out,'" Ellwood said. "You just remember the big hits. You don't necessarily remember the later material, some of which is really good."
Those hits include "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" and "Karma Chameleon." Archival footage in the documentary shows how Culture Club caused more fervor in public than even today's biggest artists like Taylor Swift.
"People missed planes in Toronto because the streets were so packed the airport basically was shut down," Ellwood said. "It was Beatlemania."
Moss, Hay and Craig express their frustrations that George became the focal point of all Culture Club press during that time. The record label even relegated their three photos to the back for the album cover for their debut, Kissing to Be Clever.
Ellwood's documentary was an opportunity to give George's bandmates equal attention.
"They all say he's a great frontman and he should have been the frontman, but they get their chance to tell their side of the story too," she said.
Ellwood was also impressed by some of the footage her archival producers found of Moss before Culture Club.
"We even found footage of Jon drumming with The Clash briefly," she said.
Culture Club still performs occasionally and sometimes releases new music. If fans only know the '80s hits, Ellwood hopes her documentary showcases the depth of their music.
"George's voice is stunningly beautiful," she said. "It's just so moving to hear him sing. I hope that people take away from the film the real musicianship that went into this too. Everyone thinks of George and his voice and his outfits and stuff but really they are quite extraordinary musicians."
Boy George & Culture Club screens again Friday, Sunday and June 12 at Tribeca.