Boy George – Cheapness and Beauty – Review

Boy George

Cheapness and Beauty (Virgin)
by Chris Adams

What a long, strange trip it’s been, darlings. Since 1983, when he first flounced effusively across the consciousness of the planet, Boy George has undergone more image makeovers than the entire Royal family and the Kennedys combined. During the Kissing to Be Clever phase, he was the chubby androgynous weirdo in the bizarre Hasidic get-up. After that, he explored the rather unpleasant world of imitation Motown as a sort of dimestore Diana Ross with a dick. Then, of course, we got the tabloid gold of George as the gaunt, bald-headed repentant junkie.

During his subsequent Hare Krishna phase, he retained the shaved head, but lost all media interest in a band called Jesus Loves You. With Cheapness and Beauty, it looks like George has decided to morph into a glam-rock Quentin Crisp with evangelistic Larry Kessler undertones. I was pretty edgy listening to the album’s opener, a cover of Iggy Pop’s “Funtime.” I entered it expecting to hear it sweetened to death and was shocked that it was, in fact, really rocking. My nervousness turned to abject horror when “Satan’t Butterfly Ball” turned out to be an excellent song about the seedier side of the gay club scene. “My God,” I thought, “I like this Boy George song… I gave Adam Ant a good review last month…I AM OFFICIALLY THE UNCOOLEST MAN ON THE PLANET!”

I was pretty relieved when the rest of the record ended up being pretty generic fluff. Cheapness and Beauty is supposed to be a forum for George to proselytize on any number of subjects – the gay scene, drugs, hypocrisy – but the lyrics rarely do little more than scratch the surface. “The Same Thing In Reverse” is supposed to explain the enigma of homosexuality to the befuddled masses, but does nothing more than explain that trite lyrics are not a very good thing when you’re trying to be profound. (When George informed us in 1984 that war was, in fact, stupid, not too many heads turned in wide-eyed epiphany.) To be honest with ya, much of the record sounds like it’s the 13th step of a particularly predictable recovery program. Still, the guy can croon convincingly when he wants to, and he’s more at home in that atmosphere than as a rocker. (Admit it, “Do You Really Wanna Hurt Me?” was a classic.) Cheapness and Beauty? A lot of the former, a little of the latter. Still, I hope the album does well – the guy’s been through hell, he deserves it. Welcome back, you crazy bitch.