Barely a week goes by without some critic or commentator, survey or questionnaire swiping that benighted decade with a knotted leg-warmer.

The Years That Taste Forgot, they have been called, with the fashion, music and politics of the period all getting a pasting.

With a new movie about Margaret Thatcher just about to be released, hostilities are soon to be resumed – with a vengeance.

Mrs Thatcher’s reputation might be more resilient to criticism than, say, Carol Decker’s but even The Iron Lady doesn’t deserve to be Streeped.

The lady is not for gurning. Heavens, even Dustin Hoffman dragging up to play the former PM would have been better than that.

The flak is not going to stop with politics, though. A new survey has also taken a fresh swing at the music of the Eighties, with a record dealer in Guildford, Surrey, claiming it is second-hand vinyl albums from that period that are the hardest to shift.

Ben Darnton, who runs Ben’s Collectors Records, says that the debut albums by T’Pau, Paul Young and Culture Club, all acts who made and lost their reputations in the Eighties, are in the Top 10 of unloved discs clogging up his shop.

He expresses more surprise that it also includes Eighties offerings from Elton John, Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond.

“Perhaps the music of the Eighties is just too disposable,” he said, conveniently ignoring that fact that Rod, Elton, Barry and Neil are all still doing very nicely, thank you.

“It’s very much of its time and often has awful production which dates it,” he added, which is certainly not true of Paul Young’s beautifully crafted No Parlez (the one with Wherever I Lay My Hat on it) and Culture Cub’s Colour By Numbers (the one with Karma Chameleon), an album which still sounds fresh and effervescent 30 years later.

http://www.express.co.uk/ourcomments/view/294205/Martin-Townsend

Boy George rose to fame in the Eighties, stunning the world with his colourful stage presence as lead singer in the iconic ‘New Romantic’ band Culture Club. Who could forget those braids, that eye shadow and the lyrics to Karma Chameleon? No one, if his recent packed gig in Dubai is anything to go by. The crowds sang along as Boy George, now every inch a man at 50, lapped up the attention. But life hasn’t always been so sweet. 

In a career that has been dogged by addiction, the loss of friends through overdoses and a four-month term in prison for assault, Boy George – real name, George O’Dowd – has been through some very dark times. But he has emerged, older and wiser, with a burning ambition to take Culture Club back on the road. Dubai – a regular haunt for the star – was one of his first stops.

Ahead of the gig, Ahlan! caught up with the controversial performer to find out what brought on the band’s reunion and what’s in store for 2012.

You’re still known for your flamboyant style, but are the big hats and face paint a way to cover up?
No, I’ve been dressing up since I was a young kid - I was into David Bowie when I was about 11 years old. That’s really been my journey into imagery and makeup, with David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust in the early Seventies. I suppose loving that music and being attracted to that kind of artist is part of the reason for it.

You’ve been in the fame game for years, but do you ever get nervous meeting other celebs?
I was slightly nervous when I met David Bowie and had dinner with him about five years ago in New York because, obviously, I’m a huge fan. I wanted to make sure I said the right things.

How come you decided to re-group Culture Club?
We’re coming up to our 30th anniversary in 2012. Originally, the idea was just to have a meal together to celebrate, but I realised that there was a record we could make and saw the potential to do a big tour. So I decided that we should celebrate our 30-year anniversary in the best way possible, by playing live and making new records. It started off as a very small idea and it grew.

During your time out of Culture Club you’ve become a respected DJ – do you get a lot of requests?[Laughs] I don’t do requests, but usually I get asked for things I wouldn’t play anyway. I’m an underground house DJ, not a jukebox! People will come up and ask me to play Rihanna, but, as much as I love Rihanna, she’s not someone I would play in a house club. I’ll be like, “Ahh, I’m so sorry, I left that one at home.” You have to be polite!

What drove you when you first got into music - fame, money, or simply the chance to perform?
That’s the sort of question you’d be able to direct at a more current artist because nowadays people become famous and make lots of money really quickly. When we started Culture Club, it was a very different. I wanted to be a star, but I wasn’t thinking about how big the house would be. I’m not materialistic in that way, but I did want to be famous.

What do you think of famous-for-nothing reality TV stars like the Kardashians? Do they deserve their success?
It’s not my place to say if someone deserves it – everybody has their own journey. The important thing is what you do with your fame. I don’t really watch reality TV. I mean, if it’s on in the background then maybe I’ll watch it, but I’m not someone who sits around watching the Kardashians. I see them on Twitter, but I’ve never seen the show.

Speaking of Twitter, you’re an active user – what’s the craziest thing that anyone’s ever said to you on there?
If I tell you, you won’t be allowed to print it!

Go on, tell us!
Usually it’s things like, “I hope you die”! I think that’s pretty shocking! Generally though, people are really sweet and I actually think that’s the surprising thing about social networking; you kind of expect it to be more of a cesspit, but only the odd person will say something really nasty and you always have the block button – that’s a very useful tool on Twitter!

Following the scandals of your past, you’ve faced quite a bit of negative press. How have you coped?
I don’t think about those things. When you’ve been doing this for as long as I have, there’s a point when you learn what’s important. What people write or say about you is just someone’s opinion. A lot of the time, these people don’t actually know you, so their opinions are based on dust. Also, I don’t read things like I used to. When I first got successful, I used to read everything about myself. Now, I don’t really care.

You’ve been to Dubai a few times – what’s the attraction?
I really like it, and I’ve got family who live in Dubai - my aunt and my cousin have been here about 14 years. It’s a really nice place, beautiful, clean and you always get looked after very well. I’ve been here many times to DJ – I’ve played at Trilogy quite a lot over the years and I always really enjoy myself.

What’s next for you when you head back to London?
We’re going to record the album, that’s the priority, and then lots of touring.

http://www.ahlanlive.com/boy-george-all-grown-up-now-159803.html

http://www.cozycot.com/enews/article/Boy-George-of-Culture-Club-performs-on-stage-during-the-Sydney-Re-161167