August 14 is an important day. Not because it's the anniversary that Duncan was killed by Macbeth – really, it is – but because it's the day that Boy George starts to clean up New York.
Boy George has already reported for his community service duty in New York this morning, and has been given a shovel, broom, plastic bags and gloves to help him get scrubbing for five gruelling eight-hour shifts on the streets of New York. But on the bright side at least Boy George might find the remains of his career while he's out there.
It's taken ten months for Boy George to find out what would happen to him after police arrested him for possession of cocaine when 13 bags of the stuff mysteriously turned up in his flat just after he'd called them to report an attempted burglary. Since then, Boy George's story has been as long and dull as his Taboo musical was. His court date was pushed back for all manner of spurious reasons, and then when Boy George finally took the stand he did so to hurriedly spurn any previous talk of fighting the charge and cave in like a cissy to whatever plea deal the court gave him so long as it meant he could dodge prison.
That all happened five months ago, and most people would have been happy to accept the reduced sentence of community service and wash their hands of the whole shebang. But not Boy George, who held off the community service because he'd much rather have sung some songs to poor kids and taught them how to wear make-up properly. This attitude narked the judge into threatening Boy George with prison again unless he got a move on, so when it was announced that Boy George would be cleaning up New York as his service, he happily accepted.
And today the community service begins in earnest for Boy George, as he'll spend eight hours toiling in either Chinatown or Little Italy with a group of other community service road cleaners, no doubt being followed around by all kinds of photographers and reporters eager to turn the community service into the media circus that Boy George so vocally didn't want it to become.
But we expect that Boy George learnt how to be resourceful during his time guesting on The A Team, so we're positive that he'll make the best of things by teaching the other offenders how to paint the underside of their chins black with chucks of dirt to make themselves look thinner, or how to craft a fashionable hat from discarded heroin syringes that he finds lying around.
Read more:
Boy George starts roadsweeping punishment – ITV
[story by Stuart Heritage]
George O'Dowd says
“Give me time — to realize my crime”