This And That

July `99

George (and Jon!) have been in the press so much the first half of this year, it's almost hard to keep up. Some notable occurances:
  • The documentary from England, "Young Guns Go for It." Both men speak very candidly about the relationship, about having been in love. George admits at the end that he is confident that Jon once loved him and still loves him to this day, "and I love him," adds George.
  • A brief but good article in the August issue of "Genre." George says that he actually does not see Jon all that much, but "In terms of our relationship, the bottom line is that the band is like family---and you have to accept the fact that some issues just don't get fully resolved."
  • A long interview with George in the July "Attitude." He says, "Once the Culture Club reunion became a reality....a lot of journalists---especially gay ones---were prepared to hate Jon, and he totally disarmed them because he was really frank, open and honest. I think it's been a huge healing process for both of us. But it is weird when Jon's girlfriend is around and the baby's in tow--it's odd, surreal, mad!...I can't pretend it's not."

    November `98

    An article recently appeared on the web here . George says that he and Jon, "don't sit around talking about the old days, you know." He added, "The media are far more interested in our relationship than we are but there are always undercurrents with ex-lovers. All the songs in Culture Club were about my relationship with Jon. It was like Fleetwood Mac. Culture Club write great songs because they are real people behind the songs."

    October `98

    Rocktropolis is featuring an article about rock groups who's members (at least some of them) had relationships with each other. I don't know how long the article will be up, but you can find it here. Along with Fleetwood Mac, Jefferson Starship, X, and others, Culture Club are mentioned because of the George-Jon romance.

    October `98

    A brief interview appeared at Rocktropolis. George, in true Gemini form, contradicts the September article quoted below as he says, "A lot of things haven't changed in terms of my relationship with Jon. I wouldn't say that we were best friends. In terms of working together musically, it's not really a problem. We just had enough distance to be civil to each other. We get on great, but it's not like we've sat down and had a heart- to- heart about it. It's dealt with more in a jokey way than a serious way. There are comments made and jokes are bandied about. "

    He said he actually doesn't see Jon all that much, as George prefers to travel by bus and Jon (and the rest of Culture Club) by plane. He did add that, "There's that point in 'Victims' where there's a big drum fill. I normally turn around and look at Jon when he does that. It's the same with our new single, 'I Want to Be Loved.' We wrote that song in the studio and nobody really talks about it. But it's pretty direct about what it's saying. It's just strange to have to be playing it with Jon."

    As of September `98

    A September interview with George appeared on Frontiersweb. George says that he and Jon are "still best friends and very much still a couple, we just don't shag each other any more. As I got older, I realized that it was more and more possible to maintain a friendship with lovers. I never could have done that as a teen-ager or in my 20s. If you have loved someone, it never goes away, and it's important to cherish that." He added,"I'm a vastly different person from who I was when I was 18. It's all water under the bridge now. We're all a lot older. Jon and I aren't in a relationship any more. We can be slightly more objective. Plenty of people have perfectly amicable relationships with ex-wives and ex-lovers. It's a modern thing to do. We've been through the good and bad and now we're moving on from that. It's the best thing you can do for the spirit and the soul."

    August `98

    An interview from the New York Blade News appeared here. It will only be up for about a week, but there are some highlights to share.

    George contradicts himself in the article. He says, "A lot of the emotional things have never been discussed really, and that�s fine because I�m not interested in Jon and I think the feeling�s mutual. When you look at the grand scheme of life, our little drama is so insignificant." But he also states, in the same interview, "I was obsessed with Jon. I mean really obsessed. His belt buckle used to give me a hard-on!"

    July `98

    George was recently interviewed by the Chicago Tribune (July 31st). He said the power dynamics of the band are different now that he and Jon are no longer in a relationship. They are no longer ganging up on the other two bandmates.

    George attributes the Culture Club reunion to the 1997 VH-1 Behind the Music documentary �which deals with the George and Jon drama. No one was prepared to deal with gay relationships in rock n� roll in the `80�s, so VH-1 opened the door a bit.� He added that, �All I ever wanted for Jon to say was that he (had) loved me, and he�s done that now---on national TV (the 1998 VH-1 Culture Club reunion Behind the Music)----so I�m happy.�

    July `98

    George writes a column for The Express, a Brittish paper. He had this to say recently about the state of his relationship with Jon, in a piece he titled, "No Ex Tension": "The Press are anxious to know "how is it with Jon"--our drummer and my ex-lover. They think I'm hiding something when I say: `Everything's pukka.' Americans simply don't understand British reserve; the fact that there can be a rhinoceros in the room and no one mentions it. There have been no Oprah Winfrey-style group confessionals. We have simply picked up where we left off and for now the rhinoceros is perfectly happy. Tomorrow we hit the road and it could all go a bit "cat on a hot tin roof". I live by the motto: "Enough dramas and you have a life." Watch this space."

    July `98

    A recent interview with George appeared on the web here. George has a framed picture of Jon on his wall, and it is revealed that he keeps all of Jon's letters in a file. "I'm still very fond of him," George says. He claims he is no longer attracted to Jon though.

    July `98

    George was interviewed in the July issue of "US." He says that he still loves Jon but "I don't have any kind of physical attraction to him anymore."

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