GaydarRadio’s Phil Marriott talks to the pop star slash DJ slash theatrical impresario about his new single, his current UK tour, the gay scene, karma and taking it like a man.

This is a really busy time for you – you’ve got the tour and the single, ‘Yes We Can’. I was going to say that it’s a return to form, but you’ve never had anything out that hasn’t been on form.
Yeah, I just took a long break because I got into DJ-ing and the dancing was more exciting around that time. It was the time with all the boy bands and it was all a bit manufactured, so I felt like I should do something else. It was really in the last year or so that I just thought I’d get back into it, because I’m really missing it.

It’s almost like you’ve come full circle. Do you feel refreshed after having that little step back?
Yes, I think that’s good sometimes. With me, it’s very instinctual. I’ve never been career orientated. For me, it’s more about challenging myself and being excited about my ideas. For the first time in a long time, I really feel very positive about things. I feel optimistic and enthusiastic, because I think it’s the best time to be doing music.

You’re obviously passionate about what you do, so it would feel false for you to just be doing it as a career move, wouldn’t it?
Yeah, it’s just got to be the right time. There’s a lot of good music being made at the moment. There’re lots of good bands and people like Amy Winehouse and Duffy – there are some good singers out there, so it’s a good time, I think.

Your single is really uplifting and positive, lyrically as well.
I normally work with melancholy – that’s really the safest area for me, because I write love songs, sad songs, I use my songs as a kind of diary. I think it’s a reflection of how I’m feeling. ‘Yes We Can’ really just means yes, I can or yes, you can. For me, the promised land is here, we’re in it, it’s just what choices you make, whether you want to be happy or miserable.

So what was the inspiration behind it? What made you write it?
Originally, it was to do with hearing Obama speak in Iowa and I was really touched by some of the things he was saying. I think that, for the current political climate, it’s really nice to have a possible President who’s intelligent and articulate and seems a bit calm. It’s really the message more than anything that spoke to me. After having years of George Bush, who is obviously not that bright, it would be great to have a President who’s smart! And just a bit calm – not so gung-ho! For me, because I’m feeling more optimistic and positive at this point in my life, that song is really about how I’m feeling.

"I think it’s a reflection of how I’m feeling. ‘Yes We Can’ really just means yes, I can or yes, you can. For me, the promised land is here, we’re in it, it’s just what choices you make, whether you want to be happy or miserable."

That sample you’ve used on the track of Obama works really well. It also comes with a lot of really good remixes. Pete Heller and Kinky Roland have worked on it. Did you have a big say in who was going to remix it?
I basically chose people that I know and love. Tom Stephan is someone I’m good mates with. I’ve done another track with Tom which might be the next single. I love what he does; I love the whole kind of mood of what he does. I’m just trying to make him more pop-py at the moment!

‘Generations of Love’ was also remixed this year, wasn’t it? How do you feel about reworking your old hits? Do you find it refreshing?
‘Generations of Love’ had nothing to do with me, it just kind of appeared and I liked what they’d done. Because I DJ, I know who I’d like to work with and, generally, the obvious ones are too expensive! Sometimes you have to remortgage your house just to get a remix! I’d rather go with people that I know. Tom’s great and so is Pete Heller. The Pete Heller mix is one of my favourite mixes. It’s very Ibiza.

You’re also back on TV – you’ve done Living With Boy George on Living TV.
Well, I did one show. A lot of people think it’s a series, but it’s not. One was enough.

How was it?
When I originally spoke to them, what I wanted to do was a kind of un-reality TV show, where everything was just glamorous the whole time, but obviously they didn’t want that. They wanted something that was more domestic and pedestrian. I mean, it’s funny - you know me. I don’t usually watch those things, though. I used to watch and read everything when I was younger, but I don’t so much now.

So the idea didn’t fill you with dread, then?
I knew the producer - he was a friend of mine - so that helped in getting me to agree to do it. You know, I didn’t mind doing it. I worked with friends on it and it’s really just a peek at my life. But I wouldn’t want it all the time!

I want to ask you about the Kylie tracks – there was a rumour that you wrote for Kylie a couple of years ago but the songs were never used. What happened to those?
There’s actually a version of the song I wrote for Kylie on YouTube called ‘Survival’. I did this song with her and she sang it - she did a demo of it.

Are you a fan of hers, then?
Yeah, I was a bit disappointed that she didn’t do the track, because it’s a really good track and I wrote it about what she’d been going through. That was the idea, that I’d write something about surviving, so it was really poignant. Well, it’s had lots of hits on YouTube!

With her last album, X, she didn’t really touch on any of that personal stuff so much.
When I was approached by her, that was really what they wanted and so, for me, that’s great - if you give me a reason to write something, that’s always better. But I would work with her again. I think maybe on the next record.

You’re off on the road for a long UK tour – are you pleased to be touring again?
Yes, the audiences have been amazing. It’s been fantastic – really, really surprising. Really just everyone getting involved. There’s lots of stuff people know in the show, and it’s been really warm. I’ve been really pleased with the whole reaction.

"I’ve never thought my life would be better if I was straight. I’ve got friends who say that and I want to slap them." 

Are you still in touch with the Culture Club guys? You reformed 10 years ago.
We did a couple of reunion tours, which were great as one-offs, but to do it all the time I think would be too stressful. I do see John because he lives near me, and I speak to Roy online and stuff. So yeah, I keep in touch with them.

How do you find it with John now? It was a fairly difficult relationship back in the 80s, wasn’t it?
I think at this stage we’re a lot more grown up! I’ve got so many friends who are friends with ex-partners and I used to think they were weird. But, of course, it’s the most sensible thing you can do. It’s the grown up thing to do, to not fall out with people. The thing is, you can’t change the past, can you?

You mentioned DJ-ing – we saw you at Manchester Pride. You really looked like you were enjoying it. How did it go for you?
It was great fun!

Everyone commented on the fact that you opened the set by singing, because you don’t normally get that. Most DJs can’t sing, but you’ve got the best of both worlds.
I do that a bit when I DJ. I play a lot in Italy and, for a while, the Italians just could not get their head around me being a DJ, so I started singing at gigs and I’ve incorporated that into a lot of the DJ stuff I do.

Do you find it irritating that a lot of people just associate you with being a singer and songwriter, or do you like that?
It’s really weird. When you’re touring, there are some places where you couldn’t even get arrested, while there are other places where the people love you. So you’re not popular everywhere and what you do doesn’t work with everybody. Some people just prefer to hear me sing and that’s life.

Do you get pestered when you’re playing, people tugging at your sleeve or digging you in the back for a request?
A little bit, but I usually get a clever dick coming up and asking me to play ‘Karma Chameleon’ and I always have a good retort ready – nothing that I could say on air, though!

How do you find the time to cram everything in? I mean, you’ve got the fashion line, as well. B-Rude, is it?
Yes, B-Rude. We have a little shop on Shoreditch High Street. But I have people working on that when I’m away, so it gets done.

So you delegate?
You have to delegate, otherwise you go mad. Being a control freak is over-rated. When you get to a certain age, you suddenly realise that nothing gets done if you’re like that.

"Wherever I go is gay! I mean, if I go to the supermarket, it becomes gay! It’s the effect I have on places."

Are there any more plans for another book? I really enjoyed your autobiography, Take it Like a Man.
Well, I did do another one - which I hate - called Straight. I wish I’d never written it, but I will probably write another one to balance out that one. The first one, Take it Like a Man, I thought was really good. I was really proud of that.

You mentioned the artists that are around at the moment, such as Amy Winehouse and Duffy. Who else are you listening to at the moment?
To be honest with you, I’m listening to lots of old stuff at the moment! Old jazz and Bowie and things. Those sorts of things never really go out of fashion, especially Bowie stuff. I think he’s influenced so many people. We do a Bowie cover on stage, actually.

It was National Coming Out Day recently – the gay rights movement is obviously an important thing in your life. Do you think there’s been much of a progression for gay people in the last decade or so compared to when you were younger?
I think it’s different. There’s more information now and more visibility, which is great. But I would also say that, when you go to countries in Eastern Europe for example, there are places where it still isn’t easy. People always ask me what they should do and I think you’ve got to love yourself, first of all. The first thing you’ve got to do is accept who you are, know that it’s fabulous, and that there’s nothing wrong with you. If you love yourself to start with, it does have a big effect on your life.

You’ve always been very confident, haven’t you?
Yes and no. In terms of being gay, well, I’ve never wanted to be straight. I know a lot of people do, but I’ve never thought my life would be better if I was straight. I’ve got friends who say that and I want to slap them.

So do you think it is different nowadays, compared to back in the 80s?
Well, I think there were times before when people were more relaxed about it. I think it goes in circles. I think people are just terrified and every 10 years there’s a step backwards. The main thing is - as a community and as an individual – to just be proud of what you are. I think the universe is like a mirror and how you feel about yourself is always reflected back to you. If you walk around with a sign saying, ‘Kick Me’, people will kick you. And if you’re proud, then I think it makes a big difference.

What do you think of the gay scene in the UK at the moment? Do you get much time alongside the music and the DJ-ing to actually enjoy the clubs as opposed to playing them?
Occasionally I go to gay clubs, but I don’t really think about it anymore – I don’t think about whether somewhere is gay or straight. For me, wherever I go is gay! I mean, if I go to the supermarket, it becomes gay! It’s the effect I have on places. I’m about to go and make Marks and Spencers gay in a moment!

'Yes We Can', the new single by Boy George, was released on 12 October 2008.

Buy Take it Like a Man: Autobiography of Boy George online now and save. Plus, check out the video to 'Yes We Can' below!