Take It Like a Man: The Autobiography of Boy George [Hardcover]

Boy George (Author), Spencer Bright (Author), George O'Dowd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1995

The personal story of pop star Boy George describes his experiences with Culture Club, including a relationship with drummer Jon Moss, serious heroin addiction, and return to health and reacquired success. $100,000 ad/promo. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The British pop band Culture Club produced a string of mid-1980s hits like "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" and "Karma Chameleon," but the provocative, campy persona of frontman Boy George always attracted more attention than the band's music itself. Characterized by his droll wit, elaborate makeup and bizarre, gender-bending dress, Boy George took pop-star iconography to new heights of outlandishness and was a worldwide media darling until his drug habit all but destroyed his career. In this highly entertaining autobiography, the singer details with wit and pathos his working-class childhood as the self-dubbed "pink sheep" of a large suburban family, his teenage fascination with and emulation of glam-rock icons like David Bowie and Marc Bolan, his years as a London punk scenester, his jet-setting life as a pop celebrity and his painful descent into and recovery from heroin addiction. At times rambling and disjointed, this is nevertheless a compelling portrait of an individual who, by publicly celebrating his kinks and quirks, parlayed his alienation from mainstream British culture into a highly successful career. Bright is a London-based journalist. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Tell-all memoirs by gay or bi stars used to gloss over their sexuality, but Boy George O'Dowd's book forsakes such pretense, presenting him as he is, pancake makeup and all. Comfortably chatty and full of witty observations and characterizations, it is the engaging chronicle of a gentle soul, aware from an early age of what his preferences were and that he was born to perform. Boy George recalls memorizing the words to every song he heard, regardless of musical style, and singing and dancing along with the records. He recalls a lonely childhood as a known "poof," the "pink sheep of the family." His is the story of a talented working-class lad who attained a blinding flash of fame that the media dubbed Boy George Mania, only to fall into drug addiction and personal upheaval. His sweet nature shines out, however, in a narrative that visits most of the usual road-to-fame pitstops but details them in original and insightful ways. This is that rare thing, a rock bio that may appeal to other readers besides its subject's fans. Mike Tribby

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060173688
• ISBN-13: 978-0060173685
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #896,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!! Everyone should read this book..., February 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Take It Like a Man: The Autobiography of Boy George (Hardcover)

I recently went to see Taboo, Boy George's semi-autobiographical musical about the 1980s club scene. It was then that I first became interested in his life and wanted to know more than the musical showed. I knew little about his life, as I'm not old enough to have read those infamous newspaper headlines. To be completely honest I wasn't that interested in George before I saw Taboo, I'm very heavily into my rock music...bands such as Placebo,Hole,Nirvana,Tool, PJ Harvey etc...and as Culture Club were a pop band and George is now doing his DJ thing I thought it wasn't really my cup of tea. I first bought a copy of this book for my sister's birthday as she saw Taboo with me and said Boy George's story was really interesting. When it arrived in the post I decided to have a quick read, just to see if it was as good as all the reviews on Amazon said. Well, once I started to read, it was almost impossible to stop and wrap the book up. I was hooked and knew that I would have to order my own copy. So I did. It's very rare that I find a book that captures me and interests me as much as `Take It Like A Man'. I read at every available opportunity, sometimes reading until 2am because I just couldn't wait to see what happened next. The book is written quite like George is sitting next to you, talking you through his life, the tone is friendly and inviting willing you to read on. George also laces the whole thing with a fantastic bitchy humour, even in the harrowing chapters about his drug addiction. I was very interested to read about his days as a punk, singing with his ex-boyfriend's punk band `Theatre of Hate'. I also found I was able to really relate to many things George spoke of such as experimenting with punky clothes,hair and make-up from wearing bondage trousers to listening to bands like The Clash and The Cure. Reading about the adventures of the wonderful Phillip Sallon and the ever-dramatic Marilyn was nearly always hilarious! There were also many times when I felt so sorry for George, for example when he detailed his incredibly stormy relationship with Jon Moss and the messy ending to the affair. By the end I was in tears, but I also had a big smile on my face: Here was someone who was honest and had just as many weaknesses as everyone else but somehow people expected him to be massively strong in times when anyone would have broken down. However he got through it all, he battled and the ending was full of real hope and therefore extremely uplifting. What I've gained from this book is so much respect for this man,it's odd how you think you would have hardly anything in common with someone and then suddenly you realise that you have more in common with them than you thought possible. Okay so chances are I won't be rushing out to buy a Culture Club album anytime soon but I'm immensely glad that George is still alive and well. I look forward to a sequel in the near future.....

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a page turner, May 26, 2005

By 

J. Brady (PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Take It Like a Man: The Autobiography of Boy George (Paperback)

This is a great example of how to do an autobiography the right way. So many celebrity bios and autobios I have read in the last few years flirt with the truth but never face it head on. It seems most celebrities feel they have so much to lose by just being honest with their fans that they won't open up and tell it like it is. George is refreshingly candid, incredibly funny, and seems to have learned a great deal from his past mistakes. Some might argue that George's waning popularity since the heyday of Culture Club is the reason for this revealing, warts and all autobiography. That maybe he wouldn't be so forthright if he still had massive celebrity at stake. I would wholeheartedly disagree with that, as he has always been pretty honest about who he is and where he comes from. Who can forget his infamous Grammy acceptance speech for Best New Artist ("thank you, America...you've got style, you have taste, and you know a good drag queen when you see one!" ) and the collective GASP! that was America's response. I am of the opinion that that moment was the begining of the end for Culture Club,partly because the dreaded Best New Artist Grammy Curse, and partly because America at that time just wasn't ready for an openly homosexual, cross dressing soul singer. ( I still doubt they would be now, but that's not really the point. ) If you've no interest in Culture Club, or "Boy" George O'Dowd, then I doubt this book is really for you. But if you're a fan ( and if you've gotten this far, you must be at least curious ) I can highly recommend this book. It is at turns bitingly funny, deliciously camp and sometimes sad. A great read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A loveable rogue!, April 27, 2001

By 

Catherine Gallanti "www.cosmicessence.com" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Take It Like a Man: The Autobiography of Boy George (Hardcover)

I never read biographies of singers and rock people...just not interested. I picked up this book in my boyfriend's office and just could not put it down! I laughed , I cried and, more than anything else, I missed him terribly once the book ended. His biography is so honest and real, warts and all, that you cannot help liking the guy and feeling as if he's your best friend by the time you get to the last page. I also found fascinating the accounts of the London scene... so many places and people he mentions I have actually met in person. So I was totally absorbed.