Rubbish Patrol for Boy George

August 14, 2006

Page 1 | Page 2

With a city-issued broom in his hand, the '80s icon who sang ''Karma Chameleon'' and ''Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?'' started his court-ordered community service this morning, sweeping leaves and trash off the sidewalks of New York.

All went well, until the folks from the media showed up and then there was some screaming.
''You think you're better than me?'' he yelled. ''Go home. Let me do my community service.''

Boy George took to the streets of Manhattan as a Department of Sanitation worker wearing an orange vest, dark capri pants, shoes without socks, and no makeup. ''This is supposed to be making me humble. Let me do this,'' he said. ''I just want to do my job.''

In June, Boy George was sentenced to community service after he pled guilty to falsely reporting a burglary at his lower Manhattan apartment. When police arrived to investigate, they found no traces of burglary, but they did find some cocaine he had left lying about.

''It's up to you whether you make it an exercise in humiliation or in humility,'' said the judge at the sentencing, and Boy George took him at his word, asking that his service project be more in line with his status as an '80s icon: petitioning to spend the time helping teenagers make a public service announcement.

Among his other proposals to the court: holding a fashion and makeup workshop, serving as a D.J. at an HIV/AIDS benefit or doing telephone outreach.

READ MORE > >