Ex-Spandau Ballet guy Martin Kemp:
I hate it when people go outside for a fag then come back and puff smoke from their last drag into the room.
Bergamo decided to shelve the album at the last minute. And we mean at the very last minute — it had already been pressed and packaged. Literally the only thing left to do was ship it to record stores.
So that decision left 25,000 copies of the record sitting in a warehouse uselessly offending no one.
[Black Flag] wasn’t happy, and they planned to do something about it. Two things, actually. First, they had a go at Bergamo and his morals by breaking into the pressing plant where the record was and putting stickers saying “As a parent … I found it an anti-parent record” over the MCA label on the album cover…
***
Oh, and having said that about smoking, congrats to Boy George for being clean and sober for going on five years (and seeming to “get it” — see below), as well as losing 24 lbs in nine days (!) via no carbs/sugar/anything packaged.
Sheesh: men! (Even him!)
‘I was pretty much bonkers. I don’t think I’m that person now. The good news is I know I’m an addict, that’s something I’ve become very aware of. As an addict in recovery I know I can’t do one of anything, even a cigarette. These aren’t options for me any more and that really is the big change for me.’
He regularly attends meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. ‘It’s part of my everyday life and it’s a system that’s always there for me.’
George says his loving family helped him through the dark times. ‘When you enter this business as young as I did – I was 20 – you kind of stay in infancy, you don’t really develop. You’re not living in the real world and a lot of bad behaviour is excused or ignored.
***
Halloween threw me off — I can’t believe Boy George (ugh) could inspire me to do f-all (or that I’d ever describe him as sounding sane and delightful) but I’m glad I read this.
One of those “of all people!” stories that will inspire others.
Breaking the Eleventh Tradition is always risky for the person involved, and for those who follow that individual’s lead. So I pray it doesn’t boomerang.
However, the reality is that fewer people would be sober today if other famous people hadn’t done it.
(Thanks, John. L.)
