- The 62-year-old singer appeared on the NBC show to promote his appearance in the Broadway musical Moulin Rouge
- Boy George shared that he had Bowie's name tattooed on his arm and sat outside his house as a boy
- He also explained how he ended up composing the song Electric Energy with Ariana DeBose, which was featured on the soundtrack of the new Argylle film
Boy George admitted to stalking his late idol David Bowie on Monday's episode of NBC's “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
The 62-year-old singer, who appeared on the show to promote his appearance in the Broadway musical “Moulin Rouge,” shared that he has Bowie's name tattooed on his arm.
Jimmy, 49, asked if he could ever spend time with Bowie.
“I met Bowie when I was 19 and he came to a nightclub where I worked to find people for his video 'Ashes to Ashes,'” he said. “I didn't make the grade.” I didn't make the cut that night. But the next night I was at another club and met him and he said to me: “You look like my friend Klaus Nomi” and of course at that time I thought I was the most original person on the planet. I was angry!'
“Then I realized who Klaus Nomi was and I thought, 'Oh my God, what an honor,'” Boy George said, referring to the 1970s East Village artist who performed with Bowie.
Boy George admitted to stalking his idol David Bowie on Monday's episode of NBC's “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
“When I became famous, I saw him once in Australia in the first class lounge and I was newly famous.” And I thought, “Can I talk to Bowie?” And on what level do I talk to him? “Because I used to sit in front of his house when I was 10.”
Boy George, who wore a bright blue bowler hat with a black suit, said he would be sitting outside Bowie's house with lots of fans.
“If he came out just to see what shoes he could wear,” said Boy George, who wrote a tribute to Bowie after his death in 2016 at age 69.
“Have you ever seen him?” Jimmy asked.
“No, but there was this one time Angie Bowie opened a window and told us all to get lost,” Boy George said. “We were kind of thrilled, even though she wasn’t exactly friendly.”
Boy George also explained how he ended up singing the song Electric Energy with Ariana DeBose, which was featured on the soundtrack of the new Argylle film.
“The first time I met Ariana, we met half an hour before our performance together,” Boy George said. “Everything was done virtually.”
Boy George said he got involved with the song after receiving a random call while working in New York asking him to go to a studio and record. He said he did it when he returned from London and was instructed to “conjure up something I would have written in 1982.” He said he thought of words like “devils, demons and employment.”
The 62-year-old Grammy winner appeared on the show to promote his appearance in the Broadway musical Moulin Rouge
“I met Bowie when I was 19 and he came to a nightclub where I worked to find people for his video 'Ashes to Ashes,'” he said. “I didn't make the grade.” I didn't make the cut that night. But the next night I was at another club and met him and he said to me: “You look like my friend Klaus Nomi” and of course at that time I thought I was the most original person on the planet. I was angry!'
Boy George wrote a tribute to Bowie following his death in 2016 at the age of 69
David Bowie, who performed in Prague in June 2004, was a major influence on Boy George
Jimmy asked him if he remembered what it felt like when he won a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1984 with Culture Cub.
“It was infamous because I said, 'Thank you America, you know a good drag queen when you see one,'” Boy George said.
He said he did it because other people were “label lickers” and thanked their managers and the “people we made money for,” and he wanted to be a rebel and say something outrageous.
“It caused a huge uproar.” “People were very worried,” he said.
He said he was excited to be part of the Moulin Rouge and perform 100 shows.
“I’m more excited to move on than nervous,” Boy George said.