Leave the Boy George alone

By M&C News Aug 14, 2006, 15:45 GMT

George O\'Dowd, popularly known as Boy George, pushes dirt at photographers while sweeping trash off a street in Manhattan during his first day of community service in New York on Monday 14 August 2006. EPA/Justin Lane

George O’Dowd has had better days.  In the dog days of August, the city of New York has replaced a microphone in his hands with a city-issued broom.

O'Dowd, aka Boy George started his court-ordered community service early Monday, cleaning the mean, pungent streets of New York.

In less than an hour, a mob of paparazzi gathered around the ex Culture Club frontman.  "You think you're better than me?" he yelled. "Go home. Let me do my community service."

Wearing an orange vest, dark pants, shoes without socks, and without any makeup, George quietly went about his duty.  "This is supposed to be making me humble. Let me do this," he said. "I just want to do my job."

George O'Dowd was ordered to spend five days working for the Department of Sanitation after pleading guilty in March to falsely reporting a burglary at his lower Manhattan apartment. The officers who responded found cocaine instead.

Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Anthony Ferrara issued a warrant for O'Dowd's arrest after he initially failed to complete the requirements of his plea deal. When O'Dowd appeared in court 10 days later, Ferrara called off the warrant but warned the singer he could not escape his community service commitment.

"It's up to you whether you make it an exercise in humiliation or in humility," Ferrara told O'Dowd.

George petitioned 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 DJ at an HIV/AIDS benefit or doing telephone outreach.

Jeremy Pearce, George’s manager, told reporters shortly after the singer arrived for his first day on the job: "He doesn't show any kind of emotion about these things. He takes it in his stride. He doesn't need to be humiliated," Pearce said. "He's a humble person."

"Things outside in the street were a little chaotic," said Sanitation spokesman Keith Mellis. "We'll see if there's some cleaning that can be done inside."