Just bought a Boy George compilation from 1993 - always thought he was fascinating, although at first he struck me as less compellingly freakish than Bowie. Now I listen and realize, in addition to his pop greatness, how beautifully fragile he was, early on, which would make sense, and adds to his stature, in my eyes. As with The Cure, the instrumentation is purposefully tawdry, or perhaps that was due to necessity turned to expressive purpose - tawdriness sublimated. He says in his liner notes: "Style and content are inseparable, I always knew that. I will continue in the tradition of my idols, Quentin Crisp, Marc Bolan and David Bowie. Art should never kiss the arse of conventionality. The stage is a fantasy realm, closets and lemon juice blondes don't belong on it. Click your heels, Dorothy, it ain't over yet." Then he thanks his mum, dad, family "for making me the twisted queen I am" and next, among a very long list of thanks, comes "my head master Peter Dawson for helping me make the right choices."