I**f Boy George crosses your mind, it goes without saying that humming “Karma Chameleon” happens next. This week, the Culture Club frontman was supposed to be with the band on its first US tour in 14 years. That is, until a throat condition derailed those plans. (There's still the new album Tribes to look forward to in early 2015.) He’s a more reflective, but still cheeky George, a raw vegan who tweets his favorite recipes to fans. He thinks he looks better than ever and feels the same. Here’s why.
Today I’m having a juicing day so I had a liter of greens basically. Cucumber, spinach, parsley, lemon, and apple. Last night I made some almond milk which I had [this morning] with lucuma powder, a probiotic, and blueberries with a couple of mature dates to kinda sweeten it. In the morning, raw foodists don’t normally have breakfast. We have a lot of fluids. So I make all these different drinks which are quite strengthening.
Yes. I soak it overnight, I use a nut milk bag to filter it through. I usually bottle it and keep it in the fridge. I use it in soups, or whatever. But if I’m in a hurry, I’ll use a nut butter with water. You don’t need to soak nuts overnight. You can use nut butter, a good quality one.
Ohhh. If I was being naughty—there really isn’t anything naughty. I mean, what do I like to have?
I especially like to have the raw chocolate that they make in America. But over here [in the UK] I make nice healthy raw desserts. I think what I love most about the raw food thing is it's real alchemy. It’s a really interesting science and I think for a creative person, it’s a great way to eat.
They like to eat but not what I eat. To them the raw vegan thing is "just another crazy thing that George is doing. Another one of his quirky things that he does."
To use a food analogy, the proof is in the pudding. I think I’ve looked better than I’ve ever looked. And certainly people tell me all the time, "What have you done to your skin? What are you eating?" And so I think it makes a big difference.
In a way, I can be a little bit of a bully around the band. I try not to, but when somebody says to me, “I’m trying to lose a few pounds," and then you see them eating [cookies]. I’m like, "Honey, you aren’t trying hard enough.”
The thing is also when you’re in a band, you travel a lot. You go into the hotel or into the gig, and there’s always food. You can get into the habit of just eating all the time. And so you have to really watch it. You know before I got famous, I was like a rake. When I was a teenager, I lived on nervous energy. And I always forgot to eat. It was not something I was obsessed with. And then suddenly I got famous, people started taking me out to fancy joints. And the pounds pile on. So I’m much more conscious now about when I eat. How I eat. What I eat.
First of all, in New York, Pure Food & Wine is raw vegan heaven. There’s also a place called One Lucky Duck which is on the next corner. I normally stay in a hotel that’s right near there. I can go literally every day. And in Chicago there’s an amazing place called Karyn’s, which is legendary. It’s one of the best raw places I’ve been to. And obviously LA, there’s Café Gratitude. There’s Erewhon, a whole big super store where they do incredible raw vegan food. I’m in heaven when I’m in any of those places.
I’ll have a shower then I’ll do my prayers. I’m a Buddhist so I chant Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō.
And then I’ll eat. Depending on what I’ve got to do. I’ve always got to make time to chant. That usually takes 20 minutes.
I love my espresso. I have one in the morning. I usually walk to High Street or down the hill and have my morning coffee. I like to have a walk in the morning. Sometimes I can’t do that if I’m going off somewhere. But wherever I am, I try to get out to get a vibe of where I am. Because with what we do sometimes, you visit places so quickly you don’t get a sense of where you are. So I like to walk in the morning and then I’ll have my breakfast after I’ve done my prayers. Buckwheat porridge or some normal rolled oats porridge or some kind of juice. But I do eat vegetables in the morning as well, like the Japanese. I have no problem with that. People say "You eat vegetables in the morning?" Like, YEAH. You eat what you feel like eating.