HAVING had two previous interviews with Boy George cancelled at the last minute without explanation, I was stunned when this time he called bang on time with a low-key: “Hello, it's George.”

I was glad of his introduction after deliberating on the etiquette of calling him “Boy George” or just “Boy”.

But he uses the name George and is as down-to-earth and normal as the name suggests.

Of the new Here And Now tour, he said: “It's a long way away but you've got to book next year in the credit crunch, haven't you?”

He's looking forward to meeting up with a few of his old ’80s pals and rivals, although he insisted there won't be any late-night shennanigans.

“I don't drink or anything nowadays so the most I'll be doing is enjoying a cup of tea and a sandwich after the gig.

“We're all a bit older now and we haven't got the egos anymore so I’m sure we'll all get on. We were competing against each other when we were younger but now we're not as bold.”

George is something of a reformed character since his humiliating brush with the law last year which resulted in him being ordered to sweep the streets of New York during five days of community service after being found guilty of wasting police time.

“I have put it all that behind me,” he said.

“I've made mistakes but I don't judge myself by them. I don't let it define me. What you have to do is develop a tough skin. That doesn't mean you stop caring what people write about you. You just have to put it in perspective. If I took everything I ever read about myself seriously I'd never leave the house.”

Nowadays he tries to live in the present.

“I think about the future. The past is gone,” he said. “I've learned to live in the moment and love what's happening now. When I was younger what I took things for granted — everyday things. Now I appreciate them for what they are.”

But isn't this new show all about the past?

“A little bit of nostalgia is good fun but too much and I get a headache,” he laughed. “Sometimes I think I'm the only person who knows the ’80s are over.”

In recent years George has diversified, writing and starring in the musical production of his life Taboo, designing a range of clothing and of course DJing, for which he earns £7,000 per night.

But he he never stopped making music.

“Music has really always been my number one passion, but you do have to find other things to stimulate yourself if you're in this career,” he said.

“I'm always looking for ways of expressing myself creatively. The main thing is I love to write. It's my favourite thing because writing stuff is the essence of it. The rest of it, the performing and stuff, I could take it or leave it."

Despite his mistakes, the public has never abandoned Boy George. Why do people love him so much?

"I don't know but I'm very grateful for it," he said. "Sometimes I think 'Thank God for strangers'. When you travel around it's often people who you've never met before who give you love and appreciation.

"That's what I love about gigs. Sometimes I'll look out from the stage and see some mad person dancing on the balcony having a fantastic time and it's me who has made them feel like that. It's wonderful.

"When I play Karma Chameleon it's pandemonium. It's so funny to see. We did a gig in Bradford this year and an 82-year-old woman asked to meet me backstage. I thought that was great. I hope I'm still going to gigs when I'm 82.

"I think if you're honest, people love you. That's the only thing I can think of."

l See Boy George in the Here And Now tour alongside Kim Wilde, Pete Burns, Kid Creole & The Coconuts, Altered Images, Brother Beyond and Hazel O'Connor at Manchester Evening News Arena on Friday, May 15, 2009. Call 0844 8478000.