In 2015 Culture Club – the band behind such still recognizable 80’s hits like Karma Chameleon and Miss Me Blind among many others – reunited to tour. With original members Boy George, Roy Hay, Mikey Craig and Jon Moss together again things quickly took off, and the band has since been crossing the globe to Australia, Asia, and North America. The tour comes to the Jack Singer Concert Hall November 18th in Calgary and Edmonton’s Rexall Place November 19th.

GayCalgary.com caught up with Roy Hay on the phone from his home in California on a break before the tour kicked off again. It has been a great experience for the band to be on the road again.

"It has been a lot of fun; we have been all over the place. We had such a good time and everyone got along so well that we added on more dates and are coming to your part of the world. I live in the California desert, we get a lot of snowbirds from your neck of the woods," he said, admitting he didn’t really think about the consequences of touring Canada in November. "Judging by the amount of Canadians I am surrounded with down here during the winter I am sure something is going on up there. I’ve been in California for 27 years, I am a bit of a pussy to be honest."

The tour is the first time the band has done a cross-Canada tour in their career, along with many other stops they have never been too.

"It has been fun to go to places we haven’t been before. Because it’s not as nuts as it was in the 80’s we get to enjoy it more. When we used to go places at the height of our teenage fame years we would have hordes of screaming fans outside the hotel and it was hard to get out and do anything. We don’t really have that at all, so we get to enjoy places and go out. The best example is when we made it to the Philippians this tour, where we had never been. We had crazy fans there. Some of the smaller places we’ve played we almost got stuck backstage again. There were large groups of fans hanging out waiting to meet us and grab autographs which did remind me of the 80’s a bit. It is really nice to be able to get out, it is a lot more under control. We are better musicians these days as well. Everyone is so grateful to have the opportunity to go out and do this again that we are really enjoying it. It is like having a travelling vacation where you play some music."

35 years after forming, with many ups and downs individually and as a group, Hay said they are thrilled to be back on stage together.

"I just think everybody has been through a lot in their lives. It just got to a point where we went ‘we created something pretty special together let’s not just let it die.’ George actually put it quite well when he said ‘we wanted to rewrite our ending.’ The ending was quite messy, there wasn’t a big explosion it just sort of disintegrated really. We are all friends and get on, there have been some low times over the years but basically everybody enjoys each other’s company. There are some bands that really don’t like each other, that’s not the case with us. We’ve had creative and financial disputes sometimes but basically we like each other. Particularly for John and Mikey, they have a blast on the road. George is kind of an entity to himself but is a great frontman. But you know what they say about lead singers, they are a breed."

Being on the road in 2016 is a different experience as well.

"I go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning instead of pass out and come to. We are a lot more sane and present. It is a lot more enjoyable. I spent the weekend at the Desert Trip concert with all those legends of rock, and I figure if those guys can do a show like that, they are 20 years older than I am so we are good for another 20 years mate!’ he said, adding its inspiring to see the longevity of other artists. "I remember in the 80’s when I was setting up a pension fund, it was difficult to determine a retirement date because the Rolling Stones were still touring, and that was 30 years ago! They are still touring. It is just awesome; I was never the hugest Stones fan but the guitar riffs and Jagger writing those lyrics is pretty amazing. The songwriting of McCartney are off the charts. It is nice to have songs that have survived on a nebulous level, they are just out there doing their thing."

Of all of the songs in the catalogue, it seems that one that has most stuck in popular conscience is 1983’s Karma Chameleon.

"There are moments on stage when you are playing these songs you wrote in your early 20’s and realize the song is still out there in the universe. We actually brought something positive to the universe and contributed to people’s lives. What a nice feeling as opposed to just a thing that you are wrapped up in when you are younger. For me it was always really about the music. Paul McCartney just wants to play music, you can tell. He couldn’t be more famous but he’s not doing it for any other reason other than he just loves to play music. Doesn’t need the money or recognition it’s about love."

Although Boy George did not come out until 2006, his and the bands androgynous style lead to questions throughout their careers. Hay is heterosexual, but experienced some homophobia and judgement. In the end however he feels Culture Club did shine a much-needed spotlight on several topics.

"I lot of people thought I was gay, which is fine. Culture Club was a nice political statement without actually saying it which is genius. It wasn’t something we planned, which I think people appreciated. We didn’t go on stage and go ‘here’s a black guy, here’s a Jewish guy, here’s a gay guy and here’s an anglo-saxon guy’. We just did it and it’s what we were and we had the outfits with the cultural symbolism. I like to think if you had a Culture Club poster on your wall as a teenager you might be a slightly more rounded human being because of it without even knowing it. There was definitely a positive energy, there was nothing negative about Culture Club which is nice. It really does seem like you go one step forward, two steps back sometimes. You’ve had these amazing changes in gay marriage and civil rights and at the same time you have a psycho whose complaining about everything and running for President. It’s really odd. Where I live, there are 10 houses on my street and five of them are gay couples which is great. It’s a very tidy street. That wasn’t around in the 80’s. If we had any tiny part in that it’s a good thing."

Whether it is a band that broke up and reunited or that has continued to tour, there is a resurgence in touring acts that began their careers in the 1980’s and 1990’s. When Culture Club performs in Edmonton and Calgary, Hay promises a memorable evening of new songs and classic hits.

"Because we have new music, that is the lifeblood of the band. If you just play your big hits for the rest of eternity there is a place for that but as a musician and a writer I like to get new stuff as well. You have to pace it carefully; people expect the hits and you have to give it to them. It’s a party dude, you can dance, sing, get a bit emotional. It is an emotional ride, our shows. We come in with a bang and hit you in the eyes with a few hits. It is a well-paced show that has both melancholy moments and dance until you drop moments. We really haven’t just gone out with the 4 of us to make some money, we are putting on a big show with a bunch of musicians which is very expensive. It’s about playing music; it’s about reclaiming our legacy and there is nostalgia. Nostalgia is not a bad word."

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Contributor Jason Clevett

Person Culture Club | Boy George | Roy Hay |

Topic Celebrity Interview