The U.S. State Department Does Not Care About Boy George

Problems in Iran and Afghanistan, an Albanian ambassador embroiled in an ammunition cover-up and Boy George's denial of a U.S. visa were among the topics the U.S. States Department spokesman Tom Casey faced at a press briefing yesterday. Sandwiched between two much more serious subjects, one confused member of the press asked Casey why Boy George wasn't allowed into the U.S., thus forcing the Culture Clubber to cancel his first American tour in a decade. Nearly choking on his drink after being caught off-guard by the question, Casey replied, "I've seen the report that's out there. Obviously, visa records are confidential. But I'd simply note that there often are difficulties for individuals who either are currently subject to criminal charges or otherwise may have criminal records." The charges Casey is insinuating about date back to April 2007, when George allegedly imprisoned a male escort in his London apartment as well as 2005 arrest for possessing cocaine in New York City. After being told the decision was "tragic" by the questioner, the quick-witted Casey replied "Do you really want to hurt him?," referencing one of George's more famous songs. Check out the video above — the George question pops up at the 2:26 mark.

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Song Stories

“Baby Got Back”

Sir Mix-a-Lot | 1992

While watching a Budweiser commercial during the Super Bowl, Sir Mix-a-Lot thought the skinny female models in the ad didn’t represent reality. So he wrote this ode to ample bottoms, featuring its famous to-the-point lyric: “I like big butts and I cannot lie.” MTV banished the video, featuring shaking booties and sexually suggestive fruit, to 9 p.m. or later. “I thought my career was over,” he told Rolling Stone. “Then I called Rick Rubin, and I told him the video was banned, and he was like, 'Great!' We sold another 2 million records.”

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