Boy George Doesn't 'Hate' Ex Jon Moss Nearly a Year After Bitter Legal Dispute with Former Bandmate (Exclusive)

"If I'm pushed, get into a sort of angry place about Jon, but overall my feelings towards him are quite peaceful," the singer says while discussing his new memoir

When it comes to Boy George and his former bandmate and lover, Jon Moss, it’s complicated.

The singer-songwriter and the ex-drummer in '80s sensations Culture Club had a tempestuous relationship when the band was first making its way in the pop world.

Moss was alongside George in the band — and outside of it — in those early days, inspiring hits like "Time (Clock of the Heart)" and "White Boys Can’t Control It." ("Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" was inspired by rocker Kirk Brandon, the singer says.)

Then, four decades after their relationship ended and their working relationship periodically limped on, the band split — and ended up in court.

Moss wanted out of the band — which has been touring on and off in recent years — and a legal case reached its height at a difficult time for the singer. In March 2023. Moss claimed the Culture Club name was worth $44.5 million. The band said $955,000. The case was settled at $2.3 million, George writes. He is gradually paying it off.

"Jon sued me by serving me court papers on my doorstep. To add insult to injury, it was just a few days after Mum died. His timing felt cruel," George writes in his memoir, Karma.

The singer tells PEOPLE, "The court case is still going on, in the terms of having to deal with the fallout. It's an ongoing thing. In the last year, Jon has brought me a lot of pain and misery."

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But, George adds, he doesn’t "hate" him. "I don't wish him harm. If I'm pushed, get into a sort of angry place about Jon, but overall my feelings towards him are quite peaceful. I just choose really not to feel that way about him because it's not good for me," he admits.

"The past was very exciting. And there was lots of beautiful things about it. And it's as important to think about that as it is to think about anything else."

George, 62, believes Moss never liked being on tour.

"I actually find being on tour and being on stage relaxing," the singer chuckles. "I find I'm less stressed in that situation than I am sitting there talking to you or having to deal with domestic things at home."

Related: Boy George on His Parents' Violent Marriage: 'I Saw Some Terrible Things' (Exclusive Excerpt)

He continues, "I love traveling and I love being in hotels. I love being on tour. I could probably be on tour all year. I mean, I'm a rock and roll guy. That's basically where I want to be and the other things I do are just to facilitate that freedom in a way."

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Adding that the Jon thing "is sad" and "disappointing," Boy George quips in his trademark acerbic way that he "got a few good songs out of it, so he pops up, you know? Not in an obsessive way."

One is called "Dirty Little Limited Company," "which is more about the business stuff," he says. "And then I've got another song called 'Watching the Lotus Bleed,' which is more about the fact that with this court case and the band with him, we have this longstanding weird contract that he is in my life, in a way that I'd rather he wasn't."

For more on Boy George's life and an excerpt from his new memoir, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.

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