Boy George thinks prison was similar to school

The Culture Club singer ' who spent four months in prison in early 2009 for assault and the false imprisonment of a male escort' believes spending time in HMP Pentonville and HMP Edmunds Hill was not as tough as many would believe.

He said: 'You just get on with it. You make friends. You go for coffee. You swap CDs. It's like being in school. Except you can't leave.'

The 49-year-old star also received a rendition of his 1983 hit 'Karma Chameleon' when he entered prison for the first time, but insists it doesn't upset him as it is a reaction he often receives when he meets people.

He said: ' get that everywhere. At carpet markets in Morocco, by the pyramids in Egypt.

' was expecting it, much like the environment, which is like the classic Victorian prisons you see in the movies; safety nets, balconies and everything pained drab green and yellow.'

The singer ' real name George O'Dowd ' spent most of his time in incarceration reading books, and impressed fellow inmates with his cooking skills.

He said: ' spent a lot of time reading; everything from 'Wuthering Heights' to 'Catch-22' to 'A Confederacy of Dunces' and listening to David Bowie records.

' also took a job in the kitchens. I don't want to blow my own trumpet, but the first time I made a quiche this black guy went, 'Tasty. Batty man made the quiche.' '