She’s our Vintage TV presenter and princess of punk and he’s played with Bowie and Blondie and is one of the world’s greatest guitarists. Now Toyah Willcox and her musician, composer and record producer husband Robert Fripp, of prog rockers King Crimson, invite us into their Worcestershire home for a joint My Vintage (16th Feb, 5pm), giving a fascinating and intimate insight into the records they are both passionate about and telling the tales behind their top tracks. What a couple! What a coup for My Vintage!
• Visit the Vintage TV website. Toyah and Robert are also currently pictured on their Home page. (Photo © Vintage TV)
Toyah is a special guest this evening at the British Film Institute (BFI Southbank), as part of their two-month Derek Jarman retrospective season, marking the 20th anniversary of the Director/Writer’s death. Toyah will discuss Jarman’s 1979 adaptation of The Tempest, in which she starred as Miranda and was subsequently nominated for Best Newcomer at the 1980 Evening Standard Awards for her performance in the role. The film has become another landmark in Toyah’s long and varied career. Click below for further info at www.toyahwillcox.com.
Vintage TV have uploaded the new advert for the forthcoming Toyah Willcox & Robert Fripp special of My Vintage which premieres this Sunday at 5pm. The advert has been airing on the music channel over the last week. View it at You Tube by clicking on the screen caps below,
Toyah’s February blog is now available to read at The Official Toyah Willcox Website. There’s news on The Humans, Derek Jarman and The Tempest, Splash!, Steve Oram’s new film, the upcoming live dates and more. Click below to read.
New live dates have just been confirmed by Toyah’s Official Gigs page: An ACOUSTIC, UP CLOSE & PERSONAL concert at Harlequin Theatre & Cinema, Surrey on 2nd October, and a full-band gig at New Quay Music Festival 2014, taking place near Cardigan Bay in West Wales, on 2nd August. View Toyah’s full 2014 Gig Diary by clicking below.
This year I’m planning on sporadically looking back at a few of Dreamscape’s past Toyah features – What better way to kick off than with In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, especially as Toyah begins her year-long Crimson Queen/Greatest Hits… Live! Tour later this month. Click below to view our feature all about Toyah’s brilliant 2008 studio album.
• Dreamscape also had a dedicated News & Press page for all things In The Court Of The Crimson Queen – this was updated between September 2007 and May 2010 – View that here.
The Aylesbury club that rocked the music world of the 1970s and 80s is the focus of a major new exhibition at Bucks County Museum in Aylesbury.
Step back to that era and chart-topping names such as Fleetwood Mac, Mott The Hoople, Genesis, David Bowie, Howard Jones, Marillion, Toyah Willcox, The Clash and The Ramones, all took the stage at Friars club.
Many more rock stars of the time would say the club helped make their name.
Peter Gabriel, founder of the band Genesis, said: “I suppose it started for us at the legendary Friars Aylesbury. That’s where people first got to know us.”
• Continue reading at the Advertiser & Review.
TOYAH TO HEADLINE FRIDAY OF THE SPRING 2014 WHITBY GOTH WEEKEND
Whitby Goth Weekend is delighted to welcome Toyah to headline the Friday night of the Spring 2014 event. She will be performing on 25th April supported by Vince Ray & The Boneshakers, Cold in Berlin and Alexa De Strange at Whitby Pavilion in Whitby, North Yorkshire.
From punk princess to high priestess of TV, Toyah Willcox is a uniquely gifted performer. Charismatic, outspoken and impossible to categorise, she is one of Britain’s iconic household names – an award-winning rock legend as well as a much-loved actress and music composer…
• View a larger version of this here. (Thanks to The Official Toyah Facebook). View Toyah’s full 2014 Gig Diary here. Browse all of Dreamscape’s Whitby Goth Weekend 2014 news here.
Splash!, Vintage TV, Kaleidoscope Man, Aaaaaaaah!, WillyFred, guilty pleasures, Derek Jarman, Bill Rieflin, hangover cures… just some of the topics Toyah has tweeted about recently.
Keep up to date with Toyah at Twitter – Regular tweets and photos directly from the Crimson Queen herself here…
• BFI: The Spell of The Tempest: Derek Jarman designs: Beautiful designs and annotations from Derek Jarman’s notebooks, held in the BFI National Archive’s Special Collections, reveal the magical thinking behind his version of The Tempest – Next Wednesday, 12th February 6.15pm at the BFI Southbank – Toyah interviewed onstage about her role in The Tempest. Still a few tickets left! – Further info here…
• Indie Reign: Project of the Week 37, will it be Love Stalk, Kaleidoscope Man, Island Time, or Alice in the Attic?: Show your support for, Kaleidoscope Man, the film Toyah is involved with by voting for it here…
• BFI: Derek Jarman: Five Essential Films: As BFI Southbank mounts a major retrospective of queer pagan punk director Derek Jarman, we choose five of his very best films – Continue reading…
• Edinburgh Filmhouse: Derek Jarman Season: A Jarman celebration February through to April, including screenings for Jubilee and The Tempest – Further info here… (Thanks to Brian Green)
• Jon Kutner: Five Essential Singles: A great article all about Martha & The Muffins’ classic ‘Echo Beach’ single, with a mention for Toyah too – View here…
Celebrity Fantasy Homes: BBC Lifestyle (Sweden)
Tuesday 18th February: 10.35am
Wednesday 19th February: 00.25am/4.30am
Toyah Willcox. Series 2, Episode 2. Toyah Willcox is looking for her fantasy home in a dream location. The original punk girl has set her heart on moving to Richmond.
Wishing a Happy Birthday to the brilliant drummer Simon Phillips. In an extraordinary career in music Simon has played with dozens of singers and bands. Toyah fans remember him best for being drummer in the Toyah band from late 1981 and throughout 1982, playing on a number of singles, The Changeling album and three tours. Visit Simon’s Wikipedia page by clicking below.
Simon Cox is seeking financial backing for ambitious sci-fi thriller ‘The Kaleidoscope Man’
Film-maker Simon Cox is seeking financial backing for an ambitious sci-fi thriller, which he says “is starting to look like a Hollywood blockbuster.” Simon is based at Nuneaton’s Centenary Business centre and already has half of the project in the can, but now needs investors to come on board to help him complete the next phase.
His feature-length movie is called ‘The Kaleidoscope Man’ and last year he transformed his studio into the set of an International Space Station, while another scene had 700 people screaming through the streets of Birmingham from an onslaught of attacking alien spaceships and outdoor shooting has also taken place in Kenilworth.
…Eighties pop star Toyah Willcox and TV drama actess Lucy Drive both have parts in “Kaleidoscope Man” which is being put together through Simon’s Alpha Star Productions company.
• Continue reading at the Coventry Telegraph. View a photo Simon posted at Facebook of himself and Toyah. Become involved by donating to help the film progress at Indiegogo.
Yesterday Toyah visited the Derek Jarman: Pandemonium exhibition by King’s College London, currently taking place at Somerset House, saying it was: Insightful, inspiring & like visiting a well loved friend x (Photo © Toyah Willcox Ltd)
Derek Jarman: Pandemonium is an immersive exhibition that celebrates the life and work of this truly innovative and multi-faceted artist. A student of humanities at King’s from 1960 to 1963, Jarman went on to become one of the most important creative practitioners of his generation and a crucial voice in gay politics in Britain. Painter, filmmaker, set designer, diarist, poet, gardener, activist – Jarman’s work across many areas and media was distinguished for its continual innovation and sense of daring. This exhibition, marking the 20th anniversary of his death from an HIV-related illnesses in February 1994, captures the unruly spirit of his work and his artistic times.
Derek Jarman: Pandemonium
Thursday 23 January – Sunday 9 March 2014
Inigo Rooms, Somerset House East Wing
Strand Campus, London WC2R 2LS
Open daily, 12.00 – 18.00 (until 20.00 on Thursdays)
Free Admission
My Vintage: Vintage TV: Sunday 16th February: 5.00pm
My Vintage: Vintage TV: Thursday 20th February: 10.00pm
Toyah and Robert. New! Husband and wife team, punk princess Toyah Willcox and guitarist and record producer Robert Fripp, invite My Vintage viewers into their home for their top record picks. (NB: This is being advertised as “Part 1”, so it looks like there will be a further programme…)
Toyah paid tribute to Maximilian Schell last night: Just heard Maximillian Schell has died. A lovely, kind soul to work with. Directed me @ National Theatre in 1976! God bless. Here is a photo of Toyah as Emma in Tales From The Vienna Woods. View the full version at Instagram.
Legendary actor, writer, director and producer Maximilian Schell passed away today at the age of 83. He had an illustrious and varied career, including winning an Oscar in 1961. He also directed Tales From The Vienna Woods at The National Theatre in 1977, the play in which Toyah made her stage debut, playing Emma. View his Wikipedia entry by clicking below.
