Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

As it’s almost Christmas, I asked South Shields’ man of music and mystery, Wavis O’Shave, to come up with his favourite festive tales involving his own eccentric exploits.

He kindly sent me the following seasonal stories for your delectation.

“At the start of the 1980s, I had become close friends with pop star and actress Toyah Willcox. I would visit her each Christmas-time whenever she was on tour – I was the only person she would see after a show. In 1981 she was being pressurised by her record company to come up with a cheesy pop song for a hit, but she hated the idea of being too commercial. I suggested she wrote a song about me! Well, whether she did or not, the result became her most famous hit “It’s A Mystery’.”

• Continue reading at The Shield Gazette.

Two more shots from the “Toyah in Wonderland” photography series have been made available as part of Toyah’s stocking fillers for Christmas 2015. View at The Official Toyah Website, here and here. (Photos © Gary Clutterbuck/Toyah Willcox)

More festive stocking filler goodies courtesy of toyahwillcox.com – Download the booklet for the digital issue of Toyah’s 1988 album, Prostitute.

Dirty Sexy Funny: Olivia Lee: Comedy Central Extra: Wednesday 6th January: 3.25am
Olivia Lee stars in this hidden camera sketch show. Deaf Bubba makes a mess of things at the marina, Door Bitch takes a punt and Elaine Caine meets Toyah Willcox.

There’s already been an abundance of Toyah on TV this December but there are many more appearances over Christmas – Here is a second, updated, summary of what, where and when…

Most Shocking Moments in Pop 2: Channel 5 + 24
Tuesday 22nd December: 9pm
More ferocious feuds and sizzling scandals. From Grace Jones lamping Russell Harty to Solange’s fisticuffs with Jay-Z and George Michael’s dubious driving.

Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Tuesday 22nd December: 11.30pm
Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Christmas Eve: 9pm
Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Boxing Day: 7pm
Cosy up with family and friends as Toyah Willcox brings you 30 of the finest Christmas songs and a sprinkling of festive stories, surrounded by an extraordinary variety of creatures great and small.

The 100 Greatest Musicals: More4: Christmas Eve: 4.10pm
Part One, 100 – 51. Denise Van Outen presents the first in a two-part rundown of the 100 best musicals as voted for by viewers, featuring 42nd Street, 8 Mile and The Sound of Music. The first show counts down from 100 to 51 and features memorable clips from film, stage and TV, interspersed with interviews given by performers, directors, writers and choreographers. Also airing on More4 +1 and HD.

A Very Vintage Christmas: Vintage TV: Christmas Eve: 11.30pm
A Very Vintage Christmas: Vintage TV: Boxing Day: 00.00am
Presenters Toyah Willcox and Wizzard’s Roy Wood are cosying up by the fireplace with two guest artists as they talk Christmas and sing favourite festive songs. (Part 1)

Top Of The Pops: The Story of 1976: Yesterday: Christmas Day: 1.55am
Top Of The Pops: The Story of 1976: Yesterday: Wednesday 30th December: 1am
Documentary examining how the BBC’s flagship pop show reflected changes in British music and culture during 1976. As the popularity of glam rock faded, no dominant musical scene emerged to replace it, leading to chart success for bands including Abba, Showaddywaddy, the Brotherhood of Man and the Wurzels – while outside the mainstream, punk rock was rapidly growing in popularity. Contributions by Tony Blackburn, Paul Morley, Toyah Willcox, David Hamilton and Dave Haslam.

The 100 Greatest Musicals: More4: Christmas Day: 1.55pm
Part Two, 50 – 1. Denise Van Outen concludes the rundown of viewers’ favourite musicals, counting down from 50 to number one. Including memorable clips from film, stage and TV productions, plus contributions by celebrity fans, Hollywood movers and shakers, critics and journalists. Also airing on More4 +1 and HD.

A Very Vintage Christmas: Vintage TV: Christmas Day: 7pm
Snuggling up by the fireside with Toyah Willcox and Roy Wood for some Christmas chat and festive songs are pop rock act The Feeling and Imagination’s Leee John. (Part 2)

Neil McCormick’s Needle Time: Vintage TV: Wednesday 30th December: 5am
Toyah Willcox. Prolific artist and actor, who enjoyed hits with ‘It’s a Mystery’, ‘Thunder in the Mountains’ and ‘I Want to be Free’, shares the story behind her remarkable career – Running Time: 60 minutes. Vintage TV is available on Sky 369, Freeview 242, Virgin 343 and Freesat 505.

NB: As well as all that Tales Of The Unexpected, Minder, Kavanagh Q.C. and Choccywoccydoodah are also all currently available to watch via their respective “catch up” services.

Toyah appeared on last night’s, three-hour, Most Shocking Moments in Pop 2. You can watch it on Demand 5 for the next 30 days or it airs again tonight on Channel 5 + 24 (Sky 175).

Most Shocking Moments in Pop 2: Channel 5 + 24: Tuesday 22nd December: 9pm
More ferocious feuds and sizzling scandals. From Grace Jones lamping Russell Harty to Solange’s fisticuffs with Jay-Z and George Michael’s dubious driving.

A couple of recent photos Toyah has shared on Twitter – A fantastic mosaic – Willyfred Sings To The Birds & The Bees –  for Willyfred the Wonder Rabbit by Julie Hand of themosaicroom.co.uk. Toyah also wished her Twitter visitors a Happy Winter Solstice yesterday… (Photos © Toyah Willcox)

On Christmas Day 1981 Top Of The Pops included Toyah performing their biggest hit of the year, ‘It’s A Mystery’, with Toyah looking incredible, and incredibly similar to the sleeve of the, recently released, ‘Four More From Toyah’ EP. Only the night before the band had appeared on The Old Grey Whistle Test, live from the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. The concert, and this Top Of The Pops appearance, marked the end of an amazingly successful year for Toyah. Definitely a year worth celebrating almost 35 years later!

A Very Vintage Christmas: Vintage TV: Sunday 20th December: 10am
Presenters Toyah Willcox and Wizzard’s Roy Wood are cosying up by the fireplace with two guest artists as they talk Christmas and sing favourite festive songs. (Part 1)

Another great stocking filler courtesy of toyahwillcox.com – Download the booklet for the digital issue of Toyah’s 1987 album, Desire – Gorgeous!!!

Only 6 days until Christmas, why not download some, Christmas related, Toyah music/releases to help make the rest of the countdown more melodic.

1. I Believe In Father Christmas; Toyah’s version of the Greg Lake 70s festive classic (which was voted one of the greatest ever Christmas songs in a 2012 poll) has gathered quite a history over the years: It was originally recorded for ITV’s Pop Goes Christmas in 1982, Safari then included it on the Mayhem compilation album in 1985, and later it was also made available on the CD Live & More. Three Christmasses ago it was released as a standalone digital single. Download at iTunes. 2.Winter In Wonderland; One year on and at Christmas 2013 there was another new digital single, make that an EP, for Christmas – Winter in Wonderland… Download at iTunes. 3. Has God Ceased To Dream You; Toyah released this four-song EP last December as a companion piece to the recently digitally released Take The Leap! album… Download at iTunes.

Toyah didn’t release any new music in 1984 but ‘Smash Hits’ still included her in their special extra issue – The Smash Hits Christmas Party, published in association with Woolworth – in December 1984: Will You Be Watching The Queen’s Speech? When you jump up after the Christmas Top Of The Pops, is it to stand to attention for Her Majesty or a mad dash to switch off the TV? We asked a selection of pop stars if they’d be tuning in to that speech… Click below to view a larger version – Read the full issue here.

Original Quadrophenia cast reunite for special live event

Phil Daniels and co talking ’bout their generation

Members of the original cast of Quadrophenia are to reunite as part of a special, interactive cinematic event in honour of the film.

Phil Daniels, Phil Davis, Toyah Willcox, Mark Wingett, John Altman, Trevor Laird, Garry Cooper and Daniel Peacock will join director Franc Roddam on February 11, 2016 at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith for a Q&A session following a screening of the film and live re-enactments of its most famous scenes.

• Continue reading at Uncut. Browse all of Dreamscape’s Quadrophenia – The Immersive Cinematic Experience news here.

A second shot from the “Toyah in Wonderland” photography series has been made available as part of Toyah’s stocking fillers for Christmas 2015. View at The Official Toyah Website, Instagram and/or Facebook. (Photo © Gary Clutterbuck/Toyah Willcox)

There’s a great new Toyah feature/review, of last month’s Proud, Loud & Electric gig at The Garage, just published at the Retro Man Blog.

Toyah + The Tuesday Club at The Garage Islington London

So, be honest now, what was your first gig? Mine wasn’t The Sex Pistols at the 100 Club Punk Festival, or The Who at Leeds University Refectory. I didn’t see Iggy smear peanut butter all over himself while crowd surfing at the Cincinnati Pop Festival and I never saw The Clash at the Victoria Park Rock Against Racism Rally. Nope, my first ever gig was Toyah on June 06th 1981 at the Hammersmith Odeon, the “Anthem Tour” in fact and I was 15 years old. Now, why I should feel a little bit guilty admitting this I’m not sure, but you know how snobby us music fans can be sometimes. But as Toyah herself might say, I should be “proud, loud and heard” and not try to cover up the facts just because it might not be thought of as very “cool”. However, your first gig is rather like your first kiss, buying your first 7” single or going to your first football match, it’s something that stays with you forever. Due to many and varied reasons it was impossible for me to get to many gigs in my teenage years so the whole experience of that first live show was magical.

• Continue reading at Retro Man Blog.

Toyah and Brave New World star Messenger went early Christmas shopping in November 1983… Pop singer and actress Toyah Willcox has always wanted to do her Christmas shopping on horseback! With a little help from TV-am’s ‘Fantasy Time’, and Liberty’s in Regent Street, Toyah rode a white horse called Messenger through the store. Watch the full TVAM clip at Toyah’s Official You Tube channel or below.

Most Shocking Christmas TV Moments: Channel 5
Boxing Day: 10.30pm/New Year’s Eve: 11.55pm
A merry romp through the most inappropriate, outrageous and appallingly atrocious Christmas television turkeys of all time. These are the kind of disastrous, ill-conceived and downright cringe-inducing moments that it’s a wonder ever made it to air. Among contributors ready to dissect the disasters – many of which they were involved in themselves – are Eamonn Holmes, Toyah Willcox, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Anne Diamond, Steve Punt and Mike Read.

Top Of The Pops: The Story of 1976: Yesterday: Christmas Day: 1.55am
Top Of The Pops: The Story of 1976: Yesterday: Wednesday 30th December: 1am
Documentary examining how the BBC’s flagship pop show reflected changes in British music and culture during 1976. As the popularity of glam rock faded, no dominant musical scene emerged to replace it, leading to chart success for bands including Abba, Showaddywaddy, the Brotherhood of Man and the Wurzels – while outside the mainstream, punk rock was rapidly growing in popularity. Contributions by Tony Blackburn, Paul Morley, Toyah Willcox, David Hamilton and Dave Haslam.

A Very Vintage Christmas, with Toyah and Roy Wood, airs tonight on Vintage TV.

A Very Vintage Christmas: Vintage TV
Wednesday 16th December: 11pm
Snuggling up by the fireside with Toyah Willcox and Roy Wood for some Christmas chat and festive songs are pop rock act The Feeling and Imagination’s Leee John. (Part 2)

Another airing, on the penultimate day of 2015, for Neil McCormick’s Needle Time with Toyah on Vintage TV.

Neil McCormick’s Needle Time: Vintage TV: Wednesday 30th December: 5am
Toyah Willcox. Prolific artist and actor, who enjoyed hits with ‘It’s a Mystery’, ‘Thunder in the Mountains’ and ‘I Want to be Free’, shares the story behind her remarkable career – Running Time: 60 minutes. Vintage TV is available on Sky 369, Freeview 242, Virgin 343 and Freesat 505.

Almost every Christmas Eve since December 2000 Dreamscape has posted a website Christmas “card”. It’s usually the final update/post of the year, and a thanks to everyone who has taken the time to visit the site over the past 12 months. Here is a look back at just a few…