10 Things I Learned: Quadrophenia, By Susan Arosteguy
2. Quadrophenia was made in 1979, at the height of the British punk movement, and the filmmakers contemplated casting a punk musician as the lead, to lend Jimmy an authentic air of rebellion. They considered Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols for the role, but the film’s insurance company refused to allow him to be cast. Rotten apparently would have turned down the role anyway, saying he didn’t want to “live out any of Pete Townshend’s fantasies.”
4. Wingett and Phil Daniels, who ultimately played Jimmy, were reunited a year after Quadrophenia came out, in Brian Gibson’s 1980 cult film Breaking Glass, starring Hazel O’Connor as a singer in a new wave band struggling to get to the top. The film was coproduced by the future boyfriend of Princess Diana, Dodi Fayed.
• Continue reading at The Criterion Collection.
• A rare Safari Records promo photo from early 1979, which includes the first and very quickly changed Toyah logo, has recently appeared on eBay.
• Blog Critics: DVD Review: Quadrophenia – The Criterion Collection: There is no question that this is the definitive edition of the film, and if you have a 5.1 system, the sound of it is absolutely incredible.
• DPRP News Blog: Robert Fripp quit music: Toyah is mentioned in this news article on Robert: His last live outings were in 2009 when he performed with wife Toyah Willcox’s band the Humans and toured with Theo Travis to support the duo’s Threads album.
• Themusic.com: Toyah is also mentioned in, ‘Going For The One, an article on Australian band Greenthief: An Englishman in Byron Bay, Steve James produced everyone from The Jam to The Rutles, Toyah Willcox to The Sex Pistols, Cold Chisel’s The Last Wave Of Summer to Skunkhour’s The Go.
• Toyah on TV: The Most Fertile Man In Ireland is airing again on Sky Movies Indie (& HD), Sunday 16th September @ 9.45am.
• University of Bristol: O Brave New World: This devised performance by final year students is inspired by Derek Jarman’s 1979 film of The Tempest, shot during the winter of discontent, and Jubilee, the punk musical he made a year earlier. View the trailer.
It isn’t included in ‘The Changeling Resurrection’ set lists, but ‘Street Creature’ – which could/should have been a single back in 1982 – is still a huge fan favourite. Probably the “poppiest” track on ‘The Changeling’ and a song Toyah had an absolute ball performing on Get Set For Summer, Three Of A Kind and Razzmatazz in ‘Summer ’82 (For Michael :))
Toyah’s 2011 UK tour, From Sheep Farming To Anthem, was a huge success and is already looked back on fondly by fans.
The tour saw Toyah wear an array of her legendary Melissa Caplan outfits and perform songs she hadn’t played live for decades at numerous venues through the UK. A true indulgence for diehard fans.
Relive the entire tour at Dreamscape’s comprehensive From Sheep Farming To Anthem section: Detailed news coverage, reviews, press articles, video clips, fan art… Plus a huge gallery of photos from almost every concert.
Following a successful song vote for Toyah’s one-off homecoming gig at the Hare & Hounds, King’s Heath in Birmingham, fans are being invited to help shape the set list for the autumn tour.
Vote for your favourite from a selection of eight classic Toyah songs for the tour date you are attending at the links below. Two song slots are reserved on each of the night of the tour and the top 2 winning votes will be performed that evening.
• Visit the news page at www.toyahwillcox.com for the full list of voting links.
• Listen to the Alternate Mix of ‘Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard)’, view amazing Toyah 80’s memorabilia or just browse some iconic imagery… all at Fuck Yeah Toyah, the new Toyah photo blog at tumblr.
• Cinema Sentries: Quadrophenia Criterion Collection DVD Review: Dressed Right For a Beach Fight: Quadrophenia is a great coming-of-age story and a wonderful period piece of an era long past. The restored picture and sound make the Criterion Collection a must own for fans of the film.
• National Trust: A letter from the Magazine Editor – Autumn 2012: We’d asked Toyah Willcox, Coast presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff and the novelist and poet Ben Okri – to talk to us about where they like to roam and why, to help us launch our big autumn walking festival. ‘I love the views, the lake and cakes,’ said Toyah of her favoured ramble site, Croome, in Worcestershire…
• The Humans are in Seattle. Recording and… eating!! View the photographic evidence @ Twitter.
• RockURadio: Restored Version of Film Based on The Who’s “Quadrophenia” Arrives Today on DVD and Blu-ray
• Hampton Roads: Criterion hits all the high notes with ‘Quadrophenia’: Has alienation ever looked or sounded so grand?
You probably do as it was only a year ago. In fact exactly a year ago, Toyah’s collaboration with Yomanda, ‘Fallen’, was released in September 2011. In retrospect it was quite a big deal, with the premiere performance at ‘Manchester Pride’, a great promo video, press articles, ‘Vintage TV’ interview, a live PA at Wig Out, and even a Dreamscape fan advert…
There’s a fantastic photo of Toyah, with Never The Bride’s Nikki and Been at last week’s ‘Manchester Pride’, over at the band’s website. Click below to visit.
More great photos of Toyah in 1983. These were taken when Toyah was recording the Love Is The Law album while, simultaneously, starring in Trafford Tanzi at the Mermaid Theatre in London. Click on these to view larger versions. (Thanks to Andi)
Toyah is the cover star of the September 2012 issue of ‘Lifestyle’, the North East arts, leisure and entertainment magazine, with a three-page interview inside. Toyah previously appeared on the magazine’s cover back in June 2009.
‘The Changeling Resurrection II’ Autumn tour song vote is now open at Toyah’s Official Facebook.
Visit the Events page and pick the tour date you are attending and click on the vote to link.
• Toyah and Chris Wong are off to Seattle to record the third album by The Humans. View Toyah’s recent tweets about this.
• The edition of Saturday Live, which originally aired on ‘BBC Radio 4’ last August, is available again online to listen to. Go here (it’s the sixth programme down). Toyah talks about meteorites, and more, in their ‘Secret Life’ series.
• Alexa De Strange mention Toyah in a new interview with Dominion at Terrorizer.com: “Rumour has it that Mister Cowell will be making an appearance at our Toyah shows, along with fire dancers and a faceless nun (and I’m not joking!) !!!”
• All Toyah at ‘You Tube’ is coming along nicely…
• Song voting for The Changeling Resurrection II begins tomorrow (1st September) at Toyah’s Official Facebook: Fans will be able to vote for their favourite song to help select a couple of choices on set list.
• Look out for a brand new ‘Changeling Resurrection II’ commemorative tour t-shirt on sale on the tour.
• Various venues the tour will play at have dedicated pages on Toyah. Check out the Bridport Electric Palace, King’s Lynn Corn Exchange, Redhill Harlequin Theatre, St Albans The Horn and Brighton Concorde2.
• As previously mentioned, Toyah is the cover star of the Middlesbrough Theatre Autumn 2012 brochure. View the fly-poster for the Manchester Academy gig.
• The full tour schedule and links to buy tickets for each date is available at Toyah’s official website.
Toyah’s ‘Changeling Resurrection II’ gig at Birmingham Ballroom on Wed 31st October is a Halloween Special. Gig goers are advised to “dress to impress”. Click below for ticket info.
This year we’ve already had six live tracks from Toyah’s From Sheep Farming To Anthem 2011 and The Changeling Resurrection 2012 tours. Each accompanied by great artwork, showcasing Toyah’s recent live imagery. Click below to view info on each.
All four of the recent ‘BBC America’ Doctor Who Specials are being reshown this weekend as part of the channel’s marathon DW Day. A 22-hour feast of Who! Toyah appears in at least three of the specials (though probably all four as I missed the first one).
The Science Of Doctor Who: BBC America: Saturday 1st September: 00.00am
Explore the real life science behind the biggest concepts and most iconic ideas in the incredible Doctor Who universe.
The Women Of Doctor Who: BBC America: Saturday 1st September: 1.00am
Behind every great time lord there’s a great woman. Whether they’re busting Daleks or the Doctor’s ego, the women of ‘Doctor Who’ prove that you don’t need testosterone to save the universe.
The Timey-Wimey Of Doctor Who: BBC America: Saturday 1st September: 2.00am
When the Doctor’s around, tomorrow is yesterday, yesterday is tomorrow and 18th century France is in your fireplace. Confused yet? Watch the Timey-Wimey of Doctor Who. You’ve already seen it in the future.
The Destinations Of Doctor Who: BBC America: Saturday 1st September: 3.00am
Leave the beach towel at home and take a trip to the end of the earth – literally. From the Starship UK to one very haunted hotel, you won’t find the destinations of “Doctor Who” in any guidebook.
A few newsy bits on Toyah’s Manchester Pride PA. There was a very large crowd for Toyah headlining the Women’s Stage at Sackville Gardens (Alison Moyet was the Main Stage headliner) and after the gig Toyah chatted to, and was photographed with, fans at the artist’s gate.
• Toyah tweeted: “Manchester Pride was excellent. Great crowd & so friendly & welcoming. I Loved it.”
• A lot of footage from Toyah’s set have been uploaded to You Tube. Highlights include, the previously mentioned, Thunder In The Mountains, It’s A Mystery, I Want To Be Free and Echo Beach.
• There’s also a 17 minute upload of Toyah’s performance. View here.
• The photos I’ve posted here over the last few days will be added to Dreamscape’s Gallery soon. View all of our Toyah at Manchester Pride news.
Thanks to Paul Lomas and Paul Cable for the photos, videos and info!!
There’s a new photo of the Sleeping Beauty cast in the Autumn 2012 Marlowe Theatre brochure, plus full details of the 2012 panto. This is one of Toyah’s lengthiest, running for eight weeks and a, staggering, 90 performances, between 30th November and 20th January, including a handful of three shows in one day. Download it from the theatre’s website.
More articles and reviews for the Blu-ray (Region A/1) release of Quadrophenia, including a feature at ‘GQ’ magazine and a comprehensive article by ‘Movie Metropolis’.
• GQ: God Save The Mods: Director Franc Roddam’s Quadrophenia, newly out on Blu-ray from Criterion, is set in roughly the same era—now half a century ago—as George Lucas’s American Graffiti.
• Movie Metropolis: Quadrophenia – Blu-ray Review: One scene in “Quadrophenia” (1979) captures the absurdity and sincerity of youthful rebellion in all its sure-to-embarrass-you-in-the-future glory. Jimmy Cooper (Phil Daniels) says to his friend Kevin (an incredibly young Ray Winstone), “I don’t wanna be the same as everybody else. That’s why I’m a Mod, see?”
• Gibson.com: Refurbished ‘Quadrophenia’ Out This Week: Looking for a gift for the eternal Who fan” Then you may be in luck, as the restored version of Quadrophenia — the 1979 film based on the Who’s classic 1973 rock opera — is out on DVD and Blu-ray this week.
• The Portland Press Herald: New To Blu-ray: “Quadrophenia”, starring Phil Daniels and Sting. When discussing coming-of-age movies, this 1979 cult classic rarely gets tossed around with widely appreciated youth angst films such as “The Graduate” or “Dazed and Confused.” But the fact that filmmaker Cameron Crowe counts “Quadrophenia” among his favorite films of all time should tell you something.
• Jeffrey M Anderson: Blu-ray Review: Quadrophenia succeeds through its devil-may-care attitude and energy. It feels like a low-budget homemade movie from the period.
Is it just me who can’t quite believe that Trafford Tanzi was almost 30 years ago!!?!! These great photos of Toyah, from various months through the Summer of 1983 while she was starring in the play at the Mermaid Theatre, were sold through the Intergalactic Ranchouse newsletters. Click on the photos to view larger versions. (Thanks to Andi)
Another great shot from The Stranglers’ 1980 gig. Toyah and Hazel O’Connor along with, the legendary, Ian Dury. What a great moment! Even more of these photos will be added to Dreamscape’s Gallery soon. (Thanks again to Andi)
