Toyah’s interview with ‘What’s On’ magazine, published on Saturday, is now also available at Kent Online.
From chart-topping 1980s punk princess to her current racy role as a hormonal housewife, with a stint hosting Songs of Praise along the way, Toyah Willcox has always defied convention. And the feisty 54-year-old has no intention of slowing down, as Kathryn Tye found out.
It would be a brave man who ventures out for a night at the theatre with the Hormonal Housewives. The comedy show, featuring an all-female cast, comprises a series of sketches on everything that makes today’s woman tick – or ticked off – from the trials of dealing with teenagers to battling the bulge – and of course the challenges of dealing with the opposite sex.
But star Toyah Willcox says that men would be very welcome – and might even enjoy themselves! Toyah, 54, said: “It is a very female-oriented show, but we don’t demonise men in it. We like sex. There is no doubt that most of our audience will be women enjoying a night out together, but it is definitely suitable for men as well. It might even prove educational for them, getting an insight into what we talk about when they’re not there.”
The hit comedy ‘Hormonal Housewives’ will bring its latest tour to Southport Theatre next week, starring pop icon Toyah Willcox.
Toyah, who has already performed in the musical ‘Vampires Rock’ as well as a ‘Here and Now’ show in Southport, is looking forward to hitting the venue’s stage once again. “I think this show is going to be a scream,” she told the Champion, ahead of the March 14 show.
Now on its second national tour, Hormonal Housewives is written by husband and wife team John McIsaac and Julie Coombe, who will also appear alongside Toyah.
Toyah guests on the Late Show with Keith Middleton tonight. The three-hour programme airs across various BBC radio stations (Shropshire, WM, Stoke, Hereford & Worcester, Coventry & Warwickshire).
BBC Radio (Various): Late Show with Keith Middleton: Saturday 2nd March: 10pm 70s Rock: Toyah and The Blockheads. Norman Watt-Roy (from The Blockheads) and Toyah join Keith for a ’70s Rock Extravaganza’. Is there a 70s rock track you haven’t heard for a while? Let Keith Know and he will do his best to play it.
Toyah has guested on Keith’s show a few times previously. I’m not sure whether this is a new appearance or a previous guest recording being re-aired.
• Listen to the show online as it airs, or via BBC iPlayer post-broadcast. (Available for one week only)
Another new interview with Toyah, by EADT24, in which she discusses an event from 1979 that she last spoke about in her autobiography, ‘Living Out Loud’, in 2000.
Regent-bound Toyah on how she ended up in the middle of the street in just her underwear
Toyah Willcox has been hormonal for as long as she can remember. Taken to see The Sound of Music for the seventh time by her even more hormonal mother in the hope it would make her more lady-like, the then eight-year-old just wanted to rebel against the townsfolk below.
As a terrible teen her parents asked her to invite her elusive friends round for tea; imagine their horror when 30 members of the local chapter of Hells Angels roared round the corner. When she was 21, a very bad case of PMS and 15 Babychams led to a massive brawl during which she broke her record company boss’ nose.
A new interview with Toyah, published today by the Yorkshire Post.
She was an eighties punk pop star who had 13 top 40 singles and recorded 20 albums, she’s written two books, appeared in more than 40 plays, starred in 10 feature films and presented TV programmes as diverse as The Good Sex Guide, Watchdog and Songs Of Praise, but Toyah Willcox is still very much in demand.
She will be taking to the stage again next month in a tour of Hormonal Housewives which takes in Leeds, Halifax, York and Wakefield: “It’s a sketch show with three acts and we play ourselves in between,” explains Toyah. “It’s Loose Women-style talk, with women talking about how things really are. We don’t shy away from issues like PMS, pregnancy and labour.”
Toyah details her daily diet in the latest issue of ‘Natural Health’ magazine.
There is no doubt that actress and singer Toyah Willcox is clean living…
Breakfast: I have the same breakfast every day; a bowl of bran flakes with lactose-free milk and an Actimel and Activa yoghurt.
Lunch: For lunch I have homemade fresh vegetable soup with freshly made wholemeal bread and olives on the side. Or, roast salmon with steamed broccoli and steamed carrots.
Toyah is interviewed in this week’s issue of ‘Woman’s Weekly’ magazine.
Having A Cup Of Tea With Singer And Actress Toyah Willcox
Who would you most like to have a cup of tea with?
David Bowie, Helen Mirren and Judi Dench – all British legends.
You’re about to appear in the play Hormonal Housewives. What can we expect?
It’s an all-out comedy about three women. It’s one of those plays where you read the script and you keep thinking, ‘Oh yes, I’ve been through that!’. The madness that comes through PMT is all captured in an evening. It’s very funny, light-hearted and well-observed.
A great new interview with Toyah, from yesterday’s Birmingham Mail.
Toyah Willcox leaves behind her Midland home to go on tour with Hormonal Housewives
Don’t mess with punk princess Toyah Willcox when she is feeling hormonal. Marion McMullen finds out about terrible teens, strange food cravings and crying over Love Story.
“I’ve got 67 one-night stands for the next three months,” chuckles Toyah Willcox naughtily.
But there’s no need to worry about any X-rated hanky panky. Toyah is about to hit the road and leave behind her Midland home to tour the country with comedy show Hormonal Housewives.
“As far as I can remember I have always been hormonal. And I can remember being in my pram,” she says
A new interview with Toyah, by This is Sussex, focusing on the forthcoming Hormonal Housewives tour.
Actress and 80s punk pop star Toyah Willcox has done it all.
In a career spanning 30 years she has had 13 top 40 singles, recorded 20 albums, written two books, appeared in more than 40 plays, starred in ten feature films and presented TV programmes as diverse as The Good Sex Guide Late, Watchdog and Songs Of Praise.
Now in her fifties, Toyah still has her rebellious and independent streak – and plans on bringing this to the stage next month when she performs at The Hawth. She will be part of an all-female cast in the show Hormonal Housewives.
Toyah will be guesting on a future edition of In Conversation with Steve Allen, which airs on LBC (London’s Biggest Conversation), the 24/7 talk radio station.
The programmes air as two 30-minute double-bills each Sunday morning between 6 and 7am. LBC can be listed to live online (no “Listen Again” function but you can purchase podcasts of previous broadcasts for £2). Steve tweeted earlier this week: “Lovely Stephen mulhearn is doing heart brekky this week so he dropped in, such a nice guy, and toyah really good fun. Now giving blood, yuk“, so it appears that Toyah’s interview has now been recorded. No info on the airdate yet. (Thanks to Paul Johnson)
Toyah is also interviewed by Worcester News. This was published yesterday.
‘I feel so much better, – I have more energy, my brain’s more alert’
“When I was young I just regarded not sleeping as a fantastic way to pack more into my days. I always reasoned that life’s so short, it seemed crazy to waste it sleeping,” she says.
But eventually it turned into a “nightmare”, raising her stress levels and making her vulnerable to worry.
She’s talking at her London home – she also has a home in Pershore – about the tricky path which has now led to a transformation in her sleep – and it’s thanks to acupuncture.
A new interview with Toyah, this one from the Manchester Evening News, published online on Sunday.
Sweet dreams at last for Toyah Willcox: ‘It’s a wonderful release from a life-long problem’
Singer, songwriter and actress Toyah Willcox battled chronic insomnia for years, but she tells Gabrielle Fagan how her life has been transformed
Toyah Willcox has tried everything from sleeping pills to herbal remedies to enjoy what many of us take for granted – a normal night’s sleep. From the age of 14, the 54-year-old has suffered from chronic insomnia, surviving on as little as four hours of sleep a night – a couple of hours after midnight and only two more between 7-9am.
Toyah Willcox has revealed she suffered from chronic insomnia for 40 years, until she tried acupuncture.
The singer, songwriter and actress, who’s released more than 20 albums, took sleeping pills for a time in her twenties but disliked feeling sluggish and drowsy.
“I was trying to be creative and write and perform, which was impossible when I was on those. I gave them up very quickly,” she said.
Last year, Toyah, who will star in a three-month tour of the sketch show Hormonal Housewives, became anxious about the potential health risks arising from her insomnia and so tried acupuncture.
Kings Heath star reveals how acupuncture finally relieved sleeplessness torment
Birmingham singer Toyah Willcox is sleeping soundly for the first time in decades – after revealing her 40-year battle with insomnia.
The star, who was born in Kings Heath, said she had tried everything from sleeping pills to herbal remedies in a bid to overcome the condition. But she only saw an improvement after turning to acupuncture, she said.
“When I was young I just regarded not sleeping as a fantastic way to pack more into my days. I always reasoned that life’s so short, it seemed crazy to waste it sleeping,” Willcox said.
Here is the print version of Toyah’s interview with the ‘Mirror’ from Tuesday. It is, of course, the same interview that was published on their website. This edition also includes the great photo of Toyah from 1981.
‘For 40 years I’ve survived on three hours’ sleep a night’: Toyah Willcox on her battle with insomnia
Born with a twisted spine, a clubbed right foot and one leg shorter than the other, singer and actress Toyah Willcox has also suffered from chronic insomnia for 40 years.
Now the 54-year-old, who lives with her husband, musician Robert Fripp, 66, has finally found relief through having acupuncture.
I’ve suffered from chronic insomnia for 40 years. It started when I was a 14-year-old dyslexic schoolgirl revising for my exams in Birmingham. I experienced the typical teenage stress that the pressure of cramming for exams, and then sitting there for hours on end doing them brings.
• Continue reading at the Mirror. Read Dreamscape’s news post on this here. (Thanks to Richard Smith for the scan)
A new interview with Toyah, talking about her lifelong insomnia, in today’s Mirror, accompanied with some great photos.
‘For 40 years I’ve survived on three hours’ sleep a night’: Toyah Willcox on her battle with insomnia
Born with a twisted spine, a clubbed right foot and one leg shorter than the other, singer and actress Toyah Willcox has also suffered from chronic insomnia for 40 years.
Now the 54-year-old, who lives with her husband, musician Robert Fripp, 66, has finally found relief through having acupuncture.
I’ve suffered from chronic insomnia for 40 years. It started when I was a 14-year-old dyslexic schoolgirl revising for my exams in Birmingham. I experienced the typical teenage stress that the pressure of cramming for exams, and then sitting there for hours on end doing them brings.
During what felt like a solid month of exam papers, I just stopped sleeping. Once the pattern set in, it became a habit and I never really addressed it because back then no one really talked about insomnia. You’d just had a bad night’s sleep.
Here is the print version of Toyah’s interview with the ‘Daily Express’ from last Tuesday. It is, of course, the same interview that was published on their website but this edition also includes a great photo of Toyah from 1980.
Singer and actress Toyah Willcox says a course of acupuncture ended 40 years of insomnia.
After struggling with insomnia since she was 14, Toyah Willcox is an expert at surviving on little sleep. The singer, 54, who found fame as an orange-haired punk in the Eighties, says: “I had just started revising for my GCEs and the anxiety I felt made me stop sleeping.
• Continue reading at The Express. Read Dreamscape’s news post from last week on this here. (Thanks to Richard Smith for the scan)
An interview with Toyah, from last October by Glasgow’s Evening Times, which was previously only viewable to subscribers is now available to all.
Toyah’s performing her classic album, 30 years on
It’s her fans’ favourite record – but it’s taken 30 years for Toyah Willcox to face up to playing The Changeling album again.
The popular singer, actress and TV personality released the album in 1982, and it captured a dark, stressful time in her life. It’s only now that she feels she can perform it.
“The important thing about The Changeling and now is that I feel I can face it again,” she says ahead of her show at Classic Grand in Glasgow on Friday. “It was a pretty intense time making it, and being extremely famous is not a comfortable place to be, especially when you’re trying to write an album.
“I found the pressures of that one difficult, especially with the demands on time and the technology was very new as it was being made on digital.It brought back difficult memories revisiting it, as it was so intense at the time and I was just trying to remain true to myself. Being the most commercial female pop star at the time and wanting to write really dark material doesn’t go hand in hand.”
A new interview with Toyah, published today, by The Express.
Singer and actress Toyah Willcox says a course of acupuncture ended 40 years of insomnia.
After struggling with insomnia since she was 14, Toyah Willcox is an expert at surviving on little sleep. The singer, 54, who found fame as an orange-haired punk in the Eighties, says: “I had just started revising for my GCEs and the anxiety I felt made me stop sleeping.
“I would go to bed around 11 or 12 at night and be awake two hours later. It didn’t help me with my exams as my brain would feel foggy the next day but there was nothing anyone could do for me. No one would give a child a sleeping pill and from that point on I had chronic sleep problems.”
She comes from a family of insomniacs. “My mother never slept,” says Toyah, who was born in Birmingham, the youngest of three. “I remember her doing housework until four in the morning and then she would take me to school a few hours later.
Toyah’s full interview, recorded last week at The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, from this evening’s Channel 4 News. “I accidentally saw the Sex Pistols at a gig in Birmingham and it changed my life forever.” So Toyah Willcox told me this week, nearly four decades after punk exploded onto the British music scene, writes Channel 4 News Reporter Katie Razzall.
At that stage, in the late 1970s, she was a teenager from Birmingham who’d been told she must behave demurely and in a “feminine” way. At the gig, there were “people out there who were misbehaving“. As she puts it: “Suddenly I was in a room of spitting, shouting, angry people. I thought, right, I belong. I’ve found my voice.”
Keep an eye on Channel 4 News. Toyah tweeted yesterday that she was being interviewed this morning for the programme: “C4 news filming me in dressing room at 9am. How punk changed the role of women! ”
Channel 4 News airs in the UK at 7pm Monday to Saturday and 6.30pm on Sundays.
