A rare three-page interview with Toyah, plus a review of The Tempest upon receiving its first video release, from a 1982 issue of ‘Video Times’ magazine: Multi-talented singer and actress Toyah talks video, pop, films, cosmetics and big business with John Kercher. Click below to read. (Thanks to Andi for this great article)
An interesting, very rare, interview with Toyah from 1981. This was originally published by Finnish music magazine ‘Suosikki’.
FIERCE REDHEAD TOYAH SAYS: “I’M CRAZY ABOUT RABBITS!”
Now I have seen her, today’s hottest rock singer in the world, Toyah (Willcox). Compared to this tiny redheaded whirlwind rest of the female singers- and some men- look like salt statues. Toyah is 145 centimetres of pure sex appeal and energy!
After the concert Suosikki Magazine got an exclusive interview with Toyah, an honour not bestowed on many publications in the world. Markku Fagerlund asked the questions and Toyah answered. At the same time Toyah read the latest issue of Suosikki and liked it so much she sent the readers a special message: “Keep going strong!”
Toyah Willcox is a 23 year old multi-talented artist who has this year finally reached the top. Her latest album “Anthem” has been well received in most European countries (it’s number 2 in the UK at the moment) and her gigs have been massively successful.
As well as being a famous singer Toyah is an actress. We’ve been able to admire her sexy persona in “Quadrophenia”, “Jubilee”, “The Corn Is Green” and various TV series including “Radioetsivä” (Shoestring) which aired also in Finland.
• Read the full interview at Dreamscape’s Press Archive. (Thanks again to Lärwi for this rare interview and for taking the time to translate it for Dreamscape News’ visitors)
This is an interesting interview from around the time of ‘The Changeling’ album and the UK tour. Toyah and Joel talk the music, the imagery, the fans, the songwriting, sex appeal and much more. Toyah also explains the origins of the “breast bared” photo(s) and why it was taken.
“I’d like to have Bo Derek’s body and someone else’s brain…”
It wasn’t until my third interview in nine weeks with Toyah that I felt confident enough to broach the subject of sex. As casually as I possibly could, I suggested to her that compared to other female artists ranging from Kim Wilde to Kate Bush to Souxsie, her image contains virtually no sex appeal, despite being a young, vivacious, attractive girl.
“I think, supposedly onstage, there’s much more sex appeal than in the photos” she counters. ” But I couldn’t do an Annabella (Lwin of Bow Wow Wow), I couldn’t show parts of my body…”
WHAAAT!! There’s that infamous pic of you with one breast bared and daubed with painted circles which has appeared almost everywhere from Sounds and Punk’s Not Dead to The Sun!
“Oh the ‘boob photo’ that’s the only one that exists, and no one knows why that was done” she offers matter of factly.
• Continue reading at the ‘Dreamscape Press Archive’ here.
30 years ago this month the episode of Tales Of The Unexpected starring Toyah, ‘Blue Marigold’, aired on ITV. Here is a rare Channel Islands issue of ‘TV Times’ magazine, published the week the drama was broadcast, featuring Toyah on the cover and an interview inside.
• View a larger version of the cover by clicking above. Scans of the other pages and interview are here, here and here. (Many thanks to Paul Lomas for the scans)
A great new interview with Bill Rieflin from NPR Music’s ‘The Record’.
Talking Shop With Bill Rieflin, Journeyman Musician
This is a songs-oriented record, but the instrumentation is unusual. Explain why you decided to be a singer and two basses (augmented by other things, including Robert Fripp’s guitar).
The fact is, I didn’t decide anything. It was all Toyah’s doing. For some reason, out of the blue, she asked if I wanted to play bass with a new project. After recovering from the sheer confoundment and confusion, I said, “OK.” I had no idea why she would want a drummer to play bass. The concept of voice and two bassists as the musical core of the group is solely hers. Being that it’s her vision, I can’t exactly tell you the “why” except to say that, as a singer, I’m told, it’s much nicer to sing without having to fight over guitars and drums eating up all the frequencies they eat up. From this basic trio grows further augmentation and adornment. As the producer, I will usually fill in where I see fit, adding musical highlights and emphases. Plus, it gives me an opportunity to show off. Robert joined us on this record as a continuation of touring we did together last year, so this was a natural step.
• Read the full interview with Bill at the ‘NPR Music’ website, here.
An interesting feature on The Humans, and interview with sound engineer Paul Nicholson, from the April 2010 issue of ‘Total Production’ magazine.
On the recent debut tour by Toyah Willcox’s new outfit, The Humans, The foh and monitor mixes – and the live recording – were all engineered by Paul Nicholson who explained all to Mark Cunningham at London’s Scala…
In February, The Humans – the new outfit featuring singer Toyah Willcox, Bill Riefl in of R.E.M. and Chris Wong, with honorary member Robert Fripp (of King Crimson fame) on spaced-out guitar – played their first UK live shows in the wake of their début album, We Are The Humans.
After intimate warm-up shows in West Country churches, the four-piece astonished audiences at The Assembly in Leamington Spa, Cambridge’s The Junction and The Scala in London’s Kings Cross, where TPi saw them in all their experimental glory.
Inspired covers of Nancy Sinatra’s ‘These Boots Are Made For Walking’ and Hendrix’s psych-rock classic ‘Purple Haze’ were the only vague nods to Toyah’s 1980s pop past. With Mr. Fripp onboard – her husband of 24 years and a globally-worshipped God of Prog – there was never going to be anything mainstream about these gigs.
Their intriguing sound has been variously described as ‘art rock’, ‘twisted funk’ and ‘complex’. Arguably, all three labels stand up and though not comfortable listening, the audience – with exception of one individual who clearly bought his ticket to hear the singer reprise her 1981 hit ‘It’s A Mystery’.
• Read the full feature at the ‘Red Square Audio’ website, here.
The ‘Coventry Telegraph’ also has a new interview with Toyah:
Pop Icon, Toyah Willcox Takes New Band On The Road
The lady in the thigh-high boots and flaming basque-cum-breastplate is unmistakably Toyah Willcox – the stack-heeled wench with her back to camera requires a tad more explanation.
“Ah yes,” says Toyah, “that’s John Wayne! He’s actually a transvestite who owns a nightclub in Stoke-on-Trent – I met him because he’s a Toyah impersonator and now he’s my PA.
“He was there when we were making our video and the director said ‘right John, get your gear on, we’re filming you’.”
Toyah (the surname has been superfluous since It’s A Mystery provided her breakthrough hit in 1981) supplies the information in a matter-of-fact tone which confirms that the bizarre is perfectly normal in her world…
… Artists can sometimes get decidedly sniffy if interviewers attempt to pin down their sound, but Toyah, fortunately, warms to the suggestion that there is a Brechtian feel to The Humans’ music.
“That’s a nice comparison,” she says. “It’s not 100 per cent because there’s a lot of energy and we’ll be playing some new stuff which is very Seattle grunge, but it is a listening experience rather than the ‘come on everybody sing along’ when I’m out there as Toyah. And, yes, it is a bit dark and bleak – the Humans’ world is permanently in winter!”
That being the case, long-term fans expecting a quick chorus of Thunder In The Mountains or Brave New World will be disappointed.
“We will be doing some hits, but they’re not Toyah hits,” she says. “That’s not a possibility because we are so peculiar – it’s not a band set-up – it’s two bass players and a guitar and vocals.”
Read the full interview online at ‘Coventry Telegraph’ here.
A new Toyah interview, by the ‘Gloucestershire Echo’:
Toyah Willcox And The Humans Come To Cheltenham
Former pop punk star Toyah Willcox has chosen a Bishop’s Cleeve church to kick off her new tour.
St Michael’s and All Angels Church will be filled with fans of the singer, who shot to fame 30 years ago with hits such as It’s a Mystery.
Her new band The Humans will play a free, intimate gig at the church, which has a capacity of 200 people, on Saturday.
Joining the one-time princess of punk on stage will be REM drummer Bill Rieflin.
Toyah, who has had 13 top 40 singles, recorded 20 albums and toured the world, said: “We have a strong association with Bishop’s Cleeve artist PJ Crook.
“And a long-standing relationship with Cheltenham.”
Toyah and her husband, guitarist Robert Fripp, are patrons of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum and she said her mother, who was a touring dancer, worked in a theatre in Cheltenham before she was born.
This will be her first gig in Cleeve, but Robert has already played at the church twice.
“I am so excited about it,” said Toyah.
Read the full interview online at ‘This is Gloucestershire’ here.
Toyah is interviewed in the latest issue (Feb/March 2010) of ‘Classic Rock Society’ magazine.
Steve Tomlin talks to Toyah Willcox about her latest musical project: The Humans
Toyah Willcox first came into the public conciousness 30 years ago as a flame haired pop-punk songstress bouncing around the Top Of The Pops stage to songs such as ‘It’s A Mystery’, a single I own to this day. You may think her flirtation with fame was brief, but that is not the case. This is a woman of many talents. Apart from continuing to record solo albums, the most recent of which came out in 2008, she has pursued a successful acting career on both stage and screen, remember ‘Quadrophenia’? She’s also been a regular on our TV screens as a presenter and contestant on ‘reality’ shows. As well as all of this, she has undertaken possibly her most difficult challenge, being the wife of Prog Godfather, the reputedly difficult Robert Fripp.
Now she has formed a new band, The Humans, who have an album and single out and are touring the UK in February. I managed to find 10 minutes in the lady’s busy schedule to find out more about this and everything else in her ridiculously busy schedule.
Read the full interview at Toyah’s Official Facebook, here. You may have to register.
