Former punk icon has always dared to be different - The honest truth

Toyah Willcox arrives in Scotland next week to star in Calamity Jane, the role made famous by Doris Day half a century ago. 

Toyah, an '80s wild child, the pint-sized queen of punk with flame red hair and a lisp, had hits with It’s A Mystery and I Wanna Be Free. 
Now the 44-year-old singer has re-invented herself as an actress, TV presenter and writer. She lives with husband of 17 years, former King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, in Worcestershire. 

Toyah has acted with Katherine Hepburn, presented Songs Of Praise, narrated Teletubbies and her current ambition is to take Calamity Jane to the West End later this year. She has a new single out in May, is working on an album and in her "spare time" she’s writing a book. 

Margaret Clayton caught up with Toyah between rehearsals when she told us The Honest Truth about the life and times of a punk turned musical comedy star. 

What's the difference between your Calamity Jane and Doris Day’s?
Fifty years. Her show was for an audience who’d just survived World War 2. Women who’d worked in munitions factories were being shoved back into the home - disgraceful. So Doris played her in a conventional, feminine way. 

It’s a true story. Jane was a cattle herder and a scout for the US Army. She came from a violent background, became a prostitute and an alcoholic. My interpretation is very different from Doris’s. I see Jane as gutsy, an inspiration to modern women. It’s also an incredible love story.

This is your 25th year in showbiz - how has life changed?
I’m still working really hard but my life is more satisfying than in my 20s. I was pushed and pulled all over the place in my days as a pop star - dragged to boring photo shoots, which I loathed. I don’t pine to be a pop star. Now I have more time to write songs. I value freedom above all things and I’ve found that life gets 100 per cent more satisfying in your 40s, because people give you space to be yourself.

What was good about being a punk?
I’m glad I was in that scene. It was about empowerment. Punk gave everyone a voice - no matter who you were. Punk said, "Dare to be different, your ideas are of value no matter who you are." 

I worked with Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols and he was an utterly lovely human being. A very gentle person. A man who held doors open for you, yet the media demonised him. Thanks to the Sex Pistols, we had an identity. Dressed as a punk I could walk down the Kings Road behaving madly and it was great fun.

What was your childhood like?
I had a happy childhood in Birmingham. But I was sent to an all-girls' school and loathed every minute of it. Schools don’t cater for individualists. Most of all I hated the gender issue. I’m a person - not a 'girly' girl. I’m not remotely interested in handbags, babies or shopping. My school life was dull and constricting. It made me a rebel.

How would you describe your marriage?
Romantic. We spend months apart, working. But Robert makes long complicated journeys just to spend a weekend with me and it’s wonderfully exciting. He left this week for LA to start a world tour. We won’t see each other for three months, but I love having my own life. I don’t have to go home at night to cook. We meet up because we want to be together - not because it’s a routine. Neither of us can be bothered with domestic issues. My home is whatever hotel room I’m staying in and that suits me very well. My car is my travelling office.

As a couple, you decided not to have children. Ever regret that?
Not for a minute. I’m not remotely maternal. Anyway, I never waste time on regrets, looking back or thinking about the past. I live fully in the present and look forward to the future.

How do you keep fit and healthy?
By working hard. Calamity Jane is a very physical show - a nightly performance and three matinees a week gives me all the exercise I need.

Apart from myself and one other cast member, everyone’s under 24, full of energy, very talented and focused on the production - not into sex or drugs at all. I enjoy their company, it keeps me mentally and physically strong.

Is it true you’re a Buddhist?
My father was a Buddhist, so it’s been with me for 44 years. Buddhism is a very private but important part of my life.

What are you proudest of?
Acting is more important to me than singing now, but I don’t sit around waiting for the phone to ring offering me jobs. I get on with writing. But I’m always proudest of what I’m working on at the present. The adrenaline is still high when I come off stage after Calamity Jane, so I go back to my hotel bedroom and enjoy being peaceful.

Who's the most extraordinary person you’ve met?
Albert Finney. We were at the National Theatre together and he was the wildest guy I’ve ever met. He was at the peak of his acting career and was just so exuberant. You couldn’t harness his energy. We stayed up all night drinking and talking. We were wild and noisy and made each other laugh a lot.

What do you think of today’s music?
I think there’s a lot of very exciting talent around. I love live bands - U2 are my favourite. My favourite singer is Bjork - I play her CDs all the time.

Your greatest pleasure?
Working and eating chocolate. I am totally committed to work. I enjoy it more than anything and never bother with holidays. I also crave chocolate and am capable of eating a box a day.

Your best and worst memories of Scotland?
I appeared in a play in Glasgow a few years ago and remember just walking the streets looking at the architecture in amazement. I’d stroll along Byres Road in the West End just fascinated by all the little shops with their unusual names. It’s a city with a rebellious streak - I love it. I’ve never managed to see the Scottish countryside, but that’s probably because the country bores me - I’m a city person.

The Sunday Post
19th January 2003