 Toyah was
interviewed in the London paper, Metro,
last week in the '60 Second Interview'
section... Birmingham-born
singer, actress and TV presenter Toyah
Willcox, 43, first came to fame as the
punk movement's 'short girl with a lisp'
in the late 1970's. Star of films
Quadrophenia and Jubilee, she had hits
with songs including It's A Mystery and I
Want To Be Free, and has since fronted TV
shows from The Good Sex Guide Late to The
Heaven And Earth Show. She is married to
fellow musician Robert Fripp.
What's
your favourite job?
Making
movies, because I like the whole event.
It's like you're in a circus and you're
on the move.
Does
that stem from making music videos?
It
was before that, when I worked with Derek
Jarman in Jubilee. Then I went on to do
George Cukor's TV film The Corn Is Green
- with Katherine Hepburn - and I fell in
love with the complete focus you have
when you're working on a film. Nothing
else exists and I find that rather
lovely.
How
influenced were you by youth culture in
your choice of career?
Hugely.
When you're young, youth culture is all
that exists - you don't think about
anything else. The punk movement
influenced me, the mod not so much as I
was too much into punk. The films at the
time like Scum, Quadrophenia, Breaking
Glass...they were all youth culture films
and we all wanted to be in them.
Was
Hazel Oconnor (star of Breaking Glass) a
rival?
Back
then, I considered her a rival, but we're
more like friends now. We moved in
completely different directions. The
press would play us off against each
other but that was not just between me
and Hazel, it was also between me and
Paula Yates and virtually every female on
the planet. We were all enemies. I think
we've all smartened up now and don't fall
for those tricks.
Do you
look at your old videos and cringe?
No,
I don't cringe at anything I've ever
done. I'm proud of everything.
Do you
still listen to your old punk albums?
No,
I haven't got the time any more.
If you
recorded a song today, what would it be
like?
I
kind of like electro/techno/pop at the
moment. Kylie has hit the bullseye with
her latest song. It's very 'of the
moment'.
What's
on your CD player?
PJ
Harvey's Stories From The City, Stories
From The Sea, and Music by Madonna.
What's
your health routine?
I
insist on eight hours sleep a night, I
don't drink alcohol, tea or coffee. I'm a
vegetarian so I always eat fruit and veg
and I do about an hour's aerobic exercise
a day.
How
spiritual are you?
Not
as much as I used to be. I used to be so
much more but I found I've become more
and more distracted by work. That's what
keeps me going - I just enjoy my work.
I've never wanted a family in my life. A
lot of people put family as a priority
but I don't, which means I have an awful
lot of time on my hands to work in.
Who's
been your biggest influence?
I
still carry a real torch for David
Bowie's work. I also like Steven
Spielberg's work, even though he can
really miss the mark sometimes. When he
gets it right though, you never forget
what he's done.
What
did you think of AI?
I
loved the last half hour, I thought it
was sensational, but would have liked him
to edit the first hour and a half down.
And
have you met Bowie?
No
- my husband has done some work with him
but I have yet to meet him myself.
What's
your biggest vice?
Procastrination.
What's
your best quality?
I
haven't got a clue - perseverance,
possibly.
What's
been your most embarrassing moment?
I
often lose my temper with people because
I take the wrong meaning from something.
People call me the rottweiler - there
have been times where I actually put my
fists up to someone when they haven't
done what I thought they'd done. I'm
immensely embarrassed by that.
Do you
apologise after?
Yes
(laughs) - but it's often too late.
What's
your motto?
Don't
dream it, be it. It's from the Rocky
Horror Show.
What
would your epitaph be?
She
came, she lisped, she left.
Toyah
is currently promoting Provamel Soya
Milk.
Huge
thanks to Tiff Davidson for sending me
this.
|
As predicted there was a fair
bit of press coverage for Tuesday's
Press/Photo Call to launch next April's
'Here And Now' arena tour. 
Toyah said: “It’s like
a big family reunion.” 
The feature that appeared in
yesterday's Sun newspaper is also
available to view online at their
website. 
London Metro covered the launch
by concentrating mainly on Toyah and Adam
Ant and featured a cool picture of them
both together. Toyah said; "I
haven't seen some of these people for 20
years. It's like a big family
reunion." 
The 'Here And Now' 2002 Tour
ball was seriously set in motion
yesterday with the Press
Conference/Launch in London. So far these
are the lealflets I have been able to
find promoting the event. Both feature
pictures of Toyah (neither very up to
date though) and the one on the right
mentions songs by all of the artists.
Toyah is, of course, represented by
'It's A Mystery'. 
Thanks to Ant Lib Online - A great Adam
Ant Site : Visit their site by 
Sometime today there will be a
Press/Photo Call to announce next year's
'Here And Now' Tour. Not sure if Toyah
will be present, though hopefully she
will be as there is bound to be coverage
of the launch in some of tomorrow's UK
newspapers. 
The Connoisseur
Collection label will reissue 'Sheep
Farming In Barnet' and 'The Blue
Meaning', Toyah's first two albums, as a
double CD sometime in the first quarter
of 2002. 
CD reissues of
'Prostitute' and 'Ophelia's Shadow' may
also be made available. No label has been
mentioned as yet but Toyah and Robert
Fripp do now own these recordings. 
Toyah, pictured
at The Tate in London (Tuesday 9th
October 2001). She participated in a
debate on director Derek Jarman, as part
of .'Derek Jarman - A Celebration'. Also
taking part was Jenny Runacre who played
Bod in Jubilee. 
Tonight Toyah
will switch on the Christmas lights in
Stockport as the festive season slowly
but surely begins to infiltrate our
lives. 
It now looks
likely that the much delayed Q Magazine
Poll 'The 100 Greatest Women In Music'
will be included in the issue published
on 7th December (this will coincide with
an exclusive Kate Bush interview - I
wonder who won?), which is dated January
2002. 
It now looks
highly likely that Toyah's second PA of
the year, at the Chicago Rock Cafe in
Northampton on Thursday 29th November,
will definitely take place. Anyone
interested in going should contact the
Chicago Rock Cafe directly for details.