Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

I had to share this with Dreamscape’s visitors – The only way this could be better is if it was a real magazine. Andy Westhorpe has designed a collection of mock “Q Special Edition” Toyah magazine covers for my birthday this weekend, using iconic Toyah photos, and I think they are utterly fantastic. So thoughtful of Andy to take the time to do this but he has always been a great friend to me and this website. I’ll add the other three covers tomorrow. Click below to view a larger version.

We’re counting down to the Love Is The Law & More Tour with sporadic LITL related bits and pieces… so here’s another one. View a larger version of this here. Visit Dreamscape’s year-long feature Remember 1983 for lots more LITL/1983 Toyahness.

Welcome to the Toyah 80s Gallery. How good would it be if this was a real Toyah exhibition, showcasing her greatest imagery, music and video clips, information on the outfits, designers and photographers, etc? We can but (virtually) dream.

An imaginary Toyah collection, or a real Toyah playlist. You decide… Yes it’s been pointed out that the song the collection takes its name from isn’t included… Click to zoom!

The final three covers for Imaginary Toyah Singles. I’ve had some great feedback about these and I’m glad some of you have liked them. The final three are ‘Dreamscape’ (from Love Is The Law), ‘Stand Proud’ (from the flexi that was included with the first 100,000 copies of Four More From Toyah) and ‘Angel in You’ (from In The Court Of The Crimson Queen). View full size versions of these and many others by clicking below.

• Every little thing that you say or do… I couldn’t resist giving yesterday’s photo of Toyah as Madonna, circa Hung Up/Confessions On A Dancefloor, a bit of a makeover. Time goes by, so slowly! Click to zoom!

• Toyah has tweeted about the first night of Hormonal Housewives: “An exceptionally good First night. Great audience, great show. WOW! Loving it“. Toyah fan Jacqui Keeler saw the show last night in Bromley and loved it, saying Toyah is full of energy.

• Hormonal Housewives second show is tonight at the Ipswich Regent Theatre.

• PR Newswire: Toyah is mentioned (as a supporter of previous BUAV campaigns) in this press release today: Joanna Lumley, Twiggy, Jenny Seagrove, Chrissie Hynde and Kimberly Wyatt Join Cruelty Free International to Celebrate the End of Animal Cosmetics Testing in Europe

• Toyah fan Vanessa has named her gorgeous new goat after one of her favourite female singers. The newly christened Toyah not only now shares the same name but also has very similar looking Changeling horns too. (Thanks to Vanessa)

It’s the penultimate Imaginary Toyah Singles update. Four more covers that don’t, or ever did, exist, though luckily for us all the great songs are real: ‘Haunted’ (from The Vow 12″), ‘Baptised in Fire’ (from the Rebel Run 12″), ‘Heal Ourselves’ (from In The Court Of The Crimson Queen) and another cover for ‘Elocution Lesson’ (from Anthem). View full size versions of these and many others by clicking below.

A few more covers for Imaginary Toyah Singles: ‘Elocution Lesson’ (from Anthem), ‘She’ (from The Blue Meaning), ‘Street Addict’ (b-side of Thunder In The Mountains) and ‘Space Between The Sounds’ (from Minx). View full size versions of these and many others by clicking below.

The pre-launch publicity for In The Fairground is gathering pace… Seriously though, Andrew York’s new website, featuring fantastic art created from Toyah’s history of visual imagery, will be online soon. Thanks for all the great feedback so far. (Fun promo photos by Andrew)

Coming soon to the Information Superhighway (ooooh I haven’t heard anyone call the internet that for years – retrotastic!) a shiny new Toyah-related website: IN THE FAIRGROUND | Andrew York’s Arternative Universe… Can anyone hear me out there?

I’ve always wanted to see a Manga-esque version of Toyah, Here’s my attempt.

The positive feedback for Imaginary Toyah Singles has been something of a surprise. I thought about doing it a while ago and then, like so many other things, promptly forgot about it again. I’m glad some of you are enjoying it. I’ve added another three: Voodoo Doll (especially for Lärwi); Martian Cowboy and Kiss The Devil.

I’ve had a few great comments about the “imaginary” single cover for Snow Covers The Kiss (a wonderful song from 1985) so I thought I’d share the “ad” for it too. Please click to zoom.

Thanks to those of who you said they like the new feature. I’ve just updated with another four new, completely imaginary, single covers.

This new Dreamscape feature isn’t imaginary, but everything included in it is!!

I guess it’s just another way of creating something new and different with Toyah imagery, song titles and logos – all of which we are incredibly familiar with. I hope to add to this occasionally so it’s yet another work in progress, and if anyone has any suggestions for a song that they’d like included let me know.

Click below to view the new page, and here or to the left to view an imaginary advert for one of the imaginary singles; “I’ll Serve You Well”. 

We’re “Remembering ’83” etc… Another little something I threw together recently while playing ‘Love Is The Law’. I say this about all of Toyah’s albums (and images and everything else) but it truly is underrated. I’m also doing another “Opinion Wall”, along the lines of last year’s for The Changeling website. I’ve already had some great responses from fans at Facebook, and if you would also like your opinions/memories of this great album included send them to me. The “wall” will be added to Dreamscape nearer to the 30th anniversary of the album’s release.

It’s become a tradition over the years for Dreamscape to put together an “ad” for Toyah’s latest release… So, here’s one for ‘Sensational’. Available at iTunes, Amazon etc… Click here to view a larger version and below to watch the video at You Tube.

Rather than celebrating the fact that almost 40 years into her career Toyah is still making music, releasing videos and imagery, entertaining her fans (is there anybody else from the New Wave era that is still so busy and visible that a news website about them can be updated almost every day?) and much more, there seems to be even more negativity swirling around than usual, especially regarding the video for ‘Sensational’. Check out the video on You Tube for Toyah’s feelings on the matter!

• Great Toyah art for 2013 by Colin Dewhurst. Click on the photo to view a larger version. (Thanks again to Colin)

• Toyah @ Twitter: “I’m lovin 2013 already! Phone ringing off the hook…..busy busy bee! Very interesting projects in the offering“, “Crazy day: dealing with 4 national publications, put chapter in Jarman book 2 bed“.

• The Guardian: Why we should all mourn the loss of Gaydar Radio: Toyah is mentioned in this article on the demise of ‘Gaydar Radio’: …or hearing Phil, the evening presenter, confess that he’s been to his 7,000th Toyah Willcox concert.

• Doctor Who Online : A comprehensive review of The Legacy Collection, (which includes Toyah in More Than Than 30 Years In The TARDIS), the DVD box set just about to be released worldwide.

• Daily Mail: Toyah was the subject of one of the questions in the Mail’s Christmas quiz, Mike Read’s Poptastic Puzzlers.

• Sensational: As well as airing all over the tellybox, the Weight Watchers’ ad featuring Patsy Kensit and Toyah’s ‘Sensational’ is also on the radio. (Thanks to Michael & Sharon)

• This is Kent: A Feast of Pantomimes: Christmas may seem a lifetime away now, but the festive spirit continues into the new year with a feast of pantomimes. The Marlowe Theatre’s spectacular pantomime Sleeping Beauty, starring pop idol Gareth Gates, punk singer Toyah Willcox and Margate born comedian Lloyd Hollett runs until January 20.

• This is Kent: Pupils Pepper Panto Stars with Questions: Theatre group the Marlowe Spotlighters cast a critical eye over this year’s pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, after interviewing the stars of the show.

We’re having a Toyahtastic 70s and Festivefabulous 80s pre-Christmas knees-up! The non-alcohol mulled wine and mince-free pies are going down a storm! Click to zoom on the cards.

Coming Soon: A dedicated page at Dreamscape’s Gallery for the various Toyah bits & pieces I’ve put together over the years. Storing it all in the one place will mean easier access to having a laugh at my feeble attempts at “fan art”. I didn’t realise quite how many I’d done!

I know everyone is probably thoroughly bored with my mock Toyah adverts and Photoshopping of various other classic Toyah photos… but here’s another two anyway :)