Why I live in... Chiswick

Toyah Willcox, 48, enjoyed pop success in the Eighties, but has also worked in film and TV. She is married to musician Robert Fripp and lives, mainly, in Chiswick.

"I used to live in Chelsea but seven years ago I stumbled upon a property in Chiswick which I loved straight away. Chiswick is very convenient if you work for the BBC, as I do some of the time. The neighbours are incredibly friendly because they all work in entertainment. We all understand the odd hours; there are people here in ballet, theatre and TV. I relly adore being in a community like this where the people respect your need for privacy and look out for our safety. I spend a lot of time walking around Richmond and window shopping in Chiswick High Street. With my husband we fnd the early hours are a wonderful time to go for a stroll. He lives in Nashville, I live over here. I'd prefer it if we lived together, but neither of us is willing to give up our careers. We live "affectionately independently" lives and we don't have children. It's a compromise - I wouldn't ever want to give up my freedom."

Toyah Willcox was talking to Mark Anstead.

[ Thanks to Kurt Jones for the article - NB: That isn't Toyah's house pictured ]

Brum : CBeebies - Fri 25th May : 4.45pm
Brum and The Football Hero. The adventures of a little car who lives in a motor museum, narrated by Toyah Willcox. Brum scores the winning goal when he comes on as a substitute during a football match.
 

The Most Fertile Man In Ireland : Sky Movies Comedy - Thu 24th May : 12.45am
The Most Fertile Man In Ireland : Sky Movies Comedy - Fri 25th May : 02.00am
Twenty-four year old virgin, Eamonn Manley, lives with his mother in Belfast and is painfully shy with the ladies. Things change for Eamonn when Mary Malloy decides to make the first move and soon Mary realises that she is pregnant even though she was using birth control. The doctor discovers that Eamonn has an unusually high sperm count... His mother has the idea that he can help the local ladies who have had problems conceiving a baby... Director: Dudi Appleton. Starring: Kris Marshall, Kathy Kiera Clarke, Bronagh Gallagher, James Nesbitt, Kenneth Cranham, Toyah Willcox and Olivia Nash. 

[ Thanks to Zoe Clow ]

English Eccentrics album is a must-have accessory

Leading design and fashion house, English Eccentrics, has released a first album, entitled 'How to Dress Sensibly'. This new creative venture enlists the talents of an eclectic mix of musicians, including Toyah Willcox, Suggs and Asher Senator. 

How to Dress Sensibly, on general release from 1 May is a very-English take on lounge music, drawing inspiration from the work of author and poet Edith Sitwell. Sitwell was fascinated by the interplay between words and music, writing a series of abstract poems, which were set to music by William Walton. Similarly, English Eccentrics’ 13 new tracks fuse an inventive mix of electronic and instrumental music with vocals laid over the top.

Sitwell’s spirit of experimentation and collaboration is also at the heart of How to Dress Sensibly with Danny Kuperberg on keyboards, Graeme Flowers on trumpet and talented young musician James David providing the strong percussive voice. There are cameo appearances from singer and actress Toyah Wilcox, Madness front-man Suggs and MC/reggae star Asher Senator. 

The album’s quirky style melds lounge music with rap, blues, jazz and the spoken word to create something truly unique. Each song has its own personality, with subtle literary, filmic and musical references; from 'Must you go' inspired by David Lean’s 1945 film Brief Encounter to 'Grandfather Clock', a humorous rework of the original 1876 song. 

Co-Producer Colin David comments; “this album embodies a kind of whimsical nostalgia, which harks back to the last days of the empire. How to Dress Sensibly also expresses a genuine affection for England and London, which as a long-standing resident of the city I find very enticing.” 

How to Dress Sensibly is released on 1 May and is priced £14.99. It can be purchased online from English Eccentrics at www.englisheccentrics.com 

[ News Source: www..clickpress.com/releases - Tues 7th May 2007 ]

The album is a mixture of words from great English eccentrics past and present and original lounge music. Helen was inspired by the doyen of the avant-garde, Dame Edith Sitwell. The Sitwells were from the infamous Bloomsbury set of the Twenties. Included in Edith's many diverse and often bizarre activities was a selection of poems called Façade and a book entitled English Eccentrics.

[ Source: www.butgroup.com/eccentrics - May 2007 ]

Sitwell also wrote poetry. She was fascinated by the interplay between words and music, and in the 1920s she wrote a series of abstract poems which were set to music by William Walton. When she performed these experimental pieces, she would stand behind a curtain to which a painted face was attached, and recite the words through a megaphone.

I only tell you all this because there’s a CD about to be released which takes much of its inspiration from Edith Sitwell and her circle of friends.It’s a new venture by the creative team at the design and fashion house, English Eccentrics. Together with an eclectic mix of musicians including Toyah Willcox, Suggs and Asher Senator, they’ve put together a collection of very English lounge music. The whole thing has a kind of nostalgia which harks back to, and makes fun of, a time of colonial and class certainties.And it expresses an affection for England, and London in particular, which I, a first generation immigrant, found very appealing.

There are thirteen tracks and each is laid down with an inventive mixture of electronic and instrumental music. There’s terrific keyboard from Danny Kuperberg and some nice trumpet riffs from Graeme Flowers. The heart of the music, though, is its strong percussive voice which is the contribution of a very talented young musician, James David. And it combines the spoken word, song and music in a way that Sitwell would have admired.

Track 6 (Valse/Ladies how Vain) reinterprets one of the poems that Sitwell set to Walton’s music. It’s a delicious piece which works primarily with voice and percussion, and its meaning lies less in the rational association of words than in the concatenation of sounds. Track 13 (Thingabout London) is a rich and fantastic celebration of the city that comes out somewhere between rap, jazz and blues. Track 12 (Grandfather’s Clock) is a humorous reinvention of the 1876 song which survives today in widely different renditions from bluegrass to brass band ensembles to the more or less obscene chants you hear at rugby games. Track 4 (Must You Go) takes its inspiration from David Lean’s seminal film of 1946, Brief Encounter which was written by Noel Coward. (He was one among the wide circle of acquaintances with whom Sitwell skirmished and socialised). Track 11 (Pizzicato/String Quartet in F) is a pastiche of light music at a time when 78s were still being produced. You can even hear the crackling of the needle on the record.

OK. So you get the idea. This is a clever and sophisticated product with lots of literary, filmic and musical references for anyone who’s interested. Like all good CDs, you hear more every time you listen to it. It’s very funny, it’s great listening, and it’s still growing on me.

[ Source: www.rmusic.co.uk - March 2007 ]

Normally I don’t post MP3s, but Robert Fripp’s 1991 band project with wife Toyah Willcox “Sunday All Over The World” seems to have vanished beneath the prog rock waves. In digging around for videos etc for this post, I found this interview with Toyah Willcox, who sings on the record, commenting in regards to the obscurity of the project:

Question: With the current digging through the Toyah vaults, will the Strange Girls sessions or any live Sunday All Over The World material ever surface?

Toyah Willcox: “Strange Girls may not surface but hey! It’s early days and there is a renewed interest in my music, I think thankfully a new generation has rediscovered it, which feels lovely because it will be out of context with me the person and the period. As my lyrics where always ambiguous and predictive I hope they have more power out of the context of that century.

I would love Sunday All Over The World to resurface. There is great writing there and great performances. Not too long ago Robert played me a live performance of a song that never made the album, it was in Madrid and the song was You Bring Out The Worst In Me. After many years of the British press telling me I am worthless and crap, which does start to rub off on you, I burst into tears when I heard this performance. It was fucking blinding. And I looked at Robert and thought why do we let people influence us so disruptively. As I get older I have no role models and take crap from no one, it’s a lovely place to be. Sunday All Over The World deserves to be heard.”

Being as Toyah wants the band to be rediscovered, I figured I’d help her out! So here is the title track “Sunday All Over The World” from the one album the band released – future King Crimson “double trio” stick player Trey Gunn plays on it too. If you’re a KC fan, you’ll certainly hear some tastes of both the 80’s and 90’s versions of that band – SAOTW was kind of a bridge between the two.

[ Source: www.mog.com/ebuzzmiller - April 2007 ]

Beware The Eyes of May (Playlist One):

1) Latex Messiah (Viva La Rebel In You)
2007 Brand new Willcox/Darlow produced composition.

2) It's A Mystery (Weybridge Radio Edit) *previously unreleased*
2006 edited version produced for radio/promo purposes

3) Jungles of Jupiter (Live Wild Essence version) 
2005 version from DVD Wild Essence-Live in the 21st Century

4) Neon Womb (Acoustic) *previously unreleased*
2006 exclusive unedited version recorded for ITV docu Faith & Music

5) Velvet Lined Shell (Edit) *previously unreleased*
2003 edited version of album track from Velvet Lined Shell (used on gallery section of Wild Essence DVD)

[ Source: Official Toyah MySpace - Sunday 6th May 2007 ]

This year 13 concerts will take place at three beautiful English Heritage sites. An impressive line-up includes Lemar at Marble Hill in Twickenham, Lesley Garrett at Battle Abbey in Hastings and Jools Holland and Lulu at Audley End in Saffron Walden. 

We have one pair of tickets to give away for any one of these concerts: Audley End, Saffron Walden Saturday 7 July 2007 – The Music of Motown - Dancing in The Streets Saturday 14 July – Bryan Ferry Saturday 21 July – Buena Vista Social Club Presents: Cachaito Lopez, Guajiro Mirabel, Aguaje Ramos, Manuel Galban Saturday 28 July – Party! At Audley End: Here and Now with Bananarama, Belinda Carlisle, Midge Ure, T’Pau, Toyah Willcox and Limahl. Saturday 4 August – Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, with guest vocalist Lulu Sunday 5 August – Last Night of The Audley End Proms, starring Katherine Jenkins Marble Hill, Twickenham Saturday 11 August – Lemar and Beverley Knight Sunday 12 August – The Four Seasons and Fireworks spectacular featuring Chloe Hanslip. Saturday 18 August – Party! At Marble Hill, featuring eighties superstars Bananarama, Belinda Carlisle, Midge Ure, Altered Images with Clare Grogan Saturday 25 August – The Music of Motown - Dancing in The Streets Sunday 26 August – Last Night of The Marble Hill Proms featuring special guests Natasha Marsh and Alfie Boe Battle Abbey, Battle, Hastings Saturday 25 August – Party! Here and Now with Bananarama, Belinda Carlisle, Midge Ure, T’Pau, Toyah Willcox and Nick Heyward. Sunday 26 August - Last Night of The Battle Abbey Proms, starring Lesley Garrett. 

Closing date 31 May 2007. For more information visit www.picnicconcerts.com.

[ Click on the logo above to enter the competition ]

There's a one-minute taster of 'Latex Messiah (Viva La Rebel In You)', a new song from Toyah and Simon Darlow, and it has to be said it sounds bloody brilliant (great lyrics too)!

Toyah's Official e-news says: "New material will be available to buy and download online in the near future. For the time being get your ears around Latex Messiah and leave your comments on the new clip on the Toyah MySpace page. We're sure you'll agree that the musical fire is back."

[ Source: Official Toyah MySpace - Saturday 5th May 2007 ]

As well as news about the new Toyah/Simon Darlow track 'Latex Messiah (Viva La Rebel In You)' there's info about other music from Toyah in the pipeline.

Toyah's May 2007 Webletter is also available to read.

[ Source: Official Toyah e-news - Saturday 5th May 2007 ]

[ Source: www.remembertheeighties.com - Thursday 3rd May 2007 ]

For one night only, ITV1 brings you a one-off special reuniting the stars of the iconic, groundbreaking children’s show Tiswas. With a wealth of clips and reminiscences from the many stars who appeared on the series, the team will recreate the chaos and mayhem of those heady days of the show that broke the mould.

Tiswas Reunited will be the biggest, noisiest, messiest and most colourful show Saturday night television has seen for quite some time, and the original team of regulars will all be there: Chris Tarrant, Sally James, Lenny Henry, Bob Carolgees, John Gorman, Sylvester McCoy and Frank Carson.

There will also be lots of other familiar Tiswas faces in the audience. Many celebrities who took part in the show and were a part of its success will be there with their personal memories of Tiswas, and many more will be interviewed on location. The list of guests who appeared on Tiswas reads like a who’s who of showbusiness, as it was always considered to be the coolest series and the show to be seen on.

Tiswas Reunited is a celebration of the most anarchic Saturday morning kids’ series in British television history. So spend an evening with the stars, wallowing in nostalgia… and custard!

Tiswas Reunited – exclusive to ITV1, May 2007 

NB: Toyah has now mentioned in her May Webletter she is one of the audience guests for this. Actual air date should be available soon.

Chris was born in Cambridge and studied music at Cambridgeshire College Of Arts And Technonlogy. 

His influences range from Bach to Basie, Pat Travers to Patrice Rushen, Ellington to Extreme 

Chris says: "I have been a professional guitarist, bass guitarist, arranger, orchestrator, composer, and musical director since leaving college. As well as my own projects I have worked with other artists such as Phil Watts, Mark Rattray with whom I toured for a couple of years and did summer seasons alongside Jaqcui Scott and Melanie Stace, Rox Clayton Scott, and Shaun Williamson. With Rox, along with drummer Marcus Bishop and guitarist Dave patrick, we have been writing and recording an album over the last couple of years, soon to be released. Also work in an acoustic duo with Rox. Played bass on Dave Sinclair's album. I am currently Toyah Willcox's musical director and guitarist."

[ Visit Chris's MySpace page by clicking the pictures ]

• "The multi-talented Toyah Willcox" is also metioned in the 'Hastings Observer' May 3rd news story Prelude to Battle Abbey Proms. Click here to read that.

• Don't forget that Toyah is all over the telly at the beginning of the week (Bank Holiday Monday). There's The Most Fertile Man In Ireland on Sky Comedy, plus Tales Of The Unexpected and Michael Gambon: Maigret & Me on ITV3, all are being screened more than once. See News updates below for full schedule info.

Title: Toyah (War Boys) 
Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches 
Media: Watercolor with gouache 
Date: 2007 

ACEO/ATC of Toyah, a singer/actress from the 80's. She was known for her flame coloured hair and imaginative make-up - this is an example from one of her record sleeves from 1981.

Painted on 300gsm watercolor paper, signed on the front and signed and dated on the reverse. 

My name is Mark Satchwill and I currently reside in Watford, UK. I am predominantly a watercolourist, painting all sorts of subjects from flowers to portraits to fantasy. I recently turned my talents to ACEO/ATC's and am enjoying creating these small and collectible works of art. 

That collection is available on Region 2 format, with all new artwork, from 21st May 2007.

Aside from the artwork, the main difference from the Region 1 DVD set is that The Ebony Tower has full billing rather than being listed as a "bonus" feature.

The Ebony Tower is also included on The Laurence Olivier Centenary Collection Box Set (10 Discs - Region 2), also available from 21st May.

A bountiful box set of classic films featuring, perhaps, Britain's finest actor of all time, Laurence Olivier.

Episodes Comprise:

1. Henry V
2. Richard III
3. The Merchant Of Venice
4. King Lear
5. Long Day's Journey Into Night
6. The Ebony Tower
7. Laurence Olivier Presents
8. The South Bank Show: Laurence Olivier

April 2007 was an amazing month for site visits, possibly the most since the site opened in March 2000. The total was 11,152. Last Monday (23rd April) we had over 700 hits following the repeat airing of the Faith & Music Toyah special.

[ News Source: Dreamscape Stats - 1st May 2007 ]