BBC RADIO ONE
WITH PETER POWELL
1.4.1985
TOYAH: Hello, it’s nice to be back
PETER: A lot of people want to speak to you so let’s get straight to the calls - Heather Long is first. Heather?
HEATHER: Hello!
TOYAH: Hi Heather!
PETER: Where are you from?
HEATHER: I’m from Belfast
PETER: Here’s Toyah for you
HEATHER: What do you think of people like Tracey Ullman (below with Toyah in 1983) mimicking you?
TOYAH: In the beginning I used to hate it. I wanted smash her face in but in the end all they’re doing is complementing you
I saw a playback of her mimicking me only about a year ago and I actually enjoyed it but when she first did it I was really angry but that was because I was young and stupid
HEATHER: Who would you like to work with in film, theatre, music?
TOYAH: I think at heart I’m still a great fan of other people. Whenever I see other people I always sort of adore them and when I meet them I get totally star struck and can’t talk to them. And one of those people that does that to me is David Bowie and I’d love to work with him
PETER: Thank you, Heather
TOYAH: Bye!
HEATHER: Bye bye!
PETER: Margaret Francis is next - from where Margaret?
MARGARET: Bedford
PETER: OK, here’s Toyah for you
MARGARET: How would you like to be remembered in the future? By what film or record or LP or whatever?
TOYAH: I’d like to be remembered for breaking certain boundaries. I think up until now my music’s been taken with a pinch of salt, which is always a hard thing to accept so for the future now I’d like to be accepted for writing good lyrics and singing good songs. And also for being remembered having a high quality of what I do I suppose
PETER: Thanks, Margaret
TOYAH: Thank you, Margaret
MARGARET: Thank you
PETER: Bye bye. Amanda Sizer, is that right, Amanda? From where?
AMANDA: Langley in Slough. Now, you’ve worked with Sir Laurence Olivier (in "The Ebony Tower" 1983, below) and Roger Daltrey (in "Murder : Ultimate Grounds For Divorce", 1984) What film did you enjoy the most?
TOYAH: Er, let me think … I mean working with Sir Laurence was lovely because when you’re working with someone of his standard and his age, you usually find they’re far more wiser to work with. They’re very calm and they have a lot of sort of things to tell you you can benefit from
And then with Roger Daltrey you’re working with someone who is so ultra famous, who I can still remember from my younger days with The Who and everything. I must admit I was very in awe of Roger Daltrey. I was a little bit shy with him in which case I probably enjoyed working with Sir Laurence more because I love people of his age
AMANDA: Have you written any songs lately and who helped you?
TOYAH: Oh, yeah. Have I written some songs lately! I’ve just written an album. On the album I think there’s about ten songs, but to achieve that album - the standard it’s at - we wrote about 24 songs
And I’ve got to the stage now where I write a bit of music and I write all the lyrics but I can’t write all the music on my own because I can’t play anything well enough
PETER: If there was someone we’d know as a songwriter, famous person for instance … who would you most like to write a song with?You mentioned Bowie earlier on?
TOYAH: Yeah, well, obviously there’s Bowie, he’s just a God! But at the moment I’d really like to write with Bruce Springsteen
PETER: Are there any songs in particular you really like?
TOYAH: I’ve been thinking about that and I think I’d like to be really gooey and hear “Win” which is on “Young Americans”
PETER: Oh, right
SONG: Davie Bowie: Win
PETER: Davie Bowie and “Win”. Cath Tedstone is next, Cath?
CATH: Hiya!
PETER: Hi, where are you from?
CATH: Merthyr village in South Wales
TOYAH: (in a mock Welsh accent) Oh, South Wales, loo-vely!
PETER: Well, she’s introduced herself. What’s your question for Toyah?
CATH: Do you think being an individual is good and has it helped you to get where you are?
TOYAH: I think whenever, in whatever situation you are - whether you are at school or going for a job interview or whether you’re going in front of a TV camera or anything … you’ve always got to remember that people around you are in a lot of ways equal to you and no one is lower than you
And I think a lot of individuals take other people around them for granted. So in my early days, when I was busy being extremely individual, I was taking people for granted and that’s not good, that’s not good at all
But I think you’ve got to have something special and you can only have that by knowing yourself and knowing your own capabilities. That’s where your individualism comes from because you know yourself so well
PETER: Thanks, Cath!
CATH: Thanks!
PETER: Helen Reece is next . . .
TOYAH: Hi, how are you?
HELEN: I’m fine, thank you!
TOYAH: Good!
HELEN: What is your favourite acting role? What’s it been?
TOYAH: Oh dear … I’ve done lots that have been really tremendous parts to play. I still feel that "Miranda" in "The Tempest" (above, with David Meyer as "Ferdinand") was good fun to do because I’m so bad at Shakespeare it was a real challenge. I was sort of lisping all over the place … (chuckles) I just think that the cheek of me playing Shakespeare, it was so pretentious it was wonderful!
PETER: Thank you, Helen!
HELEN: Thank you!
TOYAH: Thank you! Good to talk to you!
HELEN: Bye!
TOYAH: Bye!
PETER: Richard Evans is next. How are you doing?
RICHARD: Hello, Toyah!
TOYAH: Hello, Richard!
RICHARD: Two questions -
TOYAH: Oh, good
RICHARD: Firstly, what are the 3 most important things in your life?
TOYAH: Number one is the fans that keep me going!
RICHARD: Thank you!
TOYAH: So there you go! Well, they are you know. And number two is TV because without it I would be really lost. Because believe it or not, in a way I wake up every morning and all I’ve really got to look forward to is my work and performing and stuff. So if it wasn’t for the media of TV I’d be lost because dyed hair means nothing on radio! God bless radio though ... (she chuckles)
PETER: Is there anything at home which is really precious?
TOYAH: My collection of books. I love a collection of books because they’re my knowledge outlet and I have a top floor in the house I live in - it’s got one room as an office and the other room is my creative room and that room no one goes in!
PETER: Your den, Toyah’s den!
TOYAH: And also I collect Buddha's -
PETER: Oh, really?
PETER: Thank you for you call
TOYAH: Thank you! Bye!
PETER: Susan Wright is next. Susan?
SUSAN: Hello. Is there anything you miss from before you where famous?
TOYAH: It’s silly selfish little things like I can’t go to Tesco’s and go shopping. Can’t really do that now as it gets a bit difficult. But I think that is very small price to pay
But also I can’t see as many friends as I used to see and I’m terrible at staying in touch with people. My dad even phones up and says “hi, I’m still alive!” (Toyah and Peter chuckle) I’m just very bad like that
PETER: What’s the other part of your question, Sue?
SUSAN: Do you think you’re at the high of your singing career?
TOYAH: On bad mornings I think that, when I’m feeling insecure I think that … but no, I feel that the success I’ve had so far is what I call the young stage of success when everyone thinks of you as something new and glittering and exciting. And now it’s up to me to prove that I’m more than that, to prove that I have a place in history as one of the good singers
I mean OK, my voice may be not as rich as someone like Annie Lennox or Alf (Alison Moyet) but I’m certainly going to do my hardest to prove that. As a rock singer I have something to offer, and a lot of new ideas yet. I’m not just a singer - I’m a visual artist as well and I think I’ve got a lot to do there too
PETER: So do I! Thank you very much, Susan
TOYAH: Thank you! Bye!
PETER: That’s all we’ve got time for … Welcome back!
TOYAH: It’s good to be back!
PETER: Here’s Toyah’s new single!
TOYAH: Yeah!
SONG: Don’t Fall In Love
You can listen to the interview HERE
posted by ©Min2024 at November 17, 2007
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