TOYAH ON
BFBS RADIO
8.12.1981

This was recorded in Berlin 8.12.1981 during
the "Good Morning Universe" Tour

SONG: It’s A Mystery

ALAN: Well, there it goes, that was Toyah and “It’s A Mystery”. I hope it’s not too much of a mystery to tell you, Tony, that here in Berlin I have a bit of surprise for you. I’ve got Toyah with me

TONY: Marvellous news. Toyah, hello!

TOYAH: Hello, how are you?

TONY: Very well indeed and yourself?

TOYAH: I’m very well, thank you

TONY: It’s been rather a long time since we’ve seen you up in Berlin. You always seem to be in Berlin, the best place?

TOYAH: Of course I’m in the best places!

TONY: You lucky thing. Alan, how did you manage to trap this young lady?

ALAN: Well, it’s a very nice thing … telephone calls from record agencies do wonderful things and gets people like Toyah in. In fact Toyah is the only person that I’ve met, Tony, who has redder hair than me! (laughs)

TONY: That is saying something!

TOYAH: I haven’t got a big rosy face like him though (laughs)

TONY: You’re lucky is all I can say! We saw you on Top Of The Pops the other night and your style has changed for the new music. Is that something that you always do or you’re going to do tonight?

TOYAH: Oh yeah, I sort of change for each new song. Just to put the mood over really. I’ve gone slightly more pagan than before

TONY: Really?

TOYAH: A little bit more wild

ALAN: Well, something else we’ve seen is the "Parkinson" program. What was it like being on with Michael Parkinson, Toyah?

TOYAH: It wasn’t so much being on with Michael Parkinson, it was sort of competing with Dave Allen, who was incredible on the show. He was so funny, I loved him very much

TONY: Did he give you a hard time? For people who didn’t see you on "Parkinson"?

TOYAH: No, not at all. He was very good to me, very good to me indeed. I met him for an hour before the show, had a quick chat. I think he was a bit wary of me, he thought I might’ve got out of order or something

But otherwise it was very enjoyable and I only had ten minutes to speak so I was yapping as fast as I could to get all my life story out before they cut me off and the next quest came on

 

 

TONY: Do you ever get tired, Toyah, of telling people your life story? It’s always the same. I mean you go to "Parkinson", you have to tell them your life story. You came to BFBS about 3 months ago, you had to do it then. Do you ever get tired of it?

TOYAH: Not really, I get tired of surroundings more than actually speaking. I like speaking, I naturally sort of yap a lot. So that’s no problem. The only time I ever get tired is when … in England I had to give up two days to sit in this one room and reporter after reporter comes in and you say exactly the same things 7 hours a day …

TONY: Do you ever get tempted to say something rude?

TOYAH: Oh, I do! I get quite outrageous, by the time the last reporter comes in I’m so sort of fed up and this poor reporter who doesn’t know what I’ve been doing for the past two days … gets the brunt of it. But otherwise I don’t get bored at all really. I add new things each time I repeat my life story! (laughs)

TONY: What about sort of meeting two DJ’s on the radio? Be honest! (Alan laughs)

TOYAH: Well, I’ve never done it before really! I can honestly say it’s not as nerve-racking as the last time I was in Berlin and you shoved me on the stage … who was it? Rocky Sharpe and The Replays

TONY: That’s right!

TOYAH: That was totally outrageous, so unexpected!

TONY: Absolutely lunatic I think is the only way … but I tell you what  - we’ll try something on you now because last night on the night shift when I was doing the program, a young gentleman called Colin rang up and got some questions, that I asked about you, right. And as his price he has the chance of actually talk to you - without sounding too patronising

TOYAH: Hey, lucky Colin!

TONY: Colin, if you’re actually with us, can you hear us?

COLIN: Yes

TONY: Colin would you like to ask Toyah some questions?

COLIN: Yeah -

TOYAH: Hello, Colin!

COLIN: How come in the newspapers it said you were going to get married (to her boyfriend/bodyguard Tom, below with Toyah in 1983) and you didn’t?

TOYAH: Ah, well, I don’t know if you know British newspapers that well but they’re terrible gossip mongers. The story behind that one was … I was talking about marriage one day on the set of a play I was making and some nosy reporter took the liberty of saying I was going to get married where really nothing solid had been arranged at all. That newspaper actually embarrassed itself because they were just sort of being very nosy -

COLIN: Yeah -

 

TOYAH: But they went to town on it I must say. A full page article saying “Ooh Toyah’s gonna get married” but when I do it will totally private because my marriage is nothing to do with my career, really

TONY: Colin, very good question. Any more questions for Toyah?

COLIN: Do you find it easy to write songs?

TOYAH: Yes, actually, I do because it’s something …when I write a song for the first time in my working days I’m alone and therefore I can really think clearly. It’s not as if I have to write with other people

I go away in this room I have back home in England and I stay there for days on end, totally alone and it’s very refreshing for me to write because it’s like having a holiday

No-ones phones up, no-one knocks at the door and it’s just very very nice. I usually get all my ideas from dreams or reading books or seeing movies, things like that. So touch wood … don’t run dry on ideas that easily

TONY: OK, Colin, thanks very much for taking part in the competition last night and congratulations for actually doing this. Where are you exactly from, explain the place where you are from, Colin?

COLIN: At the moment? The Dümmersee Yacht Club

TONY: Dümmersee Yacht Club?

ALAN: A fine sport! (laughs)

TONY: That’s why I mentioned it!

ALAN: A fine sport and an upstanding young man with his heart in the right place!

TONY: Colin, thank you very much for ringing. Perhaps you would like to say ta-ra to Toyah?

COLIN: OK

TOYAH: Thank you, Colin!

COLIN: Bye!

ALAN: Why don’t we break for music there, shall we Tony, and then come back and a chat with Toyah?

TONY: What a good idea!

 

ALAN: Yes. What would you like to hear, Toyah?

TOYAH: I think the new English single, which is “Good Morning Universe”

SONG: Good Morning Universe

ALAN: Well, that was “Good Morning Universe”, the latest one by Toyah

TONY: And it’s about number 13 in the charts, I think, Toyah, isn’t it?

TOYAH: 14

TONY: 14? That was a good guess. I reckon that’s going to be number one

TOYAH: Oh … thank you! (laughs)

TONY: I do, I think it’s very good. Interesting to know that you released “Four More From Toyah” now, which is a sort of -

TOYAH: It’s a sort of Christmas package

TONY: Yeah … What was the idea in the first place - of actually making four on one single, which was released about - what, two years ago or 18 months ago?

TOYAH: Beginning of this year -

TONY: Was it?!

TOYAH: Yeah, “Four From Toyah”. It was because I wanted one track to be the single and record company wanted another track. Then there was sort of great indecision among all of us so we thought sod it, let’s just put the whole lot on one record and sell it as a sort of half an LP

TONY: It did very well, didn’t it?

TOYAH: Very well indeed and that’s why this one’s called “Four More From Toyah” because it’s sort of saying thank you for giving us some success this year. And it’s really for the fans

TONY: “Good Morning Universe” is your favourite or not?

TOYAH: I think this EP is particularly good one musically. I think it’s got 4 very good tracks on, whereas “Four From Toyah” sort of had two good tracks on it and the other two were B-sides. I think this new one - they’re all A-sides

 

ALAN: I noticed on our copy we had a little flimsy thing with it -

TOYAH: That is another little present (a flexi disc) that goes with the first 100 000 that get sold. It’s a song I wrote just singing along with our new drummer Simon Phillips. We actually open the show with it

So only the fans really know that song. Only ever will know it. And it’s a special song, it’s called “Stand Proud” and it’s about pride. Very strong emotionally

TONY: Are you proud?

TOYAH: I like to think I am. Aren’t you? (laughs)

TONY: I’m not sure of what … but still!

TOYAH: Yeah, but there’s a lot of depression going on - especially in England and we all have the right to be proud!

TONY: Do you think about the situation Great Britain is in at the moment? Perhaps Europe -

TOYAH: I think about it because it’s involved within my work. We’re going through repression and everyone’s feeling it. Especially the fans. They come along now to a show, not because of the politics in the music but because they want to forget about politics

They want to have a good time. And that’s very important to us, to play live. It’s the only time they can really escape from reality. And those things - they may not be so prominent out here in Europe but in England it’s very important

TONY: Would you ever feel that because you’re a talented actress well, that you’d like to get in on the -  dare I say - the protest side of things? Or aren’t you interested in that sort of thing?

TOYAH: I think that’s a very dangerous side of things to get involved in. I think a lot people - they get this sort of feeling of power when they become a star and think they can be a politician. I think that’s very very wrong. That’s why I don’t like talking about politics because I know nothing about what goes on compared to a trained MP

All I know is what I don’t like but whether I’m right or wrong is another thing. I think there’s a lot of sad situations that I would like to do something about but I could really be putting my foot in it. Because all I know about is acting and singing. I don’t want to mouth off and go on this power trip. If I do that I’ll spend five years in a law college so I really do know what I’m talking about

ALAN: But you’ve got some pretty firmly held convictions I would imagine?

TOYAH: Yes and I keep them to myself. I would never sort of - I think - like certain people get involved in protest marches and they aggravate the situation. I think you’ve got to be so sensitive and so careful

I don’t want to damage my career because of politics in one country because I want my career to be a worldwide thing. It’s a very touchy subject

ALAN: Talking about your career … we’ve talked to you most of this time about being a singer and then Tony brought up - of course you are an actress. Have you got any great plans in the future for acting on stage or screen?

TOYAH: Next year is very important to me. I’ve got 3 movies
lined up -

 

ALAN: Lucky thing!

TOYAH: Yeah but thing is with movies they’re on one minute and they’re scrapped the next. That’s because people take the money away from it into something. The first one is a detective movie which is going to be a small sort of underground movie

The second one is the most important, it’s a horror movie. It’s an American movie, budgeted from America, we’ll probably make it over there. It’s actually … it’s a horror story first but there’s rock music in it. And then we’re going to make a spoof movie about my life which will be a sort of comedy situation

ALAN: Who’s going to finance that?

TOYAH: I am

ALAN: Good for you! (both laugh)

TOYAH: I am with a little bit of help from some friends

TONY: Are you writing that?

TOYAH: Yes. We’re going to get in a good comedy team but of course I’ve got to be involved because it’s going to be about all the sort of times I’ve put my foot it in! Which is a lot of the time! (laughs)

TONY: What sort of humour is it going to be? Is it Monty Python type?

TOYAH: Very black

TONY: Very black?

TOYAH: Yeah

TONY: Yeah. Something that you practise … you’re a fun loving person I take it?

TOYAH: Yeah, yeah - I like sort of doing things totally unpredictably

ALAN: One thing that strikes me is that you project a zany image but really you’re quite serious?

TOYAH: Well, you’ve got to be serious, haven’t you? It’s a serious career when you get down to it. My number one importancy (sic) is my work

If I was off on the booze the whole time and nightclubbing the whole time, being very zany I’d have no energy for my performance. That’s where I’ve really got to draw the line. I’ve got to save a lot of energy -

ALAN: For example - I mean tonight you’re at the Metropole - that means after the show you would go back to your hotel and go bye-byes?

TOYAH: Yeah

ALAN: And not go to great parties?

TOYAH: I’ll probably go and have a meal or something. I don’t actually enjoy parties. I like to sit very quietly after a show. I put so much energy into a show I feel quite sick after it. I find it very hard to eat but have to make myself eat and things like that. The last thing I want do is dance after doing a live show …

TONY: Because you really put a lot into that, having seen -

TOYAH: I put everything into it. Absolutely everything

TONY: Even with Rocky Sharpe and The Replays, which is quite frightening …(Toyah laughs) I wish you the very best of luck tonight - not that you need much. I take it it will be a packed house, will it?

TOYAH: Apparently, yes

ALAN: At the Metropole in Berlin

TONY: I suppose there isn’t any tickets left really, are there?

TOYAH: Oh, I don’t know. I’ve got a feeling we could sneak you in through a window somewhere …

TONY: Well, I’d have to sort of fly to Berlin - (all laugh)

ALAN: OK, Toyah, well, just before you go would you like to choose another track from your latest extended play, 33 RPM record?

TONY: Pretty confusing for disc jockeys -

TOYAH: Oh yes, that’s why we did it (laughs) Yes, I’d like to choose “In The Fairground”, which is nice pretty little song

ALAN: Thank you very much indeed, Toyah

TONY: Toyah, thanks a lot, love. We’ll see you soon!

TOYAH: OK, thank you

ALAN: Bye, Tony

TONY: Bye bye

SONG: In The Fairground

You can listen to the interview HERE