TOYAH ON
BBC GET SET
TRAFFORD TANZI SPECIAL
WITH PETER POWELL
23.4.1983

PETER POWELL: (Toyah comes running in, they're in the wrestling ring where the play takes place) Tanzi! Otherwise known as Toyah. Take a seat. Or can we?

TOYAH: Oh, yes. A bit pagan here (sits on the floor)

PETER: One of these corners will do, I think. Not the kind of surroundings I expect to see you in, really, Toyah

TOYAH: It's wonderful though, isn't it? It's great

PETER: Love the gear you're wearing as well

TOYAH: It's kind of hunky (laughs)

PETER: Is this all part of the “Trafford Tanzi” look then?

TOYAH: Well yes, it's based in the wrestling ring. We're surrounded by the audience, so in a way you're trapped. It's like being in a cage. It's very cartoonish, the outfit, but it is based on a proper wrestling outfit

You've got to be able to move, and must have no restrictions. This cloak is just for show when you walk into the ring posing


PETER: What's the story then?

TOYAH: It's about the life of a girl from the time she's a baby to when she gets married. It's a feminist play. It's about how this girl suffers through the people around her, and she's a very innocent person. She gets beaten up. It's a comedy though (laughs). She gets married and the husband has an affair and that's the turning point in her life

She turns around says "right, I'm going to show you how independent I can be. I'll become come a wrestler". She becomes a wrestler and she becomes a champion. In the end she has a domestic argument with her husband and takes him on. She says "I'm going to fight you and I'm going to beat you". And that's what the play's about. It's building up to that big end sequence

PETER: Your husband is "Dean Rebel", who's gear I'm wearing at the moment, isn't it? When I came to see the play, which I thoroughly enjoyed - I've got to be honest - the whole place is in stitches, because there's a lot of comedy involved in it. I know there's an awful lot of Toyah fans there

TOYAH: They're wonderful! And of course they always scream for me, which is sometimes little embarrassing. The men are supposed to scream for "Rebel", and the women are supposed to scream for me. But it is an audience participation play, very much so. If the audience is quiet it drives you bonkers to do the play

But the fans have been great because they haven't shouted my name. They always shout “Tanzi!”. A big fear was you're going hear a lot of "Toyah! Toyah"!" but we haven't. It's been great

PETER: It's a very rough play, though, isn't it?

TOYAH: Yes but we've all been trained. We trained for two weeks but I'm not saying that we've become (to have) professional standards, but we've learned how to protect each other. Even though we look as though we're hurting each other, we're all responsible for each other's safety

We had a judo champion in called Howard Leicester, who put us through our paces for two weeks. And we had Mitzi Mueller in - who really is what I'm supposed to be, the European ladies champion. She came in and she was wonderful and she really threw us about. It was great


PETER: You're having to keep fit though?

TOYAH: Very fit

PETER: Very extensive training for yourself

TOYAH: Well, now the play is running that keeps us fit in itself, because it's three hours of solid running about. But when we were training, we were jogging every morning. We used to go jogging between nine and ten. Then we'd do wrestling for about eight hours, and in between that we had to play volleyball as well

PETER: Debbie Harry is doing your part in America

TOYAH: Yes, on Broadway! Lucky devil (laughs)

PETER: So when you finish wrestling - when you get out of the ring ... what happens next when the production closes?

TOYAH: At the moment I'm making an album in the daytime

PETER: So new music's not forgotten?

TOYAH: Oh gosh, no!

PETER: Everyone who has written in (has asked about it) -

TOYAH: In a way doing this play is using up all my physical energy, which there's too much of anyway. So by time I finish this play, which is 10 in the evening, I go and work on the album till six in the morning. My mind is ready to do the album - I've sort of got all of the tension out in the system

That's going really well. We go on tour in August. We're going to do England, going to do Europe, and then we're off to America. We'll be on tour until December

PETER: Great! So we're going to be able to see when you finish wrestling?

TOYAH: Oh, yeah!

PETER: Lovely


TOYAH: I'm afraid so

PETER: No, everyone wants to see you, I assure you. So listen, show us what you're made of (they get up)

TOYAH: OK

PETER: It's been a great pleasure interviewing you, Toyah (takes her by the hand and throws her around the ring with her ending face down on the floor. Peter puts his foot on her back)

You know, she does 10 three minute rounds of that, and she still sings a song at the end of it. And don't you go writing in to complain about my mistreatment (Toyah lifts her head up as to say “please do”. I'll see you next month

Watch the interview HERE