It is one month until I turn 60 and I cannot believe where the last 10yrs have gone!
I remember turning 50 so clearly, as if it were yesterday, the past decade has passed in what feels like only one year. It has in fact been fabulous years of concerts, festivals, album making, acting and non stop travel.
50 felt old-ish but somehow 60 feels young and I am putting that down to being released from all social responsibility. No one expects anything from me, I am not responsible for anyone including myself….it is wonderfully, anarchically liberating!
I plan to dress to impress and express with finesse, yes I am from the generation who grew up and forgot to grow old.
My 5th decade was both awesome and traumatic in equal measure. Time brings inevitabilities.
The decade began in turmoil with a minor cancer alarm, spotted well in advance, which lead to two years of radical surgery and now in retrospect I can say I wish I had gone through it a decade earlier as my life has really been on course since the moment I woke from my surgeries.
The seismic event of my parents passing away will overshadow all but then within the grief of this there was an incredible blossoming of potential and future possibilities…… even at 50. Their passing adding huge value to the currency of time, it’s the greatest lesson age can give you. Time awareness.
One thing is for sure…… there is no point in pessimism ….you can only embrace it all…..and life will throw challenges at you in bucket loads.
Within this extraordinary decade I have moved deeper into music and singing, the live shows allowing me to expand my vocal abilities and hone my storytelling skills.
Then I stepped back into movies, which reignited my love of the camera.
And somewhere along the way I regained the “I WANT TO BE FREE” ethos that I am truly unapologetically me, confident in the belief that perseverance wins and Karma does the sorting on your behalf. Oh and the philosophy of Take No Shit arrives at your doorstep in big doses too.
If 50 was the decade of poignant memories 60 will be the decade of rewriting the rule book.
Now I am gearing up for my 60th birthday! With the knowledge that the next decade can pass even faster I am grabbing the bull by the horns and getting ready for the ride of my life.
There is a lot to be done, no point thinking things can happen tomorrow…..things must happen today.
The 60th party concerts have been announced for October and November and “FOUR FROM TOYAH: BIRTHDAY EDITION” is now complete and ready for release on May 18th.
The lead track TELEPATHIC LOVER is an all time fave for me. I can’t wait to play it live.
The red vinyl of DESIRE is in indie record shops on RECORD STORE DAY on Sat 21 April.
There are plans to have the re-release of SUNDAY ALL OVER THE WORLD’s Kneeling At The Shrine (+ live tracks) CD ready for October.
And King Crimson start putting THE HUMANS V KC…. Get In Your Car And Drive into their psyche.
On the 18th May I was supposed to be in France for my actual birthday but now I might be away on a Film shoot for three weeks, with hubby visiting me when he can.
The Fripp/Cox household has the added addition of not only Bill Rieflin living with us until May but also the King Crimson band popping by to rehearse for the month AND a documentary crew making a film about Fripp and the band.
At meal times it is not unusual to find a camera rolling discreetly in the corner.
It’s fun, busy and manic. Especially as Bill, no matter how independent he claims to be, needs a lot of “herding” from one room to the other which I love, we are often referred to as The Bill And Toyah show because of the bickering.
Last week I was asked to present a BBC RADIO 4 documentary on the importance of hairdressers within the community and the fact that they are sometimes the only physical and social contact some people have in their lives. This will be broadcast on the 11th May.
The process brought me back in touch with Keith Wainwright who began his hairdressing career in Mayfair at a time when hairdressers where not allowed to talk to their clients……can you believe that! That was in the 1960s. Keith then went on to reinvent male hairdressing attracting people like Bryan Ferry, David Bowie, Ringo Starr into the hair salon. Keith created my hairstyle for the movie JUBILEE.
The recording also took me to a fabulous hair salon on Brick Lane called NOT ANOTHER SALON. Which was a fabulously joyous technicolor experience to walk into, where there is a policy of no judgement, no class specification, no gender rules and acceptance of all ages which made the whole place feel like a “happening”……..they are on to something there which I think will catch on in a big way.
For the next couple of weeks I am rehearsing and adding some TOYAH CLASSICS into the acoustic show……..it’s taken a bit of pushing and shoving and nagging but when we play the 229 Venue on the 26Aprilin London…. there’s gonna be some happy people!
Have a great April and see you out there.
BE PROUD, BE LOUD, BE HEARD LOVE TOYAH XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The Fripp/Cox household has the added addition of not only Bill Rieflin living with us until May but also the King Crimson band popping by to rehearse for the month AND a documentary crew making a film about Fripp and the band. 
The Fripp/Cox household has the added addition of not only Bill Rieflin living with us until May but also the King Crimson band popping by to rehearse for the month AND a documentary crew making a film about Fripp and the band. 
