I hope you are all getting some serious sunshine and fun this holiday month.
There are so many new avenues opening up, it’s surprising, exciting and gratefully received. There’s interest from Australia and the USA for my music and acting. It looks like I will be playing Australia for the first time in my whole career in January. Currently negotiations are underway for Melbourne and Sydney concerts.
Having not listened to it for 30 years I found the message within it very chilling. It is as if it was written in protest of Trump today when in fact it was commenting on Regan in the 80’s.
I will be re-recording the song for the sound track album to go with the USA movie 1985, which is out at the end of the year.
Dutch Rall (http://dutchrall.com) is arranging the production and it will be radically different to the original.
On researching Dutch Rall’s work (this is something I always do as a point of respect) I was pleasantly surprised to see he directed a video for DURAN DURAN. I seem to be crossing paths with the boys from Birmingham recently.
An LA film director contacted me by e-mail last week asking me to be in his next movie alongside John Taylor. This is an example of how everything in life connects and reconnects from the past into the present. (DURAN DURAN had their first ever TV appearance on my midlands TV show LOOK HEAR in 1980)
The director, Nick Egan, was a fledgling music journalist in 1978 and he made his debut interviewing me for SOUNDS. Last weeks e-mailed opened with “ This interview changed my life, it went so well SOUNDS printed two full pages. I remember you as being ground breaking and highly original…..will you be in my next movie?” Well I remember Nick as being super intelligent, respectful and for treating me as a musician in my own right at a time when women musicians where always compared to other women musicians.
The connections didn’t stop there, the film is to be made in Estonia, a place I am heavily connected to.
King Crimson have started recording GET IN YOUR CAR AND DRIVE by TOYAH AND THE HUMANS. The drums where recorded in the TEATRO LA FINCE on the band’s last tour date in Venice and Robert called me excitedly to say it sounds “F-ing ACE !” Delivered to my ears in his finest Dorset accent.
I am kind of wishing this summer heat would tame down a little.
Rather stupidly I believed August would be quiet or at least able to gently run as usual but I have a lot of music licensing going on for film, which is keeping me inside a very hot airless office.
These days the artist needs to keep the finger on the pulse of everything around them but also run the paperwork, which is always overwhelming with the sheer amount of detail that is needed to keep everything up to date.
Presently I am dealing with a “collection society” who very likely has underpaid me for the past 10 yrs. To resolve this I need to list every song I have sang live for the past 7years …including where I sang the song, when I sang the song, how long I sang the song for! This is reams and reams of paperwork. Luckily my memory is pretty photographic ….if asked I would happily tell them what I was wearing and which perfume I had on that day too.
I have experienced two days this year, which easily could be described as the happiest days of my life. That’s two days in 60 years that have far surpassed any other day in my life. Let me put it this way… these two days were bloody awesome!
The first was a few days before my 60th birthday. Contractually I am not allowed to talk about it, but it was a seismic event concerning the world of film. And because of this event I decided whatever I do with rest of my life I can die happy.
The second day was receiving a “companionship” from Sir Paul McCartney for LIPA.
The day was looming over me and I was quite terrified about what was to happen. My ego is not so huge that I feel at home receiving accolades. There’s this horrible feeling in my belly of being an imposter most of the time, so to be asked if I’d except this recognition from Sir Paul I was quaking in my boots.
Arriving at the Liverpool Philharmonic two hours early, because I hate being late, the building was already surrounded by hopeful fans ready for Sir Paul’s arrival. I managed to sneak in quietly.
Craig Astley accompanied me, which I am hugely grateful for.
As a child The Beatles music kept me sane in an austere world. The arrival of Seargent Pepper gave me my first glimpse that music and visuals were going to mean a lot to me, also the personal charm of The Beatles taught me so much about being humble and human. I am forever indebted to them for their cultural imprinting.
As the day unfurled I was made to feel genuinely welcome and part of the team. Paul was incredibly caring, welcoming and attentive. He put everyone at ease.
Also being honoured was Nile Rogers who was breathtakingly magnificent…..there are no words to describe how exceptional a human being this man is………. I was truly humbled to sit next to him for three wonderful hours. He was funny, sharp and emanating light.
Once I received my “companionship” and gave my short speech I was able to truly enjoy being there. WOW!
So far being 60 has been just FAB!
Right, back to listing every song I have sung for the past 7 years……ahhhhhh reality! At least I have the thought of the autumn shows shining a light at the end of this bureaucratic tunnel!
