HELLO THERE!
I hope you are all able to enjoy this Summer Of Love.
The pride I feel for Tom Daley is huge. In 2013/2014 he trained me to high dive for ITV’s SPLASH.
One of my long term dreams was to dive from the 10 metre board, but once up that high I realised my fear was going to hold me back, (The 10 metre is so high my head would start spinning) but I did make the 5 metre board, doing a backwards dive for the show and ended up in the final part competing against Anna Williamson who was killing it on the 10 metre board, she was so sassy.
Tom at this time was 19 about to turn 20 and he dreamed of getting gold. I love that he NEVER gave up on his dream, never compromised his true self and now he has done it so beautifully.
We stood on the 10 metre board on the first day and I said “this is making me feel sick” and his reply…..”There are days I feel fear too.”
Nothing in life is so easy we glide effortlessly through it and not all things come to us immediately but they can eventually…WELL DONE TOM!
I cannot believe the euphoria I experienced standing in the wings at LET’S ROCK LIVERPOOL.
Usually I’m a coiled spring, slightly apprehensive, concerned about sound, the stage being flat, no ruff surfaces to trip on but last Saturday I walked straight on stage, in full view of everyone before being announced and could have wept with joy. I could have kissed the stage!
It was overwhelmingly special.
The stage manager usually comes to get the artist from their dressing room ten minutes before stage time, on this day John saw me on stage and said “I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”
Copyright Andrew Roachford
Last Thursday I played WICKHAM FESTIVAL with the SAS BAND, ANDREW ROACHFORD was guesting too (he was magnificent). Again the euphoria was overwhelming, not even having to swap stages because the site was a vast mud patch and the main stage had sunk into the sodden ground, could hinder our spirits.
The whole team at Wickham where heroic, a whole bevvy of gorgeous boys had to tractor my car off site, they achieved all this with grace and courtesy, which made me love the event even more.
A lighting man approached me to say thank you for the CELEBVM message Fripp and I sent him in lockdown, it helped him face a difficult spell of isolation and unemployment.
Very young people where reacting to seeing me in a surprising way, they were star struck. A stunning stage rigger, could only have been about 24, saw me and reacted very much how I reacted in 1972 seeing Bowie leave a theatre in Coventry. He was going “OMG! OMG! OMG! It’s YOU! Toyah and Robert!”
I gladly did a selfie with him. The stage builders had had an awful day fighting the elements.
This happened at Worthing two weeks ago as well, as if TOYAH YOUTUBE has a high percentage of young viewers.
This is my first month with Fripp away. It’s fine. I know he is being looked after with kid gloves, which he needs now. Do I miss him? Of course but he has been away most of our 35yrs of marriage, I have to cope, there’s no compromise there. But I will be glad when he is home, I love our new life, making YOUTUBE content together and dreaming up ideas that make us laugh.
I miss our conversations, of which there a lot. We can talk about anything and everything. His shows in the USA are a massive success and he is playing big arenas, but there are Covid fears. Every promoter is reporting across the board, that if 5000 tickets have sold only two thirds are turning up, people are still fearful.
Fripp’s shows are a massive critical success and going by the numbers attending, a financial success too even with Covid worries.
While Fripp is away a close circle of friends check on me daily, which I find amusing, not sure what they expect to find, are they checking I haven’t jetted off to Barbados or something, or having overnight parties?
They usually find me either filming or on the river in my Kayak.
Work is pouring in, every day this year is booked for either a TV or a live show and of course POSH POP is weeks away from release and the press are responding positively. I am sooooo excited. SUMMER OF LOVE has just come out and the response is huge…….AND the best tracks are yet to come, the real breathtakers.
Those first reactions to the album are patiently anticipated….the songs/ the sound/ the art work……a certain generation will see it immediately. I am excited.
I’ve had a few people contact me because they are cross Fripp earns more than me on CELEBVM and with the Lyric Art. It’s very kind and I appreciate the support. There are two levels of decision here, the first is ..YES, there is a level of “your female therefore you earn less” but I have always known what my fans can afford and I have no intention of pricing myself out of their lives.
Fripp sets his prices at what he feels his time is worth. I remember on the motivational speaking circuit, the presenter Anne Robinson set her fee for one hour at £100,000, she said that is what her time is worth to her, which I admire.
For me, I get huge pleasure from sending the CELEBVM messages, they are a privilege, a window into peoples lives that I adore and have fun with.
With the lyric art, I love the element of surprise, in knowing the receiver is getting very close to me and I honour that, its very special.
If you are interested in music and the possibility of a career in music one film you must see is the documentary THE EULOGY: JEFFERY TOZER. When I was performing on the Britannia I had time on my hands to watch this extraordinary film about the genius of Jeffery Tozer and the controlling establishment of the classical world of music in Sydney Australia.
It made me think how many more Jeffery Tozers are out there? Not getting a chance in life.
RIGHT….I am off to POSH POP rehearsals. The new line up is going for a more exacting sound. In honour of the memory of Bill Rieflin we both wanted a vocal-oriented band and this is that band. Everyone on stage will be singing, it’s very exciting….YEAH!
BE LOUD, BE PROUD, BE HEARD
LOVE TOYAH
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