TOYAH’S BLOG: SEPT 2020

Sep 4, 2020

HELLO THERE!

Is it all go for you? Are your children returning to school? Are you trying to head back into the office?

I was going to say STAY SAFE but I think a level of STAY SANE AND SAFE is needed because so much is being asked of us that contradicts natural instinct. All I can say is hand washing is worth every second and make sure the toilet seat is down before flushing AND if someone is asleep enough to cough, sneeze, bump into you……run!

I am trying to get back into the outside world to continue with my day job but everything is cancelling! I was to play in Nuneaton on Halloween but the club feels it isn’t safe to do so. It’s frustrating because I think the audience would have loved the chance to dance and express themselves.

There is a lot going on, there is more good news than bad. My agent has had an “availability check” for me from one of Hollywood’s top casting directors, I cannot imagine what this might be but as Robert says “I am on their radar and that can’t be a bad thing.”

Album wise EVERYTHING is moving forward beautifully. Cherry Red will have SHEEP FARMING IN BARNET ready before the end of the year.  Craig Astley has discovered hidden gems in the Safari storage boxes including the original VICTIMS OF THE RIDDLE vocal improvisation. Craig and Alan Sawyers have put an incredible artwork package together.  More news is coming soon.

Cherry Red have been filming here at the house, allowing myself and Nigel Clark of Dodgy (my neighbour) to perform songs off the album in a live context. On the morning Cherry Red arrived I knocked a tooth out brushing my teeth (my dentist constantly begs me stop using my toothbrush as a hammer) then the rain fell so hard it flooded the kitchen and I was mopping the floor in my stage costume whilst prepping lunch for the team.

DEMON have approached me for a special project for 2021. So I feel very much a musician and artist in this crazy time.

Nigel Clark joined me again for a lovely performance with Robert……..something to do with the master of the torch song Marc Almond…….we loved this ……. DETAILS SOON TO BE ANNOUNCED.

Robert is really supporting me as an artist, he will be playing on the new album with Simon Darlow. It’s strange that lock down has made this all possible.

Robert is currently horizontal after pulling a tendon having been a little to expressive in his martial arts training…….. dear hubby is all dosed up with Ibuprofen.

In an hours time I will be doing the same, punching, kicking, elbowing my opponent into submission and loving it. Apart from doing this to get fit I am aiming to improve my posture and deportment. I am actually having lessons in how to walk in high heels again, having given them up ten years ago……..when I return to the outside world it will be a new more focussed, well posed me with a walk that is more like a glide than a forward moving stomp.

Here in our town, at the end of August we usually have 17,000 visitors for The Plum Festival, this year I’d say we had 1% of that but the happy sounds coming over our garden wall from the neighbouring hotel where nectar.

To hear Humanity experiencing joy is the best thing in the world.

 We even enjoyed the people filming us from the river, usually this would be disturbing, but after so long in captivity it was highly amusing. We live on the River Avon and one of the local businesses benefiting ten fold because of “stay-cationers” is a paddle board hire company.

Floating past our garden we watch many, many people learning to balance, some with their dogs on the boards, some with their tiny children, most just want solitude but this year we had what looked like an influx of Japanese tourists floating past filming our garden…that was after they had taken their instagram photos on our front door step!

Never have I been so happy to see visitors from out of town.

Nigel Glockler’s wife, Gina is producing a TOYAH CANDLE, which will be available soon. The fragrance discussions are about to start and the demon in my head is shouting out jokes about Gwyneth Paltrow’s last candle range and references to intimate human body parts.

My preferred approach is “this candle kicks arse rather than smells like arse.”

 “this candle smells like invincibility”, “this candle smells like superstardom” “this candle smells like my little bunny rabbits ears.” “this candle smells like victory and perseverance in the face of adversity.”

Yeah to Toyah’s first candle!

STAY SAFE, BE PROUD, BE LOUD, BE HEARD
LOTS OF LOVE
TOYAH

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