Toyah and the Invisible Car

Tuesday 28 February 2012 – First song of the day is, ‘Thunder in the Mountains’ (Take the Leap! version) by Toyah. I’ve been a fan ever since I first heard the Sheep Farming EP.

People who’ve read my diary ‘Kia Ora Mr Shakespeare’ about my time touring two Shakespeare plays in New Zealand know how important songs from Toyah were while I was there. (Kia Ora is due out on Kindle soon).

I walk down to the sandwich shop and purchase a bacon and egg sandwich, and as I walk back another Toyah track shuffles to the fore; this time, ‘Wife’ from the excellent imaginative, ‘Prostitute’ album.

Breakfast over, I drive into town. I’m just approaching a junction and so slow down, when out of nowhere five women cross in front of my car without even looking. I sound the horn as I stop, causing five pairs of eyes to peer from beneath their hijab, after tossing me a cursory glance, the five women continue to drift across the road.

I continue on my journey, and am turning a corner when a woman with a pushchair steps off the pavement and crosses in front of me again causing me to stop. I park in town and switch on the iPod, I’m going about my day when the screeching saxophone indicates another Toyah song is starting, this time it’s my all time favourite, ‘Neon Womb’.

Later as I’m reversing out of my parking bay, despite my being almost completely out another car drives straight past me, swerving to avoid me, and to boot he beeps his horn at me. I plug in my iPod and it obviously favours Toyah today, as I drive home ‘Insects’ from the live album Toyah, Toyah, Toyah plays.

Just as I pull into the road where I'm staying at the moment, a dog shoots out in front of me; the dog is closely followed by a teenager, resplendent in trackie bottoms and hoody. Neither man nor beast give me a glance as I apply the brakes, confirming my suspicions; that today I am driving an invisible car.

By the way I also had Toyah's song 'Angel and Me' playing when I got married.