MAY 2020

 

Please find here an interview the boys did for a fan site few years back, gives a great over view of where and what they have been doing and how they came about doing it....enjoy

When did you both first meet?

Tikky
Mime class in Chelsea 1979.
Tokky
Well that covers that one then! 

How would you best describe your act?

Tikky
Then: Visually adventurous and shamelessly tarty. Now: Visually adventurous.
Tokky
4D music with grotesque visuals.

What do your parents think of you shows and your appearance on stage?

Tikky
Mine are unfortunately both deceased so apart from having a séance it’s kind of hard to tell. I know that they were pleased that I was doing something rewarding with my life back then.
Tokky
‘amused’ I think the word is. My father (retired General) always respected my means to pay for the cat food. They have never seen us live and I’m not sure if they have seen us on TV. I have never really talked about it.

And did you think the partnership would have lasted this long?

Tikky
We knew that Tik & Tok had a finite lifespan and when we split up in 1984 we thought:”OK, we did what we came here to do.” We never thought that 20 plus years later we’d be making some new music and appearing at Star Wars Conventions all over the world. We still are the best mates it’s possible to have and we’ve weathered many different storms. We’re like brothers.
Tokky
They say when you’re having fun, time passes quickly, I suppose that’s happening.

When did you leave Shock, and what was the main reason?

Tik
We split in early 1982 because after Robert & LA left in the summer of ’81 we guessed that the writing was on the wall. Plus we’d already established Tik & Tok as a workable entity and had plans for our first single ‘Summer In The City’. In truth we always wanted ‘Vile Bodies’ to be the 1st T&T single, but we bowed to the wishes of a Record Company.
Tokky
When Robert wanted out it came as a real blow to me. I loved ‘Shock’ and the madness of it all. Shock was a unique entity with six very strong individuals. I count myself very lucky I was involved.

How did you come up with the name Tik & Tok?

Tikky
Tokky suggested it in a customary moment of brilliance one evening. It seemed to convey what we were about at that moment. My contribution was the spelling of it.
Tokky
Simple really, Tik and Tok rhymed with ‘Shock’ and described the act at the time.

We all know you are famed for your robotic dance, how much time do you have to set aside for rehearsal before a show?

Tikky
Oh, about 20 minutes or so. That’s just so we could tip a large Southern Comfort down our necks before we stepped out on stage. But we haven’t actually done the Robot for 23 years now, and there’s no possibility of us doing it again.
Tokky
When you say rehearsal we just talk through things then go for it (it keeps things live then). 

When was your first live performance? 

Tikky
At a Sanrizz hair show believe it or not in front of 2000 crimpers and stylists at Wembley Arena in September 1980.
Tokky
actually we started busking on the street, outside San Lorenzo’s Restaurant.


How did you go down with the crowds in the early days?

Tikky
Brilliantly! No-one had ever seen anything like it.

You performed at Wembley Arena supporting Gary Numan as Shock April '81 can you tell us how this came about?

Tikky
Gary found himself at The Embassy club in Bond Street, London one night in early ’81 and caught our act. And apart from having the hots for at least one of the Shock girls, thought we’d be a cool support act for his ‘farewell’ shows. No messy equipment you see and we weren’t in competition musically. He was exceedingly generous to us. The shows he put on were totally stunning – visually and musically.
Tokky
and guess what, I have found the missing tape of the show that I am uploading on ‘You tube’ 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AExkNM14eII Enjoy!

What other bands have you supported?

Tikky – Ultravox, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode. Plus as Shock we worked with Theatre Of Hate, Blancmange, Classix Nouveaux etc on various tours.

What were your most embarrassing moments in you career?

Tikky – Oh, how long have you got? I don’t think we need to dredge them up again. Sorry!

Can you tell us a little about your roles in the move Star Wars Return Of The Jedi?

Tikky – Basically we were furry alien baddies in the employ of the evil Jabba The Hut. Namely: Yak Face (Tokky) and Whiphid (Tikky). We also played Good Guys as ‘Mon Calamari Officers’ piloting a Rebel spaceship under the command of Admiral Ackbar. So, we were goodies and baddies in the same movie. That’s unusual!

Do you ever do Star Wars Conventions and do you enjoy them? 

Tikky – Yes, we’ve done them all over the world now, and we love every strange moment of them!


You supported Gary Numan on his comeback tour "Warriors" in 1983. Did you enjoy the experience and how did you get along with Gary and the rest of the band?

Tikky – The experience of that tour was, in every way, the high point of Tik & Tok 1. Gary was generous, real, honest, open and very good company for 6 or 7 weeks. The stage set, sound and lighting was to die for, and he always made sure that we got what we needed to make our act work to its best. Also I think he enjoyed our little cameos on stage in his own set later in the evening. We got on well with everybody in Gary’s band throughout the whole tour.
Tokky – I’ll echo that.

Why do you think the Numan fans have always loved your act? 

Tikky – That’s hard to answer really isn’t it? I think that maybe it was because we didn’t have anything to prove. We just seemed to slot right in to Gary’s needs for a support act at the time. The thing about T&T is that we’re not out to assert ourselves over anybody else so therefore we’re non-threatening. We’re a mime act who make electronica music, we haven’t come into town to create havoc and steal your wife and pets, sing better or play guitar louder than others. We just strut our stuff for a short while, give people something that they haven’t seen before and then move on.
Tokky – you tell us! 


If I can remember rightly you did all your own artwork on the Intolerance album, who is the most artistic?

Tikky – Everything that is created within Tik & Tok is done by the two of us. It’s always been equal. Jane Kahn, who designed and made all of our stage and street clothing, provided the cover image for ‘Intolerance’.
Tokky – me!…. (Great now you have got us into a domestic).

Intolerance was your first album what was it like to finally release an album and have Gary appear on it?

Tikky – As good as you can imagine! Very pleased with it in every way, and still proud of it today as an eclectic selection of music by two artists that sadly a lot of people dismissed at the time as being merely mime artistes. Gary was a gem who snuck into the studio, laid down about 3 synth lines, sang backing vocals on ‘Show Me Something Real’ and then disappeared back into the night. How cool is that?


With the release of your SLIGHTLY DERANGED EP and your second album Dream Orphans on its way, what can we expect from the new album and Tik & Tok in the future? 

Tikky – The new album is a strange mix of ambient and danceable electronica that rocks sometimes and ultimately gives you some cool pictures to cut out and stick on the front of your brain. If we hadn’t made it ourselves we’d definitely buy it and play it to death!
What does the future hold for Tik & Tok? All we can say about the future is – expect the unexpected….
Tokky – me losing my hair!

 

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