Joshua Rhodes in Conversation with Sue Tilley:

Joshua: When
did you first meet Leigh Bowery? What was you reaction?

Sue: I first met him 1982/1983 in a club called Cha Chas and another club called
Bolts. I had just started going out clubbing. He was a friend of a friend who
you just say "hi" to a few times and I just took to him and he thought
I was bizarre as I was snogging my best friend who I pretended was my brother.
He thought I was a right pervert, As if, in a million years I would ever do
anything like that as I’m very prudish, no not really. You know you just
take to someone you just like them and for some unknown reason he must have
taken to me as well.

Joshua: Some people say that Leigh was a very complex, intriguing person,
with a very strong personality, sometimes a little difficult to deal with. How
was you’re your life with him, especially in the most familiar moments?

Sue: I never found him difficult at all really, I only ever argued with him
twice. Once when he painted my lips too big (I don’t like that) so I punched
him. The other time was when I said Raw Sewage would never make it to the top
of the charts; he wouldn't speak to me for two days. Apart from that we always
got on really well. He was fantastic and he always made life very interesting
for me.

He was very energetic he always made you do things, see things and always had
to go there, do this, do that and I'm a bit lazy, so it was very good because
he made me do things and experience things. He used to make me laugh so much
sometimes. We would be on the phone the morning after the night before, once
I was laughing so much I fell out of bed. Sometimes we would be on the phone
watching telly not even speaking just making noises in the dramatic bits. Undoubtedly
he was very complex but I was lucky I never saw that nasty side of him. To this
day I’m frightened to go up stairs on buses as he always pulled my skirt
up. (And in those days I never wore any knickers!)

Joshua: What was Taboo like for you? Which good memories you still
keep in your heart from that place?

Sue: I was unable to attend the Opening night as I was in hospital having
an operation. Leigh came to see me the next day and was so hung over; he got
into bed with me and said it was fantastic. It was very quiet the first night,
and then it got really huge and busy. Every other week I worked as the cashier
so one week I'd be sensible as I was working then the next I would join in all
the mayhem, mucking about and drunken hooha. You could always go there on your
own as you were always guaranteed to know half the people there. Same old records
played every week so you knew what was going on. There were always a handful
of pop stars, which is always a thrill for everyone, a bit of excitement. Everyone
says there were lots of drugs there but I must be very innocent as I never saw
drugs there. I also used to type up the guest list on an old pc at work, we
used to just put false names on it all the time, rubbishy celebrities. People
were always ringing up wanting to get on the list Leigh was a very generous
person.

Joshua: One of the most frequent questions we receive from the fans
is whatever happened to all Leigh’s clothes after his death? Do you still
keep some of his creations with yourself?

Sue: Nicola has most of the clothes; there are some in various galleries through
out the world.

I have a number of things that he made me some very nice frocks and bits and
pieces .I was wearing one last night in fact. He used to make me some very nice
clothes for work.

Josh: You have that heaven tartan dress as seen in the Taboo Documentary??

Sue: Yes I love that. Gary wanted me to bring that to Australia but it would
have taken up my whole suitcase and I would have had no room for anything else.
I would have got told off having too much heavy luggage.

Joshua: Which Leigh’s look(s) is (are) your favourite(s)?

Sue: I liked his daytime clothes the best because towards the end he was so
dressed up he couldn't talk or see, I couldn't see the point of being out. There’s
nothing I like more than a good chat and he just couldn’t chat back. I
love the first look Pakis from Outer Space, because I remember him making them,
I really loved those. Leigh was really excited and no one was dressing up, that's
really where it all started. Before that he used to dress modern but the same
as everyone else. I was never really keen on the pink frilly ones that came
after that. I don’t know what they were called but I never really took
to them. I like all the sparkly things and sequin things as I love sparkles.
I love his more homemade looking outfits not the more professional ones.

Joshua: There has been a great "revival" of Leigh Bowery
nowadays. In your opinion, what is the best thing that Leigh left us?

Sue: I think the best thing Leigh has left us is an attitude its kinda sad
as it's not anything new as its the same old things going around and around
obviously theres not going to be any more. I think the attitude of be different,
do what you want and if you want to be brave and look different to other people
go on and do it. Follow your dreams and what have you and it might work out.
It’s unfortunate that its worked out for Leigh after his death. He’s
still fantastic.

Joshua: Tell us a little bit about yourself. When you're not working,
what kind of things do you enjoy the most?

Sue:Its a very exciting life...not, I live in a 3 roomed flat, I have a front
room and two bedrooms. I have the TV in the front room, computer in the middle
room and bed in the last room. I lot of evenings I stay in, I don’t watch
much TV anymore. Chatting on the phone takes up a lot of my time. I never really
think anymore what should I do, maybe go out to a club or a bar. But I do go
out if I'm invited somewhere like peoples houses, art gallery openings or the
movies. I probably go out two or three times a week, I spend a lot of time shopping;
I’m very keen on that.

Joshua: Do you have any good news you can share with us about your
projects and career?

Sue: There is going to be a movie made of my book Life and Times of An Icon,
The Producers are the same people that worked on Boys Don’t Cry, Nicolas
Nicklby etc. They have a new writer in and are extremely behind the project.
Which is very exciting and fun.

Joshua: I have been cloning Leigh since the late 80s I have received
some terrible emails from friends of Leigh’s, How do you feel about Leigh
clones?

Sue: He would have been thrilled cause its what he wanted people going around
looking like him. Its unfortunate that most of them are men cause what he wanted
was to see lady’s going around supermarkets wearing his looks. I don’t
know about here but clothes in London are becoming very freakish, everything
here(Australia) is a bit the sameish but in London on the street people are
dressing up, stuff is all higgledy piggledy and I was looking at one of the
skirts in the exhibition Leigh was wearing which had raw selvedges at the. Now
you're starting to see that kinda thing in shops.

Josh: I know that London has the fantastic club Nag Nag Nag that seems
to attract a very freaky crowd, have you ever been there?

Sue: No not yet but I do know the guy that runs it Johnny Slut. Its good to
see people still dress up and go out.

Joshua: How did you feel when Taboo (Musical) opened in the West End
+ About the Character Big Sue? (I know I cry every time I see the Ill Adore
seen.

Sue: The first time I saw it was one of the rehearsals and they didn’t
get that far. The second time I went to see it I went to see it with the two
guys that are going to be producing Life and Times of A Icon and another guy
that I don’t really know very well. The producers had to leave to go sort
out a deal with Gwyneth Paltrow it was all very glamorous. Anyway I was left
with this guy that I don’t really know very well I was just sobbing and
sobbing, it was marvellous. I think I went to see it about six times and I must
say all my friends and family have seen it about three or four times and they
all got the DVD for Christmas. Also people I hadn’t seen for awhile would
ring me up and say I just saw you on the stage .It was absolutely lovely though
I was played by a very short girl half my size with a Scottish accent.

Joshua: How Do you feel about the huge changes that has been made for
the New York Production?

Sue: I think that in London a lot of people there knew the characters and it
was more cosy and a smaller environment .I suppose in New York as it was a bigger
theatre they had too make it more accessible to more people. Unfortunately they
took out my favourite character Steve Strange who was a marvellous entertainment.
Nicola's in this one, so I don’t sing Ill Adore anymore but I sing another
lovely song instead and my part's much bigger, which of course I love. To be
honest a lot of it is rubbish just made up for Broadway .Boy George was really
worried that I'd be really angry because they had made up that I had a big fight
with Leigh and didn’t speak to him for 3 years which is rubbish and that
I bossed Leigh about.... I hardly think so, In the show I seem to run his life
and even the job centre is featured, the job centre comes on and I'm busy dishing
out permits to run night clubs which never happened through the job centre,
You don't even need a permit to run a night club anyway. So I bribe Phillip
Sallon to have Leigh in his show other wise I wont give him a permit AS IF!
I love the bit at the end when Leigh’s dying and he says I’m Lucky
to be with the two most fabulous women in the world. When I was there I was
so emotional, I cried the whole time and at the end as well they show a huge
montage of pics of the real Leigh and it looks fantastic. I was there with my
friend Eric Conrad who runs Beige.

Joshua: How are you enjoying Australia, have you been here before and
are you planning to visit any other cites?

Sue: Its my first time here, I am enjoying Australia its very nice not really
like what I thought, its very sort of white that’s what I find very bizarre
compared to London .In London quite often on the bus I’m the only white
person. I suppose because of the heat everyone’s quite casually dressed
no freaky types really. I don’t like the way they treat the aboriginals
here after all they were here first.

Joshua: Are you planning on returning to our shores soon??

Sue: I never really plan things and marvellous things happen to me. I think
when the film comes out I will attend every premiere all over the world.

© 2004 Joshua Rhodes

Joshua and Alisson would like to thank Sue for this interview.

Look out for Leigh Bowery “The Life And Times off A Icon” In cinemas
hopefully in 2005.

Creation date : 19/01/2007 @ 16:28
Last update : 19/01/2007 @ 16:28
Category : Interviews
Page read 2751 times

 Print preview      Print the page