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| PHILIP SALLON: They all used to come to my club, the Mudd Club. Leigh was there, but he was like a soul boy with a wedge and whatever. And then he found an identity in his clothes and believed in his look and that was it. He was really talented as a designer. He did a lot of things before anybody else. The people that looked the best in there were him, Trojan and Mark Voultier. They all dressed the same, didn't they? Like clones. I though' Leigh looked better than anyone else in London. |
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| JEFFREY HINTON: Leigh was the master of ceremonies. It was a showcase for him. People used to go 'I wander what Leigh will be wearing this week?' He made a different outfit each week. It's weird the amount of effort people used to go to just to be in that club for a few hours. We'd been through Punk and we'd been through New Romantic and Taboo gave them the freedom to wear whatever they wanted. There were no rules. |
| Leigh Bowery |
| LAURENCE MALICE: Leigh just wanted a place to express himself and which was his party -a party far his immediate friends. Leigh was an exhibitionist and a walking art piece. But clubs, if you get them right, the basic ingredients are exhibitionism and voyeurism. And that's why Taboo worked. |
| MATTHEW GLAMORRE: I thought I was very avant with my look, but when I saw those people, I thought 'This is even beyond me!' I remember going away and shaving chunks out of my hair. It was a very harsh anti-glamour look. It was wonderful. It was my first experience of a club and it was fabulous 'cause it was everything I expected. It was extreme, severe, intense, nasty -it was a war zone. It was make-up heaven. It was big outfits. It was pop stars. Everything about it was too thrilling and exciting for me. |
| JEFFREY HINTON: We weren't looking round thinking 'Oh my God- everyone looks weird!' 'Cause all the people we knew looked like that anyway. When I walked round the club and there was like Alex Binnie with no clothes on and Leigh with blood all over his head, I was used to seeing them like that. |
| MATTHEW GLAMORRE: The first thing that hit me was that Jeffrey was scratching up Abba and playing other stuff over the top of it -which was really hilarious. And there was a load of weird Hi NRG stuff out at the time, which I really associate with Taboo - Rocket to Your Heart and After the Rainbow, Taffy's I Love My Radio. And this Indian track with this voice going "Hello darling, hello darling." |
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| Alex Gerry and friends |
| RACHEL AUBURN: There were two sets of people at Taboo. The Camden gang was David Holah, Princess Julia, Sue Tilley, Myra. All fashion people - Bodymap, basically. Michael Clark was going out with David Holah. And then there was us West London lot - Leigh and me and Troian from Ladbroke Grove, Judy Blame and people that worked in Kensington market. Troian was an ethereal, beautiful artist-child. And Leigh was totally totally totally madly infatuated with him. Troian was kind of like Leigh's artist's model. Physically he was really gorgeous. Me, Leigh and Troian were like a menage. Troian was gay -but I had him. And I had Leigh! |
| JEFFREY HINTON: We were all extremely close. Most of us lived together or around the same area. It was like an extended family. |
| ALEX GERRY: It was very much the golden youth of the day. And a lot of these people were very self-destructive - a lot of them died, like Trojan, Mark Vaultier, Mark Lawrence, Leigh. But the people that survived all went on to significant achievements and careers in their chosen fields. That�s very telling about the place. It was a laboratory of talent. |
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