Sound & Vision (Peter Wyngarde, David Soul, Joaquin Phoenix Feature)
Tuesday, 01 March 2011
Written by Rob Burns
If you think about it, acting is a strange way to earn your daily crust: one moment you’re playing the role of a greenhouse gas in a Hackney council funded play about global warming; the next moment you’ve landed the leading role in a Bollywood version of “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo”. When your acting makes you a household name, the temptation to cash in on your fame must be strong. Some actors have dipped their toes into the waters of music with varying degrees of success. Back in the mid- 80s Kylie Minogue was just an Australian soap opera actress; these days she’s a global pop star. However, some actors haven’t been (to paraphrase Kylie’s song) “so lucky“ when they have tried their hand at music.
From the late Sixties to the early Seventies, dandy actor Peter Wyngarde found success in the television series “Department S” and spin-off show “Jason King”. The cross-Atlantic appeal of Wyngarde led RCA records to approach the actor to see if he wanted to record his own album. Wyngarde agreed to the deal (in spite of his admission that he couldn’t sing) and was given creative carte blanche in terms of the album’s content. In hindsight, this was a bad decision. The album ‘Peter Wyngarde’ combines spoken word, easy listening music and the contents of an unhinged mind. One of the tracks ‘Rape’ manages to blend racism with unparalleled insensitivity about sexual assault. In a ’comic’ manner, Wyngarde recounts the different types of rape around the world .This odious subject matter is exacerbated when Wyngarde uses racist impressions that would make Bernard Manning turn in his grave. If you don’t believe me, listen to it below.
It should come as no surprise that the album was soon withdrawn after its first release. The cult status of this album led to it being re-released under the title of 'When Sex Leers its Inquisitive Head' in recent years.
In the latter part of the Seventies David Soul found success as Ken Hutchinson in the police drama ‘Starsky and Hutch’. At the same time David used his vocal skills to get number one hits with ‘Silver Lady’ and ‘Don’t Give Up On Us’. However, this wasn’t David’s first dalliance with pop music. From 1966-1967 Soul took on the persona of ‘The Covered Man’, a mysterious singer who wore a mask that his hid features. In his alter-ego, he supported Frank Zappa, The Byrds and the Lovin’ Spoonful. Soul’s decision to reveal his identity ended The Covered Man’s enigma and popularity.
In a 2009 episode of the “David Letterman show”, ‘Walk The Line’ star Joaquin Phoenix (pictured above) announced that he was renouncing movies to become a rap artist. This decision was followed by a 'Spinal Tap-like’ documentary “I’m Still Here” in which Phoenix pursues his rap ambitions. Sceptics suggested that the rap career was a hoax. The film features hip-hop superstar Diddy who defended the authenticity of Phoenix’s rap ambitions. In 2010 Phoenix returned to the Letterman show and confessed that the whole thing was a hoax. The “documentary” is like the comedy film ‘Borat’ in the sense that fact and fiction start to become inseparable. If the documentary’s featured celebrities were in on the hoax then it’s a credit to their acting skills; if they were hoodwinked then it’s a credit to the hoaxers.
Shows like “Hannah Montana” and “Glee” have blurred the distinction between actors and singers to the point that we’re no longer surprised if actors become pop singers (or vice versa). Stage schools are producing all-round entertainers who are comfortable singing or acting (for example, Billie Piper). However, these “kids from Fame” wannabes’ CVs probably make dull reading when you compare them to Joaquin Phoenix and Peter Wyngarde’s forays into music.
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