Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys present a Goth Beach Party

Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys present a Goth Beach Party

Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys present their own inspiring brand of music and performance art.  And with their latest Goth Beach single and video, the sonic party rages on tenfold!  In the grand tradition of innovative standout acts such as the B52s and Devo, Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys unleash a diabolically good time that all types of music fanatics will want to explore and revisit.  Highwire Daze recently had the opportunity to chat with the wickedly wonderful Walter Sickert to find out more about the making of Goth Beach and the glorious artistry found within The Army of Broken Toys.  Read on…

It looks like you are based out of Boston, Ma. What is your local music scene like there?
It’s incredible! There are all kinds of music! All kinds of artists! If we had more independent venues for them to perform in, we’d have a very eclectic scene that rivals any major music town. This scene has supported us from the very beginning and we’re more than a scene, we’re family! Their support has allowed us to take our weirdness world-wide!

What genre do you put yourselves under?
Genre like gender, is a thing that is fluid for some of us and I’ve always seen our band that way. Which is why, over our career, we’ve been able to do a wide variety of creative endeavors from musicals, to live scores, to a country album, to this new single Goth Beach and almost everything in-between.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the single Goth Beach?
Ever since I was a tiny-salty-baby-beach goth, I’ve loved Rock Lobster by B52s and The Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett. With that as my primordial DNA soup; Goth Beach is a spooky lighthouse beacon to remind everyone that no matter how alone we might feel in our current circumstances; there are others just like us around the globe. And we can all meet at the Goth Beach inside our hearts with Love & Tentacles

Where was the video for Goth Beach filmed and what was it like taking over the beach for a wild goth party?
We filmed Goth Beach on Long Sands Beach in Yorke, Maine. First it was just me and my parasol and my Goth Beach outfit and one million unsuspecting beachgoers who had little to no idea of what was about to transpire over the next 8 hours and what delicious spooky creepy treats were in store for their eye-holes. Then suddenly, like the swooping of a giant monster seagull, nine groovy ghoul-y beach-goths descended on the sandy scene; surrounded by a film crew (complete with that actual monster seagull and a mermaid that happened to wash up on shore)! It was perfect pandemonium. By far the most fun and fulfilling video shoot we’ve ever done!

Talk about the participants in the Goth Beach video and how did you wind up doing some of the casting? Or were they all members of the Army of Broken Toys?
When I had the vision for Goth Beach, both the song and the video appeared in my brain at once. And when I knew that I’d want to fulfil a lifelong dream of finally having a song with it’s own dance; there was only one group of artists I could turn to and those are the people that have helped me make weird, wonderful art in the past. With the help of my bandmate Mary Widow taking over choreography duties; we put together the Goth Beach Dance Crew. A rag-tag salty goth beach gang who took my vision to the next level. They are all a part of our Art Family.

You’ve done live scores for classic silent movies such as Nosferatu, Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari, and Metropolis. What was that experience like?
Horrifying and wonderful. It’s a lot of improvisation and trusting each other in the moment – luckily that’s already how we write music.

What could one expect from a live Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys show?
You could expect a show unlike anything you’ve ever seen or may well see again. And that’s a goddamn guarantee.

If Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
The Cramps. And I fully expect Lux to throw a bottle of whiskey at my head and it would be like a baptism.

What’s up next for Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys?
Goth Prom, there’s no problems at the Goth Prom… We’re also, planning a couple of tours, a few special festival appearances, we’ll release another single in the fall, and will be shooting a TV pilot for my Daily Dystopian Talk Show BUNKER BUDS, which I’ve done over 500 episodes of and hope to do a million more!

Have you toured Europe yet?
We’ve been lucky enough to tour the US a few times as well as the EU, UK, Eastern Europe, Japan and parts of South America. We hope to hit Australia in early 2023.

Any final words of wisdom?
Whatever dream you have, no matter how many times you might try to talk yourself out of it… don’t listen! Listen to the OTHER voice that says this dream is MAGIC and so are YOU and you deserve to see it through!

(Interview by Ken Morton)

Goth Beach on YouTube -> https://youtu.be/og_bZlD1VQA