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It's hard to believe that almost eighteen years have passed since Haysi Fantayzee gave the British music scene a much-needed dose of fun and whimsey. After years of annihilist punk anthems and pompous New Romantic proclamations, it was time for a style and sound that could either be eye and ear candy and nothing more, or a playful jab at social hypocrisy.
Regard Records released the 7" single Holy Joe (with OK Big Daddy on the B-side) in July 1982, and Haysi Fantayzee were off and running. Over the following year Shiny Shiny, John Wayne Is Big Leggy, Holy Joe (Remixed), and the LP BATTLE HYMNS FOR CHILDREN SINGING were released to public acclaim and mixed critical reaction. They appeared on TOP OF THE POPS and their pancaked faces graced every music magazine and newspaper. Even after groups like Culture Club and Dead Or Alive took the dreadlocked, androgynous look to different dimensions, Haysi Fantayzee remained a source of public fascination. Kate and Jeremy were clownlike yet subliminally sexy. At first glance it seemed like they got their lyrics from a psychotic Scrabble board, but a closer look indicated that their subject matter: the apocalypse (Shiny Shiny), suicide (Sabres Of Paradise), and racial discrimination (John Wayne Is Big Leggy) was far from the kindergarten variey. In late 1983 the group finally disbanded to pursue their own projects. Jeremiah wrote music for TV commercials before joining old friend Boy George at the latter's More Protein label. Kate put out a couple of solo efforts and went back to photography, a field in which she has excelled. Her work has appeared in LEAR'S and PEOPLE magazines, among other publications, and she shot the album covers for Aimee Mann and other artists. She currently lives in LA and has a young daughter. Paul Caplan managed aspiring pop star Marilyn for a time, but the arrangement fell apart. Haysi Fantayzee broke ground for many of the cartoon-pop bands around today (Aqua, the B-52s) and should be remembered as more than mere footnotes in music history. This site is a tribute to Kate, Jeremiah, and Paul, and also a modest thank you to Kate. In 1985 she responded to a note I sent her with a personal letter and autographed photo. I've kept it over the years as proof that being in the public eye doesnt always entail loss of heart. Thank you, Kate....sincerely. Rose Keefe
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Haysi
Fantayzee fitted the bill. In late 1981 Welsh fashion photographer/model
Kate Garner and her musician boyfriend Paul Caplin (an alumnus of
EMI act Animal Magnet) teamed up with 19 year old Jeremiah Healy
to create a fashion/dance sensation. Kate and Jeremiah were the
focal points, dressed in His and Hers matching Hillbilly/white Rasta/circus
ringmaster fashions (complete with waist-length dreadlocks) and
singing along to bouncy tunes and slinky rhythmns. Paul remained
in the background, writing songs and playing a few instruments.
When they were ready to do the record company circuit, they did
it with their trademark innovative thinking: instead of mass-mailing
demo tapes, they cashed in on their visual impact and sent out copies
of a low budget video ("Shiney Shiney") and a huge stack
of publicity photos. The ruse worked, making them one of the first
artists to get a record deal largely on the strength of their image.