Georgina Baillie

Last updated

Georgina Baillie
Georgina Baillie 2023.png
Baillie in 2023
Born (1985-07-07) 7 July 1985 (age 39)
CitizenshipBritish
Education The Poor School and Workhouse Theatre drama school
Occupations
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
  • burlesque performer
Known for Poussez Posse, Adam Ant
Stylepost-punk, gothic burlesque
Parents
  • Charles Baillie (father)
  • Kate Sachs (mother)
Relatives Andrew Sachs (grandfather)
Website georginabaillieart.com

Georgina Baillie (born 7 July 1985) is an English actor, artist, post-punk singer, songwriter, and formerly a burlesque performer. Her stage names have included Voluptua and Georgie Girl.

Contents

From 2010 to 2013 she worked as a backing vocalist for Adam Ant and during 2011–2012 as the lead singer of the band Georgie Girl and her Poussez Posse that toured with Ant in over 100 concerts.

In October 2008, Baillie and her grandfather, the actor Andrew Sachs, were the targets of a prank phone call by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross that resulted in reverberations in the British media.

Early life

Baillie was born 7 July 1985 in East London UK. Her mother is voiceover artist Kate Sachs and her father the actor Charles Baillie. Her maternal grandfather was the actor Andrew Sachs. [1] [2]

Career

Music

Baillie has worked with a number of bands over the years. In 2010, she worked with MariaMaria to release a single, "Sonnet for a Vampire." Baillie performed vocals, with Sarah White on bass and Corrine Aze "Hazel" Corleone on guitar. [3]

In 2009, shortly after The Russell Brand Show prank calls, Adam Ant befriended Baillie, and as of 2011 remained close friends. He hired Baillie to oversee his calendar scheduling and asked her to perform back up vocals for his performances. [4] This lasted from 2010–2013. At first she sang with White and later with Georgina "Twinkle" Leahy; she later sang backup alone. [5] As a member of Ant's band "The Good, The Mad and the Lovely Posse", she appeared as a backing vocalist in Ant's "Cool Zombie" music video, released on Blueblack Hussar Records [6] and in concert footage featured in The Blueblack Hussar, a documentary about Ant's early 2010s musical comeback directed by Jack Bond, as well as in extras included on the film's DVD release. [7]

Baillie co-wrote two songs in response to the Jonathan Ross/Russell Brand incident discussed below. One was "Gun In Your Pocket", a song by Ant with input from Baillie [8] in which both Baillie and Brand are discussed. [9] "Gun In Your Pocket" was written in 2010 as single for Ant's upcoming album Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter . [10] In the end the song was released in late 2012 as the B side of the pre-album single "Cool Zombie". [11] The other song was "Rubber Medusa" – a song addressed to Brand from Baillie's point of view, co-written with Ant. [8]

From 2011 to 2012, Baillie was lead singer of the band Georgie Girl And Her Poussez Posse, which Ant mentored. There were two incarnations of Poussez Posse. The original line-up featured Baillie with Fiona Bevan and Danie Cox both on guitars, Rachael Smith on drums and Molly Spiers Macleod (daughter of Spizz) on bass. Footage from early 2011 of a band meeting of this first incarnation at Ant's home is included in Bond's documentary. [7] They recorded a single of "Rubber Medusa" (b/w "Teacher") and an EP of four of Cox's songs. Both projects remain unreleased. Bevan left to concentrate on her own music in July 2011 and Cox, Smith and Spiers Macleod all abruptly left in September (to found their own band The Featherz, led by Cox). [12]

At this point, the second incarnation of the Posse was recruited, featuring the return of Corleone on guitar, drummer Jessica Rushton and future Curse of Lono bassist Charis Anderson. [8] [13] This version toured the UK, mainland Europe and Australia supporting Ant and his band between October 2011 and December 2012, [14] [15] with Baillie performing double duty every night as both the Posse's frontwoman and Ant's backing vocalist. [8]

Early in 2013, Baillie dissolved the second Posse. She sang vocals and Corleone played guitar as the duo Vortex Empress. [16] They produced two tracks, "Burn Me" and "Spellbound" and a music video for the former. From mid to late 2013, she sang backing vocals in Guns 2 Roses, (the official Guns 'N Roses tribute act). In 2016, she worked with Boz Boorer singing vocals on the track "Le Stalker" on Boorer's solo album Age of Boom. [17] [18]

John Robb of Louder Than War , in a full interview for the site, described Baillie's work as "punky burlesque". [8] The Evening Standard of London has profiled her music career and musical collaboration and friendship with Ant. [5] The Tampa Bay Times describes Georgie Girl & Her Poussez Posse's music as "fresh and rough", comparing their sound to "Hole vs Garbage vs a sexy, roller-derby squad". [19]

Burlesque

Baillie has worked in burlesque, some of her collaborators and projects include: Salvation Group, and Satanic Sluts Extreme, a four piece "gothic burlesque" dance group originating as an offshoot of the online subculture "Satanic sluts" organised by Nigel Wingrove; her persona's stage name was Voluptua. Self-described as: "four of the sexiest depraved London jezebels", they performed at Glastonbury music festival and in several music videos. [20] [21]

Acting

As well as showing her as backing vocalist and apprentice to Ant, her appearance in Jack Bond's documentary The Blueblack Hussar also features her life at Ant's house in early 2011 and her accompanying Ant as he goes about his comeback, including being in the studio for an early 2011 Xfm radio session. [22]

After she stopped working with Ant, Baillie studied acting at The Poor School of drama in London in the mid 2010s. [6] [23] In 2021, she was cast in the lead role in a production of the 1975 Barry Reckord play, White Witch, at the Bloomsbury Theatre. [24] Also in 2021, she appeared in the Kevin Short film, Tom and his Zombie Wife. [25]

Art

Baillie began producing cartoon-like drawings in 2017 as part of rehab. Later she began painting and producing silkscreen prints. [26] In 2024, she created a podcast "HOPE: Hearing Other People's Experiences" in which she discussed her experience with addiction with guests including Dr Chantelle Lewis, Dr Gillian Shorter, Tati Silva, Alexe, Pax, Christine Lynn Cant, Chris Beradi, and Will Ogden. [27]

2008 prank call incident

During the 18 October 2008 episode of BBC Radio 2's The Russell Brand Show , comedian Russell Brand and presenter Jonathan Ross called actor Andrew Sachs (Baillie's grandfather) live on air for an interview. When Sachs failed to take the call, Ross and Brand left a series of four "lewd" messages on Sachs' answering machine, about Baillie's sexual relationship with Brand. [28] [29] [30] The incident was picked up by the tabloids, and later resulted in Brand and Radio 2 controller Lesley Douglas resigning from the BBC, Ross being suspended without pay for twelve weeks, and the BBC being fined £150,000 by Ofcom. [31]

The media referred to the incident as "Sachsgate". Sachs never gave his consent to have these messages broadcast on the air. This led to the estrangement of Baillie with her grandparents that lasted for years. [32] [33] The sociologist Chris Rojeck described Ross and Brand's exploit as an "invasion of privacy", and stated that "their remorse is not focused on Andrew Sachs or Georgina Baillie, the victims whose privacy has been violated" but rather the two comedians felt remorse for receiving negative public reactions and disapproval of their stunt. [34]

Baillie stated in the New York Times that she thought Brand was "very much rewarded" for the prank. [35] The prank calls were covered in the news again in the wake of a Sunday Times–Channel 4 investigation into Brand's alleged sexual assaults of other women. [36] [37]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Ant</span> English singer and musician (born 1954)

Stuart Leslie Goddard, known professionally as Adam Ant, is an English singer, musician, and actor. He gained popularity as the lead singer of new wave group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring 10 UK top ten hits from 1980 to 1983, including three UK No. 1 singles. He has also worked as an actor, appearing in many films and television episodes.

Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni frequently credited simply as Marco, is a British guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He has worked with Adam Ant, Sinéad O'Connor, Siouxsie and the Banshees and many others from the late 1970s to the present day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Sachs</span> British actor (1930–2016)

Andreas Siegfried Sachs, known professionally as Andrew Sachs, was a German-born British actor. He made his name on British television and found his greatest fame for his portrayal of the comical Spanish waiter Manuel in Fawlty Towers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boz Boorer</span> English guitarist and music producer

Martin James "Boz" Boorer is an English guitarist and producer. He founded the new wave rockabilly group the Polecats, and starting in 1991 had a 30-year collaboration with singer Morrissey as co-writer, guitarist and musical director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Walker (drummer)</span> American musician (born 1969)

Matt Walker is an American session musician, known for drumming with Filter, The Smashing Pumpkins and Morrissey, as well as being the regular fill-in to Butch Vig from Garbage on three of their tours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vince Taylor</span> English rock and roll singer

Vince Taylor, born Brian Maurice Holden, was an English-American rock and roll singer. As the lead singer of Vince Taylor and His Playboys, sometimes called Vince Taylor and the Playboys, he was successful primarily in France and other parts of Continental Europe during the late 1950s and early 1960s, afterwards falling into obscurity amidst personal problems and drug abuse. He is best remembered for his 1959 song "Brand New Cadillac", which the Clash covered on their album London Calling. He was the inspiration for David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust character, according to Bowie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Brand</span> English comedian, actor, and podcaster (born 1975)

Russell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, presenter, activist, and campaigner. He established himself as a standup comedian and radio host before becoming a film actor. After beginning his career as a comedian and later becoming an MTV presenter in the UK, in 2004 Brand gained a role as the host of the television show Big Brother's Big Mouth, a Big Brother spin-off. He had his first major film role in British comedy St Trinian's (2007) before starring in the Hollywood comedies Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), Get Him to the Greek (2010), Arthur (2011), and Rock of Ages (2012). He has released several stand-up specials including Scandalous (2009), Messiah Complex (2013), and Brandemic (2023). He hosted his own radio show The Russell Brand Show and also hosts the podcasts Stay Free with Russell Brand and Under the Skin with Russell Brand. He has received three British Comedy Awards and a nomination for a BAFTA Award. Over the course of his career, Brand has been the subject of frequent media coverage for issues such as his promiscuity, drug use, political views, provocative behaviour at various award ceremonies, his dismissal from MTV, and his resignation from the BBC amid a prank call controversy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mich Dulce</span> Filipina fashion designer, reality show actor, and musician

Mich Dulce is a Filipina fashion designer, milliner, corsetiere, feminist activist, actress, artist and vocalist of bands Death By Tampon, Us-2 Evil-0 and The Male Gaze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spizzenergi</span> English punk/new wave band

Spizzenergi are an English punk/new wave band led by vocalist/guitarist Spizz. Formed in the late 1970s, the band changed its name every year, subsequent names including Athletico Spizz 80, Spizzoil and the Spizzles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antmusic</span> 1980 single by Adam and the Ants

"Antmusic" is a song by English rock band Adam and the Ants, released as the third single in the UK from the album Kings of the Wild Frontier.

<i>The Russell Brand Show</i> (radio show) BBC comedy programme

The Russell Brand Show was a radio show first broadcast in 2006 on BBC Radio 6 Music and later on BBC Radio 2, TalkSport, XFM and finally Radio X in 2017. The show's host was English comedian Russell Brand, who was usually joined by co-host and long-term friend Matt Morgan, as well as the show's poet laureate, Greg "Mr Gee" Sekweyama. The show also featured regular contributions from English musician Noel Gallagher, who was described as an unofficial co-host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Crewdson</span> British musician

Will Crewdson is a London-based guitarist/writer/producer best known for his work with the UK band Rachel Stamp, US singer Johnette Napolitano and Adam Ant.

In a pre-recorded episode of The Russell Brand Show broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on 18 October 2008, comedian Russell Brand and presenter Jonathan Ross made prank calls to actor Andrew Sachs that courted controversy in the United Kingdom. Brand and Ross called Sachs to interview him on air; when he did not answer, they left lewd messages on his answering machine, including comments about Brand's relationship with Sachs' granddaughter Georgina Baillie.

Tree Carr is an American author, death midwife and mystic. She has authored books on dreaming.

Jack Bond is a British film producer and director. He is best known for his work for The South Bank Show and his creative partnership with the British writer, actor and director Jane Arden (1927–1982) between 1965 and 1979.

<i>Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunners Daughter</i> 2013 studio album by Adam Ant

Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter, is the sixth solo studio album by Adam Ant. The album's title was announced by Ant in the NME in April 2010. As he had announced at his gig in Chatham in September 2012, the new album was released on 21 January 2013 by Ant's own record label, Blueblack Hussar Records. Despite the independent self-release, the album reached number 25 on the UK Albums Chart, only one place lower than its predecessor, Wonderful, released on the major EMI label nearly eighteen years earlier. It had previously been at number 8 in the midweek chart update.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio 2</span> British national radio station

BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. The 'About Radio 2' BBC webpage says: "With a repertoire covering more than 60 years, Radio 2 plays the widest selection of music on the radio - from classic and mainstream pop to country, folk, jazz, musical theatre, soul, hip hop, rock 'n' roll, gospel and blues."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiona Bevan</span> English singer-songwriter

Fiona Mackay Barclay Bevan is an English singer-songwriter from Suffolk, who currently lives in London. She co-wrote the song "Little Things" for One Direction with Ed Sheeran which became a number-one single in 13 countries and received a BMI award for the single.

The Featherz are a Welsh and English band with glam and punk influences led by Danie Centric on lead vocals and guitar. Centric formed the band with two fellow former members of Poussez Posse, a band fronted by Georgina Baillie and mentored by Adam Ant. After leaving Baillie and Ant to form their own group, they received press coverage in the Ipswich Star, Wales On Sunday, Basingstoke Gazette, website Louder Than War and rock magazine Vive Le Rock who included their track "RNR★" on the free CD with the January/February 2014 edition. They also completed a UK national tour supporting Boy George, in three of whose videos Centric appeared and subsequently toured with The Damned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgina Hermitage</span> British Paralympic athlete

Georgina Hermitage, is a British former parasport athlete competing in T37 sprint events. In 2015, she qualified for the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, selected for the T37 100m and 200m. She took the gold in the 400m sprint, setting a new world record.

References

  1. ↑ Moorhead, Joanna (12 August 2011). "It's time for you to talk". The Guardian .
  2. ↑ Millard, Rosie (9 November 2008). "News Review interview: Georgina Baillie". The Times . Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  3. ↑ Sonnet for a Vampire – Single. "MariaMaria and Georgina Baillie". Apple Music. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  4. ↑ Duerden, Nick (6 February 2011). "Comeback? I never went away". The Independent. Retrieved 15 November 2023. Link to print image.
  5. 1 2 "Let's Hear It for the Antgirl". Evening Standard. 15 August 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Georgina Baillie". Mandy. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  7. 1 2
    • Bond, Jack (director); Jack Bond, Mary-Rose Storey (producers); Joanna Apps, Gabriela Miranda Rodriguez (film editors) (2013). The Blueblack Hussar (Motion picture). (Documentary).
    • Bond, Jack (July 2014). The Blueblack Hussar (DVD cover credits). Sunrise Studios. ... In order of appearance: ... Danie Cox, Fiona Bevan, Molly Spiers Macleod, Rachael Smith ...
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Robb, John (10 July 2012). "Georgie Girl and her Poussez Posse: interview". Louder than War. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  9. ↑ Smith, Jay (10 September 2012). "Catching up with Adam Ant". Pollstar. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  10. ↑ "Adam Ant challenges Liam Gallagher to a fight". NME. April 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  11. ↑ Walker, Glenn (29 January 2013). "The Real Return of Adam Ant". BiffBamPop. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  12. ↑ Owens, David (8 February 2014). "Outrageous dressing Welsh singer Danie Cox teams up with 80s legend Boy George". WalesOnline.com. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  13. ↑ Smyth, David (27 May 2011). "A New Dawn for Prince Charming: Adam Ant and the Good, the Bad and the Lovely Posse". Evening Standard. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  14. ↑ "Adam Ant 2011 performances". Adamant.net. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  15. ↑ "Adam Ant 2012 performances". Adamant.net. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  16. ↑ "Georgina Baillie". Discogs. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  17. ↑ Van Bader, David (30 March 2017). "Box Boorer: Triple Agent". Premier Guitar. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  18. ↑ Garratt, John (18 October 2016). "Lowering the Boom: An Interview with Box Boorer". Pop Matters. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  19. ↑ Rothstein, Lance (10 December 2012). "Concert review: Adam Ant in Antwerp (How perfect is that?)". Tampa Bay Times. With Steve Spears. Stuck in the '80s (Belgium). Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022. 'Georgie Girl & Her Poussez Posse' took the opening spot. Lead singer Georgina Baillie (who also sings backup for Adam) really rocked the house. Despite their '50s pinup-girl image, their sound is fresh and rough. Think Hole vs Garbage vs a sexy, roller-derby squad ... The crowd seemed energized by [Adam Ant's] enthusiasm and this was only heightened when Georgina Baillie returned to the stage in a sexy mermaid-influenced outfit and they eased into 'Desperate But Not Serious' ... And with Georgina on stage, there's no shortage of sexy.
  20. ↑ "Voluptua, the 'Satanic Slut' at the centre of BBC scandal". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 October 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  21. ↑ Malony, Julia (9 November 2008). "Miss Voluptua fails to whip up a storm". The Independent. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  22. ↑
  23. ↑
  24. ↑ Akbar, Arifa (10 September 2021). "White Witch review – slavery drama turned into awkward farce". The Guardian.
  25. ↑ "Tom and his Zombie Wife". Rotten Tomatoes (movie). Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  26. ↑ "Art Therapy Interview with Georgina Baillie". Blush Magazine. Seven Star Media. October 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  27. ↑ "HOPE Podcast Series". YouTube.
  28. ↑ Booth, Jenny (29 October 2008). "'Cruel' Russell Brand betrayed me, says Andrew Sachs' granddaughter Georgina Baillie". The Times. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  29. ↑ "Georgina Baillie – at the centre of the Russell Brand row". The Telegraph. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  30. ↑ Sanderson, David (3 March 2014). "Sachs family 'wild child' had no apology from Brand". The Times . Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  31. ↑ Hunt, Leon (2013). "Near the knuckle? It nearly took my arm off! British comedy and the 'new offensiveness'". Cult British TV Comedy: From Reeves and Mortimer to Psychoville. Manchester University Press. pp. 201–231. ISBN   978-0719083778. JSTOR   j.ctt18mvmgw.12 . Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  32. ↑ Trendell, Andrew (5 December 2016). "Andrew Sachs' widow vows to 'punch' Jonathan Ross over 'Sachsgate' sex call prank with Russell Brand". NME. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  33. ↑ Fleming, Carol (2009). The Radio Handbook. Taylor and Francis. p. 187. ISBN   9781135258115 . Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  34. ↑ Rojek, Chris (2012). Fame Attack: The Inflation of Celebrity and Its Consequences . Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 156–158. ISBN   9781849660716 . Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  35. ↑ Flegenheimer, Matt (13 November 2023). "Russell Brand's Alternate Reality". The New York Times Magazine . Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  36. ↑ Bond, Kimberley (18 September 2023). "Georgina Baillie reflects on Russell Brand's prank call incident 15 years later". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  37. ↑ Media coverage revisiting prank calls incident, following sexual assault allegation against Brand:
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.