# Holly Johnson

William (Holly) Johnson (born 9 February 1960) is an English artist, musician and writer, best known as the lead vocalist of the controversial 1980s new wave pop rock band Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

## Quotes

* I’m very lucky. I have terrific parents, but some kids have a really rotten time growing up and we should do all that we can to make their lives happier and more secure.
** Frankie say war on cruelty at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.
* You used to get people writing in to the Liverpool Echo saying, ‘Who is this Martian walking round town?’ I used to get battered. Going out for lunch was like running the gauntlet.
** Frankie says... at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.
* Showbiz is a very strange thing, I’ve got a love-hate relationship with that. In Liverpool your mates say, ‘You’re there, Holly, you’re there’ but they only see the end product, not what that entails.
** Frankie says... at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.
* We are here to stir things up. Even people that hate us have to admit that we’ve already succeeded in doing that. Love Frankie or hate it - that’s what we want - a strong reaction.
** Frankie says... at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.
* When Frankie Goes To Hollywood were still going strong, we made a point of being as Spinal Tap as possible. Yes, we had food fights. Yes, items were thrown out of hotel windows. But one childish prank I liked at the time was when we stayed in those really posh hotels where, at night, you could put your shoes out and in the morning they’ve been cleaned. We amused ourselves by roaming the corridors at night and having a crap in each pair of shoes we found. We even made bets: whoever filled the most shoes, won.
** "(untitled)" HOLLY JOHNSON : Frankie Goes To Hollywood(untitled) article]at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.
* Often the raw ideas like ‘Relax’ and ‘Rage Hard’ - are the best. ‘Rage Hard’ just happened. There was little conscious effort.
** Frankie go bang! by Paul Simper at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.
* Coming back doing interviews is weird. It’s like an actor who takes a year off and just goes home, settles down, does some gardening, wakes up in the morning, worries about what to have for breakfast, then suddenly you’re plonked back in the middle of it all.
** Frankie go bang! by Paul Simper at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.
* I do sometimes write songs that don’t seem right for Frankie so they get filed away. But don’t worry - anything good will be used. I’m not that gifted that I can afford to throw away any good stuff.
** Frankie go bang! by Paul Simper at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.
* I got great voice training in St. Mary’s Church, Wavertree, in Liverpool, when I was a lad. Dressing up in cassocks was all part of the fun. I used to earn sixpence a week and although I don’t go to church very much any more, 'Once In Royal David’s City' is still my favourite hymn.
** Frankie go bang! by Paul Simper at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.
* [I was] a little boy with a patch over one eye, who sang and danced along the street. I had what’s called a lazy eye, so I had to wear the patch. You tend to be a prodded kind of kid when you look like that, but it makes you much stronger in the end.
** Hooray For Hollywood by Paul Simper at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.
* I was in Big In Japan between '77 and '78. Then I went solo, releasing a couple of singles. Then I joined the Dancing Girls who turned into the Sons Of Egypt who were then whittled down into Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
** Personal File: Holly (Frankie Goes To Hollywood) by Paul Simper at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.
* The name Holly was given me by a girl called Yvonne Petrovitch because of the Andy Warhol connection with the transvestite Holly Woodlawn.
** The 5 Tribes Of Frankie by Paul Simper at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.
* Dad wasn’t there much cos he had three or four jobs. First he was away at sea, later on he worked as an insurance salesman in the day and on a building site in the evening.
** The 5 Tribes Of Frankie by Paul Simper at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.

## Quotes about Holly Johnson

* He was a skinhead and I thought, ‘Oooh! He’s weird!’ He had this blond skinhead cut with ‘Psycho’ sprayed in black on his head. I hated that. He was wild but he’s not any more. He’s been tamed by age.
** Quoted in: Frankie says... at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.
* Paul and Holly would rather hang out in the Café Tabac or the Armadillo Tea Rooms where everyone sits around going 'Oh, Andy Warhol, yah', pretending it’s London. [instead of the burger joint where the interview is taking place]
** Quoted in: Five Go Mad On Merseyside at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.