Tik and Tok
Encyclopedia
Tik and Tok are the robotic mime
and music duo of Tim Dry
and Sean Crawford. They began performing together with SHOCK: a rock/mime/burlesque/music troupe in the early 1980s with Barbie Wilde
, Robert Pereno, L.A. Richards and Carole Caplin
.
Shock's first record "Angel Face", with production by Rusty Egan
and Richard James Burgess
, was a modest dance floor hit. In 1981, Shock co-starred with Ultravox
at the 'People's Palace Valentine's Ball' at the Rainbow Theatre.
Shock went on to support Gary Numan
at his Wembley Arena
shows in April, 1981. They eventually broke up and reformed as a foursome with Wilde, Dry, Crawford and Caplin and released the single, "Dynamo Beat", on RCA Records
. However, soon after Dry and Crawford left to form Tik and Tok.
Tik and Tok, having perfected a form of mime movement called 'robotics', appeared on television program
mes including The Royal Variety Show in 1983 and The Tube
. They supported Duran Duran
at the Birmingham Odeon in 1982, worked with Vangelis
at his home studio, and were themselves supported by a fledgling Depeche Mode
. They released five singles
and an album
on the Survival label
in the UK
, Germany
and Japan
. Three of these singles were hits
on the UK Indie Chart
, "Screen Me I'm Yours" being the most successful, reaching #17. Their second single, "Cool Running", peaked at #69 in the UK Singles Chart
.
They went to Tokyo and Germany for live performances and, in 1982, were featured artistes in the third Star Wars
film
, Return of the Jedi and in the film, Xtro
. They were also the support act on Gary Numan
's 'Warriors' tour in late 1983.
In 2003, Dry and Crawford were invited to be guests at the first of an ongoing series of Star Wars autograph conventions worldwide, as a result of their roles in Return Of The Jedi. This led to them coming back together as Tik and Tok after 20 years, and releasing an album titled Dream Orphans. Tik and Tok then appeared at the 2006 Elektrofest, at Koko in London.
Mime artist
A mime artist is someone who uses mime as a theatrical medium or as a performance art, involving miming, or the acting out a story through body motions, without use of speech. In earlier times, in English, such a performer was referred to as a mummer...
and music duo of Tim Dry
Tim Dry
Tim Dry is a mime artist, writer, songwriter and actor, best known for appearing in ‘Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi’ and for being half of a duo, Tik and Tok, that popularized robotic mime in the UK in the 1980s.-Early years:...
and Sean Crawford. They began performing together with SHOCK: a rock/mime/burlesque/music troupe in the early 1980s with Barbie Wilde
Barbie Wilde
Barbie Wilde is a Canadian actress and writer, perhaps best known for appearing as the Female Cenobite in Hellbound: Hellraiser II - the second of eight Hellraiser films based on Clive Barker's novella, The Hellbound Heart...
, Robert Pereno, L.A. Richards and Carole Caplin
Carole Caplin
Carole Caplin was the style adviser to Cherie Blair and a fitness adviser to Tony Blair, when he was the British Prime Minister...
.
Shock's first record "Angel Face", with production by Rusty Egan
Rusty Egan
Rusty Egan was the drummer for the British new wave band, The Rich Kids. They were founded by former Sex Pistol, Glen Matlock, bass guitarist and backing vocals, occasional lead vocals; with Steve New guitarist and backing vocals, occasional lead vocals; and fronted by Midge Ure guitarist, lead...
and Richard James Burgess
Richard James Burgess
Richard James Burgess is a studio drummer, music-computer programmer, recording artist, record producer, composer, author, manager, marketer and inventor. He was the producer for Spandau Ballet's first two albums.-Education:...
, was a modest dance floor hit. In 1981, Shock co-starred with Ultravox
Ultravox
Ultravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements....
at the 'People's Palace Valentine's Ball' at the Rainbow Theatre.
Shock went on to support Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
at his Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
shows in April, 1981. They eventually broke up and reformed as a foursome with Wilde, Dry, Crawford and Caplin and released the single, "Dynamo Beat", on RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
. However, soon after Dry and Crawford left to form Tik and Tok.
Tik and Tok, having perfected a form of mime movement called 'robotics', appeared on television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
mes including The Royal Variety Show in 1983 and The Tube
The Tube (TV series)
The Tube was an innovative United Kingdom pop/rock music television programme, which ran for five seasons, from 5 November 1982 until 1987...
. They supported Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
at the Birmingham Odeon in 1982, worked with Vangelis
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
at his home studio, and were themselves supported by a fledgling Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
. They released five singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and an album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
on the Survival label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Three of these singles were hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
on the UK Indie Chart
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...
, "Screen Me I'm Yours" being the most successful, reaching #17. Their second single, "Cool Running", peaked at #69 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
They went to Tokyo and Germany for live performances and, in 1982, were featured artistes in the third Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Return of the Jedi and in the film, Xtro
Xtro
Xtro is a low-budget British science fiction horror film made in 1982 and directed by Harry Bromley Davenport and co-produced by Bob Shaye.-Plot:...
. They were also the support act on Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
's 'Warriors' tour in late 1983.
In 2003, Dry and Crawford were invited to be guests at the first of an ongoing series of Star Wars autograph conventions worldwide, as a result of their roles in Return Of The Jedi. This led to them coming back together as Tik and Tok after 20 years, and releasing an album titled Dream Orphans. Tik and Tok then appeared at the 2006 Elektrofest, at Koko in London.
Albums
- Intolerance (1984) Survival Records - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#89 - Intolerance: The Very Best of 1982-1984 (2006) Self-released CD-RCD-RA CD-R is a variation of the Compact Disc invented by Philips and Sony. CD-R is a Write Once Read Many optical medium, though the whole disk does not have to be entirely written in the same session....
- Dream Orphans (2007) Self-released CD
Singles and EPs
- "Summer in the City" / "Crisis" (1982) Survival Records
- "Cool Running" / "Vile Bodies" (1983) Survival Records - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#69 - "Screen Me, I'm Yours" / "Dangerous and Unafraid" (1984) Survival Records
- "Everything Will Change" / "Cracking Up" (1984) Survival Records
- "Higher Ground" / "Down From The Sky" (1984) Survival Records
- "Tik & Tok EP" (2004) Rephlex label (vinyl only)
- "Slightly Deranged EP" (2006) Self-released CD-R
- "Intolerance Xtras EP" (2006) Self-released CD-R
- "Vintage LO-FI EP" (2006) Self-released CD-R