Richard Fairbrass

Richard Fairbrass
Fairbrass performing in 2015
Background information
Birth name Richard Peter John Fairbrass
Born (1953-09-22) 22 September 1953
Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England
Genres Pop, dance
Occupation(s) Singer and television presenter
Years active 1984–present
Associated acts Right Said Fred
Website www.rightsaidfred.com

Richard Peter John Fairbrass (born 22 September 1953) is an English singer, bassist and television presenter, best known as lead singer of the pop group Right Said Fred, which spawned a huge hit in the 1990s with the single "I'm Too Sexy". He and his band have won two Ivor Novello Awards.[1]

Career

Before forming his own band, Richard was a bassist who had played with several prominent artists, including Boy George.[2] In 1984 he appeared in Jazzin' for Blue Jean, a David Bowie video, as the bass player.[3] Towards the end of the 1980s, Richard joined with his brother Fred to form Right Said Fred. The Fairbrass brothers performed as a duo for a brief period, touring in New York. Guitarist Rob Manzoli joined them in 1990.[2]

During the band's heyday, Madonna publicly expressed (in front of sixty million viewers of America’s Arsenio Hall Show) her desire to go to bed with Richard.[2][4] In 1994 he was joint winner of Rear of the Year with Mandy Smith.[5] Following this, Fairbrass co-hosted on BBC Two, (with Rhona Cameron), a television series called Gaytime TV (1995–1999) which was aimed at an LGBT audience. In 2001 he co-presented with Gabrielle Richens a game show, The Desert Forges, on Channel 5.

In April 2007 Fairbrass was reported to be planning to run for Mayor of London in the 2008 Election.[6]

Shortly after, during a gay rights rally in Red Square, Moscow, on 27 May 2007 commemorating the 14th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Russia, Richard and Fred Fairbrass were assaulted by members of a counter demonstration staged by ultra-nationalists.[7][8] Richard Fairbrass sustained a cut under his eye. Speaking about the incident upon his return to the United Kingdom, Richard Fairbrass commented: "When it was over I actually felt more sorry for the guy that whacked me than I did for me ... How threatened can he be, how insecure is he to be threatened by a bisexual pop singer who's most famous for singing 'I'm Too Sexy'?".[7]

In November 2007, Fairbrass announced that he and his brother would be taking part in the next series of I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!;[9] however, they did not make it onto the show.[10]

In an episode of Celebrity Fantasy Homes, hosted by Gaby Roslin, Richard and his brother Fred were looking to spend £2,000,000 on a property in Sussex, with three separate living accommodations for them and their mother.[11] In June 2013, Right Said Fred re recorded I'm Too Sexy as "I'm Too Smurfy" for World Smurfs Day. Richard appears on the promo, which features fresh clips from the 3D film. Global Smurfs Day benefits the charity MediCinema, which builds cinemas in hospitals.[12]

Personal life

Fairbrass was born on 22 September 1953 in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England, and was brought up in East Grinstead, West Sussex. He has a younger brother, "Fred" (born Christopher Abbott Bernard Fairbrass on 2 November 1956).[13]

Richard had come out as bisexual in 1991 to The Sun. Richard's long term partner, from 1982 until 2010, was Stuart Pantry, a BBC make up artist, who died in September 2010 of cancer.[14] In April 2007, Richard said to the Metro: "My last relationship was with a girl, so I am on the cusp. I have never described myself as completely gay".[15] Fairbrass has also said he appreciates "pretty guys who look like girls and girls who look like pretty guys."[16]

Fairbrass has gained criticism for tweets which attacked the widower of murdered MP Jo Cox, claiming he was using the death of his wife to further his own political career.[17]

References

  1. ↑ RSF awarded 2 Ivor Novello's for 'I'm too Sexy' and 'Deeply Dippy', www.rightsaidfred.com
  2. 1 2 3 What's on - Right Said Fred, www.egnet.co.uk Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ Official David Bowie video on YouTube showing Richard Fairbrass playing bass.
  4. ↑ Madonna names Richard as the most bed-able man in pop, www.rightsaidfred.com
  5. ↑ Rear of the Year 1994, www.digitalspy.co.uk
  6. ↑ Barney, Katharine (18 April 2007). "Right Said Fred : I'll Stand for London Mayor". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 6 April 2009.
    "Rich in Bid to be London Mayor". The Sun. 2007-04-18.
  7. 1 2 "Moscow Anti-Gay Attack Condemned". BBC News. 2007-05-28.
  8. ↑ Levy, Mike (2007-05-27). "Eggs and Punches at Russia Gay March". BBC News.
  9. ↑ Nathan, Sara; Emma Cox and Colin Robertson (2007-11-08). "We're too sexy for this show". The Sun Newspaper. News Group Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
  10. ↑ Online Reporters (2007-11-20). "That's it we're off, said Fred". The Sun Newspaper. News Group Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
  11. ↑ "Buying in Sussex: Right Said Fred". LoveHome.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012.
  12. ↑ Global Smurfs Day with Right Said Fred, www.digitalspy.co.uk
  13. ↑ Right Said Fred Biography, www.oldies.com
  14. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  15. ↑ Richard Fairbrass Interview to 60 Seconds, metro.co.uk, 11 April 2007
  16. ↑ Richard Fairbrass - Weaknesses, www.rightsaidfred.com Archived 21 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ↑ Far-Right Said Fred: 90s pop star deleted Twitter account after attacking husband of Jo Cox, 30 November 2017, politicalscrapbook.net
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