Richard Strange

Since his proto-punk band The Doctors of Madness first hit the headlines in 1975, the musician, actor, writer and composer Richard Strange has worked in every field of the performing arts. Richard has continued to write and record songs, release CDs, appear in films and onstage around the world, make videos, curate Live Art events, write a memoir, deliver lectures, and play live concerts.

As an actor he has appeared in Tim Burton’s Batman, Neil Jordan’s Mona Lisa, Kevin Reynolds’ Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, Harmony Korine’s Mister Lonely and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, among may others. He toured as a singer/actor for three years between 2004/2007 with the Robert Wilson/Tom Waits/William Burroughs theatre collaboration The Black Rider, performing in the major theatres of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sydney and London.

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As a singer he has participated in a number of concerts organised by the celebrated American Producer/Arranger Hal Willner, most notably “Stay Awake!” a programme of Walt Disney songs, which was performed at London’s Royal Festival Hall as part of Jarvis Cocker’s Meltdown Festival, and also in New York. The shows featured Grace Jones, Nick Cave and Steve Buscemi,. He also sang at Wilner’s “Rogues Gallery”, an evening of Sea Shanties at London’s Barbican Theatre, alongside Tim Robbins, Shane McGowan, Martha Wainwright, and Suzanne Vega, and in Willner’s homage to Fellini, Amarcord!.  Richard also played the legendary Glastonbury Festival in 2009, showcasing his 1981 concept album The Phenomenal Rise of Richard Strange in its entirety.

He composed the music for the short film The Blood Road, directed by Temple Clark in 2010, and a score for the Contemporary Dance company Protein Dance in 2011.

In 2014 he composed and performed Blood Brothers, the closing credits song for the US movie Dark Hearts (Dir. Rudolf Buitendach) The same year he co-wrote the William Burroughs-inspired cantata Language is A Virus from Outer Space with internationally acclaimed composer Gavin Bryars, with a world premiere at London’s SouthBank Centre.

His band Doctors of Madness recently completed a hugely successful tour of Japan.