Richard Fairbrass

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).[http://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/Right-Said-Fred.html Right Said Fred Biography], www.oldies.com

Before forming his own band, Fairbrass was a bassist who had played with several prominent artists, including Boy George.[http://www.egnet.co.uk/celebrities/rightsaidfred.php What's on – Right Said Fred], www.egnet.co.uk {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006072808/http://www.egnet.co.uk/celebrities/rightsaidfred.php |date=6 October 2014 }} In 1984, he appeared in Jazzin' for Blue Jean, a video by David Bowie, as the bass player.{{cite news |last=Kenny |first=Glenn |date=October 14, 1993 |title=The 100 top music videos: #65 Jazzin' For Blue Jean David Bowie 1984 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/220138964/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |issue=667 |page=65-68 |access-date=June 17, 2025 |id={{ProQuest|220138964}} |url-access=subscription |quote=The fellow who plays Screamin' Lord Byron's bass player, Richard Fairbrass, re-emerged in '91, pumped up and baldpated, as one third of the dreaded Right Said Fred.}}{{YouTube|DXvAaNcXNzI|Official David Bowie video}} showing Richard Fairbrass playing bass. Towards the end of the 1980s, Fairbass 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 City. Guitarist Rob Manzoli joined them in 1990. In 1994, he was joint winner of Rear of the Year with Mandy Smith.[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/i203447/rear-of-the-year-rear-of-the-year-richard-fairbrass.html Rear of the Year 1994] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006161228/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/i203447/rear-of-the-year-rear-of-the-year-richard-fairbrass.html |date=6 October 2014 }}, Digital Spy 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.

Nude (including full frontal) pictures of Fairbrass were published in the For Women magazine.{{Cite news |last=Fairbrass |first=Richard |date=1 September 2001 |title=I love 1992 BBC TV Series |url=https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxpdZT_HghFaIEzlZZKU86k3KwLe5Kqgq0 |work=BBC2}}

In December 1998, Fairbrass presented BBC One's Naked Eurovision, a behind the scenes documentary about the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 in Birmingham.{{cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/4964d0ba997543038f5a766c08da23a2|title=Naked Eurovision – BBC One London – 31 December 1998 – BBC Genome|date=31 December 1998 |publisher=BBC|access-date=1 December 2018}} From June to August 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.{{cite news |last=Barney |first=Katharine |title=Right Said Fred : I'll Stand for London Mayor |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23393091-details/Right%20Said%20Fred:%20I'll%20stand%20for%20London%20Mayor/article.do |work=London Evening Standard |date=18 April 2007 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406171208/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23393091-details/Right%20Said%20Fred%3A%20I%27ll%20stand%20for%20London%20Mayor/article.do |archivedate=6 April 2009 }}

During a gay rights rally in Red Square, Moscow, on 27 May 2007, commemorating the 14th anniversary of the de-criminalisation of homosexuality in Russia, Richard Fairbrass and Peter Tatchell were violently assaulted by members of a counter demonstration staged by ultra-nationalists. They were subsequently arrested and detained by Russian police.{{cite news |title=Moscow Anti-Gay Attack Condemned |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6698173.stm |publisher=BBC News |date=28 May 2007}}{{cite news |last=Levy |first=Mike |title=Eggs and Punches at Russia Gay March |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6696329.stm |publisher=BBC News |date=27 May 2007}}

Richard came 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.{{cite web |url=http://divinevarod.com/2012/02/03/right-said-fred-s-richard-fairbrass-when-i-came-out-the-media-tried-to-sabotage-my-career-and-i-wasnt-allowed-to-date-my-boyfriend-in-public/ |title=Right Said Fred's Richard Fairbrass: 'When I came out the media tried to sabotage my career and I wasn't allowed to date my boyfriend in public' |website=Divine Varod |date=2012-02-03 |accessdate=13 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213162938/http://divinevarod.com/2012/02/03/right-said-fred-s-richard-fairbrass-when-i-came-out-the-media-tried-to-sabotage-my-career-and-i-wasnt-allowed-to-date-my-boyfriend-in-public/ |archivedate=13 December 2014 }} Fairbrass has also said he appreciates "pretty guys who look like girls and girls who look like pretty guys."[http://www.rightsaidfred.com/global/richard Richard Fairbrass – Weaknesses], www.rightsaidfred.com {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021195604/http://www.rightsaidfred.com/global/richard |date=21 October 2013 }}

Fairbrass was hospitalised with COVID-19 in 2021, but has spoken out against COVID-19 measures and has been sceptical of the COVID-19 vaccine.{{cite news |last=Moore |first=Sam |date=21 August 2021 |title=Right Said Fred star still against vaccine despite being admitted to hospital with Covid |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/right-said-fred-richard-fairbrass-covid-b1906302.html |url-status=live |work=The Independent |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120225638/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/right-said-fred-richard-fairbrass-covid-b1906302.html |archive-date=20 January 2022 |access-date=10 April 2022}}

Fairbrass has routinely commented on the 2022 war in Ukraine, often speaking in support of Russia's invasion and Vladimir Putin's justifications for the conflict. In a Twitter post in December 2022, he called on Putin to resist "western domination".{{cite tweet |last=Fairbrass |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Fairbrass |user=RealFairbrass |number=1605884901433044993 |date=22 December 2022 |title=Russia will never submit to Western domination https://t.co/rHqyvwHoyC |language=en |access-date=28 March 2023}} He has also described Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian government as a despotic regime.{{cite tweet |last=Fairbrass |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Fairbrass |user=RealFairbrass |number=1605883118333968390 |date=22 December 2022 |title=The US through its support for the criminal despotic regime in Ukraine is making the conflict ever more dangerous. Few if any talk peace, NATO is now no longer solely a defensive organisation and the West as ever is hiding under US petticoats https://t.co/HQMDVJsobE |language=en |access-date=28 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222112835/https://twitter.com/realfairbrass/status/1605883118333968390 |archive-date=22 December 2022 |url-status=live}}

{{reflist|2}}

• [http://www.rightsaidfred.com Official website of Right Said Fred]
• [https://www.myspace.com/rightsaidfred Right Said Fred at MySpace]

{{Right Said Fred}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairbrass, Richard}}

Category:1953 births

Category:Bisexual male musicians

Category:Bisexual singers

Category:English LGBTQ singers

Category:English male singers

Category:English television presenters

Category:Living people

Category:Musicians from the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames

Category:People from East Grinstead

Category:People from Kingston upon Thames

Category:Singers from the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames