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| Photo credit: Marc Bolan - unknown; Brian Molko - screenshot from Velvet Goldmine / edit by Olga |
He is known as one of the pioneers of the glam rock movement of the early 1970s with his band ๐. ๐๐๐ฑ. Particularly, we know the frizzy-haired musician as a songwriter of ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐.
In 1998, Placebo recorded their version of the song for the movie ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ where Brian and other band members appeared as actors in small roles. Actually, Marc Bolan was a prototype for Brian Molkoโs character in the film, ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐ of ๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฌ.
Placebo created โone of the best and most glittery musical performances in the film โ the fictional band The Flaming Creaturesโ biting, almost gothic rendition of T. Rexโs 20th Century Boy.โ
(๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ , ๐ด๐๐๐๐ 2007)
๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐จ - ๐๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฒ (๐๐๐ฅ๐ฏ๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐)
https://bit.ly/3hkM8we
Also in 1998, the song was officially released as B-side on one of the CDs of ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฌ single.
In 1999, Placebo performed the song live together with ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ at the ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ at the London Arena (later, it was played on stage only twice).
๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐ญ. ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ - ๐๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฒ, ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐
https://bit.ly/3eK588H
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| Screenshot: Placebo and David Bowie Brit Awards 1999 |
https://bit.ly/3kJhaCZ
In the late 1960s, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ had risen to fame as the founder and leader of the psychedelic folk band ๐๐ฒ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฑ with whom he released four critically acclaimed albums. Bolan's March 1971 appearance on the BBC's music show Top of the Pops, wearing glitter on the face, is cited as ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
T. Rex's 1971 album Electric Warrior, with all songs written by Bolan, has been described as "the album that essentially kick-started the UK glam rock craze."
Bolan died on ๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ญ๐ก, ๐๐๐๐, at the age of 29 in a car crash two weeks before his 30th birthday. It happened when a car driven by his girlfriend, singer Gloria Jones, struck a tree in southwest London.
In 1977, a memorial stone and bust of Bolan, Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine, was unveiled at the site where he died. His musical influence as guitarist and songwriter was profound; he inspired many later acts over the following decades. As a member of T. Rex, Bolan was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
โญ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐โญ
(based on a film Marc Bolan: Cosmic Dancer by BBC Four, featuring interviews with those who knew him best - his partner Gloria Jones, producer Tony Visconti and manager Simon Napier-Bell)
๐. ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ข๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ
Marc Bolan, born Mark Feld in Hackney, London, always knew he was going to be a pop star, even when he was kid. He was fascinated by early rock'n'roll stars like Eddie Cochran, Little Richard and Elvis and says in the film, "I always knew I was different - right from the start, right from the moment I was born. When I was younger, I certainly thought I was a kind of superior being." Later, like Bowie, he became a master of reinvention - he was first a mod, then a hippyish singer-songwriter, before coming into full bloom as a glittering glam rock superstar. [โฆ]
๐. ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ, ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ-๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฒ
Aside from his fascination with early rock'n'roll, Marc looked to books - particularly The Lord of the Rings - for inspiration, and also intriguing figures from British history. One man he became obsessed with was Beau Brummell (1788-1840), a fashion icon from Regency England who is credited with establishing the modern men's suit, worn with a necktie, as a means of standard, formal dress. "Ninety-five per cent of my success is the way I look - look and presence is what people pick up on," he says in the film. [โฆ]
๐. ๐๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐
[โฆ] In 1967, [the first band Bolan joined, John's Children] released a single Desdemona, which contained the lyric, "Lift up your skirt and fly" - about a witch, Marc claimed, but the line aroused suspicions. The BBC banned the song, and the name of their only album, Orgasm, caused issues in the US, too. [โฆ]
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| Screenshot of the Placebo video, cover of the T. Rex record / edit by Silke |
Tyrannosaurus Rex (later shortened to T. Rex), were the headliners of the first-ever Glastonbury festival. [โฆ] Back then, Glastonbury wasn't the huge media event it is now, but it was still a great booking for the band and it secured them a place in British music history.
๐. ๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ "๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐ค๐ง๐ข๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐"
John Peel was a huge supporter of T. Rex in their early days, and calling Marc "a flower child with a knife up his sleeve" was an observation rather than an insult. He, like many others, noticed that Bolan was fiercely ambitious. [โฆ] Tyrannosaurus Rex became T. Rex, Marc dabbed some glitter on his face, and there began an extraordinary run of impeccable glam rock singles, including Ride a White Swan (their breakthrough hit in 1970) and, all in 1971, Hot Love, Get It On and Jeepster.
๐. ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ก
Marc feared a premature death - hence he never learned to drive - and he also believed he would die young, once saying: "The thing about success, certainly in the rock'n'roll business, is that it gives you an incredible amount, but what it takes away is irreplaceable and sometimes I get a funny feeling that I shan't be here very long. And I'm not talking in terms of things like success. It frightens me sometimes."
If that wasn't freakish enough, in the film Simon Napier-Bell says the following: "Chet Baker was a hero of his, and James Dean. And I said, 'Well, be careful having James Dean as a hero, because you might end up dying in a Porsche. And he said, 'Oh, I'm just tiny, I'd like to die in a Mini.'"
It was in a Mini that he died, on that tragic night in September 1977.
(๐ต๐ต๐ถ,15๐กโ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ 2017)
Post by Olga
