Marc Bolan

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Marc Bolan

Background information
Birth name Mark Feld
Born September 30, 1947, England Hackney, East London, England
Died September 16, 1977, London, England
Genre(s) proto punk
Glam Rock
Instrument(s) Guitar
vocals
Years active 1967-1977
Label(s) A&M
EMI
Mercury Records
Associated
acts		 T. Rex
John's Children
Website Marc Bolan Info Page

Mark Feld (September 30, 1947 – September 16, 1977), better known as Marc Bolan, was a singer, songwriter and guitarist for Tyrannosaurus Rex (later called T. Rex), from 1967 until his untimely death in a car driven by Gloria Jones in Barnes, London, 1977. One of the original bands of the ‘underground’ scene, and mentored by John Peel, Tyrannosaurus Rex began as an acoustic duo performing simple melodic songs using surreal lyrics, rich with references to fantasy and mythology, but also history and modern society. By 1970 Marc increasingly experimented with electronic elements in his music, giving it a much 'rockier' feel. By the time he purchased a vintage Gibson Les Paul guitar the musical direction was set.

Bolan, along with producer Tony Visconti, largely invented the style that would become glam rock. They restored a brash and exciting feeling to rock music, when bands had grown increasingly self-important. Known for his dynamic guitar style, catlike wail, and dark corkscrew hair, he was a major figure on the English rock music scene in the 1970s.

At the height of Bolan's popularity, he was reportedly selling 100,000 records a day; however, none of his singles ever became million-sellers in the UK, despite many gold discs.

Contents

[edit] Early life and career

The son of a Jewish van driver and caretaker, Bolan grew up in post-war Hackney in East London, and later lived in Wimbledon, south-west London. He fell in love with the rock and roll of Gene Vincent and Chuck Berry at an early age and became a Mod, hanging around coffee bars such as the 2 I's in Soho, which was featured in an early 1960s BBC documentary about Mods. He appeared in an episode of the television show Orlando as a Mod extra.

At the age of 9, Bolan received his first guitar, and began a skiffle band shortly after. From an early age, Marc was a rebel. He developed his famous love for Chuck Berry very early on, and was expelled from school at the age of 14. His rebellious streak came out in the wild hair and the often sexual lyrics of the early 1970s superstar.

Plaque marking Marc Bolan's childhood home, 25 Stoke Newington Common, Hackney. (November 2005)
Enlarge
Plaque marking Marc Bolan's childhood home, 25 Stoke Newington Common, Hackney. (November 2005)

He briefly became a model, then in early 1967 he joined the protopunk band John's Children, which achieved some success as a live band but sold few records. A John's Children single written by Marc Bolan called "Desdemona" might have had some chart success but was banned by the BBC for its line "lift up your skirt and fly". When the band dissolved, Bolan claimed to have spent time with a wizard in Paris who allegedly gave him secret knowledge and could levitate. The time spent with him was often alluded to but remained "mythical"; in reality the "Wizard" was probably US actor Riggs O'Hara, with whom Bolan made a trip to Paris in 1965. His songwriting took off, and he began writing many of the neo-romantic songs that would appear on his first albums with Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Bolan's stage name possibly originated as a contraction of Bob Dylan's name or from an error on a Decca record label Mark Bowland. It is as likely to have been taken from James Bolam, the British actor with whom Marc shared a flat in the early 1960s.

Besides Berry, major influences cited by Bolan included Dylan, Cliff Richard, and Elvis Presley. Later influences included the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Led Zeppelin, and Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd.

[edit] Tyrannosaurus Rex

Bolan used to busk his songs on the streets of London, earning enough money for the fare home. Eventually, he formed Tyrannosaurus Rex with percussionist Steve Peregrin Took and released three albums and four singles. Although commercial acclaim eluded them, the duo's early work received airplay and support from Radio 1 DJ John Peel. One of the highlights of this period was playing at the first free Hyde Park concert in 1968.

Musical and ethical differences led to Bolan sacking Took during their first US tour. Took, however, was contractually obliged to go through with the tour. Bolan replaced him with bongos player Mickey Finn, releasing two albums before shortening the band's name to T. Rex and replacing his acoustic guitar with an electric model in the process. Bolan married girlfriend June Child (former secretary to the manager of one of Bolan's idols, one-time Pink Floyd guitarist Syd Barrett) and was writing songs at home, hoping to find that first hit.

[edit] T. Rex and glam rock

This he did when, in 1970, he played for his wife a simple high-pitched four-verse tune called "Ride A White Swan". He then rang producer Tony Visconti to sort out a studio session. The single was recorded on 1 July 1970 and released that autumn, making slow progress in the UK Top 40 and finally peaking in early 1971 at Number 2. Bolan became a star for real.

With his corkscrew hair, boyish good looks, and cheekbones daubed with glitter, Bolan's emergence heralded the start of the glam rock era of British music, which also saw the rise of Bolan's longtime friend David Bowie.

Bolan's next single was a five-minute song called "Hot Love", complete with singalong chorus very much in the "Hey Jude" mould. It was Number 1 for six weeks and was quickly followed by "Get It On", a grittier, more adult tune that spent four weeks in the top spot. The song was renamed "Bang A Gong" when released in the U.S., to avoid confusion with another song of the same name by the American band Chase. The song was a smash in America, hitting the top ten.

By now, T. Rex had bassist Steve Currie and drummer Bill Legend completing the band. In November 1971, the band's record label, Fly, released the album track "Jeepster" without Bolan's prior permission. Outraged, Bolan took advantage of the timely lapsing of his Fly Records contact and left to EMI, who gave him his own record label, the T. Rex Wax Co. Its bag and label featured an iconic head-and-shoulders image of Marc.

In 1972, Bolan achieved two more Number 1s ("Telegram Sam" and "Metal Guru") and two more Number 2s, "Children Of The Revolution" and "Solid Gold Easy Action". The total of four Number 2 singles particularly galled his fans as three were held off the top spot by 'novelty' singles recorded by Clive Dunn, Benny Hill, and little Jimmy Osmond. In the same year he appeared in Ringo Starr's film Born to Boogie, a documentary showing T. Rex at the height of T. Rextasy during a concert at Wembley on 18 March 1972. Mixed in were surreal scenes shot at John Lennon's mansion in Ascot and a super-session with T. Rex joined by Ringo Starr on second drum kit, and Elton John on piano. At this time Marc was at height of his career and T. Rex record sales accounted for about 6% of total domestic record sales.

[edit] Decline

By 1973, his star gradually began to wane, even though he achieved a Number 3 hit with arguably his most famous tune to the next generation, "20th Century Boy."

The band disintegrated, and Bolan's marriage ended. He began an affair with backing singer Gloria Jones and disappeared for much of the next three years, continuing to release underwhelming singles and albums. However, he managed to score one more UK Top 20 hit per year until 1977. Around this time, Bolan's health began to fail seriously as he put on weight and became addicted to cocaine.

[edit] Resurgence

Gloria gave birth to a boy in 1975, whom they named Rolan Bolan (although his birth certificate lists him as 'Rolan Seymour Feld'; compare David Bowie's son Zowie Bowie). Bolan returned to the public eye with a television show called Marc, where he introduced new and established bands and performed his own songs. This was broadcast during the post-school hour on ITV earmarked for children and teenagers and was a big success. The last episode featured a Bolan duet with David Bowie.

Bolan got a new band together and set out on a comeback tour, taking along punk band The Damned as support, cleverly guaranteeing that a young audience who did not remember his heyday would come to the gigs.

[edit] Death

Bolan died on September 16th 1977, two weeks before his 30th birthday. He was a passenger in a purple Mini 1275 GT (number plate FOX 661L) driven by Gloria as they headed home from a drinking club and a restaurant. The speeding car collided with a tree after spinning out of control in Queens Ride, Barnes Common, London. Bizarrely, Bolan's 1972 hit "Solid Gold Easy Action" contained the lyrics "Life is the same and it always will be, easy as picking foxes from a tree", almost a premonition of the number plate of the car he died in. For some of his fans, the tree now acts as a shrine to his memory and receives frequent visits from fans to this day. The site now forms the Bolan's Rock Shrine memorial, which is cared for on a charity basis by "T A G" (T. Rex Action Group). A bronze bust of Marc Bolan at the site commemorates the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death in 2002. The bust was unveiled by his son Rolan, and the event was attended by fans, friends, and colleagues, including Mickey Finn.

At Bolan's funeral, his coffin was covered in a swan-shaped floral tribute in recognition of his breakthrough hit single.

Paradoxically, Bolan neither drove a car nor possessed a driver's licence, a fact made even more astonishing because cars or automotive components are at least mentioned in, if not the subject of, many of his songs.

[edit] Legacy

"20th Century Boy" introduced a new generation of devotees to Bolan's work in 1991 when it was featured on a jeans TV commercial and was re-released, reaching the UK Top 20. In every decade since his death, Bolan has placed a greatest hits compilation in the top 20 UK albums, and periodic boosts in sales have come via cover versions from artists inspired by Bolan including Morrissey and Guns 'n Roses. His music is still widely used in films, a recent notable case being "Billy Elliot". Bolan is still cited by many guitar-centric bands as a huge influence (Joy Division/New Order's Bernard Sumner has said that his first single was Ride a White Swan. However, he always maintained he was a poet who put lyrics to music. The tunes were never as important as the words.

"Bolan used to hang around in our office and sit on the floor, strumming his guitar, flirting with our secretary, June, who, of course, he later married. He was a great Syd fan. I was quite fond of him. He was a big pain in the arse, of course, very full of himself. I always liked that thing where he called himself the Bolan child, this magical, mythical name. It was really from his doorbell in Ladbroke Grove. It had his name, and our secretary's surname, Child, so it read Bolan Child and fans used to think, wow, he is the Bolan Child!" - Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour.

An altogether less welcome legacy for his friends and family is the on-going row about his fortune. Bolan had cleverly arranged a discretionary trust to safeguard his money. His death left the fortune beyond the reach of those closest to him, and both his family and journalists have taken an active interest in investigating the situation, so far with little result other than bringing the story to wider attention. Copyright in older recordings has allowed his son to begin to generate some income. However, the bulk of Bolan's fortune, variously estimated at between £20 and £30 million pounds (approx $38 - $57 million), remains in trust.

Bolan returned to the top of the UK charts in 2005 when the remastered, expanded Born to Boogie DVD hit number 1 in the Music DVD charts.

Bolan's music was a massive influence on punk rock and the 1990s Britpop movement. In fact, many acts claim, or are known, to have (allegedly) taken portions of T. Rex songs for use in "original" compositions. Notable examples include "Panic" by the Smiths (credited to Morrissey/Marr; core of the song is lifted from "Metal Guru"), "Me I Funk" by KMFDM takes the lyrics from "Ballrooms Of Mars", and "Cigarettes & Alcohol" by Oasis (credited to Noel Gallagher; allegedly plagiarizing "Get It On").

American acts of the late 1970s punk/New Wave genres, such as the Ramones ('The KKK Took My Baby Away' has a stolen guitar riff from 'Laser Love'), have also cited Bolan's music as a heavy influence. Punk group Radio Stars (ironically featuring John's Children vocalist Andy Ellison) recorded a cover of "Desdemona" on the B-side to their 1978 top 40 song "Nervous Wreck".

There are many tribute bands and artists influenced by Marc's music: Danielz and T.Rextasy, Mickey Finn's T. Rex, and Lady Stardust and Veloci Raptor.

[edit] Solo discography

Singles
  • "The Wizard" / "Beyond the Rising Sun" (November 1965)
  • "The Third Degree" / "San Francisco Poet" (June 1966)
  • "Hippy Gumbo" / "Misfit" (December 1966)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

T. Rex
Marc Bolan • Mickey Finn • Steve Currie • Bill Legend
Steve Peregrin Took • Miller Anderson • Herbie Flowers • Jack Green • Gloria Jones • Davy Lutton • Tony Newman • Dino Dines
Discography
As Tyrannosaurus Rex: My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows | Prophets, Seers & Sages – The Angels of the Ages | Unicorn | A Beard of Stars
As T. Rex: T. Rex | Electric Warrior | Bolan Boogie | The Slider | Tanx | Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow | Light of Love | Bolan's Zip Gun | Futuristic Dragon | Dandy in the Underworld
Related articles
Born to Boogie • Blackhill Enterprises • Bolan's Rock Shrine • Marc (TV series) • Mickey Finn's T. Rex
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