Born on this day, September 30, 1947: Marc Bolan

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Mon Sep 30, 2019, 03:33 PM - Edit history (1)

I posted this thread two years ago:

Happy 70th Birthday (Saturday), Marc Bolan. Yeah, I know.

Marc Bolan

Marc Bolan (/ˈboʊlən/ BOH-lən; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English singer-songwriter, musician, guitarist, and poet. He was best known as the lead singer of the glam rock band T. Rex. Bolan was one of the pioneers of the glam rock movement of the 1970s. He died at the age of 29 in a car crash two weeks before his 30th birthday. In 1997, a memorial stone and bust of Bolan, Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine, was unveiled at the site where he died in Barnes, London.

Bolan’s appearance on the BBC's music show Top of the Pops in March 1971, wearing glitter and satins, is often cited as the beginning of the glam rock movement. Music critic Ken Barnes called Bolan "the man who started it all". T. Rex’s 1971 album Electric Warrior, with all songs written by Bolan, including the UK chart topper “Get It On”, has been described by AllMusic as “the album that essentially kick-started the UK glam rock craze.” Producer Tony Visconti, who would also work with the other major glam rock pioneer David Bowie, stated, “What I saw in Marc Bolan had nothing to do with strings, or very high standards of artistry; what I saw in him was raw talent. I saw genius. I saw a potential rock star in Marc – right from the minute, the hour I met him.”
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Death

On 16 September 1977, Bolan was riding in a Mini 1275GT driven by Gloria Jones as they headed home from Mortons drinking club and restaurant in Berkeley Square. After she crossed a small humpback bridge near Gipsy Lane on Queens Ride, Barnes, southwest London, the car struck a fence post and then a tree. Bolan was killed instantly, while Jones suffered a broken arm and broken jaw.

At Bolan's funeral, attended by David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Tony Visconti, and Steve Harley, a swan-shaped floral tribute was displayed outside the service in recognition of his breakthrough hit single "Ride a White Swan". His funeral service was at the Golders Green Crematorium, a secular provision in north London, where his ashes were buried. The car crash site has subsequently become a shrine to his memory, where fans leave tributes beside the tree. In 2013, the shrine was featured on the BBC Four series Pagans and Pilgrims: Britain's Holiest Places. The site, referred to as Marc Bolan's Rock Shrine, is owned and maintained by the T. Rex Action Group.

Bolan never learned to drive, fearing a premature death.[28][29] Despite this fear, cars or automotive components are at least mentioned in, if not the subject of, many of his songs. He also owned a number of vehicles, including a white 1960s Rolls-Royce that was loaned by his management to the band Hawkwind on the night of his death.

Under the circumstances, it's almost ghoulish to do this, but here's something he did about a motor vehicle:

My dream in life is to walk into a thrift store or rummage sale and find clothing like that, in my size, or at least close enough that I can get away with wearing it. So far, no such luck.

Bonus, also with a line in here about cars. I think he switched pants with the bass player from the first video.

Gotta go. "Work" to do.

[GReedDiamond]

1. Kick for Marc Bolan...

[GReedDiamond]

2. Plus I almost forgot that Flo & Eddie...

...Mark Volman/Flo and Howard Kaylan/Eddie, of The Turtles and Zappa's Mothers of Invention, did bg vocals on the "Electric Warrior" album.