Marc Bolan & Mickey Finn’s T.Rex: "Fairytale Princes of the Pop Scene" Feature (1978)

Marc Bolan & Mickey Finn’s T.Rex’s "Fairytale Princes of the Pop Scene", a three-page feature in Bravo Magazine, August 24, 1978.

Heavily made up and in velvet and silk: Marc (1st) and Mickey set the tone from 1971 to 1973

They were they fairytale princes of the pop scene: Marc Bolan and Mickey Finn

BRAVO series: These groups changed the rock world

With T.REX it began to glitter, Ten kilometers outside Bristol in Wales, on May 24, 1971. Marc Bolan is sleeping in the back seat of the comfortable coach, his wife June Child is making coffee, drummer Bill Legend and bassist Steve Currie are playing skat. No one suspects anything bad when the driver suddenly stops and pulls over to the side of the road. A police patrol has waved the bus over to the right. An officer speaks briefly with the driver, then they continue on – led by the patrol car and an officer on a motorcycle. The small convoy has barely passed the town sign when the blue lights and sirens are switched on switches gears. They continue at 90 km/h, through the city. Red lights are of no interest; the convoy drives through to Colston Hall. The police escort T. Rex to the hall because they were afraid that enthusiastic teenagers at the traffic lights might have stopped the bus and caused chaos.

This is where T. Rex are performing on this day. A dozen police officers are already waiting, as are a few hundred fans. Only a small alley in front of the stage entrance is still free. Marc, Mickey, June, Bill, and Steve run through it into the hall. Inside, the roadies have already the system is set up. In the dressing room there is a cold buffet, but only with salads. Marc Bolan is a vegetarian and disdains any meat dish.

Three hours later, all hell breaks loose in the hall. Like a fairytale prince, Marc stands on stage, his brown, curly hair teased, his face lightly made up, a touch of glitter on his face.

His wardrobe is also reminiscent of a prince: with black, tight-fitting velvet trousers with sewn-on silver stars, with black patent leather shoes, with a shiny silver wearing a wide blouse and a fringed vest, he kneels at the edge of the stage, his guitar between his legs. He dominates the entire space, jumping around, dancing, and hopping. To his left is Mickey Finn on the bongos, his hands wrapped in adhesive tape. Nevertheless, they soon bleed from drumming so hard on the skins

The hall is bubbling like boiling water. During the very first song, the fans are standing on their seats, screaming, tearing their hair, crying, fainting. Marc's gentle, then again rousing voice sends shivers down their spines. In these months, England's pop fans are living with T. Rex fever. Nothing like that has happened since the Beatles. And Marc Bolan, too, was pretty much unrivaled back then.

Other successful bands like Ten Years After, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Fleetwood Mac played heavy rock or blues rock, appeared in jeans, and usually played at festivals or in super venues. Marc Bolan, on the other hand, did something for his fans. He also played in the provinces, in smaller venues, and was particularly careful to keep ticket prices reasonable. At that time, promoters were allowed to charge a maximum of four marks for his concerts. That's unimaginable today. But Marc wanted even younger fans to be able to afford a concert ticket. His songs were accordingly. Simple melodies that everyone could immediately sing along to, lyrics in which he sang about elves, witches, wizards, and princes. Almost all of the songs were little fairy tales.

Indeed, Marc Bolan seemed to have come from another planet. He was born on September 30, 1947, as Marc Feld in the London borough of Hackney. Barely 15 years old, he left Hill Croft School in Wimbledon. His father was a caretaker in an apartment building and didn't earn much money. But Marc had ambitious plans, and above all, many dreams

He was a typical representative of the East End and, like the Who, the Kinks, or Rod Stewart, loved expensive, good clothes. Because he couldn't afford them, he initially took a job in a boutique. "I didn't want people to see how poor I was. That's why I stocked up on clothes; as a boutique employee, I got them cheaper," he once said. To supplement his meager salary, he worked after work as a temporary waiter at the Wimpy fast-food restaurant. At that time, he was a typical representative of the Mods, those youth cliques who were in constant feud with the rockers

That earned him a story in London's Town magazine—even with a cover photo. That's how he was discovered. Initially, he got a better-paying job as a cloakroom attendant in a discotheque; he worked as a model and landed a role in the English children's television series "Orlando." In 1964, he moved to Paris, where he lived with a magician for five months and helped him with his performances.

In 1965, he returned to England and adopted his first stage name: As Toby Tyler, he performed in small clubs as a folk singer. In November, he signed his first record contract and recorded his first single, "Wizard," as Marc Bowland. But he didn't have much luck with it. It wasn't until 1967 that he managed to become somewhat more well-known as a singer. The English radio disc jockey John Peel heard his record, "Hippy Gumbo," and played it on almost every one of his shows. John Peel also took on the task of helping Marc.

Marc joined the group "John's Children," composed "Desdemona" for them, and enjoyed some success, especially in Germany. The band performed in long, white, flowing robes or suits, playing folk rock. But Marc didn't stay with the band for long.

There, in 1967, he met a wild boy named Steve Took. He wrote poems and painted. The two joined forces, lived in a small, modest room, and survived on what they received from passersby as street singers. Both called themselves Tyrannosaurus Rex.

On April 19, 1968, the duo's first single, "Deborah," was released in England. It sold so well that an LP was allowed to be recorded. Performances with David Bowie followed. Tyrannosaurus Rex also frequently appeared at festivals in Germany. During this time, Marc played acoustic guitar, and Steve Took drummed on small bongos. By September 1969, they were so well known that they were able to embark on their first US tour

But for Marc Bolan, all of this is too slow. In October 1969, Steve and Marc split up. Mickey Finn joins as their new partner. The two hole up on a lonely farm in Wales and write songs. In February 1970, Marc marries his girlfriend June Child and goes on tour in America again in May. At this time, he also gets his first electric guitar; his music becomes rockier. His melodies also become simpler, no longer as convoluted as before.

The experiment pays off. In October 1970, "Ride a White Swan" is released in England. At the same time, Marc shortens the group name to T. Rex. In December 1970, he tops the English charts, throws away his jeans, and starts dressing in glittery clothes. Almost overnight, the street singer becomes a superstar, being chauffeured through the streets of London in a rickshaw He hired bassist Steve Currie for gigs, and later, in April 1971, drummer Bill Legend. For two years, the world seemed to be at his feet. He had three hits in 1971: "Hot Love," "Get It On," and "Jeepster," and five in 1972: "Telegram Sam," "Debora," "Metal Guru," "Children of the Revolution," and "Solid Gold Easy Action." He founded his own record label and music publishing company, began producing his own music, and also took over his own management. He trusted no one anymore, believing he had to do everything alone. He had a falling out with Mickey Finn. Marc broke up with him.

He becomes impatient, nervous, with consequences: Marc decides to stop giving concerts in England, as it is too dangerous for him and the fans. He stops giving interviews and only makes one more film. The director is Ringo Starr. For him, Marc Bolan is the only true successor to the Beatles. The film is called "Born to Boogie." Musically, too, Marc becomes more demanding again. He no longer wants to be a teenage star. Groups like Sweet or the Bay City Rollers step into this gap. With glitter and simple pop songs, they pick up where Marc Bolan left off.

As quickly as he rose to the top, he disappeared again.

Marc made headlines again: On September 16, 1977, he had a fatal accident in West London with his Mini 1275 GT. His girlfriend, Gloria Jones, with whom he had a son, had crashed the car into a tree on a slippery road at night. Gloria survived. Marc died at the scene. His dream of a career as a film star remained unfulfilled. But something else seemed to be working out: his comeback as a singer. He had just completed a successful tour of England, championing punk bands. He had also just finished filming the first episodes of his own TV show. His sudden death put an end to his plans.

Gloria Jones now lives in Los Angeles. Marc Bolan's records are unforgettable. In the year since his accident, LPs were released with his greatest hits or recordings from his early days, including songs that no one has released to this day. He was one of the last great teen stars. And so he will live on in the memories of his fans.