May 10, 1973: T.REX Something new, Marc?

Article & Interview POP Magazine Translation

When Marc Bolan and Mickey Finn shot from nowhere to the top of the English charts two years ago with "Ride a White Swan" and "Hot Love," England suddenly had its new teenage idols. The lively, angel-haired Marc and the quiet, dreamy Mickey, who had spent years starving in the so-called underground as the Tyrannosaurus T. Rex and then called themselves Rex for simplicity's sake, evoked hysterical audience reactions at their performances, just like the Beatles of old.

T. Rex, which soon by the addition of bassist and drummer to the quartet, continued their chart success series in addition to further extremely successful tours of England

Titles like <<Get It On>>, <<<Telegram Sam>>, <<<Metal Guru>>, <<Solid Gold Easy Action>>> and <<20th Century Boy>> each reached the top of the charts without much effort. Although each of these singles sounded pretty much the same.

That hasn't changed to this day. And today, criticism is slowly beginning to arise in England as well. The fact that T. Rex remained largely unsuccessful on all their American tours and even had only half-full crowds on their German tour at the beginning of this year was just the beginning—of their decline, perhaps?

T. Rex boss Marc Bolan gave POP some astonishing answers in an exclusive interview to our question «Something new, Marc>» (when is there something new with you)

POP Interview with Marc Bolan

POP:

About three years ago, Tyrannosaurus Rex was considered an underground band. Then, after changing the percussionist and simplifying the name to the short formula T. Rex, the group also became more musically catchy. The 18- to 20-year-old audience gave way to a 12- to 15-year-old fan base. How do you explain this somewhat unusual development?

Marc:

I changed my style because the old sound no longer suited me.

"I chased Steve Took away because he wanted to play differently than me!"

He developed too strong a preference for heavy rock. I didn't like that. I wanted to experiment more with unamplified instruments. A year after the split, Steve played the acoustic stuff, and it was me who started rocking

Rock is the biggest scam of all. I was very lucky to have the right foresight. Two years ago, there was no glamour rock,

Rex: Transformed into a machine on tour

neither David Bowie nor Roxy Music were there. Glamour rock is my creation.

<<I showed the way - just like Elvis Presley two decades earlier>>>

The new, young audience hardly changes me. I'm happy that everyone is buying my records. In the last two years, they've bought 56 ​​million of my records. That's pretty nice!

POP:

With success came criticism. Your previous audience, which was mainly made up of underground freaks, has at most a shrug or a tired smile for your current music. Does this lack of respect hurt you?

Marc:

First of all, I should say that there has never been anything like underground. At least not in the sense of a community of people. And further, I believe that said freaks have ever really respected anything. If anyone ever really was underground—and still is—it's me. I haven't changed. Said freaks should take a good listen to my music first!

<<I'm damn good!>>>

It took me a lot of work and almost twelve years

of my life—a long time, a damn long apprenticeship. But it was worth it. I'm a solid artist.

"Jimi Hendrix is ​​dead, Jim Morrison is dead—I'll live on!"

If I'm not too drunk, I play well, I'm quite sure of that. POP:

Has your current idol status, which you hold among millions of teenagers, changed you personally?

Marc:

No, why not? Of course I'm happy that I have a lot of fans; for me, that's the best proof that people are still interested in music. Our last England tour was an absolute bomb in terms of fan mania. We sometimes had to wait in the dressing rooms for hours because all the exits were besieged by fans. At the end of the tour, we were able to send seven cars off the road.

"The days when only car windows were smeared with lipstick are definitely over. Today they scratch their declarations of love into the car paint!"

POP:

Aren't there always difficulties and disagreements among the individual group members after a tour? Aren't you fed up with each other?

Marc:

Not at all. For us, it's quite simple. On tour, T. Rex is literally transformed into a machine. After the concert, it's straight to the hotel, then to bed, and the next morning back on the road for the next gig. It's a routine we all stick to. And after the tour, we separate for a few weeks, relax, and try not to get in each other's way. That way, there are never any problems. If the members of a group are together too often and for too long, they inevitably get on each other's nerves over time. That's never happened to us to this day. Perhaps also because I am fully aware of these problems and try to resolve them before they even arise.

I will never tolerate disagreements and differences within the group...

no matter what the issue. Quite simply because such banter is completely unnecessary. And anyway, what are we supposed to argue about?

POP:

Tensions within a group are completely normal. They happen everywhere! Marc:

Not with us, baby!! POP:

Do T. Rex have any news? Something new, Marc? Marc:

Yes, of course! Our single "20th Century Boy" climbed to the top ten. And our new album "Tanx" will surely do quite well pretty soon. By the way, we want to work with four or five female singers and a string orchestra in the future. In Germany, at that time, you'll be able to admire me in the film "Born To Boogie"—a great rock flick that I produced together with Ringo Starr. And then, yes, then I might also bring some other rock stars into my show: Eric Clapton, Elton John...