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1974 - Glam Rock is Dead
In 1974 Marc announced that Glam Rock was officially dead, and that there would be a new T.Rex sound - but it never really happened in a way which was successful. In 1974, Marc also proclaimed that "T-Rex no longer exists." Therefore although two original T-Rex members (Steve Currie and Mickey Finn) were still with Marc it is clear his attitude had changed and he considered them to be somewhat 'Session Musicians'. This is indicated by the new contract drawn up for Mickey Finn. When Finn joined Marc (as half of the duo) Finn was on a 50/50 contract, but now Finn joined Currie with a 'fixed wage' contract with no share in the royalties from record sales.
  1974 - Marc and June split up
Perhaps the biggest event in Marc's life in 1973 was the break-down of his marriage to June. A woman who had been as much his manager as his wife.
1974 - Things not to do - A (possibly, depending on how you look at it) humorous note
If you and your wife are splitting up, it is not a wise move to let her trim your hair. Marc's sudden appearance with short hair was because June cut it as her final act before leaving Marc.
1974 - 'Zinc Alloy and The Hidden Riders of Tomorrow - A Creamed Cage in August'
1974 saw a changed T.Rex begin their first British tour in over a year. The band still included Steve Currie on bass and Mickey Finn on bongos. On background vocals were Gloria and Pat Hall. Two sax players were added to the lineup for concerts and Bill Legend had been replaced with two new drummers, Davey Lutton and Paul Fenton. This tour was to promote the new album, released in Febuary. The band was touring under the name "Zinc Alloy and The Hidden Riders of Tomorrow" instead of T.Rex. The album carried the same band name titled "A Creamed Cage in August." The first printing of the album didn't include the name "T.Rex". However, the record company insisted that the T.Rex name was included so that fans would not be confused. The album received mostly bad reviews and press slammed the "Zinc Alloy" title as Marc's attempt to copy an idea from David Bowie's highly successful "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars." At the time, Marc's popularity was declining and David's was surpassing it. Marc's own assessment of the situation was typical of his self-infatuated attitude. In his mind he had reached such a level of popularity that he had become nearly an immortal figure. "People aren't sure if I really exist," he said. Along with the album, the single 'Whatever Happened to the Teenage Dream' was released and achieved moderate sales success.
 1974 - The London Boy - A Tax Exile and 'Porky Pixie'
Marc was showing the strains created both by his tremendous success in the prior years and now his fall from dominance. Marc was forced to leave England to avoid the 99% Income Tax rate for high earners. Many other rock stars were forced into financial exile. Living in Beverly Hills Marc tried to crack the States again with little success. Sadly, with the 'tight reins' of his wife June gone and with too much time on his hands, 'stranded' abroad, Marc began to eat meat again. It has been said by many that knew him, that at times he felt extremely lonely, unhappy, and isolated. All too often his diet was filled with burgers and other fast food and Marc developed problems with drink and drugs. In striking similarity to Elvis Presley his weight began to increase uncontrollably. British tabloids began to call him England's Porky Pixie. Many of those who had suffered at the hands of his hard-nosed drive to become a Star took the opportunity for revenge and he was ridiculed in the Music Press.
 Bolan and Drugs
In the late 60's his wife June was insistent that Marc never took drugs. He'd hold a 'joint' if offered one, to appear 'in' but then pass it on without inhaling. One of the reasons Marc said he'd been unable to work with Steve Took was Took's drug taking. However, by 1973 Marc was consuming large amounts of cocaine. For a natural egotistic like Marc, cocaine is probably THE worst drug to take. He was also beginning to surround himself with 'yes men' and with an urge to mix his own musical style with that of his girlfriend, (US Black Soul) his judgement was impaired and the music slid.
 1974 - Cutting off those who helped him and more T.Rex personell changes
Marc and producer Tony Visconti went their separate ways in March of 1974. Citing "Musical Differences" as the reason, this split ended a 6 year, nine album partnership that had taken Marc Bolan from nowhere to the top of the British Rock scene. However, the differences weren't 'musical' but rather 'financial'. Marc cut the percentage paid to Tony Visconti in half and it was this that caused Visconti and Marc to part company. There are often many debates on who was the better producer: Tony Visconti or Marc Bolan. Even some loyal fans have to admit Visconti had the edge. This was just one of the decisions Marc made which was clearly a mistake. To insult Visconti after so many years together by penny pinching and by wanting to take control of every aspect of your music rather than trusting to the experts is seen by many as a serious mistake by Bolan. T.Rex was headed for the lowest point in its existence. Marc brought Dino Dines in on keyboard. Two drummers was deemed to be too many so Marc kept on Davey Lutton which Gloria Jones was given the job of playing Clavinet in addition to continuing on backing vocals.
 1974 - The London Boy - A Tax Exile and 'Porky Pixie'
The albums produced after Visconti's departure did not have the same 'spark' as in Marc's peak years of late 1970 to early 1973. This was due to three things: 1) Visconti's absence; 2) Marc's drive to push his music where his audience didn't want it to go and 3) Due to drink and drug induced dulled senses and clouded judgement. Due to a greatly reduced, but very loyal fan base, he did manage to maintain enough of an audience to score one more UK Top 20 hit per year until 1977. Many records entering the charts in their week of release only to disappear the following week. This is a sure sign that a 'hard core' group of fans are buying them, rather than the general public and this was true to single 'Light of Love' (released in July 1974) which barely entered the charts. The next album, Bolan's Zip Gun' and another single 'Zip Gun Boogie' were released. The single didn't even reach into the top thirty and the album likewise flopped commercially.
 1974/5 - The Loss of Mickey Finn from 'Marc n' Mickey'
By the close of 1974 (and certainly by the time Marc went into the studios at the end of January 1975) Mickey Finn left in the band. The second bongo player to be sacked by Marc. Marc was on his own, apart from Gloria, the drink, drugs, and junk food, living in various foreign countries. A London Boy very far from home.
 1975 - Gloria finds out she's pregnant and Marc almost Dies!
Towards the beginning of 1975 Gloria discovered she was pregnant. "I'm going to live like a sane human being because I intend to be around for a long time yet," he declared shortly before Marc collapsed after a week of heavy drinking. He was told by the doctors that he had been very lucky and, without some serious rest and restructuring of his lifestyle, he might well die. Marc decided, to return to his roots and his homeland. Despite the heavy tax burden, Marc realized that his destiny was not in America and it was time to come home. Gloria and Marc rented a reasonable sized town house in Fulham. In June 1975, Marc released a new single. 'New York City'. It reached #15, which although not a #1 showed people that T.Rex was still around. The song used a riff from 'One Inch Rock', and many people at the time were please to hear the 'original T.Rex sound' seemed to be back.
 1975 - Marc becomes a dad.
In September 1975 the single 'Dreamy Lady' was released. Although it charted, it didn't get as high as 'New York City'. But for Marc the biggest event in September was the birth of his son; Rolan Seymour Bolan (although his birth certificate lists him as 'Rolan Seymour Feld'). Marc claimed to have delivered Rolan himself. "This baby's made all the difference to my life," he said, "The most important thing is that he has given me a sense of responsibility. Whenever I feel myself getting silly and maybe thinking of slipping into my old ways I just imagine myself dying and Rolan never really having known me. That's a horrible thought."
1975 - Marc The Chat Show Host
Marc was invited in for an interview on the Thame Television British 'Today' show with host Telly Savalas. During the interview, Marc literally took over the interview and began asking more questions of Telly Savalas than vice-versa. As a result, Thames Television contracted Marc to work for them as an interviewer. Among the people Marc interviewed were Angie Bowie, Keith Moon, John Mayall, and Stan Lee the creator of the Marvel Comic characters. Marc found this new career to be quite enjoyable but promised not to become another David Frost. He also used the opportunity to introduce two new songs on the show - "London Boys" and "Funky London Childhood". Marc showed a natural ability. With his charismatic smile, and quick wit he was able to put guests at their ease and produce a programme which was enjoyable to watch. This is certainly an area of the entertainment industry in which he could have excelled as he grew older.
1976 - 'Futuristic Dragon' Album
In February the 'Futuristic Dragon' album was released along with the single 'London Boys'. On the front of this album was a painting of Marc painted by George Underwood, an artist who's association with Marc started when he drew Tyrannosaurus Rex's first album cover in 1968. The album began with Marc reciting a brief poem about the 'Dragon' as an electric guitar shrilled with feedback in the background. Much of the album was recorded in 1974.
 1976 - 'Futuristic Dragon' Tour
To promote the album Bolan toured the UK. However, many reviewers were critical of the Marc Bolan they saw perform in stage. Despite claims by Marc that he had given up drink and drugs and that people would see a clean-living Bolan it certainly wasn't happening during the 'Futuristic Dragon' Tour. The over-weight Bolan looked in poor health. During the tour he was often drunk and frequently belligerent to those he worked with. During performances he forgot lyrics and took his frustrations out by reproaching and berating his audiences.
"His world wasn't that real."
Allan Jones attended the Lyceum Ballroom, London gig and wrote in 'Melody Maker', "It was the saddest spectacle I'd witnessed in years." In interviews however, Marc produced various excuses for the poor attendance at many of the concerts. He also preferred to talk of the 'big' projects he had lined up including producing Gloria and Richard Jones records, his as-yet-to-be-released book of poetry, 'Wilderness of the mind', and plans for the big 'masterwork' Billy Super Duper. As 1976 progressed Bolan would also announce that he and David Bowie were working on a film script and "need two million to make the film". Like the film Bolan had earlier claimed to have been appearing in along with David Niven the Bowie/Bolan film Collaboration didn't materialise. One of his oldest friends, Jeff Dexter recalled of that time, "Marc was never a has-been in his own eyes. He didn't hear other people. His world wasn't that real."
1976 - 'I Love to Boogie' - 'Teenage Boogie'
Marc felt that 'Futuristic Dragon' was still too pop. He wanted to get back more to basic rock and listened to a number of old Rock 'n' Roll albums trying to get that old sound back into his head. What resulted was a new single called 'I Love to Boogie' (released in June of 1976). It was slammed by the press for sounding all too much like the 1956 song 'Teenage Boogie' and a club of Oldies fans even held a record burning to display their disgust. But the public liked it and it reached #13 on the UK charts. It would however, be the last Top Twenty chart hit Marc would ever produce.
 1976 - July - Supersonic - Rollin' Bolan
After the Top Twenty success of 'I Love to Boogie' Marc was approached to make a TV 'Special' and in July recorded five songs for the show which aired the following month as 'Rollin' Bolan'.
1976 - The final 'Original' band member leaves
The 'Rollin' Bolan' performance was the last to feature two T.Rex members; Davey Lutton who joined in 1974 and Original member Steve Currie, who joined Marc n' Mickey in 1970. Lutton was sacked and Currie quit; burnt-out from six years in T-Rex. Now all of the original members of T-Rex had gone.
1976 - Diet and New Album underway
 Marc replaced Jack Green as second guitarist with Miller Anderson. He brought in session men Herbie Flowers on bass and Tony Newman on drums while Dino Dines stayed on keyboards. For a time Steve Currie worked with Marc, but he only appears on few of the new songs. Gloria, busy with her own career and made only a few appearances on the new album. Marc tried to reduce his drinking went on a diet to loose all of the excess weight he had put on during his exile, although the 'Futuristic Dragon Tour showed that certainly during the early part of the year this was more talk than action. Marc's writing was often autobiographical. Marc had risen from the bottom to the top and then fell back to the bottom and using an Americanism to describe it, Marc penned 'Life's an Elevator'" which was released on the 'b' side of 'Laser Love' in the same month as Marc and Gloria moved into Upper Richmond Road.
  1976 - September - 142 Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen
Marc and Gloria moved home to England and bought a house in Upper Richmond Road West, only around a mile from Marc's parents' home at 9 Inglis House, Whitnell Way, Putney. When Rolan's mum and dad were away, he would stop at his Feld grandparents home. Marc had been to the bottom, much of his wealth had gone, but he managed to lose weight. Building work still continued in the house so they were still reduced to living in a couple of rooms with much of their possessions in storage. According to Mark Paytress, "the property, with high ceilings and wooden floors, never really acquired any traditional sense of domesticity. Marc would often conduct his business lying on his large bed, surrounded by racks of stage clothes and unpacked boxes, as bemused workmen continued their renovations around him".
1976 - Gloria Jones' 'Vixen' Album
Gloria worked on her own music during 1976 which culminated on 'Vixen' released in December 1976. Not only did Bolan produce the album for her, he wrote several songs and played guitar on many tracks.
1977 - Godfather of Punk?
Things were rapidly changing in the British music industry in the form of Punk. "I'm the originator of punk rock. In America I was always billed as the Cosmic Punk." he declared. A number of the emerging punk artists had gone through their teenage years listening to T.Rex music and acknowledged Marc's influence on their music, so that Marc was able to pull back some credibility by befriending The Damned and positioning himself as the 'Godfather of punk'. It should be noted that although some punk bands would agree with this 'Godfather of punk' tag, at least as many scoff at the suggestion of Marc being 'punk' in any real sense other than a superficial ripped T-shirt, citing the fact that his last single, "Celebrate Summer" released in 1977 showed little sign of 'punk'.
  1977 - Tour, Album and Four Singles
In March 1977 set out on a tour to promote his new album 'Dandy in the Underworld' , taking along the Damned as support, cleverly guaranteeing that a young audience who did not remember his heyday would come along to the gigs. Of the Damned, Marc commented that
"I was introduced to them because one of them had the good taste to wear a Marc Bolan T-shirt."
The tour promoted the new semi-autobiographical album 'Dandy in the Underworld' which had some good highlights.
  1977 - The Singles
Marc released four singles in 1977. The first was a duet with Gloria Jones released on 14th January "To Know You Is To Love You", followed on 12th March by 'Soul of My Suit'.
30th May saw the release of 'Dandy in the Underworld' taken from the album of the same name. The song was a song about himself. It spoke of his downfall into the abyss of drugs and destruction and wondered as to when he would return. The word "cocaine" was not permitted on UK TV/Radio so Marc changed "cocaine nights" with "T.Rex nights". Finally on the 5th August 1977 Marc released 'Celebrate Summer' with the line "Summer is Heaven in Seventy Seven". Of these four, only 'Soul of My Suit' charted.
 1977 - Writing for Record Mirror
During 1977 Marc became a monthly columnist for the music paper 'Record Mirror'.
He wrote of Elvis Presley's death;
"And so to the saddest news of the month - the death of Elvis Presley. Often badly promoted, badly advised, and obscenely produced in his last years - or so it seemed to me - he was led down the drain by whoever stuck him on the treadmill of these terrible Hollywood musicals and tried to turn him into a sort of Jayne Mansfield. It's sad that he's gone but probably better that he went before he turned into the Bing Crosby of rock'n'roll."
 1977 - Talk of getting back to his roots with Steve Took and Mickey Finn
In the months before he died Marc was talking of getting back to his roots and performing with his two original partners Mickey Finn and Steve Took. It would have been interested to see where that might have led. Right - Marc Bolan and Steve Took in March 1977 - backstage at one of Marc's gigs on the 'Dandy in the Underworld' Tour. Read the interview with Marc recorded on the 9th September 1977 which mentions Mickey Finn and Steve Took.
1977 - Marc Shows
In September 1977 he recorded six programmes for Granada Television 'Marc' to be screened during the Children's Tea-Time slot. Marc looked fit although perhaps a little too thin and mimed through a number of old T.Rex songs with a group of disinterested session musicians as T.Rex. His links were delivered in exquisite Campness and an example was his introduction for the Punk Rock band Generation X where he said the lead singer was supposed to be as "pretty as me" (as he finished delivering this line he sniffed a Carnation he had been delicately holding). The last episode in the series (and there was talk of a second) featured Marc dueting with David Bowie. It was recorded on September 13th with a transmission date set for after September 16th. The broadcast went ahead as planned.
  1977 - The day a simple tree became Bolan's Rock Shrine
Marc died on September 16th 1977, a fortnight before his 30th birthday. He was a passenger in a Mini driven by Gloria as they headed home from a restaurant.
The car collided with a tree after spinning out of control in Barnes, London. Despite filling his songs with references to cars, Marc never learned to drive, believing that, like Eddie Cochran, he would die in one.
 Eddie Cochran
In Urban legend the story goes: In April 1960 Mark saw his new American hero Eddie Cochran perform at Marc's local 'haunt' the Hackney Empire, where the TV show 'Oh Boy!' was filmed. Apparently after the concert Cochran let the adoring young fan carry his guitar to a waiting limo. Tragically, only days later, on his way to the airport, the star was killed as his taxi slammed into a lamp post. Throughout his life Marc was convinced of the mystical significance of that evening when he was handed Eddie's guitar.
The tree now acts as a shrine to his memory, cared for by TAG.
 1977 - 20th September - Funeral
At Marc's funeral, attended by many stars, his coffin was covered in a swan-shaped floral tribute, in recognition of his breakthrough hit single. Marc's girlfriend Gloria Jones survived and returned to her native America with their son Rolan Bolan shortly after the crash, just after Rolan had his second birthday.
Posthumously
20th Century Boy introduced a new generation of devotees to Marc's work in 1991 when it was featured on a jeans TV commercial and was re-released, reaching the UK Top 20. Marc is still cited by many guitar-centric bands as a huge influence, although 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!"
David Gilmour
Go on to the 2002 Telegraph 'Biography' Article.
Go back to T.Rex - The Golden Years
BACK TO TAG'S MARC BOLAN & T-REX INFORMATION PAGES
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