WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.700 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today, we're taking 00:00:02.700 --> 00:00:06.559 a monumental career. One that started in the 00:00:06.559 --> 00:00:09.240 deepest psychedelic underground and just ended 00:00:09.240 --> 00:00:11.740 in this glittering commercial explosion. And 00:00:11.740 --> 00:00:14.000 we are unpacking the genius behind it all. It's 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:15.960 a huge one. So grab your high -heeled boots, 00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:18.820 dust off the feather boa, and, you know, prepare 00:00:18.820 --> 00:00:20.920 to cover yourself in glitter. Because we are 00:00:20.920 --> 00:00:23.339 diving deep into the architect of glam rock, 00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:27.160 Mark Bolan. It's just a study in phenomenal self 00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:30.399 -creation, isn't it? Bolenborn Mark Feld. He 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:33.380 lived this intensely impactful yet tragically 00:00:33.380 --> 00:00:37.060 short life. We're talking 1947 to 1977. So short. 00:00:37.179 --> 00:00:39.770 But in that. In that compressed three -decade 00:00:39.770 --> 00:00:42.450 window, he didn't just participate in the cultural 00:00:42.450 --> 00:00:44.409 shifts of the time. He was the lightning rod 00:00:44.409 --> 00:00:46.929 that channeled them into a whole new sound, a 00:00:46.929 --> 00:00:49.289 new look. Absolutely. And the Rock and Roll Hall 00:00:49.289 --> 00:00:51.109 of Fame, they finally acknowledged that profound 00:00:51.109 --> 00:00:53.789 influence, inducting him and T -Rex in 2020. 00:00:54.109 --> 00:00:56.429 But to really get a handle on his impact, you 00:00:56.429 --> 00:00:58.070 have to start where one of his closest collaborators 00:00:58.070 --> 00:01:01.250 did, the producer, Tony Visconti. Oh, Visconti 00:01:01.250 --> 00:01:03.229 is key to this whole story. Right, because he 00:01:03.229 --> 00:01:05.250 looked at Bolan and didn't see someone who needed, 00:01:05.390 --> 00:01:09.689 you know, technical refinement. pure raw potential. 00:01:09.930 --> 00:01:12.689 That quote is so critical, Visconti said. What 00:01:12.689 --> 00:01:15.629 I saw in him was raw talent. I saw genius. I 00:01:15.629 --> 00:01:18.129 saw a potential rock star in Mark right from 00:01:18.129 --> 00:01:21.030 the minute, the hour I met him. Wow. And that 00:01:21.030 --> 00:01:23.989 speaks to an immediate, undeniable charisma that 00:01:23.989 --> 00:01:26.849 just went way beyond musical ability. And that 00:01:26.849 --> 00:01:28.870 charisma, really, that's the thread that runs 00:01:28.870 --> 00:01:31.769 through this entire deep dive. So our mission 00:01:31.769 --> 00:01:34.400 today is to unpack that evolution for you. We're 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:37.099 tracing how this acoustic folk poet became an 00:01:37.099 --> 00:01:40.439 electric superstar and why, long after his death, 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:43.200 his sonic and visual DNA is still visible across 00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:45.420 so many genres. You're talking glam rock, punk, 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:47.379 post -punk. All the way through to new wave, 00:01:47.560 --> 00:01:49.819 indie rock, even Britpop. I mean, this is a man 00:01:49.819 --> 00:01:51.659 who knew how to market magic. Well, to understand 00:01:51.659 --> 00:01:53.219 the superstar, we have to start with the boy, 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:57.099 Mark Feld. Born in Hamilton, London, 1947, and 00:01:57.099 --> 00:01:59.319 his background is just so crucial to the ambition 00:01:59.319 --> 00:02:02.099 and, well, the theatricality that fueled his 00:02:02.099 --> 00:02:04.420 entire career. Okay, let's unpack the origins 00:02:04.420 --> 00:02:07.299 of Mark Feld. He was the second child of Simeon 00:02:07.299 --> 00:02:10.099 Feld, who everyone called Sid. He was a cosmetic 00:02:10.099 --> 00:02:13.159 salesman and a former lorry driver. Right. An 00:02:13.159 --> 00:02:15.800 Ashkenazi Jew with family roots in Russia and 00:02:15.800 --> 00:02:18.919 Poland. And his mother was Phyllis Winifred, 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:21.680 who ran a stall at the Berwick Street Market. 00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:25.000 That... Family background feels like a perfect 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:27.560 crucible for a future star, doesn't it? It's 00:02:27.560 --> 00:02:29.819 a fantastic mix. You've got the street hustle 00:02:29.819 --> 00:02:32.259 and the commercial savvy from the market stall. 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:35.080 And then the theatricality and salesmanship from 00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:37.400 the cosmetics trade. I mean, that mixture of 00:02:37.400 --> 00:02:40.139 commerce and spectacle was just baked into his 00:02:40.139 --> 00:02:42.139 upbringing from day one. And the music started 00:02:42.139 --> 00:02:45.039 early. Very early. He got his first guitar at 00:02:45.039 --> 00:02:47.860 nine years old and immediately started a skiffle 00:02:47.860 --> 00:02:49.900 band. You know, that very British blend of folk, 00:02:50.020 --> 00:02:52.699 blues and jazz. And the band was called Suzy 00:02:52.699 --> 00:02:54.800 and the Hula Hoops. Which is great in itself. 00:02:54.919 --> 00:02:57.020 But here's the piece of trivia that. really speaks 00:02:57.020 --> 00:03:00.379 volumes the vocalist for that little skiffle 00:03:00.379 --> 00:03:03.479 trio a 12 year old Helen Shapiro get out of here 00:03:03.479 --> 00:03:06.740 the Helen Shapiro the one and only who would 00:03:06.740 --> 00:03:09.979 go on to have massive UK hits herself it's just 00:03:10.250 --> 00:03:13.110 validation that even as a child, he was gravitating 00:03:13.110 --> 00:03:15.830 toward and working with some really serious talent. 00:03:15.969 --> 00:03:18.530 But the Markfeld identity was also defined by 00:03:18.530 --> 00:03:22.050 this streak of sheer dramatic rebelliousness. 00:03:22.129 --> 00:03:25.849 Oh, yeah. That rebellion really climaxed at Northwold 00:03:25.849 --> 00:03:28.979 Primary School. His formal education ended, well, 00:03:29.020 --> 00:03:31.139 very dramatically at 15 when he was expelled. 00:03:31.379 --> 00:03:33.020 And we have a pretty vivid description of what 00:03:33.020 --> 00:03:35.159 happened from a friend who was there. So the 00:03:35.159 --> 00:03:37.560 story goes that he'd done something wrong. He 00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:39.620 gets called in to see the deputy headmaster, 00:03:39.719 --> 00:03:42.319 a Mr. Pearson, who then threatens to cane him. 00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:45.340 And Mark, who was already, you know, fully formed 00:03:45.340 --> 00:03:48.699 in his sense of personal drama, just flatly refused 00:03:48.699 --> 00:03:50.599 the punishment. The headmaster told him to hold 00:03:50.599 --> 00:03:53.000 out his hand. And Mark responded by nutting the 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:55.080 deputy headmaster. He had butted him. At 15. 00:03:55.689 --> 00:03:58.930 It's this physical, visceral rejection of authority. 00:03:59.530 --> 00:04:02.310 It felt like a perfect dress rehearsal for the 00:04:02.310 --> 00:04:04.389 countercultural star he was about to become. 00:04:04.650 --> 00:04:06.669 He didn't just fade away. He went out with a 00:04:06.669 --> 00:04:09.669 bang. And that defiance, it immediately translated 00:04:09.669 --> 00:04:12.289 into a relentless focus on his visual identity. 00:04:12.849 --> 00:04:15.650 After leaving school, he just dove headfirst 00:04:15.650 --> 00:04:18.069 into the burgeoning mod movement. Which was all 00:04:18.069 --> 00:04:20.870 about sharp tailoring, modern music, and this 00:04:20.870 --> 00:04:23.680 air of sophistication. Right. He becomes an extra 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:27.220 on a TV show called Orlando, already dressed 00:04:27.220 --> 00:04:30.220 impeccably as a mod. And this leads pretty quickly 00:04:30.220 --> 00:04:33.560 to a brief but incredibly telling stint as a 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:35.740 model. He joined an agency and became what they 00:04:35.740 --> 00:04:38.120 called the John Temple Boy, appearing in closing 00:04:38.120 --> 00:04:40.959 catalogs. And as cardboard cutouts and high street 00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:43.500 shop windows. What's so fascinating here is that 00:04:43.500 --> 00:04:45.759 he was a visual innovator before he was ever 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:49.379 a musical hit maker. A 1962 Town Magazine photo 00:04:49.379 --> 00:04:52.060 spread actually featured him, still as Mark Feld. 00:04:52.139 --> 00:04:55.040 and cited him as an early defining figure of 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:56.779 the mod movement. He understood the complete 00:04:56.779 --> 00:04:59.120 package, the hair, the clothes, the attitude 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:01.720 before the songs were even fully formed. But 00:05:01.720 --> 00:05:03.819 the text for stardom and the right name was a 00:05:03.819 --> 00:05:07.199 real slog between 64 and 67. It was a period 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:09.600 defined by trial and error, moving through different 00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:11.579 managers with very different ideas of what he 00:05:11.579 --> 00:05:14.180 should be. His first manager, a guy named Jeffrey 00:05:14.180 --> 00:05:16.860 Delaroy Hall, tried to shape him into a mainstream 00:05:16.860 --> 00:05:20.079 pop idol. Like a Cliff Richard type. Exactly. 00:05:20.100 --> 00:05:23.079 He had him record All at Once, which was this 00:05:23.079 --> 00:05:25.600 slick commercial track designed to be a hit. 00:05:25.899 --> 00:05:28.759 It showed he was willing to chase success, but 00:05:28.759 --> 00:05:31.000 it wasn't authentic, you know? Then he meets 00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:33.199 the child actor Alan Warren, who becomes his 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:35.899 second manager. And this is when Mark Feld briefly 00:05:35.899 --> 00:05:38.970 becomes. Toby Tyler. And Warren commissioned 00:05:38.970 --> 00:05:41.050 these photographs that showed Boland wearing 00:05:41.050 --> 00:05:43.930 a corduroy peaked cap, which was a very direct 00:05:43.930 --> 00:05:46.870 visual nod to Bob Dylan. So you can see the shift, 00:05:46.949 --> 00:05:49.490 right? He's moving from trying to be Cliff Richard 00:05:49.490 --> 00:05:53.620 to aiming for that. folk poetic authenticity 00:05:53.620 --> 00:05:56.399 of Dylan. Absolutely. Warren had acetates cut 00:05:56.399 --> 00:05:58.480 of him covering Dylan's Blown in the Wind and 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:01.199 Dion's The Road on Mont Gloria. He was absorbing 00:06:01.199 --> 00:06:04.040 the mythology of the serious, introspective songwriter. 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:06.180 And here's where we get that truly phenomenal 00:06:06.180 --> 00:06:08.920 anecdote that just speaks to the sheer randomness 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:10.839 of early show business. This is one of my favorite 00:06:10.839 --> 00:06:13.459 stories. Alan Warren, who was struggling financially, 00:06:13.800 --> 00:06:16.579 sold Boland's contract and those precious early 00:06:16.579 --> 00:06:19.259 recordings to his landlord, a property mogul 00:06:19.259 --> 00:06:23.490 named David Kirch. For just... 200 pounds. Just 00:06:23.490 --> 00:06:26.490 stop and think about that. 200 quid. That covered 00:06:26.490 --> 00:06:29.430 three months of his back rent. The contract of 00:06:29.430 --> 00:06:32.209 a future global superstar was literally used 00:06:32.209 --> 00:06:34.430 as collateral for a few months rent. It's just 00:06:34.430 --> 00:06:36.970 unbelievable. But this is where the influence 00:06:36.970 --> 00:06:39.529 of his early life comes roaring back. His mother, 00:06:39.670 --> 00:06:42.670 Phyllis, refused to accept it. She marched straight 00:06:42.670 --> 00:06:44.850 into Kirch's office, said Kirch wasn't doing 00:06:44.850 --> 00:06:47.269 anything for her son's career, and demanded he 00:06:47.269 --> 00:06:49.889 tear up the contract. And he did it. Kirch just 00:06:49.889 --> 00:06:53.689 complied. It's this wonderful protective moment 00:06:53.689 --> 00:06:56.129 that often gets glossed over in the Bolin myth 00:06:56.129 --> 00:06:58.870 of the lone cosmic artist. Right. It shows that 00:06:58.870 --> 00:07:00.610 beneath all the swagger and the mod persona, 00:07:00.810 --> 00:07:03.149 he was really relying on the fierce working class 00:07:03.149 --> 00:07:05.589 protection of his family. So finally, in August 00:07:05.589 --> 00:07:09.610 1965, he signs to Decca Records and adopts the 00:07:09.610 --> 00:07:12.569 name that would stick, Mark Bolin. And the name 00:07:12.569 --> 00:07:14.689 itself became part of the mystery. Was it a contraction 00:07:14.689 --> 00:07:17.759 of Bob Dylan? Was it from the actor James Bolan? 00:07:18.279 --> 00:07:20.959 Bolan himself eventually said that Decker Records 00:07:20.959 --> 00:07:23.300 just chose the name for him, which emphasizes 00:07:23.300 --> 00:07:26.740 that even his identity was, to a degree, commercially 00:07:26.740 --> 00:07:30.579 selected. His debut single, The Wizard, featured 00:07:30.579 --> 00:07:33.800 session giants like Jimmy Page and Big Jim Sullivan, 00:07:33.939 --> 00:07:36.420 but it didn't chart. And neither did the follow 00:07:36.420 --> 00:07:38.939 -up. These repeated commercial setbacks led him 00:07:38.939 --> 00:07:41.560 to his next great manager, Simon Napierbell. 00:07:41.860 --> 00:07:44.279 Napierbell saw the songwriting talent and slotted 00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:47.759 him into the band John's Children in 1967. They 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:49.740 were known for being a chaotic, high -energy 00:07:49.740 --> 00:07:52.600 live act, but still the record sales lagged. 00:07:52.600 --> 00:07:54.240 And this is where he first encountered censorship, 00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:56.540 which is fascinating for a man who would later 00:07:56.540 --> 00:07:59.459 define sexual ambiguity in pop. Their single, 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:02.120 Desdemona, which Bolin wrote, was banned by the 00:08:02.120 --> 00:08:04.600 BBC for the line, lift up your skirt and fly. 00:08:05.199 --> 00:08:07.500 The establishment was clearly a bit wary of him 00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:09.939 even back then, but his time with John's children 00:08:09.939 --> 00:08:12.819 was brief. It ended abruptly after a pretty ill 00:08:12.819 --> 00:08:15.420 -fated German tour with the Who. And Boland feeling 00:08:15.420 --> 00:08:17.680 creatively adrift, he just retreated entirely 00:08:17.680 --> 00:08:20.220 into his own mind. He entered this period of 00:08:20.220 --> 00:08:22.699 self -mythologizing. He started writing fantasy 00:08:22.699 --> 00:08:25.360 novels, things like The Kraken Mist, alongside 00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:29.230 his really dense poems and songs. This was the 00:08:29.230 --> 00:08:31.730 moment the stage persona Mark Feld was buried 00:08:31.730 --> 00:08:34.950 and the mythological Mark Bolan was born. And 00:08:34.950 --> 00:08:37.210 he cooked up one of his most enduring origin 00:08:37.210 --> 00:08:39.730 myths during this time. The levitating wizard 00:08:39.730 --> 00:08:43.149 in Paris. Right. He claimed he met a wizard who 00:08:43.149 --> 00:08:46.129 passed on secret knowledge. Now, biographers 00:08:46.129 --> 00:08:48.590 quickly figured out the wizard was probably the 00:08:48.590 --> 00:08:51.149 American actor Riggs O 'Hara. But the fact of 00:08:51.149 --> 00:08:53.529 the encounter is way less important than Boland's 00:08:53.529 --> 00:08:55.610 commitment to the myth. He was actively shaping 00:08:55.610 --> 00:08:58.070 his own story. You know, he was transitioning 00:08:58.070 --> 00:09:01.370 from a guy who sang songs to a poet who channeled 00:09:01.370 --> 00:09:03.909 cosmic knowledge. And that neo -romantic, intensely 00:09:03.909 --> 00:09:07.230 poetic focus directly informed the sound of his 00:09:07.230 --> 00:09:09.909 next incarnation, Tyrannosaurus Rex. Right. And 00:09:09.909 --> 00:09:12.149 the next stage of his career, Tyrannosaurus Rex, 00:09:12.289 --> 00:09:15.669 it really emerged from chaos. After leaving John's 00:09:15.669 --> 00:09:17.389 children, Boland decided to form an electric 00:09:17.389 --> 00:09:19.730 rock band with this grandiose, powerful name. 00:09:19.909 --> 00:09:22.429 But that initial electric lineup was a complete 00:09:22.429 --> 00:09:25.929 and utter failure. A disaster. Napier Bell recalled 00:09:25.929 --> 00:09:28.409 that Boland placed an ad, auditioned musicians 00:09:28.409 --> 00:09:31.549 at 3 p .m., and then put them on stage at 5 p 00:09:31.549 --> 00:09:34.320 .m. The result, they were just gotten booed off 00:09:34.320 --> 00:09:36.820 the stage. And that disastrous debut, it accidentally 00:09:36.820 --> 00:09:39.320 led to the duo format that defined Tyrannosaurus 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:42.419 Rex. Napier Bell said the humiliation was such 00:09:42.419 --> 00:09:45.000 a blow to Bolin's ego that he didn't have the 00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:47.679 courage to try it again with a full band. So 00:09:47.679 --> 00:09:50.080 he stripped it all back. It became this acoustic 00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:53.559 duo, Bolin on acoustic guitar and vocals, with 00:09:53.559 --> 00:09:56.279 these dense, arcane songs. And he paired up with 00:09:56.279 --> 00:09:59.679 Steve Peregrin, took on hand percussion, bongos, 00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:02.720 and bits of kit. It was this delicate, deeply 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:05.759 psychedelic folk rock, a world away from the 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:08.000 impending roar of glam. And that acoustic sound 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:09.860 immediately found a powerful niche in the UK 00:10:09.860 --> 00:10:12.000 underground. They were championed heavily by 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:15.419 the BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel. Peel was a crucial 00:10:15.419 --> 00:10:18.100 early advocate. Their success was based on creating 00:10:18.100 --> 00:10:20.960 this intensely atmospheric, really a poetic experience. 00:10:21.399 --> 00:10:23.879 They released three albums with Took, two of 00:10:23.879 --> 00:10:26.639 which cracked the UK top 15. They had a minor 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:29.549 hit with Deborah in 1968. And their high point 00:10:29.549 --> 00:10:31.450 of underground credibility came when they played 00:10:31.450 --> 00:10:35.269 at the first Freehide Park concert in 1968, which 00:10:35.269 --> 00:10:37.230 really solidified their status within the whole 00:10:37.230 --> 00:10:39.690 hippie scene. But the music was really a vehicle 00:10:39.690 --> 00:10:43.309 for Bolan's incredibly verbose, esoteric lyrics, 00:10:43.490 --> 00:10:46.190 wasn't it? Full of wizards, unicorns, ancient 00:10:46.190 --> 00:10:49.330 battles, mythological creatures. This era wasn't 00:10:49.330 --> 00:10:52.529 just about music. It was Bolan's literary phase. 00:10:52.850 --> 00:10:56.110 And in 1969, he published his only book of poetry, 00:10:56.330 --> 00:10:58.389 The Warlock of Love. The critics were pretty 00:10:58.389 --> 00:11:01.049 divided, with many just dismissing it as self 00:11:01.049 --> 00:11:03.629 -indulgent, flowery nonsense, you know, the rambling 00:11:03.629 --> 00:11:06.029 fantasies of a high hippie poet. But the public 00:11:06.029 --> 00:11:07.929 loved it. The book was a commercial phenomenon. 00:11:08.250 --> 00:11:10.570 It sold 40 ,000 copies and became one of Britain's 00:11:10.570 --> 00:11:13.870 best -selling poetry books in 1969 and 70. That's 00:11:13.870 --> 00:11:16.149 staggering. And it shows that his ability to 00:11:16.149 --> 00:11:18.789 create this mythology deeply resonated with his 00:11:18.789 --> 00:11:21.190 audience, even when you stripped away the electric 00:11:21.190 --> 00:11:23.289 guitars and the glamour. It really demonstrates 00:11:23.289 --> 00:11:25.370 that Boland wasn't just seeking fame. He was 00:11:25.370 --> 00:11:27.990 seeking credibility. And he found it, but through 00:11:27.990 --> 00:11:30.929 a medium most rock stars just avoid completely. 00:11:31.269 --> 00:11:33.590 However, that partnership with Steve Peregrine 00:11:33.590 --> 00:11:36.759 took was turbulent. Yeah, Took was described 00:11:36.759 --> 00:11:39.740 as free -spirited and a heavy drug user. He was 00:11:39.740 --> 00:11:42.080 fired after a notoriously difficult first American 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:44.820 tour, largely due to creative differences and 00:11:44.820 --> 00:11:47.720 his drug issues. Boland replaced him with Mickey 00:11:47.720 --> 00:11:50.240 Finn. And the arrival of Finn coincided perfectly 00:11:50.240 --> 00:11:53.419 with Boland's growing, maybe impatient, urge 00:11:53.419 --> 00:11:56.080 to move beyond acoustic poetry and electrify 00:11:56.080 --> 00:11:58.700 his sound. He realized the limitations of being 00:11:58.700 --> 00:12:01.559 a purely acoustic duo in an increasingly loud 00:12:01.559 --> 00:12:04.440 rock landscape. The shift was deliberate. Boland 00:12:04.440 --> 00:12:06.860 started incorporating more amplified guitar lines. 00:12:07.019 --> 00:12:09.360 Yep. And here's a massive piece of rock history 00:12:09.360 --> 00:12:11.759 transfer for you. The Sid Barrett guitar. The 00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:14.700 sources confirm he bought a white Fender Stratocaster 00:12:14.700 --> 00:12:18.039 decorated with a Paisley teardrop motif directly 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:20.620 from Sid Barrett, the former Pink Floyd genius 00:12:20.620 --> 00:12:22.460 who had descended into mental health struggles. 00:12:22.620 --> 00:12:24.899 That is essentially the ceremonial passing of 00:12:24.899 --> 00:12:27.559 the psychedelic torch. The pure acid -soaked 00:12:27.559 --> 00:12:30.600 spirit of the 60s was literally embodied in that 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:33.039 guitar, which Bolin immediately used to propel 00:12:33.039 --> 00:12:35.600 himself into the new decade. And you can hear 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:38.659 this transition so dramatically on A Beard of 00:12:38.659 --> 00:12:41.720 Stars, the final album released under the Tyrannosaurus 00:12:41.720 --> 00:12:45.580 Rex name. The album closes with Elemental Child. 00:12:46.059 --> 00:12:48.899 Which has this long, loud electric guitar break 00:12:48.899 --> 00:12:51.639 that was clearly and directly influenced by Jimi 00:12:51.639 --> 00:12:54.419 Hendrix. The folk poet had found his electric 00:12:54.419 --> 00:12:57.960 voice. The metamorphosis was complete. Before 00:12:57.960 --> 00:13:00.220 we leave the psychedelic era, though, we have 00:13:00.220 --> 00:13:02.919 to revisit that utterly perfect, bizarre anecdote 00:13:02.919 --> 00:13:05.799 about the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970. 00:13:06.179 --> 00:13:08.600 Oh, this is the stuff of legend, but with a pastoral 00:13:08.600 --> 00:13:11.059 twist. Tyrannosaurus Rex actually headlined the 00:13:11.059 --> 00:13:13.620 first Glastonbury. It was called the Worthy Farm 00:13:13.620 --> 00:13:16.629 Pop Festival then. after the kinks canceled at 00:13:16.629 --> 00:13:19.009 the very last minute. Michael Evis was about 00:13:19.009 --> 00:13:20.789 to cancel the whole thing. And Bolin steps in. 00:13:20.889 --> 00:13:23.149 Their sunset performance was later cited as an 00:13:23.149 --> 00:13:25.629 inspiration for the entire festival. But Evis, 00:13:25.870 --> 00:13:28.070 being a dairy farmer and not a concert promoter, 00:13:28.129 --> 00:13:30.610 was completely broke. So he agreed to pay the 00:13:30.610 --> 00:13:32.789 group 100 pounds per month over a five -month 00:13:32.789 --> 00:13:35.269 period. But the money came entirely from profits 00:13:35.269 --> 00:13:37.690 made selling cow's milk from the farm. The future 00:13:37.690 --> 00:13:40.149 king of glam, the man whose look would define 00:13:40.149 --> 00:13:42.470 androgyny and extravagance for a generation, 00:13:42.750 --> 00:13:45.549 was being paid his fee in monthly installments 00:13:45.549 --> 00:13:48.549 of dairy profits. It just underscores how quickly 00:13:48.549 --> 00:13:50.970 he was about to jettison that hippie back -to 00:13:50.970 --> 00:13:53.690 -nature world for the glittering, hard commercialism 00:13:53.690 --> 00:13:56.149 of the 70s pop scene. That milk -money phase 00:13:56.149 --> 00:13:59.830 did not last long. By 1971, Boland had shed the 00:13:59.830 --> 00:14:02.289 pastoral poetry and fully embraced his inner 00:14:02.289 --> 00:14:05.470 rock god. And the first move was purely strategic, 00:14:05.889 --> 00:14:08.389 shortening the name from the cumbersome Tyrannosaurus 00:14:08.389 --> 00:14:11.590 Rex to the slick, punchy T -Rex. And this name 00:14:11.590 --> 00:14:13.909 change, it coincided with an upgrade in his arsenal. 00:14:14.299 --> 00:14:17.000 He bought a modified vintage Gibson Les Paul, 00:14:17.259 --> 00:14:19.840 moving away from that more ethereal Stratocaster 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:22.279 sound toward something dirtier, louder, more 00:14:22.279 --> 00:14:24.440 aggressive. Perfect for the charts. And the commercial 00:14:24.440 --> 00:14:27.019 breakthrough was instant. The single Ride a White 00:14:27.019 --> 00:14:29.220 Swan, which Boland admitted was partly inspired 00:14:29.220 --> 00:14:31.539 by the commercial simplicity of Mungo Jerry's 00:14:31.539 --> 00:14:34.500 In the Summertime, marked his definitive electric 00:14:34.500 --> 00:14:37.919 pivot. It came out late in 1970 and peaked early 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:41.139 in 71 at number two in the UK charts. A breakthrough 00:14:41.139 --> 00:14:43.220 that just solidified his move into the mainstream. 00:14:43.850 --> 00:14:46.929 And Bolin then expanded the core band, bringing 00:14:46.929 --> 00:14:49.649 in bassist Steve Curry and drummer Bill Legend 00:14:49.649 --> 00:14:52.809 to form a proper quartet. This expansion leads 00:14:52.809 --> 00:14:55.210 us directly to the moment that changed rock music 00:14:55.210 --> 00:14:58.350 forever. The precise foundation of glam rock. 00:14:59.190 --> 00:15:01.649 Bolin's appearance on Top of the Pops in March 00:15:01.649 --> 00:15:04.629 1971. He was performing the follow -up single, 00:15:04.830 --> 00:15:06.750 Hot Love, a track that went straight to number 00:15:06.750 --> 00:15:09.570 one and stayed there for six weeks. But the music, 00:15:09.789 --> 00:15:12.269 it was almost secondary to the spectacle. The 00:15:12.269 --> 00:15:15.379 outfit was iconic. a satin sailor suit but the 00:15:15.379 --> 00:15:17.779 crucial element was the glittering accent on 00:15:17.779 --> 00:15:20.580 his face he performed with glitter on his face 00:15:20.580 --> 00:15:23.919 specifically described as glittery gold teardrops 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:26.559 beneath his eyes and this look was immediately 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:28.700 recognized as the foundation of the glam rock 00:15:28.700 --> 00:15:32.100 movement a look that was magical but also sexually 00:15:32.100 --> 00:15:34.980 heightened and androgynous that single appearance 00:15:35.579 --> 00:15:38.440 Combining tight rock, flamboyant costuming, and 00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:40.500 this overt subversion of traditional masculinity, 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:42.740 it just fundamentally set the visual template 00:15:42.740 --> 00:15:45.080 for the decade. Suddenly, gender norms in rock 00:15:45.080 --> 00:15:47.200 were optional. It makes you wonder, though, why 00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:49.220 the glitter. Who came up with it? The sources 00:15:49.220 --> 00:15:51.980 offer two great contradictory accounts. I love 00:15:51.980 --> 00:15:54.519 this part. His personal assistant, Chalita Secunda, 00:15:54.679 --> 00:15:56.919 is often credited with applying it just before 00:15:56.919 --> 00:15:59.059 the show, knowing the massive impact it would 00:15:59.059 --> 00:16:01.519 have under the studio lights. However, Bolin, 00:16:01.539 --> 00:16:04.360 ever the master of self -mythology, later said 00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:06.539 that he noticed the glitter on his wife June 00:16:06.539 --> 00:16:08.700 Child's dressing table before a photo session 00:16:08.700 --> 00:16:12.240 and just casually daubed it on his face. Whether 00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:14.259 it was calculated brilliance or spontaneous genius, 00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:17.019 it stuck. And with that visual weapon locked 00:16:17.019 --> 00:16:19.740 in, T -Rex achieved a level of commercial dominance 00:16:19.740 --> 00:16:22.059 in the UK that was almost unprecedented. People 00:16:22.059 --> 00:16:24.559 were comparing it to the Beatles. The run of 00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:27.419 Hiss was stunning. Between 71 and 73, they had 00:16:27.419 --> 00:16:30.500 11 top 10 singles, including four number ones, 00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:32.899 Hot Love, Get It On, which was retitled Bang 00:16:32.899 --> 00:16:35.330 -A -Gong, Get It On. In the U .S. where it hit 00:16:35.330 --> 00:16:38.450 number 10. Right. And Telegram Sam and Metal 00:16:38.450 --> 00:16:41.309 Guru. And the accompanying 1971 album Electric 00:16:41.309 --> 00:16:44.450 Warrior is just universally cited as the album 00:16:44.450 --> 00:16:46.730 that essentially kickstarted the U .K. glam rock 00:16:46.730 --> 00:16:49.509 craze. It hit number one and sold massively. 00:16:49.649 --> 00:16:52.350 The commercial footprint is almost incomprehensible 00:16:52.350 --> 00:16:55.659 today. Sources calculate that T -Rex record sales 00:16:55.659 --> 00:16:59.340 accounted for approximately 6 % of total British 00:16:59.340 --> 00:17:02.019 domestic record sales during that period. 6 % 00:17:02.019 --> 00:17:04.680 of the entire market. And the band was reportedly 00:17:04.680 --> 00:17:07.640 selling 100 ,000 records a day. That's market 00:17:07.640 --> 00:17:10.220 saturation on a scale we just rarely see anymore. 00:17:10.500 --> 00:17:13.440 And yet here's the mind -bending commercial contradiction 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:16.200 that makes you question the whole music industry 00:17:16.200 --> 00:17:18.589 structure of the time. Right. Despite all the 00:17:18.589 --> 00:17:21.210 gold discs, all the number ones, the daily sales 00:17:21.210 --> 00:17:25.029 figures, no T -Rex single ever became a million 00:17:25.029 --> 00:17:28.450 seller in the UK. And even more bizarrely, no 00:17:28.450 --> 00:17:30.470 T -Rex record received official certification, 00:17:30.750 --> 00:17:34.529 no silver, gold or platinum until 1985. And the 00:17:34.529 --> 00:17:37.059 reason is pure bureaucracy. The record company 00:17:37.059 --> 00:17:40.039 had to pay a fee to certify the sales, and Boland's 00:17:40.039 --> 00:17:41.660 company just refused to do it throughout the 00:17:41.660 --> 00:17:45.359 70s. So you have this collision of immense cultural 00:17:45.359 --> 00:17:48.180 omnipresence being played everywhere with this 00:17:48.180 --> 00:17:50.420 profound official indifference to procedure. 00:17:51.019 --> 00:17:53.420 It tells you Bolin was more concerned with creating 00:17:53.420 --> 00:17:55.799 cultural moments than racking up paper accolades. 00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:58.380 And while he was dominating the charts, he was 00:17:58.380 --> 00:18:00.799 operating directly alongside his friend, rival, 00:18:00.940 --> 00:18:04.039 and mirror image, David Bowie. Their relationship 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:06.720 is so complex and deeply intertwined with the 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:09.160 invention of glam, their history went back years. 00:18:09.779 --> 00:18:13.799 Bolin played guitar on Bowie's 1970 single Prettiest 00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:16.470 Star. And they shared key infrastructure. The 00:18:16.470 --> 00:18:19.009 same manager, Les Kahn, and the same crucial 00:18:19.009 --> 00:18:22.410 producer, Tony Visconti. That proximity naturally 00:18:22.410 --> 00:18:26.140 bred creative competition. Bolan was first to 00:18:26.140 --> 00:18:27.900 hit the charts with the electric glam sound, 00:18:28.099 --> 00:18:30.880 but Bowie quickly followed and expanded the concept 00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:34.200 into the complex, highly conceptual Ziggy Stardust 00:18:34.200 --> 00:18:36.220 persona. And Bowie consistently acknowledged 00:18:36.220 --> 00:18:39.299 Bolan's foundational impact. The sources confirm 00:18:39.299 --> 00:18:42.140 his 72 anthem, All the Young Dudes, explicitly 00:18:42.140 --> 00:18:45.220 name -checked T -Rex. And perhaps most tellingly, 00:18:45.220 --> 00:18:47.619 his song Lady Stardust is widely interpreted 00:18:47.619 --> 00:18:50.180 as a tribute to Bolan. The original demo was 00:18:50.180 --> 00:18:52.569 even titled He Was Alright. A song for Mark. 00:18:52.789 --> 00:18:54.609 It were two sides of the same glam coin, weren't 00:18:54.609 --> 00:18:57.529 they? Bolan, the Dionysian, earthy street poet, 00:18:57.589 --> 00:19:00.390 and Bowie, the cerebral conceptual alien. And 00:19:00.390 --> 00:19:02.210 the competition just pushed them both to greater 00:19:02.210 --> 00:19:05.130 heights. As glam matured, Bolan wasn't content 00:19:05.130 --> 00:19:08.250 to just repeat the formula. Between 73 and 75, 00:19:08.650 --> 00:19:11.609 he began this process of musical evolution, trying 00:19:11.609 --> 00:19:14.410 to create richer textures. He started incorporating 00:19:14.410 --> 00:19:17.670 elements from American R &B and soul, most notably 00:19:17.670 --> 00:19:20.170 bringing in female backing singers. You can hear 00:19:20.170 --> 00:19:22.930 that clearly on tracks like 20th Century Boy. 00:19:23.089 --> 00:19:26.670 His 73 album, Tanks, showed a conscious effort 00:19:26.670 --> 00:19:30.029 to move toward funk, soul, and gospel influences. 00:19:30.329 --> 00:19:32.750 And he continued his collaborative spirit. In 00:19:32.750 --> 00:19:36.009 1973, he played twin lead guitar alongside Jeff 00:19:36.009 --> 00:19:38.109 Lynne on Electric Light Orchestra's On the Third 00:19:38.109 --> 00:19:40.589 Day album. That shows he was highly respected 00:19:40.589 --> 00:19:43.049 by his peers. This search for richness continued 00:19:43.049 --> 00:19:46.349 into 74 with the album Zinc Alloy and The Hidden 00:19:46.349 --> 00:19:48.819 Riders of Tomorrow. He expanded the lineup even 00:19:48.819 --> 00:19:51.079 further, including a second guitarist, Jack Green, 00:19:51.220 --> 00:19:53.960 and, crucially, his new romantic partner, Gloria 00:19:53.960 --> 00:19:56.839 Jones, on keyboards and backing vocals. This 00:19:56.839 --> 00:19:59.200 was Bolan actively trying to create more complex, 00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:02.140 involved music. He was moving away from the catchy 00:20:02.140 --> 00:20:04.299 two -minute pop perfection that defined his initial 00:20:04.299 --> 00:20:06.579 chart success and trying to show he wasn't just 00:20:06.579 --> 00:20:08.880 a glitter -covered pop act. Boland's incredibly 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:12.059 focused creative period was, of course, mirrored 00:20:12.059 --> 00:20:14.859 by a complex and pretty tumultuous personal life, 00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:18.059 marked by intense emotional connections and dramatic 00:20:18.059 --> 00:20:20.779 public contradictions. Yeah, his first serious 00:20:20.779 --> 00:20:22.859 relationship was with Teresa Whitman, but his 00:20:22.859 --> 00:20:25.640 first marriage was to June Ellen Child. They 00:20:25.640 --> 00:20:28.819 married really rapidly in January 1970. And June 00:20:28.819 --> 00:20:31.019 was incredibly important. She was a former secretary 00:20:31.019 --> 00:20:33.519 for his management and had previously dated Sid 00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:35.740 Barrett. She really understood the industry. 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:37.900 Biographers note that she is highly influential 00:20:37.900 --> 00:20:40.140 in shaping his career and raising his profile. 00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:43.259 She acted as a grounding force, at least initially, 00:20:43.500 --> 00:20:47.119 for his escalating theatrical ambition. But the 00:20:47.119 --> 00:20:50.680 intensity of his fame led to instability. The 00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:53.000 marriage dissolved due to Boland's serial affairs, 00:20:53.259 --> 00:20:55.900 which included singer Marsha Hunt and artist 00:20:55.900 --> 00:20:58.539 Barbara Nessim. The final breakdown happened 00:20:58.539 --> 00:21:01.579 in 73 when June discovered his affair with backing 00:21:01.579 --> 00:21:04.319 singer Gloria Jones. And there's a really heartbreaking 00:21:04.319 --> 00:21:07.039 detail related to June. She later revealed that 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:08.880 she'd undergone several abortions during their 00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:10.920 marriage because she felt Boland just wasn't 00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:13.559 mature or stable enough to be a father during 00:21:13.559 --> 00:21:17.700 the frenzy of T -Rex to see. Wow. By 73, Boland 00:21:17.700 --> 00:21:19.880 was in a committed relationship with Gloria Jones. 00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:23.000 They had a son, Roland Boland. born in September 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:26.400 1975. And his birth certificate name was Roland 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:29.359 Seymour Feld, which is a fascinating callback 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:31.819 to Boland's original abandoned identity. The 00:21:31.819 --> 00:21:34.299 divorce from June was finalized in June 1976 00:21:34.299 --> 00:21:37.400 on grounds of adultery, with June explicitly 00:21:37.400 --> 00:21:40.779 naming Gloria Jones as the third party. Boland's 00:21:40.779 --> 00:21:43.420 response to the ruling was, well, it was a classic 00:21:43.420 --> 00:21:45.319 piece of Boland performance art. He was quoted 00:21:45.319 --> 00:21:48.240 as stating, Anyway, I'm gay. I can't say I was 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:50.700 elite and homosexual. I was an early one. But 00:21:50.700 --> 00:21:53.279 sex was never a great problem. I'm a great screwer. 00:21:53.420 --> 00:21:56.440 He had also said in a 75 interview that he considered 00:21:56.440 --> 00:21:58.799 himself bisexual. And that's a significant cultural 00:21:58.799 --> 00:22:01.579 statement. In the mid -70s, his public ambiguity 00:22:01.579 --> 00:22:04.059 around his sexuality was a final validation of 00:22:04.059 --> 00:22:06.259 the androgynous persona that had fueled glam 00:22:06.259 --> 00:22:08.779 rock. He was reinforcing the idea that the rules 00:22:08.779 --> 00:22:11.140 didn't apply to the rock star. Right. At the 00:22:11.140 --> 00:22:13.200 same time, Bolin had retreated a bit from the 00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:15.900 UK spotlight, spending time in tax exile in the 00:22:15.900 --> 00:22:19.839 US and Monaco. But by 75 -76, he started a determined 00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:22.400 and successful professional resurgence. He made 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:24.720 a real effort to clean up his image and his health. 00:22:24.859 --> 00:22:27.640 He lost a lot of weight, returned to the UK looking 00:22:27.640 --> 00:22:30.180 trim and sharp, signaling he was ready to re 00:22:30.180 --> 00:22:33.009 -engage. He showed his ability to stay current 00:22:33.009 --> 00:22:36.250 by incorporating disco elements into his 76 album 00:22:36.250 --> 00:22:39.869 Futuristic Dragon. Singles like I Loved a Boogie 00:22:39.869 --> 00:22:42.589 and New York City did pretty well, confirming 00:22:42.589 --> 00:22:45.210 he still had commercial pull. The comeback really 00:22:45.210 --> 00:22:48.990 reached its apex in 1977 with the album Dandy 00:22:48.990 --> 00:22:52.150 in the Underworld and a new UK tour. And this 00:22:52.150 --> 00:22:54.349 is where he showed his incredible intuition for 00:22:54.349 --> 00:22:56.750 cultural relevance. He took the punk band The 00:22:56.750 --> 00:22:59.509 Damned along as his support act. A veteran glam 00:22:59.509 --> 00:23:02.470 rocker, the very embodiment of early 70s excess, 00:23:02.710 --> 00:23:04.990 embracing and collaborating with the emerging 00:23:04.990 --> 00:23:07.470 punk movement, a movement that was explicitly 00:23:07.470 --> 00:23:10.650 defined by its rejection of his peers. That move 00:23:10.650 --> 00:23:13.430 alone cements his ability to stay relevant right 00:23:13.430 --> 00:23:15.710 up to the end. His return to television was equally 00:23:15.710 --> 00:23:18.269 successful. Bernada Television commissioned him 00:23:18.269 --> 00:23:20.450 to host a six -part series just called Mark. 00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:22.819 It was broadcast during the post -school half 00:23:22.819 --> 00:23:25.420 hour, geared toward teenagers, and was a massive 00:23:25.420 --> 00:23:28.400 success. And the final episode of Mark is famous 00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:32.819 for its special guest, David Bowie. After Bowie 00:23:32.819 --> 00:23:35.660 performed his new song Heroes, they launched 00:23:35.660 --> 00:23:38.940 into this closing impromptu jam together. And 00:23:38.940 --> 00:23:42.460 here is the unforgettable, almost prophetic final 00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:45.099 professional moment. As they started playing 00:23:45.099 --> 00:23:48.220 just a few words into Bowie's vocals, Boland 00:23:48.220 --> 00:23:50.599 stumbled forward dramatically, lost his footing 00:23:50.599 --> 00:23:53.559 and fell completely off the stage. The sources 00:23:53.559 --> 00:23:55.799 say he managed to grab the microphone just before 00:23:55.799 --> 00:23:58.420 he hit the ground and flash a smile. Bowie's 00:23:58.420 --> 00:24:00.799 amusement was clearly visible. The band just 00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:02.980 stopped playing, and because of the tight schedule, 00:24:03.059 --> 00:24:05.460 the chaotic footage was aired exactly as it happened. 00:24:05.640 --> 00:24:08.279 A perfectly imperfect theatrical and chaotic 00:24:08.279 --> 00:24:10.960 final bow. What makes his death just two weeks 00:24:10.960 --> 00:24:13.279 later so intensely tragic is that it felt like 00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:15.160 the fulfillment of a self -imposed prophecy. 00:24:15.480 --> 00:24:17.779 Right. Boland never learned to drive. He had 00:24:17.779 --> 00:24:20.059 this deep -seated fear that he would die before 00:24:20.059 --> 00:24:23.039 he reached 30 years old. The irony is just layered 00:24:23.039 --> 00:24:25.500 with automotive metaphors. Despite his fear, 00:24:25.619 --> 00:24:28.180 cars are mentioned in so many T -Rex songs. He 00:24:28.180 --> 00:24:30.299 owns several expensive vehicles, including a 00:24:30.299 --> 00:24:32.839 Rolls Royce. Which, in another twist of dark 00:24:32.839 --> 00:24:35.079 fate, was loaned out to the band Hawkwind on 00:24:35.079 --> 00:24:37.700 the very night he died. The fatal incident occurred 00:24:37.700 --> 00:24:42.440 early in the morning of September 16, 1977, agonizingly 00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:45.059 close, just two weeks shy of his 30th birthday. 00:24:45.500 --> 00:24:49.359 He was a passenger in a mini 1275 GT driven by 00:24:49.359 --> 00:24:51.839 Gloria Jones. They were heading back from a club 00:24:51.839 --> 00:24:53.920 in Berkeley Square. Both had been drinking. The 00:24:53.920 --> 00:24:56.359 car failed to negotiate a small bridge and struck 00:24:56.359 --> 00:24:59.319 a fence post, then smashed into a tree in Barnes, 00:24:59.460 --> 00:25:02.160 southwest London. Boland died instantly. Gloria 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:04.880 Jones was critically injured but survived. His 00:25:04.880 --> 00:25:07.279 funeral was held just four days later, confirming 00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:09.960 the high esteem he was held in. Attendees included 00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:13.059 titans like David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Tony Visconti. 00:25:13.099 --> 00:25:16.220 Steve Harley? Even a young boy George, his ashes 00:25:16.220 --> 00:25:18.339 were eventually interred beneath a rosebush, 00:25:18.400 --> 00:25:20.920 a final poetic touch for the warlock of love. 00:25:21.319 --> 00:25:23.599 Decades have passed since that tragic night, 00:25:23.720 --> 00:25:26.200 but Bolin's influence is utterly foundational 00:25:26.200 --> 00:25:29.119 to modern rock and fashion. His rock shrine at 00:25:29.119 --> 00:25:31.000 the site of the crash is still actively maintained 00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:33.559 by the T -Rex Action Group. And the recognition 00:25:33.559 --> 00:25:36.220 just continues to grow. In 2011, there were plans 00:25:36.220 --> 00:25:39.059 for a school in his honor in Sierra Leone, the 00:25:39.059 --> 00:25:41.859 Mark Bolan School of Music and Film. More recently, 00:25:41.920 --> 00:25:45.279 in 2025, an English Heritage blue plaque was 00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:48.460 unveiled at his former home. And his impact on 00:25:48.460 --> 00:25:51.160 fashion is arguably as important as his musical 00:25:51.160 --> 00:25:54.259 output. He fundamentally altered how men dressed 00:25:54.259 --> 00:25:56.640 in rock and roll. It's cited that after seeing 00:25:56.640 --> 00:25:59.099 Boland wearing costumes designed by Zandra Rhodes, 00:25:59.380 --> 00:26:02.380 Freddie Mercury immediately enlisted her to design 00:26:02.380 --> 00:26:06.759 outfits for Queen's huge 1974 tour. Boland's 00:26:06.759 --> 00:26:09.339 genius was that his style knew how to subvert 00:26:09.339 --> 00:26:12.339 gender norms into fantastical new shapes. He 00:26:12.339 --> 00:26:14.079 blurred the lines between masculine aggression 00:26:14.079 --> 00:26:16.819 and feminine glamour, inspiring designers from 00:26:16.819 --> 00:26:19.259 Gucci to Saint Laurent well into the modern era. 00:26:19.539 --> 00:26:21.859 Musically, his influence on later guitarists 00:26:21.859 --> 00:26:24.829 is profound. Johnny Marr of the Smiths cited 00:26:24.829 --> 00:26:27.390 Bolan as his early guitar idol. And U2's The 00:26:27.390 --> 00:26:29.630 Edge, reflecting on watching Bolan on Top of 00:26:29.630 --> 00:26:39.869 the Pops, said, Boy George, a subsequent master 00:26:39.869 --> 00:26:42.390 of androgynous style, credited both Bolan and 00:26:42.390 --> 00:26:44.849 Bowie for representing a desired bohemian existence. 00:26:45.630 --> 00:26:47.789 Praising Boland for understanding that an artist 00:26:47.789 --> 00:26:50.309 must deliver kind of the complete package. And 00:26:50.309 --> 00:26:52.690 his music has enjoyed multiple periods of resurgence. 00:26:52.990 --> 00:26:55.210 The Bongos were the first American group to chart 00:26:55.210 --> 00:26:58.069 with a T -Rex cover. The Power Station, the Duran 00:26:58.069 --> 00:27:00.789 Duran Splinter Group, took Get It On to number 00:27:00.789 --> 00:27:03.849 six in the U .S. in 85. But the big one was in 00:27:03.849 --> 00:27:07.730 1991 when 20th Century Boy was in that Levi's 00:27:07.730 --> 00:27:11.170 TV commercial with a young Brad Pitt. That single 00:27:11.170 --> 00:27:13.730 placement introduced T -Rex to a global generation 00:27:13.730 --> 00:27:16.430 born long after. his death and sent the track 00:27:16.430 --> 00:27:18.789 soaring back up the charts. That track continued 00:27:18.789 --> 00:27:21.390 its legacy, inspiring the Japanese manga series 00:27:21.390 --> 00:27:23.990 20th Century Boys, and it was central to the 00:27:23.990 --> 00:27:26.390 aesthetic of the film Velvet Goldmine. The legacy 00:27:26.390 --> 00:27:29.450 continues today. In 2020, Keisha covered Children 00:27:29.450 --> 00:27:32.210 of the Revolution, featuring Boland's son Roland 00:27:32.210 --> 00:27:35.069 on backing vocals. And the tribute album Angel 00:27:35.069 --> 00:27:37.130 Headed Hipster featured massive names like Nick 00:27:37.130 --> 00:27:40.259 Cave, U2, and Elton John. And all of this acclaim, 00:27:40.259 --> 00:27:42.859 all the covers, the fashion legacy, the constant 00:27:42.859 --> 00:27:45.039 cultural referencing, it all culminated in the 00:27:45.039 --> 00:27:48.099 ultimate recognition. Bolin and T -Rex were finally 00:27:48.099 --> 00:27:50.279 inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 00:27:50.279 --> 00:27:53.819 in 2020 with the honor presented by Ringo Starr. 00:27:54.019 --> 00:27:56.400 It was a recognition long overdue for an artist 00:27:56.400 --> 00:27:59.160 who, in life, had dominated the charts but often 00:27:59.160 --> 00:28:02.059 shunned official bureaucracy. It just confirms 00:28:02.059 --> 00:28:05.160 that his cultural impact was so profound it transcended 00:28:05.160 --> 00:28:07.480 the industry's paper trail. So we trace that 00:28:07.480 --> 00:28:10.720 incredible... arc mark feld the rebellious mod 00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:13.619 transforming into tyrannosaurus rex the esoteric 00:28:13.619 --> 00:28:16.559 folk poet and finally exploding as mark boland 00:28:16.559 --> 00:28:18.980 the glam god he invented the blueprint that defined 00:28:18.980 --> 00:28:21.359 a decade and he packed all of that into less 00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:23.779 than 10 years before reaching the exact age he 00:28:23.779 --> 00:28:26.349 feared His career was defined by speed, style, 00:28:26.529 --> 00:28:29.329 and inherent contradiction. This intense focus 00:28:29.329 --> 00:28:31.569 on the mystical combined with an equally intense 00:28:31.569 --> 00:28:34.470 focus on mass commercial appeal. He achieved 00:28:34.470 --> 00:28:36.690 both cultural immortality and immense financial 00:28:36.690 --> 00:28:39.890 success. Which brings us to a final complex detail 00:28:39.890 --> 00:28:42.470 from the source material that really encapsulates 00:28:42.470 --> 00:28:45.430 the lasting contradiction of his career. Despite 00:28:45.430 --> 00:28:48.490 the wealth, estimated at a staggering 20 to 30 00:28:48.490 --> 00:28:51.750 million pounds, which was about 38 to 57 million 00:28:51.750 --> 00:28:54.549 dollars at the time. Bolin arranged a discretionary 00:28:54.549 --> 00:28:56.769 trust to safeguard that money. And the source 00:28:56.769 --> 00:28:59.369 notes that the bulk of that massive fortune remains 00:28:59.369 --> 00:29:02.650 locked away in trust, with only a small, separate 00:29:02.650 --> 00:29:05.430 Jersey -based trust fund providing an income 00:29:05.430 --> 00:29:08.299 for his son, Roland. It forces you to consider 00:29:08.299 --> 00:29:11.519 the ultimate cost and complex legacy of a superstar 00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:13.900 who achieves this level of magical financial 00:29:13.900 --> 00:29:17.799 and cultural immortality so quickly. Boland desperately 00:29:17.799 --> 00:29:20.359 chased the spotlight, the glamour, the wealth. 00:29:20.579 --> 00:29:22.859 Yet so much of the financial result of that pursuit 00:29:22.859 --> 00:29:25.720 remains intangible and untouchable long after 00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:28.220 the star who created it has dramatically faded. 00:29:28.380 --> 00:29:30.359 It's a provocative thought about how even the 00:29:30.359 --> 00:29:32.559 most magical careers eventually confront the 00:29:32.559 --> 00:29:35.000 harsh, lasting realities of finance and law.