Music is ever-evolving but one thing has remained constant: inspiration. A lot of musicians get inspired by those who came before. One musician that broke all the rules and created his own sense of self and normalcy was Marc Bolan. Now years later, thanks to a documentary from his family, Bolan is set to inspire the lives of millions around the world. This documentary will be premiering at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival sharing details of the life of Bolan who later became part of T. Rex. It has been almost 45 years since the death of Bolan, who died at the young age of only 29 years old. However, his music continues to live. Just recently, his song “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” was featured in the smash blockbuster film, Top Gun: Maverick. If that doesn’t show you how influential Bolan is, nothing will.
Courtesy of The Guardian
The documentary is full of musical icons as they hit the studio to re-record some of Bolan’s major hits in a tribute album, also called AngelHeaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex. Hal Willner, who oversaw the album, said the goal is to bring more attention to Bolan as a musician and as a genius, “It was to explore Marc Bolan as a singer and songwriter where he’s never gotten his due. He’s gotten his due as a rocker with cool grooves. You listen back to those songs and they are deep,” said Willner.
Bolen was born on September 30, 1947 in London, England. He was always born for greatness even as a child. While he was teenager he had his first bite of fame while being employed by a modeling agency and became the “John Temple Boy” promoting suits. His first entry into music was unsuccessful. It was that rejection that brought Bolan’s interest over to acting. He landed several roles on television playing a juvenile delinquent in the series Orlando. However, Bolan would find his voice once again.
In the 1960s, Bolan joined a band called John’s Children. Their first single which was titled Debora released in July of 1968. While it was not a hit at first, there was a decision to re-release it again in 1972. For some reason (maybe the fact that Bolan was constantly ahead of his time) this time the song jumped onto the UK’s Top 10 List. By July 1969, the band dropped their hipster sound and decided to go with more of an electric feel, specifically, with their single King of the Rumbling Spires.
Courtesy of Creative Commons
That single (while not making number one) did make it to the UK Charts in the top 50. Shortly after, the band became what we now know as T. Rex. Under the new name, the band released Ride a White Swan in 190 and it went straight to number one. From then on it was top hits all around with fan favorites like “Get it On (Bang a Gong)” which featured Elton John on the keyboard, “Jeepster,” “Telegram Sam,” and “One Inch Rock.” Overall, T.Rex had four UK number ones, 11 UK top hits, 21 UK Top 40s, 28 UK Top 75s, spent 16 weeks at number one, had 70 weeks in the top 10, and about 229 weeks in the top 75. Pretty impressive for a guy that thought he might have to act to make a living.
Eventually, Bolan’s stardom reached the United States with songs heading into the top 10. It was pretty quick after that, that Bolan became a teen idol, the face of the younger generation. He also transformed the Glam Rock movement when he came out on stage with make-up, sparkles, and wild outfits. Once Bolan showed it was cool to rock out however you wanted, a ton of talent followed constantly trying to outdo the star, the legend. His life was tragically cut short, however, when he passed away on September 16, 1977, two weeks shy of his birthday. Since then lovers of Bolan have been trying to keep his memory and music alive. Those fighting the hardest are his partner Gloria Jones and their son Rolan Bolan. That is where we come back to the documentary.
Courtesy of Rolling Stone
Part behind-the-scenes and part biography, this film looks at all of Bolan’s career through the eyes of the artists that contributed to the tribute album and archival footage shared for the first time. The artists that have known and loved him so much take their time sitting down to tell their stories of Bolan, the naive beginnings, and the magic that happened when his hands touched a guitar. Others are shown talking about how much they loved him as they sat down to record the tribute album working hard to get the sound just right so Bolan would be proud.
The archival footage and the scenes where icons are recording the tribute album, AngelHeaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex, serve as a reminder of his talent. He was one of a kind, a fingerprint that can never be duplicated only admired and respected. It’s very easy to watch this documentary and find yourself going down the rabbit hole of hits that Bolan had and finding yourself quickly adding them to your Apple Music. A quick search of his name shows tons of playlists from fans that include essentials and must-haves for people to download and enjoy. I added all of them to my playlist.
Courtesy of Rolling Stone
The documentary also uses footage of many T. Rex performances along with stories told by those who knew him or admired him. Icons like Elton John, Nick Cave, and Joan Jett not only contributed to the album but spoke about the influence Bolan had on them.
Gloria Jones and their son Rolan Bolan appear throughout the documentary helping to show us the heart and soul of Bolan. It’s very clear that no matter how hard they try, those of us that never got the chance to meet Bolan will forever feel a loss. The one thing that makes things a little bit brighter was the director Ethan Silverman’s idea for the tribute album and documentary to bring to light a man that once burned so fiercely. This light has now been reignited through this film and is a must-see at the festival. After watching it, expect to download everything Bolan has created and spend time watching videos on YouTube to pretend you had the chance to meet him. Some say that his guitar playing was second to none and they are right.
The all-star cast includes Marc Bolan, Gloria Jones, Rolan Bolan, Ringo Starr, Nick Cave, Hal Willner, Joan Jett, and David Bowie.
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
Buy tickets from the Tribeca Film Festival here.
Monica has a BA in Journalism and English from the University of Massachusetts and an MS in Journalism and Communications from Quinnipiac University. Monica has worked as a journalist for over 20 years covering all things entertainment. She has covered everything from San Diego Comic-Con, The SAG Awards, Academy Awards, and more. Monica has been published in Variety, Swagger Magazine, Emmy Magazine, CNN, AP, Hidden Remote, and more. For the past 10 years, she has added PR and marketing to her list of talents as the president of Prime Entertainment Publicity, LLC. Monica is ready for anything and is proudly obsessed with pop culture.
