“From Beneath the Wizard’s Gown” (Marc Bolan Unglittered)

Tony Stringfellow. Aureus Publishing Ltd . (ISBN 1–899750–33–9)

Having spoken with Tony Stringfellow over several months when he was researching and writing his book I was aware that this was to be a book on Marc with a difference. However, I must admit that even I hadn’t realised just how different it would turn out to be despite our in-depth conversations and e-mails. This book is not a Bolan biography, in fact it only touches on aspects of “Bolan Lore” throughout it’s chapters, it is in actuality the only publication ever to have attempted to explore and unravel the mysteries of Marc’s kaleidoscopic mind and imagination.

Tony Stringfellow purchased many unpublished, and therefore unseen outside of a select few, manuscripts and poems that had been penned by Marc. Feeling that they deserved to be seen by a wider audience his original idea was to publish them along with exclusive photos to make an impressive “coffee table” read. However, as he had virtually complete works that had not been plundered by auction houses etc to sell as individual memorabilia, he then decided to attempt to unlock the secrets contained within the words. What started out as an interesting venture soon took over his life and led him into a journey of discovery which took in Greek mythology, Egyptology, Star Trek (!), Alexander The Great, Science Fiction, Lord Tennyson and many, many more. Taking each poem in turn, Tony has painstakingly researched the contents and discovered links between others of Marc’s works, both poetic and song lyrics, as well as finding that words and names that were previously thought to be from the magic brain of Marc were in fact real and existed in history or mythology. Further, it again proves that Marc was really well read- despite the protestations of some in the inner sanctum of the Bolan world at the time – and that he had soaked up information like a human sponge, absorbing and distilling the information within himself to brew up his wonderful, heady liqueur of “Chateau Bolan” for us all to get inebriated on.

As you read the book you will find yourself irresistibly drawn into the mind of Marc and suddenly little things that have intrigued you over the years start to come clear. Tony’s superb analysis of each poem makes complete sense of Marc’s intentions and what looks like flowery, jumbled, mis-spelt words (that look good but mean little) suddenly become crystalline in meaning. Like tuning in a TV picture, the fuzziness disappears and you will wonder just why the poem didn’t read that way to you at first! Each poem is beautifully illustrated using Marc’s original material and also a “corrected” version to make easier reading having had spelling and punctuation revision. Tony then explains the influences behind the lines and shows just where Marc found them, how he melded them to suit his own poem and how, even though some are based on other legends and poems, they all metamorphose into something that is strictly Bolanesque, therefore becoming totally unique.

The whole feel of the book oozes quality- even allowing for the typos and a few errors that crop up here and there. “Sally was and Angel” is mistyped as “Sarah” (and Tony knows about it!) and the line from “Desdemona” is wrongly written as “Pick up your skirt” and not “Lift up” for example but Tony assures me that the second print run will be corrected. The tasteful monochrome pictures are delightful and consist of some we know and some that we don’t. Even though a few have been seen in colour before they still look effective presented here in black and white and emphasise the whole point of the book- that of Marc Bolan “Unglittered”. Colour photographs are not necessary, and in fact they would look odd I think considering the “raison d’etre” behind this intriguing book. Encased in a stunning slipcover the book screams out from the bookshelf to be taken down and enjoyed. High-grade paper combined with the matt, screen-printed photographs adds to the quality appearance that permeates this publication and plaudits must go to whoever settled on this style of presentation.

As well as examining the mind of Marc, Tony does include information gleaned from peers of Mr. Bolan himself, such as Emmerdale actor Eric Chittel, Riggs O’Hara (Marc’s Wizard) as well as former school mates of the “Boy Bolan” including the previously unknown Wendy Wilchelski. It is testament to the diligence carried out by Tony that he managed to track down a number of Marc’s childhood friends, all of whom help to give a more rounded picture of the young Feld’s psyche.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It truly is a remarkable piece of work and Tony must be congratulated for his commitment and dedication. After reading this book- which is just as much a piece of art as Marc’s works themselves - I came away feeling that I know more about Marc than I did previously. It is always a thrill for me to discover new things about Marc, especially “Marc the man” as opposed to “Marc the Superstar” and this book surely does that. It shows convincingly that he was aware of political struggles (“Sun Seals & Moon Eels”), popular science fiction (“Blue Seeker”), Alexander The Great (“The Swan King’s Legacy”) and much, much more. It is absolutely fascinating to read, to inwardly digest and to understand the intricacies of Marc’s mind. No one before has ever come close to achieving what Tony Stringfellow has managed to do with this book.

Buy it, read it, enjoy it, absorb its content and then re-read it all over again. You won’t be sorry, I wasn’t.

I just hope that Tony decides to tackle some of Marc’s lyrics next- and there is always “Warlock Of Love” to get his teeth into! How about it Tony????

Barry Smith © 2005.

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