T Rex on TV Demonvision
____________________________________________________
A
selection of the boogie-ing, boppin’ cosmic dancin’ electric warrior of
the elf world, wizard of whimsical words, Cadillac chords, woeful poetry
and plastic pretension Bolan’s TV appearances are rounded up in crushed
velvet resplendence here on this rather lovely DVD (many preserved by
French and German TV channels to the BBC’s eternal shame as it regularly
wiped its archives, saving money by recording over what would now be
cherished, classic curios). At nigh on 3 hours this is essential eye-catch
candy for hardcore fans and novice-initiates alike. Those like yours
unduly who had some of these features on pancaked old videotapes will be
captivated all over again at the impossibly brilliant and endearing Bolan
before his descent, aptly, post-‘20th Century Boy’ into a
horrific pouting pastiche that perfectly presaged the 80’s. Beyond the
instant sugar rush of the T-REX Top 10 – which will cause instinctive
incredulous gawping to accompany the sight of the early seventies
audiences - and some excrutiating mid-70’s appearances - our portly Little
Lord Fauntelroy ponces about like a prince with a paucity of ideas in
grotesque imitation of Liz Taylor’s opulence, though, while he murders old
classics with hunger enough to make Elvis envious in the same period
however cold and clinically cut-price the music became Bolan still rolled
out snippets of bespoke sartorial splendour such as ‘Laser Love’ and,
lesserly, ‘I Love To Boogie’ and the ridiculously righteously sublime ‘New
York City’ - the interviews and music section and the ‘Dandy In The
Underworld’ documentary are the real crown jewels in this tyrannical
tiara. The ‘Music In The Round’ and Russell Harty interview on the
perfectly titled ‘It’s About Me Really…’ chapter are fascinating,
entrancing displays of the ghastly yet applaudable arrogance and
compelling charisma of the corkscrew haired chap, as well as the stifling
cultural chasm between establishment presenters and pop pixie fops.
Enduringly perplexing Bolan will always split more opinions than hairs as
to whether he was any good or not. A make-up case can be rested on a beer
crate for the guy that writ this -
“I know a
girl, she’s a changeless angel, she’s a city it’s a pity that I’m like
me…”
A
selection of the boogie-ing, boppin’ cosmic dancin’ electric warrior of
the elf world, wizard of whimsical words, Cadillac chords, woeful poetry
and plastic pretension Bolan’s TV appearances are rounded up in crushed
velvet resplendence here on this rather lovely DVD (many preserved by
French and German TV channels to the BBC’s eternal shame as it regularly
wiped its archives, saving money by recording over what would now be
cherished, classic curios). At nigh on 3 hours this is essential eye-catch
candy for hardcore fans and novice-initiates alike. Those like yours
unduly who had some of these features on pancaked old videotapes will be
captivated all over again at the impossibly brilliant and endearing Bolan
before his descent, aptly, post-‘20th Century Boy’ into a
horrific pouting pastiche that perfectly presaged the 80’s. Beyond the
instant sugar rush of the T-REX Top 10 – which will cause instinctive
incredulous gawping to accompany the sight of the early seventies
audiences - and some excrutiating mid-70’s appearances - our portly Little
Lord Fauntelroy ponces about like a prince with a paucity of ideas in
grotesque imitation of Liz Taylor’s opulence, though, while he murders old
classics with hunger enough to make Elvis envious in the same period
however cold and clinically cut-price the music became Bolan still rolled
out snippets of bespoke sartorial splendour such as ‘Laser Love’ and,
lesserly, ‘I Love To Boogie’ and the ridiculously righteously sublime ‘New
York City’ - the interviews and music section and the ‘Dandy In The
Underworld’ documentary are the real crown jewels in this tyrannical
tiara. The ‘Music In The Round’ and Russell Harty interview on the
perfectly titled ‘It’s About Me Really…’ chapter are fascinating,
entrancing displays of the ghastly yet applaudable arrogance and
compelling charisma of the corkscrew haired chap, as well as the stifling
cultural chasm between establishment presenters and pop pixie fops.
Enduringly perplexing Bolan will always split more opinions than hairs as
to whether he was any good or not. A make-up case can be rested on a beer
crate for the guy that writ this -