Marc_(TV_series)
Marc (TV series)
British TV series or programme
Marc is a British television series presented by T. Rex's lead singer Marc Bolan. It was produced in Manchester by Granada Television for the ITV network.[1][2] A second series was planned but Bolan died before it could be produced.[3][4]
Produced by Muriel Young and directed by Nicholas Ferguson, it ran for six weekly episodes in the autumn of 1977, before its host died in a car crash on 16 September that year. A pop music show with a very limited budget and markedly low production values, it gave Bolan a chance to showcase punk bands such as Generation X, the Jam, Radio Stars and Eddie and the Hot Rods. T. Rex lip synced at least three songs each week, with Bolan's guitar never appearing to be plugged in, a mixture of new versions of their old hits, and fresh tracks, while the guests were slotted in between. Not all were as notable as those listed above, though they also included Roger Taylor, drummer with the rock band Queen, in a rare solo TV appearance. They were also joined by a dance troupe called 'Heart Throb', images of whom standing next to Bolan, on Shutterstock, dated the 10th of August, 1977, identify them as Isobelle Skullnice; June Griffiths; Alison Basham; and Kirsty Hayes. Bolan introduced their 'Ain't it Strange', single, on Show 6; (by which time "Pam, Michael, and David" appear on the credits). Bolan referred to them in Show 6 as "My" (his) dancers".
After his friend David Bowie had soloed the last episode's penultimate song, 'Heroes', he and Bolan were meant to duet "Sleeping Next To You", into the fade. A few seconds into Bowie's vocal, Bolan tripped over a microphone cable, fell forward, recovered, and smiled.[5] Bowie is said to have called out "Could we have a wooden box for Marc to stand on?". Following the show, Bolan and Bowie co-wrote and recorded a rough outline of a new song, "Madman". The new wave band Cuddly Toys found a bootleg tape and recorded it, which became a UK Indie Chart single and featured on their 'Guillotine Theatre' album.
The final show was recorded on 7 September 1977, but not broadcast until after Bolan's funeral on 20 September 1977, which was also attended by David Bowie and Rod Stewart, among others.
An edited highlights compilation was released in the United Kingdom on DVD in 2005. It contained only the T Rex performances from each of the six episodes. ITV Studios licensed it for release once again, in 2017; that Region 2 (DVD region codes) release contained additional T Rex TV performances from Shang a Lang, 'Supersonic', and 'Get it Together', all of which pre-dated the 'Marc' shows, whilst still excluding the other artists' songs. In 2007, a DVD release of all six shows in their entirety was released in Japan only.
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