Tag Archive: Poly Styrene


PERSONA : DON’T WALK AWAY IN SILENCE

Filed under: Gender, Movies — Leave a comment
August 29, 2012

PERSONA directed by Ingmar Bergman (Sweden, 1966)

Bibi & Liv“Identity is a crisis, can’t you see?”  Poly Styrene of X-ray Spex hit the nail on the head when she sang this.

Ingmar Bergman’s classic movie covers the same territory in a more highbrow manner.

The rapid montage of images at the beginning – including an erect penis, a crucifixion, bodies in a morgue and a young boy in front of a huge screen – puts the ‘art’ into artifice and prepares us for the unexpected.

The burning film reel is an equally memorable finale for a movie which, since it can be interpreted in so many ways, is manna from heaven for movie buffs and film critics. It has rightly been voted as one of 50 best movies of all time in the BFI/Sight & Sound poll. Continue reading →

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2011 IN REVIEW : MUSIC

Filed under: Music — 1 Comment
December 27, 2011

Cover images of my top 15 favourite albums of 2011.

2011 was without a doubt P.J.Harvey‘s year. Let England Shake was the best album  by a mile and her interviews and concerts confirmed her as an artist at the top of her game.

Otherwise, this was a year for renewing old acquaintances rather than making fresh discoveries.

The welcome return of Gillian Welch (and Dave Rawlings) was an event and the album proved well worth the eight year wait.

It was also a nice surprise  that Charalambides released another Kranky studio work, a belated follow-up to 2007’s Likeness and as consistently excellent as ever. Continue reading →

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POLY STYRENE DIES: DAY-GLO TURNS BLACK

Filed under: Music — 1 Comment
April 26, 2011


After the passing of Ari-Up from the Slits last October ,the sad news today is that another female Punk icon has fallen at a shockingly early age.

Poly Styrene (Marianne Joan Elliott-Said) died yesterday of cancer aged 53.

Poly understood the DIY message of Punk better than most as she realised it wasn’t about slavishly following a set look or wearing an official uniform. She recognised that the whole ethos was not about  jumping on a rebellious bandwagon but about finding your own self expression.

For women, Punk Rock was particularly liberating as it meant you didn’t have to look like you’d just stepped off a catwalk onto the stage. Poly looked frumpy and awkward but this was a major part of her appeal as it mocked the celebrity image that dominates the media to this day. Continue reading →

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