Marc Bolan: Ride On

Glam Rock was a phenomenon of the early 1970s, characterised by androgynous costumes and make-up and over-the-top stage shows. The first major star of the Glam Rock era was Marc Bolan. With his band Tyrannosaurus Rex (later known as T. Rex) he paved the way for dozens of imitators and similar performers, like David Bowie, Gary Glitter, Slade and The Sweet. After a string of hits in the early 1970s the rock star lifestyle caught up with Bolan. His weight ballooned while the quality of his music diminished. After cleaning himself up in the mid-1970s there were signs that his talent was reasserting itself, but shortly before his 30th birthday in 1977 he was killed in a car accident. This documentary looks at Bolan's life and career and features interviews with those who knew him, including friends, journalists and other musicians like Steve Harley and Captain Sensible. There is considerable mention of Bolan's girlfriend Gloria Jones, who was driving the car when the fatal accident occurred, but she only makes an appearance at the end of the programme. The brief interview footage looks to be blown-up video from a completely different source. Although this look at Bolan holds some interest, it just doesn't seem comprehensive enough. The excerpts from his music seem to come from live performances, not the original recordings. A lot of his career is skimmed over, with no mention of his wife and the only indication that he had a son named Rolan being a thank you at the end of the documentary. The grainy re-enactment of Bolan's last hours by actors is a serious mistake, making this documentary seem cheap and trivialised.