![X RAY SPEX - Who Is Poly Styrene? [BBC Documentary]](http://web.archive.org./web/20110429222224im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8fb8pllPyTY/0.jpg "X RAY SPEX - Who Is Poly Styrene? [BBC Documentary]")
| Name | Poly Styrene |
|---|---|
| Background | solo_singer |
| Birth name | Marian Joan Elliott-Said |
| Born | 1957 |
| Genre | Punk, Rock New Wave Electro, Dub |
| Occupation | vocalist, songwriter |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Label | Universal, EMI/Virgin, Future Noise Music |
| Associated acts | X-Ray Spex |
Marian Joan Elliott-Said, better known by the stage name Poly Styrene, is an English musician and the singer of the pioneering punk rock band X-Ray Spex.
As a teenager, she was something of a "barefoot hippie". At age 15, she ran away from home with just £3 in her pocket, and hitchhiked from one music festival to another, staying at hippie crash pads. She thought of this as a challenge to survive. The adventure ended when, possibly hallucinating, she stepped on a rusty nail while bathing naked in a stream and had to be treated for septicaemia. She has been described by Billboard as the "archetype for the modern-day feminist punk" who, because she wore braces, stood against the typical sex object female of 1970’s rock star, sported a gaudy Dayglo wardrobe, and was of mixed-race, was "one of the least conventional front-persons in rock history, male or female".
Stumbling upon a very early gig by the legendary Sex Pistols live on Hastings Pier, playing a set of cover songs, performing to three people, which included Poly and two language students from Sweden, Poly was so inspired by this, she put an ad in the paper for ‘young punx who want to stick it together’ to form a band.Poly recorded a solo album, Translucence, in 1980. The album abandoned X-Ray Spex's loud guitar work for a quieter and more jazzy sound that anticipated the 1990s dance band Everything But the Girl. In 1986 she released the EP God's & Godesses [sic] on the Awesome record label. A New Age solo album, Flower Aeroplane, followed in 2004. where she and the gathering's organizer,Symond Lawes, agreed to initiate a 30 year celebration of Xray Spex's seminal debut album, Germ Free Adolescents. They decided to hold a live show at the Camden Roundhouse which was a sell out event on 6 September 2008. A Live Album/DVD called Live @ The Roundhouse London 2008 was released in November 2009 on The Year Zero Label by Future Noise Music of this event.
Earlier in 2008, Styrene made a guest appearance at the 30th anniversary concert of Rock Against Racism in Victoria Park, London, doing a single song, Oh Bondage Up Yours with guest musicians Drew McConnell of Babyshambles, Helsinki, 'Flash' David Wright playing saxophone.
That same year, she dueted with Goldblade's John Robb on a remix of Goldblades's City Of Christmas Ghosts.
In March 2009 Styrene joined with other members of PRS for Music in criticizing Google for allegedly not paying their a fair share of royalties to musicians. This followed Google's removal of millions of videos from YouTube because of a royalties dispute with the organization.
More recently Poly Styrene has been working with producer Martin Glover AKA Youth from Killing Joke on an upcoming solo album set for release in March 2011.
On 29 October 2010 NME.com announced Poly Styrene was to release a solo album titles 'Generation Indigo' in March 2011. She is set to release a Free Download of Black Christmas in November 2010. Black Christmas features, and was written in collaboration with Poly's daughter, Celeste and was inspired by the Killing spree in Los Angeles instigated by a man dressed as Santa Claus.
In March 2009, Styrene took part in the inaugural Instigate Debate night. The nights theme was modern day consumerism. Other current events issues were also discussed.
Category:1957 births Category:English female singers Category:Female punk rock singers Category:Living people Category:English punk rock singers Category:Converts to Hinduism Category:English Hindus Category:Somalian singers Category:People from Bromley Category:British Hare Krishnas
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