After a bit of delving through CDs I found the little bugger, so here it is. I remember the interview went on for a good 50 minutes, so warm and delightful she was to talk to. And it looks like we rang her in Los Angeles - good grief, that must have cost a few pence. Hopefully that's not related to the publishing company going under the following year. Whoops.
Originally published on Native.tv in 2007
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) Niche News and Publishing
INTERVIEW - GLORIA JONES
Gloria Jones. As many pub quiz teams will know, she’s the Northern Soul singer who first made famous ‘Tainted Love’ in 1964, which later on was made even more famous by Soft Cell. Singing in a gospel group in her hometown
Now Marc has become an icon, a rock legend. Passing away has elevated him to the status almost of a myth who could do no wrong; gone too soon, much like Elvis, Lennon and Holly. Gloria Jones can tell us more about the man.
When we ring Gloria, she’s in
“There was the memorial service at the crematorium and there were fans - I call the fans ‘friends’ - and there were Marc’s friends that came all the way from Germany, Switzerland, Rome, I mean people from all over the world.” Gloria speaks slowly and pauses between each place for emphasis. “And friends from
The anniversary means special reissues, which means a whole new audience exposed to T.Rex's songs. Glam rockers T.Rex operated from around 1967 to 1977, bringing sweet rock and wild clothes to the masses. Gloria played keyboards and sang backing vocals in the band's later years.
“In this rebirth of Marc’s music we’re looking at in America children six, seven years old wearing their T.Rex t shirts, stars under glitter on their little cheekbones, and so that’s really exciting.
“Our family are becoming aware that we have to protect Marc’s image as much as we can. And this is one of the reasons that next year we will be honouring Marc’s brother Harry with a musical tribute from the family. I really want you to mention this for me, I really need this!” Gloria laughs.
Is it quite odd walking around and hearing all those songs you had such a part in? “Yes, yes. People are beginning to hear the real truth. All of Marc’s private collection of records, his poetry, his life, all of that just got out into the street. And so now people are realising ‘Oh we don’t have everything, we really don’t know the story about how this song was created’.”
Such as 'Why Must I Be A Teenager In Love?' which has seen the light of day as a b-side to the reissued ‘20th Century Boy.’ “We were staying in a flat in
”Marc was playing the guitar and he was singing. He was inspired, he didn’t have to have elaborate things, he could just sit in the room cross-legged and play his guitar. I remember he called me and said “Glo, come here, come here. I want you to sing harmony to this.” And because our life was centred about music you never knew what Marc was thinking, you didn’t know if he was already in production, if he had recorded the song! When I first started singing it he said: “Now I want you to give me that Chaka Khan feel.” So that’s why when you first hear my entrance there’s like this very high strange note in there [laughs].”
What do you think he would have been doing now if he was still alive? “I believe he would have been doing films because he was already involved in video and music. And I believe he would have been enjoying his family, which he did. He had the prize of life that so many people didn’t understand. He was always a child at heart, and he enjoyed his family. When we would come to the
Grits? “Fried catfish! And you know Marc was very classy and very clever and he would politely sit and take a bite and that was it, and then order something else.”
How do you think he would have got on nowadays, because there’s a whole cult of celebrity and there’s so much media attention? “But you see Marc would have milked it, because that was his love,” Gloria says instantly. “He had the Marc TV Show before the one in 1977 and he had Telly Savalas on the show. He had never heard of Marc. When he came out there on the show Marc says: “Telly baby,” and Telly says: “Well Marc baby.” You might say he understood his work, and he was clever about sending any situation up but he had respect, you know there was always respect, and always love."
And you’re not fed up of talking about Marc? Because you must get asked about him so often. “Listen, sweet, you have to understand something. We were not only partners, we were also musical partners so we had a lot in common. It wasn’t strange because we were basically musicians, and so our life was in the studio, travelling, and that’s why when Rolan was born it brought in a new balance.
“Now the actresses are having their babies, taking pictures with the pregnancy, but in those years they disgraced me because Marc took a picture of me with my belly. He said “What do you want to do about it?” and I said “Oh it’s nothing,” because I knew Rolan had a future and so you don’t want to have problems because life moves on, the world moves on, and look at the world today! Look at the press and the music, how wonderful! But Marc was doing that years ago. He was always friends with the media. How old were you, you were young right?”
I’m 25. I wasn’t born! “That’s what I’m talking about! So when I’m saying to you, everything happening now is what Marc did some years ago.”
It all comes back round again? “It all comes back round and what happens is now the artists, the actresses, they have more freedom. In those days Marc took risks, and he took risks because he knew that there was a future. He knew that the industry would not stay the same. And so what he did he approached the media and television and his music as if he was a 1930s movie star. That’s how he approached his career; you know the boas, the mascara.”
He was very flamboyant, wasn’t he? “Yes. And in those days you had Errol Flynn who was absolutely beautiful, then you have to remember Marc was very beautiful. So he had all of the qualities of becoming a star in the Seventies. Like you said, you weren’t born, and we had the hippie era, [laughs] we had the disco era, we had the rock and roll era, but now you have a chance to relive that but also it’s not any different. Except now you have hip hop. But then in the Fifties, you had beatniks who would rap poetry to jazz music. So that is why we have to stop the separation. It’s one big pie.”
Gloria and Marc’s musical talent has passed on to Rolan. I read somewhere he has an album coming out? “Yes, he’s working on his career and he will let everyone know when that’s ready. Rolan actually wanted to be a baseball player. How he got into performing was by accident. He had a fractured ankle and so then his friends asked him to perform in theatre at the university so there he was in Hair - which his mom also thirty plus years ago was in the original cast of Hair in
"The main thing was Marc always wanted Rolan to have an education and that was more important than anything. Now if you find the music and theatre and things after that, fine.
“We’re very happy for Rolan because can you imagine coming into the world, stepping in your father’s shoes - who was one of the largest stars - and really just wanting your own individuality, which he deserves. And I think that’s more important and I think he’s learning that the audience will accept him as an individual and I admire him. I admire any other star’s children that are presenting their own talent and not using a parent’s name.”
Now remarried, Gloria herself isn’t so much involved in music anymore – though she recently duetted on ‘Tainted Love’ with Marc Almond at Shepherd’s Bush – but she is heavily involved in charity work in Sierra Leone, running Youth Net Children Under the Sun. “We are at this time planning on building the Marc Bolan School of Music and Film, and the reason is that we feel that if the orphans can learn an instrument and learn to write a song, they have a chance, you know?
"People will always love music, people will always be creative, and the work we try to do to help these orphans to have a purpose for life. Oh and also mention Gibson for me, Gibson guitars - oh girl, these people have been so supportive - on behalf of our family, Rolan, and the
Why
Gloria says they would like to show Bolan’s humanitarian side. “[Marc] was about youth. We both were. We were your age, but we were about young people helping young people. Like I said, people knew of his poetry and his music but they didn’t know the man. Marc loved sitting at home strumming his guitar, playing his record collection, watching TV, occasionally pop in a few movies. He was always playing his guitar and reading, he loved to read science fiction and getting new ideas and constantly trying new approaches to making the record business interesting.
“The up-and-coming bands, they all say they were influenced by Marc. The stars that have already had hits, they say they were influenced by Marc. Look at the wonderful Boy George. He used to stand at the front of Marc’s office on
“But you didn’t have the freedom like now, the stars are able to walk around. It was very difficult because whenever they saw Marc they would just go crazy. They were so excited. He used to go to the museum and there would be a group of schoolgirls and we would have about thirty minutes alone – but before we can get out of there those kids would be ‘Marc Bolan’s here!’ and there’s running and there’s screaming! Sometimes you do need a break.”
And back to 'helping people on their way', Gloria has a story she wants to share: “There were some gentlemen at Rolan’s first introduction into the industry and they were speaking amongst themselves. One guy told the other guy, oh I can remember when I was around 15 or 16 years old, and my tyre blew out. And all of a sudden Marc Bolan appeared. And he took care and he helped them out, they patched the tyre up and came back, put the tyre on and after that Marc said ‘OK gents you’re on your way.’ And he said, I can remember how Marc got us on our way. Isn’t it beautiful? I hope you can print that,” she adds.
So we have.
