đź“° Marc: TOTP Was Like A Fellini Film - Article : Dec. 1970
- T.Rex
- Dec 12, 1970
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 30
A vibrant 1970 cover story featuring Marc Bolan and Mickey Finn as T. Rex make their breakthrough TV appearance on *Top of the Pops* performing “Ride a White Swan”.
The moment glam rock first whispered its spell into the living rooms of Britain.
Music Now
Date: December 12, 1970
Length: 4 min read
đź“° Key Highlights
• Marc Bolan’s reaction to performing “Ride a White Swan” on *Top of the Pops*
• Bolan describes the surreal experience as “like a Fellini film”
• Early coverage of T. Rex as a four-piece band with Steve Currie on bass
• Discussion of their new album *T. Rex* and shifting audience
• Classic early glam-era press coverage
đź“° Overview
Published on December 12, 1970, this *Music Now* cover feature catches Marc Bolan and Mickey Finn right at the tipping point — as “Ride a White Swan” propelled them from underground cult status into mainstream pop stardom.
đź“° Source Details
Publication / Venue: Music Now
Date: December 12, 1970
Format: Cover story / Feature
Provenance Notes: Original 1970 UK music magazine cover and article.
đź“° The Story
Marc Bolan reflects on the dream-like experience of appearing on *Top of the Pops*, comparing it to a Federico Fellini film. He discusses the band’s rapid rise, the addition of bassist Steve Currie to complete the new four-piece line-up, and their excitement about the new album *T. Rex*. The piece captures Bolan’s sense of wonder at suddenly reaching a much wider audience.
đź“° Visual Archive
Full-colour cover and inside photo of Marc Bolan and Mickey Finn posing together in a leafy outdoor setting, with Bolan holding his guitar. Bold red *Music Now* masthead and dramatic headline about the *Top of the Pops* performance.
đź“° Related
For more similar posts, check out the tags at the bottom of the page.
đź“° Closing Notes
This December 1970 feature perfectly bottles the exact moment T. Rex stepped out of the underground and into the spotlight — the beginning of the glam explosion that would define the early 1970s.
đź“ť Copyright Notice
All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.
Marc: 'TOTP was so surreal ...it was like a Fellini film'
"The last "Top of the Pops' we did was so surreal."
"There were people like Gerry Munroe on-we were out of it.
It was like a Fellini film."
Marc Bolan discussing his departure into world best-selling singles.
Although Underground snobs could be amazed by the success of
"Ride A White Swan", it is now clear that T. Rex are no longer playing to the select few.
They now have a big audience.
A new album, released "T. Rex" this Friday (Dec.11.) and on live gigs Marc and Micky will be joined by bassist Steve Currie. It is a busy time for the band.
There was much to talk about when met Marc last week.
Marc: "We now use stereo equipment at the gigs.
We forget that average kid in the street has never heard good stereo
When you see their faces, when they hear our stereo sound its really a turn on.
It helps the atmosphere on gigs and can be used to good effect on guitar things.
Get the sound zooming around We'll be using it all the time. I think we are the only
band about with stereo equipment on the road.
We've continuously improved our equipment as we have earned more money
"We first tried using a bass player in Oxford. Tony Visconti, who produces our
records, played with us and it was great. I just had to get permanent bass
right away. That's how Steve came to join.
"I was apprehensive about the success of the single, because I thought that people might think we had sold out and we would be playing to empty halls. But we now play to a new generation of people who are listening for the first time.
It's nice to see the immediate the acceptance...
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