Poly Styrene – I’m a Cliche

“The world is playing catch up with Poly Styrene, not the other way around”

Melbournians are a resilient bunch. Despite lockdown fatigue we still resist the temptation to storm State and Federal Parliament over what we have lost in the last 18 months. Yes footy is important to this town but perhaps even more devastating has been the closure of the arts. It’s what makes the city hum and a tiny example of that was yesterday when we had tickets to the launch of the Triffids documentary at The Forum downstairs, followed by an all-star tribute concert upstairs. The film has been 13 x years in the making and Covid ripped it down with a couple of days to go.

The Triffids were a brilliant post punk band from Perth in the mid 80’s, led by the charismatic and sublimely gifted David McComb. The doco was part of the annual Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) currently running for the next month or so. It’s another must see festival that we love to support and a reminder of just how fortunate we have been to live here.

The other must see doco for us was Poly Styrene – I’m a Cliché. I vividly remember being in the army studying to be a mechanic in Wagga Wagga in 1982 and meeting some like minded music lovers almost immediately. Most of our music consisted of male vocalists such as punk legends like Howard Devoto, Joe Strummer, Iggy Pop, Joey Ramone, Chris Bailey et all.

One of my friends suddenly put the X-Ray Spex album, “Germfree Adolescents” on the turntable and we all stopped in our tracks and collectively smiled. Up to that point it had really only been Patti Smith or Siouxsie Sioux, both of whom we loved but this was something different altogether.

X-Ray Spex with Poly Styrene (real name Marianne Joan Elliot-Said) cut through us with her searing vocals and the band’s unusual use of the saxophone. We had discovered Poly 4 x years late. The band had released the album in 1978 at the height of punk in England. Poly, having left home at 15 and living a somewhat itinerate lifestyle for a few years, saw the Sex Pistols play live and formed X-Ray Spex in 1976 at the ripe old age of 19.

Germ Free Adolescents was released in 1978 and without commercial support still managed 4 x singles that charted well and the album itself reaching Top 30 in the UK. Success took them to New York and CBGB’s but upon the band’s return to the UK, Poly was feeling the strain . She wrote and performed for fun and to inspire young women not be afraid to step up in what was very much a patriarchal society. Suddenly thrust into the limelight and attracting inappropriate and inane questions from the press such as why she wore braces and about her mixed race heritage, she was defeated and X-Ray Spex was no more.

Poly was also bi-polar and found herself in an institution when she was 21 having been misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. By 24 she fell pregnant and had her daughter Celeste who, as the centrepiece of the film, follows her mother’s journey on camera whilst narrating. Poly became a Hare Krishna before reconciling and settling down with Celeste later in her life and recording some solo projects as well as making a few live appearances at benefit concerts and an X-Ray Spex reunion in 2008. Poly passed away from breast cancer in 2011 at the age of 53.

The doco is filmed beautifully with stunning archival footage and maintains its focus throughout the entirety of the film on Poly and her life. There is footage of Celeste visiting her mother’s old haunts but what I loved most was that any guest of the film only narrated and wasn’t sat down to give their musings on camera. Poly was a gorgeous human being and she deserved to be front and centre. There’s even a fair slice of a Molly Meldrum interview in London, which is quite natural and devoid of his usual gushing.

Poly has left an enormous legacy for young female artists. Her music, fashion and artwork were unique but its her attitude that will be remembered most. She wasn’t a talker, just a walker.

My daughters are pleasingly lovers of the old man’s music, well some anyway. 🙂 They adore Poly Styrene, especially my youngest, Mia. I gave her a framed set of rare X-Ray Spex photos on her 13^th birthday which she still keeps pride of place at her flat in Northern NSW. I figured if she approaches life as fearlessly as Poly, it’s a great platform to leap from.

Poly Styrene – I am a Cliché was originally to be shown in cinemas as part of the MIFF, but is now available to stream for $14 on the MIFF website:

https://play.miff.com.au/film/poly-styrene-i-am-a-cliche/

This is the trailer: