Friday 13 September was the 25th anniversary of the untimely death of one of THE great pop stars of the early 1970s, East London boy Marc Bolan. Sadly, it's probably been over-shadowed somewhat by the anniversary of the death of King Elvis, but hopefully with the unveiling of a statue of the Pop Elf in Barnes (where he died in a car crash) and the release of an excellent compilation album and four-disc boxed set entitled '20th Century Superstar' (Universal), this situation will soon be rectified. You can check out the full story of Marc's memorial and see some video footage by going to our News section. Pop gems  | | The glam-rockin' Bolan at the height of his magical powers |
Meanwhile, I can still remember watching transfixed - with my older brother Steve (who was a massive and I do mean MASSIVE fan!) - Marc's early appearances on Top Of The Pops singing classic, glam-rockin' pop gems like 'Jeepster', 'Get It On', 'Telegram Sam' and my all time personal fave, 'Metal Guru'. He was someone who truly brightened up the pop landscape after the hangover of the 60s. No-one primped and preened quite like Marc and he was absolutely enormous, in popularity and in influence. Up there with Bowie and Elton, who were his only serious contemporaries at the time. Tea-time date Despite the quality of his work stumbling and faltering in the mid 70s, 'Marc' - his tea-time pop show on telly during the early summer of 1977 - was essential viewing for music-obsessed teens like myself.  | Gary Crowley: Marc's telly show during the summer of '77 was essential viewing... |
Giving vital airtime to a smattering of performances from up and coming New Wavers like The Jam, Generation X, The Boomtown Rats and Eddie And The Hot Rods as well as memorable turns from old muckers like David Bowie. Bolan was a true one-off. A bright, shiny, shimmering London character who truly touched people's lives. Sadly, he didn't even reach the age of 30. We won't see the likes of The Prettiest Star ever again. | 
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