One of the great punk figures of the 70s, singer-songwriter Marianne Joan Elliott-Said, better known as Polystyrene, died on April 26, at the age of 53, when she began to fight against breast cancer diagnosed a few months earlier.
Leader of the band X-Ray Spex, feminist activist, and undeniable influence of many rock singers who grew up watching her on stage, Poly had recently released her third solo album, Generation Indigo.
His desire to compose and create songs was born after seeing a show by the The Sex Pistols, when he was not yet 20 years old. There he decided to set up his own group, X Ray Spex, that it would not take too long to get his first and only album recorded: Germ Free Adolescents. In that debut, released in 1978, amidst the punk hubbub, he stood out Oh Bondage, Up Yours, a subject that harshly criticized the feminine stereotype that was circulating at that time.
In the midst of the success achieved, Polystyrene She was admitted to a mental health institute after being diagnosed with schizophrenia. What Poly really had was a bipolar picture, but that became known a long time later, at the dawn of the 90's. So, X-Ray Spex he was left without a future, emulating so many punk bands of those years. In 1980 he launched transparency, his first attempt at forging a solo career. transparency it didn't work out at all, and she resolved to join the Hare Krishna community, where she continued to compose and record for her.
In 2004 it was published, Flower airplane, his second solo material, which went unnoticed. Around 2008, to celebrate the 30 Germ Free Adolescents anniversary, a recital was organized which was a success. Poly took advantage of the clean and jerk to release her third album, Generation Indigo, earlier this year. Critics received her with open arms, praising the album, as well as the first single, Virtual Boyfriend, sounded as long as there are radio stations in England. His return to the stage had its dark side when he discovered breast cancer, last February.
The death occurred on April 25, in Sussex, England. From their official website, they announced their disappearance in few but heartfelt words: "We can confirm that the beautiful Poly Styrene, who has been a true fighter, won her battle to go to higher places ”.