Makers of a documentary about X-Ray Spex frontwoman Poly Styrene have called upon fans for their help, launching a crowdfunding campaign to get it over the line.
When it comes to English punk rock, no mention of the genre could ever be complete without mentioning the great Poly Styrene.
Born Marianne Joan Elliott-Said, it was the experience of seeing the Sex Pistols play on her 19th birthday that inspired Marianne to form her now-iconic band, X-Ray Spex, ultimately becoming the woman of colour in the UK to lead a successful rock band.
Described as “deliberate underachievers”, the group’s debut album, Germfree Adolescents was released in 1978, and followed the release of their classic single, ‘Oh Bondage Up Yours!”
With this single kicking things off with the line “Some people say little girls should be seen and not heard,” Poly Styrene was always set to shake up the status quo, going on to become an icon of the genre, and undoubtedly blazing a trail for other female punk musicians.
While X-Ray Spex would release one more album in 1995, Poly Styrene went on to kick off a solo career, releasing a handful of albums over the years, before sadly passing away from breast cancer in 2011.
Now, two years after it was first announced, a documentary on the punk legend’s life needs your help to be completed.
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Check out a trailer for Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché:
https://vimeo.com/213236646
Titled Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché, the documentary was announced via an Indiegogo campaign back in 2017, with director Paul Sng set to showcase the musician’s “struggles with misogyny, racism and mental health issues,” while her daughter Celeste Bell would serve as the narrator.
As Clash Music reports, another crowdfunding campaign has now been set up to help the film reach completion.
“I set out with a clear goal to share my mother’s story as widely as possible because her story needs to be heard,” explained Bell of the film.
“In making this film, I have uncovered aspects of my mother I hardly knew before and also discovered that she made a huge impact on culture that is still being felt today. The fact that her legacy has not been properly acknowledged is something we are seeking to redress with this film.”
Featuring interviews from the likes of Neneh Cherry, Pauline Black, Kathleen Hanna, Lora Logic, Paul Dean, Vivienne Westwood, Thurston Moore, Glen Matlock and many others, the campaign sets to raise funds to finish the film and to pay for additional elements, including “artwork, design, animation, original archive footage, graphics, additional editing and post-production and music licensing.”
“The costs involved in making a feature-length documentary of this scale and quality are significant; raising the remaining funds through traditional routes has proved challenging,” the campaign explains.
Those interested can subscribe to the campaign via Patreon, though it is currently unclear when the finished project will eventually see the light of day.
Check out ‘Oh Bondage Up Yours!’ by X-Ray Spex:
