My Secret Life by Poly Styrene

There's a great interview in 'The Independent on Sunday' today with Poly Styrene, 'My Secret Life'. I'm not quite sure why her age is in the headline but it's lovely to read about her and hear what she has to say.

It must be odd, in a way, to be Miss Styrene. She was part of the original punk movement and a great original herself, a short but glorious flowering in 1978, leaving behind one magnificent album in 'Germfree Adolescents', including some of the best singles of the punk era. I loved X-Ray Spex and still do. 'Day-Glo' and 'Identity' are two of the best singles ever, not just punk, but of all time. And it's those few years in the late '70s that everyone always harks back to.

She went on to release one album in 1980, 'Translucence', and the 'Gods & Goddesses' EP in 1986. Neither are available on CD for some odd reason. And then in 1992 (I think) came a brief reunion and another album under the Spex name, 'Conscious Consumer', including my favourite song, 'Party', a wonderful romp to end the album. More recently she released an album of ambient music that I've not heard and she duetted on a song with Brian James a year or two ago, but that's about it.

I saw the portrait of Poly in the National Portrait Gallery a couple of years ago and there's a rather bad snapshot of her in John Lydon's autobiography, sitting on the floor in his house in about 1978. The photo above is probably the latest portrait of her.

The more observant of you will notice that this blog is named after one of her songs, 'Plastic Bag', with the opening line, 'My mind is like a plastic bag...'. O yes.

I love some of the answers she gives in the interview:

My most valuable possession is... my soul.

My life in seven words... I'm a poseur 'n' I don't care!

You've just got to chortle at that last one! I remember singing along to that song all those years ago - and I still do.

Pop on over to 'The Independent' and have a read of the interview. Miss Styrene doesn't seem to have changed at all. And she's playing the 'Love Music Hate Racism' carnival next week.