Marc Bolan hosted a music TV show in the 1970s, called – wait for it – MARC, a cross between Saturday Night Special and your favourite music video.
Granada Television commissioned Bolan to front the series, which was just fab as he was, indeed, called Marc, and he introduced new and established bands and performed his own songs. By this time Bolan had lost weight, appearing as trim as he had during T. Rex’s earlier heyday. The show was broadcast during the post-school half-hour on ITV earmarked for children and teenagers.
The last episode featured Bolan duetting with his friend David Bowie. Before the song had reached its end, Bolan tripped over a microphone cable and fell off the stage. Bowie is said to have called out “Could we have a wooden box for Marc [to stand on]?”. Following the show Bolan and Bowie co-wrote and recorded a rough outline of a new song, “Madman.” The new wave band Cuddly Toys found a bootleg tape and recorded it, which became a UK Indie Chart single and featured on their Guillotine Theatre album.
The final show was recorded on September 7, 1977, but not broadcast until after Bolan’s funeral on September 20, 1977, which was also attended by David Bowie and Rod Stewart, among others.
