The London Boys: Bowie, Bolan And The 60s Teenage Dream

Marc Burrows PEN & SWORD

Dandies in the underworld.

The story of two post-war kids, one from suburban south London and the other from inner city Hackney, who pinged around the pop machine during the

60s as they chased dreams of stardom.

This skilfully assembled tour of socio-rock history passes through beatniks, folk, mods and psychedelia as it shows how Jones and Feld orbited each other on their respective journeys to becoming Bowie and Bolan. It ends in 1970, with Bowie rehearsing a new band with Mick Ronson, and Bolan and Mickey Finn recording Ride A White Swan. Quotes from published sources are cleverly woven into the author’s thoughtful asides on the muchmythologised subjects. The critical difference between them, he says, is that Bowie studied his art and music seriously, while the flash Bolan always sought a shortcut to stardom. Fate brings the two stars together for the television show Marc in September 1977, where Bolan pleads for more studio time with his old pal Bowie, because “this might never happen again”.