Take a trip back in time to the early 1970s with Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T-Rex, a vibrant documentary about the life of the iconic gender/sexually fluid pop star. Produced by The Who’s manager Bill Curbishley and directed by Ethan Silverman, the film largely comprises fly-on-the-wall footage of various artists in the recording studio as they record covers of T-Rex classics for an album of the same name as the documentary. The artists are a refreshing mix of major superstars, including U2, Nick Cave, Joan Jett, Beth Orton, Macy Gray and several smaller acts, including Borns and Snarky Puppy. This footage and related interviews combine with vintage interviews, photos and footage of Bolan, past interviews with the likes of David Bowie and Elton John and current interviews with Billy Idol, Ringo Starr, The Edge, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliot and Bolan’s widow Gloria Jones and his son Rolan Bolan amongst others. The result is a glorious mix of admiration for the iconic man.

Marc Bolan’s vital star rose in the early 1970s when his glam-rock infused pop/rock filled a gap for a teen generation looking for new inspiration following the end of the 1960s and the split of The Beatles. Colour TV had just been introduced in the UK, and Bolan’s look was perfect for the new technicolour times. Famously vague about gender and sexuality, covered in bright make-up and sporting flamboyant outfits, he, along with arch-rival Bowie, (whose success he preceded), broke down societal-norm barriers around sex and gender in an authentic manner. This energy occurred in tandem with the launch of the Gay Liberation Movement. The world was still very homophobic though, and both Bolan and Bowie were deliberately vague in their public pronouncements, leaving a lot to imagination and fantasy. Bolan’s persona and music was of wide appeal and he managed to incorporate elements of both Elvis and punk into his work, successfully bridging the gap between the 1960s and late 1970s. This wide spectrum is reflected in the work of the artists covering his work for the album, the most successful for me being Macy Gray’s reggae cover of Children of the Revolution. Nick Cave’s cover of Cosmic Dancer also shines. U2’s cover of Get It On is less successful.

Interview highlights include those with a still-hot Billy Idol, Bolan’s widow Gloria Jones and his son Rolan. Jones was driving the car when they crashed in 1977, leading to the death of Bolan at just 29. She remains as fabulous as ever and is a generous contributor. Def Leppard’s Joe Elliot is also entertaining, including revealing how he once painstakingly copied out a book of Bolan’s poetry. Bolan was at one point the best-selling poet in the UK. The vintage interview footage of Bolan shows him to be very down-to-earth, highly intelligent, kind, self-aware and very career focussed. Highlights of this footage include clips of his 1977 show Marc where he champions new bands including Generation X and The Jam. The analysis of his and Bowie’s personal relationship and career rivalry is also very interesting. True frenemies. Did the two sleep together? Rumours abound, but we will never know.

Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T-Rex is a very giving, thoughtful, thorough documentary that will inspire the musicality in you. A greater exploration of Bolan’s gender fluidity and sexuality would have been welcome, along with its context within the early 1970s. I guess, however, any other such personal content would have been just speculation. A roll-call of the great and the good to honour a unique talent who paved the way for countless future music stars as well the gender-fluid community.

Currently playing in select movie theaters  than VOD on Sept 5th