Marc Bolan / T. Rex (November 26, 1972) – “Marc Bolan Loves America” Feature - The Houston Chronicle
This substantial feature by Robert Hilburn examines Marc Bolan’s determination to establish T. Rex in the United States following the group’s first major American tour. Bolan discusses the difficulty of transferring his extraordinary British success to America, his musical roots, the changing T. Rex sound and his desire to earn respect without becoming what he calls a “hip David Cassidy".
Publication: The Houston Chronicle
Date: November 26, 1972
Country: United States
Under the headline “Marc Bolan Loves America”, Robert Hilburn examines the question of whether American audiences would embrace Marc Bolan and T. Rex with the same enthusiasm that had already transformed the group into a phenomenon in Britain.
The article establishes the extraordinary scale of Bolan’s British success, stating that T. Rex had sold an estimated 50 million records in Europe during the previous two years. The group is described as having achieved near-Beatlemania proportions among younger British audiences, with six consecutive No. 1 records in England and concerts capable of producing scenes of intense fan excitement.
America, however, presented a very different challenge. The article follows T. Rex’s first major United States tour, which had begun in September in New York and concluded in Los Angeles. Bolan acknowledges that the group occupied an awkward position within the American market, caught somewhere between the teen audience attracted to performers such as The Osmonds and David Cassidy and the older rock audience following artists including Rod Stewart and The Who.
Bolan explains that he never regarded himself as belonging comfortably to either category. When discussing earlier musical influences, he identifies records including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “My Baby Left Me” and “Honey Don’t” as important to him while growing up in England.
The feature traces Bolan’s development from those early inspirations through modelling, acting and unsuccessful recording ventures to the acoustic Tyrannosaurus Rex period. Bolan explains that the emergence of heavier groups such as Jimi Hendrix and Cream convinced him that remaining entirely acoustic would restrict his audience.
This led him towards electric music, although Bolan describes the shift as a return rather than a completely new direction. Carl Perkins and the rock ’n’ roll records that had originally inspired him remained central to his musical thinking.
The article reports that the American tour had ultimately gone better than some contemporary accounts suggested. Bolan admits that he initially underestimated the strength of his American audience and believed his neglect of the market while working elsewhere had slowed T. Rex’s progress.
By the later concerts, however, support was becoming increasingly visible. Hilburn describes one San Francisco performance where audience enthusiasm grew steadily during the set. By the third song, several hundred people were standing, and the response continued building as the concert progressed.
Bolan nevertheless rejects the idea of pursuing teenage celebrity simply for its own sake. He tells Hilburn that he does not want to become “a hip David Cassidy.” Instead, Bolan says he wants respect and points towards artists such as Elton John, The Faces, Alice Cooper and The Doors when explaining the kind of career longevity and credibility he values.
The feature closes with Bolan back in England after the tour, described as fiercely competitive and already expected to return to America for another attempt at expanding T. Rex’s audience.
CONTEXT AND NOTES
The article captures Marc Bolan at a particularly important stage in T. Rex’s international development. In Britain, the group had already achieved extraordinary commercial success, but Bolan was still attempting to discover where T. Rex fitted within the more fragmented American market.
His comments reveal that the problem was not simply attracting listeners. Bolan wanted to expand in America without being confined to the teenage-idol category, while simultaneously recognising that younger fans had played an important role in his British success.
The feature also provides insight into Bolan’s musical development. His discussion of Carl Perkins, Elvis-era recordings and the move from acoustic to electric music places the T. Rex sound within Bolan’s longstanding fascination with early rock ’n’ roll.
A large photograph dominates the article and is captioned “Marc Bolan - caught in between,” directly reflecting Hilburn’s argument that Bolan occupied a difficult position between American teen pop and established rock audiences.
FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
Event: Robert Hilburn examines T. Rex’s first major American tour and Bolan’s ambitions in the United States
Era: 1972 American tour / Bolanmania era
Tone: Analytical, candid and career-focused
Photography: Large portrait photograph of Marc Bolan captioned “Marc Bolan - caught in between”
WHAT THE CLIPPING SHOWS
• Robert Hilburn examining Marc Bolan’s attempts to establish T. Rex in America
• Discussion of the enormous commercial success already achieved in Britain and Europe
• Bolan explaining his early musical influences and move from acoustic to electric music
• Reflections on T. Rex’s American audience and the response to the 1972 tour
• Bolan stating that he did not want to become “a hip David Cassidy”
• Bolan emphasising his desire for respect and a lasting career
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