X-Ray Spex Lead Singer Poly Styrene 1957-2011

[Zoneboy]

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Sadly, the punk world lost one of its great pioneers this week as X-Ray Spex' iconic leader Poly Styrene (aka Marian Joan Elliott-Said) succumbed to breast cancer. She was 53 years old. The British-born singer was an inimitable voice in the first-generation London punk scene and the defining face of a heroic band that consistently broke from convention. On Tuesday, rumors of her death became increasingly credible, fueled by condolences on her Facebook page, and her U.K. spokesperson confirmed the news to NME early Wednesday morning.

Loaded with witty, anti-establishment sentiments that seemed to dismiss proper feminism in favor of fierce individualism, Styrene predated and, in some ways, informed the riot grrrl movement that would follow, long after she abandoned X-Ray Spex in 1979. The band's one true hit, 'Oh Bondage, Up Yours' remains a key track in punk history, having proved itself a timeless classic. Like many punk bands from the era, their career lasted just three years (with few, intermittent reunions thereafter), but their mark on the genre, the culture and music history at large is, literally, immeasurable.

Styrene left X-Ray Spex following some personal incidents which, in hindsight, only further solidified her as a punk goddess -- including claims that she suffered from hallucinations and a period in which she joined the Hare Krishnas. A solo career in the 1980s kept her name out there but was a mixed bag both in terms of the music (which ranged from dance-punk to something more akin to New Age) and in terms of the reception. More recently, she had a more earnest comeback, championed by a new solo album, 'Generation Indigo,' which was a return to form, gloriously recalling her days in X-Ray Spex. In a tragic coincidence, that album was actually just released on Tuesday (April 26). 'Generation Indigo' was already scheduled to be streaming in its entirety on Spinner this week -- you can listen here.

Styrene announced in February that she had breast cancer. A Facebook update, dated April 19, reads: "Slowly, slowly trying to get better, miss my walk along the promenade. Would be so nice to sing again, and play my new album live. It's nice to have something positive to look forward to, Love Poly X."

Styrene's memory will live on through her recordings and through her mark on music history but, still...she will be missed.

[Race's Girl]

Dude, that's well sad

[Marvo301]

Marion Joan Elliott-Said aka Poly Styrene

[catlover79]