Track 30 - Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche

LINER NOTES:

Kris sits down with filmmakers Paul Sng & Celeste Bell to talk about their film Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche, a documentary about Celeste's Mom, Poly Styrene.

Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche releases in theaters this week, then will be available on demand beginning February 4!

For more on the film and to keep up to date on Celest and Paul, visit the website.

Follow the film on Social Media: @PolyStyreneFilm on Twitter & Instagram.

About the film:

Poly Styrene was the first woman of color in the UK to front a successful rock band. She introduced the world to a new sound of rebellion, using her unconventional voice to sing about identity, consumerism, postmodernism, and everything she saw unfolding in late 1970s Britain, with a rare prescience. As the frontwoman of X-Ray Spex, the Anglo-Somali punk musician was also a key inspiration for the riot grrrl and Afropunk movements. But the late punk maverick didn’t just leave behind an immense cultural footprint.

Poly was survived by a daughter, Celeste Bell. Celeste became the unwitting guardian of her mother’s legacy and her mother’s demons. Misogyny, racism, and mental illness plagued Poly’s life, while their lasting trauma scarred Celeste’s childhood and the pair’s relationship.

Featuring unseen archive material and rare diary entries narrated by Oscar-nominee Ruth Negga, this documentary follows Celeste as she examines her mother's unopened artistic archive and traverses three continents to better understand Poly the icon and Poly the mother.

--

About the Podcast:

‘TEXT PROSE AND ROCK N ROLL’- is the only podcast dedicated to the written account of musicians. From artist memoirs to band bios, and anything in between. You'll hear first accounts from those who lived the lifestyle; a Book Club that rocks - literally.

It was Created, Hosted & Executive Produced by Kris Kosach.

It was Produced & Edited by Charlene Goto of Go-To Productions.

For more on the show, visit the website.

Or follow us on Instagram and Facebook @Textproserocknroll

Follow Kris on Social Media: @KrisKosach

Follow Producer Char on Social Media: @ProducerChar