Poly Styrene mini doc on the BBC One 'The One Show'

[@surfleopard]

She was so punk that she didn't even fit in with the punks. Amazing woman who stands alone, in my eyes. Thank you Poly

[@JOHNROBBofficial]

yes! agreed! the great think about punk was that every version of it was so different...

[@ericcrawford9827]

@@JOHNROBBofficial You get around mate. Of course I started a band, and we were naff. I'm diagnosed schizoaffective, it's frightening unless you make an effort to control it. Too soon, too early, every cliché available. Strong women and basically session musicians. It changed the music industry. Get an haircut, ya' old git. x

[@davidmarlborough8332]

A beautiful, sensitive person whose music spoke of great depth.

[@herbsmanherbs]

@@JOHNROBBofficial whas that you in the video?

[@JOHNROBBofficial]

@@herbsmanherbs yes it was...

[@AFaceintheCrowd01]

I met Poly on April 18, 1977 at the Roxy after her band played. I said she was incredible and that people will love her music all over the world. She responded that I was a nutter.

[@ChrisWrightOM1]

Anybody decent is a nutter.

[@NickSBailey]

all the best people are nutters and anyway you were right

[@dodibenabba1378]

Bless her, such a sweetie. Too beautiful for this world.

[@tetsucat13]

57 year old punk. I have tears in my eyes.

[@annieryan1481]

58 and I know exactly what you’re feeling.

[@isabella6206]

I am even more ancient 70 but all I have is very happy memories of Punk and still watch these wonderful you tube punk stars music.

[@yasminx16]

@@isabella6206you’re awesome!

[@bowerydoll]

Miss her so much. It was so hard losing her and Ari from The Slits back in 2010 and 2011. I'm grateful I had the chance to do interviews with them back in the 80s. I can't believe 10 years have gone by. Her daughter has become an incredible young woman. Poly was such an influence on me as a young Black and Indigenous girl finding her footing in a very white punk rock scene in Chicago back in the 70s. I know I'm late seeing this, but I thank you for it. It was sweet to stumble across this tonight. I've been thinking about her so much lately. I had City of Christmas Ghosts on repeat last week x0x

[@Zubareffstream111]

Sky arts showed an excellent 2 hour documentary on her on Saturday. Not sure where you'll be able to see it but hopefully it will appear on line someplace soon.

[@sophiew1967]

Have you seen this ?m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4CTeYqjireYhck

[@nickmail7604]

She was bloody brilliant.

[@captainpeacock4442]

I’m a 62yr old punk,X-ray Specs were one of my favourite bands of the punk years.Rest In Peace Poly Styrene,Gone but Never Forgotten.xx

[@troygaspard6732]

The epitome of Punk. Her songs predicted the world we now inhabit.

[@yasminx16]

Yes she was way ahead of her time. I think she may have been a genius - she was throwing darts at a dartboard people couldn’t see.

[@yasminx16]

Yes she was way ahead of her time. I think she may have been a genius, actually.

[@Eman_Puedama]

I don't know if you're talking about synthetic fabrics and artificial chemicals everywhere, but that was well under way in the seventies, and perhaps celebrated more than it is now.

[@regplasma7906]

Her great body of work still holds up today.

[@meapantz1983]

I was born in 83 and in all the years I've listened to punk, I've just discovered poly styrene and she is immediately a massive icon. What a special lady. Absolutely love it 💖

[@johnsargent3435]

Listening to X ray specs in the 70s when I was 15 . Your mum would be proud of you as youve grown up into a lovely woman. Take care & god bless ya

[@stevenaldridge120]

She was brilliant I still listen to the music today modern music doesn’t compare to this .

[@gilliansalmon8177]

I'm currently writing a 4000 word philosophy essay about Poly Styrene. Very happy to find that there are more resources available now than the last time I attempted to write about her, I think she rarely gets sufficient credit for her work.

[@JOHNROBBofficial]

I HAVE a 45 minute filmed interview with her from a year before she died - trying to get it back from the web channel

[@thecatfromgarfield2595]

that’s brilliant. have you published it online by any chance ??

[@ThePsyndicate]

she basically validated me.

[@jeremybrown1626]

She was the definition of punk.

[@NBM3]

@@JOHNROBBofficial Any luck getting your interview out ?? It would be a good thing for the world. Good luck ..for all of us . Thank you for doing the good work . I hope the world gets to see it one day .

[@user-bz8pq5fw7q]

I have so much respect for this lady

[@paulone-off7286]

Love the way she sang, unique and very apt for punk. Remembering my youth listening to this, good times

[@sucri]

Love that she is half Somali 🇸🇴 can't wait to show mom

[@jeremybrown1626]

A heart breaking story, I never realised what she had been through - Poly Styrene, X-Ray Spex and specifically the album Germ Free Adolescents defined my teenage years, I played it endlessly much to the annoyance of my parents.

[@paulcheeseman9307]

Germ free adolescent is one of the greatest tunes to come out of the punk movement....

[@floglobe]

I used to go to her shop back in the day and buy lurex socks and things. The September before she died I was invited to LOUD FLASH a punk rock poster exhibition with Mark from the Pop Group and we met up with Poly and took her with us. I walked along the street with her, looking in the posh shop windows. She told me that she had gone to the Harry Krishna's that day to meditate. She told me she had lived there to escape a broken relationship and they had a recording studio there where she made music for spas. She told me it was the perfect antidote to Oh Bondage Up Yours. She told me how proud she was of her daughter. She confided that she didn't know what to wear that day so she'd popped in to M&S and bought, and was wearing, a nightie. No one would guess. She looked FABULOUS. I have a few video clips from the Poly Fest memorial gig on my channel. One of the Harry's came and played ukelele with fairy lights on it. She would have loved that.

[@JOHNROBBofficial]

great memories and reminds me of a lot of the memories I have of her as well.

[@stevoowens2735]

Her voice was her beauty.

[@dalfog2468]

Without a doubt the best punk name ever imagined. RIP Poly.

[@hyena131]

dal fog Don't forget Dee Generate from the band Eater. Now that's a great name too.

[@johngregson9827]

What a shining light she was , and what a voice. Sadly missed by many

[@starvingbuddha7622]

Looks just like her momma! Beautiful!

[@imsuggestionstakeitorleaveit]

Punk Rock couldn't be Punk Rock without this iconic Legend . I'm slowly watching my dreams vanish..

[@thebargetntrollied]

Poly's a real legend, love her input in the first wave of punk. Sadly missed but will be never forgotten.

[@FreeIndeed72]

I discovered X-RAY SPEX on Don Letts "The Punk Rock Movie", in the 1980s. Around this time I was a huge Billy Idol fan and I discovered his old punk rock band Generation X which was why I purchased this movie on VHS back in the day and I just followed the rabbit hole. I heard X-ray Spex on this movie and it took years to find their music and there was no Internet back then. Fortunately in the 1990s punk rock started getting more notices and the bands albums that I was trying to get started getting easier to find. X-ray Spex was definitely one of the best out there. It's weird that the Sex Pistols were the band that all of the other bands (on the English side) aspired to be like, but groups like X-ray Spex, The Clash, Generation X and groups like that actually knew how to playtheir instruments (no disrespect to the Pistols intended), whereas the Sex Pistols were definitely the loudest.

[@ChrisWrightOM1]

I came alive to music at the age of around 8 and started to buy records at around 10 or 11, Buzzcocks mainly. Punk was happening and, though I was far too young to be an active participant, I loved the milieu. There were bands I didn't like (Clash, SLF) and bands I did (e.g. Ruts) and X Ray Spex was one of them even though, at the time, I didn't buy their records. I remember lying in bed hearing the John Peel Show coming from my older brother's bedroom, and seeing Poly on ToTP. A few years later I was in my own band, and we used to rehearse at The Station in Gateshead, attending the compulsory meetings at Gateshead Library for the privilege of their outrageously cheap rate. A few weeks into lockdown, early to mid 2020, I thought I'd stick a couple of Buzzcocks CDs in the car, thinking I'd listen to them for a bit, then go back to my usual Shostakovich and Charles Mingus. Well, it's been over a year now and I've listened to virtually nowt but Buzzcocks since then and have now moved on to Poly Styrene and X Ray Spex. The thrill I had when she sang the opening notes of "Art-I-Ficial" can't be described. I've developed a middle-aged man's crush on Poly: nothing inappropriate, because it's based on pure admiration. When I was a kid, hearing this music took me to a place I'd never been and, in my fifties, the music has the same effect. It's thrilling and poignant. It's so sad that Poly isn't around any more, but none of us lasts forever. I've got huge regrets that I never saw her live but am happy that I've had the chance to experience her music now and pay this small tribute to her. P.S. I'm a year 11 form tutor in a secondary school and, on International Women's Day, showed my class video of Poly Styrene singing: I couldn't think of a better role model.

[@NBM3]

2 kool ...and turned out to be good for school !! Whoduthunk it !?!? Good work sir .

[@ChrisWrightOM1]

@@NBM3 I thought, "Yep, here's someone a young lass can aspire to follow."

[@steve261brown]

God she looks like her mum!

[@christianhernandez6920]

She does quite alot.

[@dsharp7441]

ooohhh bondage!!!! UP YOURS!!!!! love poly!!!! telling my gf(also my bass player,13 stitches) we should cover that song and she should sing it!!! definitely a warrior,bad ass!!!

[@SkeeterNYC]

I can't wait for the full length doc. You were a true original, Poly. RIP.

[@K._Oss]

From a distance, she seems to have an aura of such cuteness, sweetness, and true youthful innocence combined with the intellectual intensity and the genuine talent that was more than on par with her male peers in the punk scene. Poly was a beautiful soul and a beautiful mind and a beautiful woman and she brought an equally wonderful and beautiful life into the world. RIP Poly Styrene.

[@JulioAvalos3000]

RIP Poly. You were awesome.

[@nickwatkins5321]

I was a huge fan of this remarkable lady. A true inspiration to many people back in the day. I was very sad to hear of her passing and her struggle with her health. A creative genius, sadly missed

[@jendee5376]

Fantastic Poly was soooo pretty You are too

[@KimTebrok]

First saw her on TV & was hooked. Found her totally beguiling, her voice, the saxophone, the clothes she wore, that jerky dancing, her spirit & her beautiful face. Plus much, much more. It’s so uplifting reading the comments on here & shows the impact she had on our lives.

[@127cmore]

She was amazing 👏 😍 ❤ 💖 I first listened to my older brothers X ray spex in 78/79. I was about 11

[@oldsharkbythesea3962]

Brilliantly talented and a beautiful person

[@ventasocr]

her daughter really looks and sounds like her!

[@richardharrison1910]

So brilliant you've done this as a tribute to your mum! you should be proud of yourself.

[@pullthereins]

I grew up listening to the X Ray Spex and I have recently been in a Germ Free Adolescence kick. Such a powerful album. Raw energy from everyone involved. I would have loved to had grown up or been in a band with Poly Styrene. She had effortless charisma. Which could be heard in her voice and seen with her smile. All the Love ❤️

[@1funkyflyguy]

Polly was amazing!!! She was always on my radar as a kid growing up. Great punk icon.

[@wattschris992]

Your mum is one intelligent, inspirational and forward thinking woman always respected polystyrene and her band x Ray spex really good sound love the sax love the lyrics love it all

[@brunokaarten]

she was unique!

[@ex-scientia4234]

Another wonderful person’s life tragically cut short. Her daughter will be proud of her mum’s unique legacy.

[@fredwalker1733]

Man, she was beautiful, stunning woman. I was 10 years old in 1978 and torn between buying either her album or Never Mind the Bollocks, cos at that age I could only afford one LP per year!

[@twistedspanner]

Man she was beautiful. I had a Polly night the other night. and listened to to Germfree Adolescents for the first time in about 40 years. My mate who was a lot older than me said you need to listen to this she has something to say. I only have the Oh Bongage the single. I'd forgotten how rough and ready X-Ray Spex sounded. The title title track was a gem. I listened to Translucence. I then listened to their 1996 album .I never knew about it. And then I watched the Rainbow gig. I thought she looked fabulous. I then realized why she had to get away from "punk" music just like Lydon did with PIL. They both had a lot more to offer. They did what they wanted. Their art. whether it sold or not.

[@padraigsisk4057]

And weren't we happy . Make the 1 choice and live with it . In 1982 I bought Never mind the Bollix from The Pistols. My mother said either that goes or u go. I threw out the cassette box but kept the important part. Thank God for Spotify now.

[@ChrisWrightOM1]

You're about the same vintage as me, then. The music back then cast a spell over us, that still persists. I wonder if the younger generation feel the same about their music? I hope they do, and I believe they do.

[@fredwalker1733]

@@padraigsisk4057 love that story! Reminds me of a friend at school - his dad took a screwdriver to his son's Sex Pistols record, to make it unplayable.

[@ceedef3091]

A true innovator, a star, she seemed so fearless when fronting the band. Great piece John. TY.

[@steveh5987]

Loved her music in the 70's. True punks were all unique, following the crowd was not what it was about, and she was inspirational with her interpretation.

[@StephenDBurge-in5qi]

Touched many souls RIP 🌹

[@nervo6321]

What a fantastic mini biography...thanks for posting...

[@captainswing4487]

Listened to world service last night. Came here to pay respects to a great original artist. ❤️

[@KimTebrok]

Why, oh why do the good die so young? She was amazing in so many ways. An unstoppable life force. RIP lovely Polly.

[@hyena131]

Mick Corbett It's *Poly, not "Polly." Big difference.

[@ArtandFictionByAdele]

Thanks for this; it was a real trip down memory lane, and I loved hearing some of Xray Spex's songs again. Poly's lyrics were great fun.

[@chriswoodcock2150]

brilliant stuff john , I really loved and love Poly, celeste is a lovely woman , and her book is brilliant..x

[@JOHNROBBofficial]

the book is fab - and Celeste is great - just like her mother

[@markgreet3543]

Poly was amazing x ray specs were unique, great songs and lots of talent, her daughter looks just like her bless rest in peace she was a great singer, talented songs, amazing band sadly missed, but rest in peace.

[@ericcrawford9827]

This made me cry.

[@HANSCHTV]

great documentary. she was so strong and so powerful. thank you for all poly. Thank you.

[@lafollable]

I remember the first time I saw the Identity video, when I was 14 or 15 years old. It changed me forever.

[@russellpotts3069]

One of the punk greatsI was just a kid when I hear her singles in the 70s and i bought them out as a teen. Great documentary sad she passed so young.

[@millie2687]

Loved X-ray specs… still listening to them now..

[@kategarner5965]

One day Poly turned up at my apartment in London. I don't know how she found my address. We spent the afternoon haivng endless tea and chatting. Lovely human. She left too soon. xxxx

[@subcultz1073]

wonderful lady and dear friend, greatly missed. Symond

[@JOHNROBBofficial]

hope all is good with you Sy. Was great to work with you and Poly.

[@subcultz1073]

Without you introducing poly and me the roundhouse show would never have happened for anyone. Magical time where the stars lined up. Hope you’re well John. I should write up my own diary of those years

[@furryelvis]

Marion was a superstar. I still remember her very well from the 70s. she was an inspiration for everyone, male and female. May she rest in the the loving arms of her god.

[@danlib09]

Beautiful talented woman RIP Marianne, Thank you.

[@Bananadiva1]

Poly Styrene was, is and always will be an absolute icon. A totally unique and enduring talent. It's such a shame such an amazing person endured such struggles in her life and past away so young and so soon after the masterpiece Generation Indigo was released.

[@DaveRoberts777]

Fascinating insight into a brilliant lady.

[@walrtbstudios5430]

Lovely people, both of them...

[@colin2702]

wow awesome, What a woman. Thank you for the post

[@TimothyHughes]

Came to the "Rock N' Roll Book Club" book signing in Camden and you very kindly signed my book, thank you!

[@itwasnt3369]

Absolute Legend xx

[@Holmseyd]

Great insight, always loved Poly and X ray specs. Real sad when I heard of her demise xxx

[@isabelgoudie1497]

Wonderful piece ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@ThePsyndicate]

Amazing! Your Mom was such a great positive influence on me and always will be!

[@mowler8042]

HUh never heard of this young lady very cool story so sad she had to pass...

[@petems3283]

A mate played Bondage at a school disco in 1977. Needless to say, it changed everything.

[@bartonted]

I just love her music and lyrics. 1978 talking about society and waste

[@markhannam7144]

wonderful artist my children love her

[@Sweetfan78]

A lovely feature. Thank you John

[@CarynDPrescott]

Poly was magical. I would have loved to be friends with her 😊

[@KathleenGotdon]

Wow so like her mom ❤ when i was young people said i looked like her what a beautiful compliment ❤

[@evileyelash8094]

She was and forever will be immaculate

[@caitlinbelforti870]

It breaks my heart to see that she suffered so much.

[@tomcooper1733]

this is amazing, thank you

[@TheAtuocool]

A real individual and a supreme spirit.

[@isabella6206]

Brilliant what a true star.

[@rightmovesmedia8127]

Love this @John - brilliant - Poly was such an inspiration!

[@benpotaka5893]

I loved her😢😢😢❤❤❤

[@67lindyloo99]

Never knew much about Poly Styrene before this. Assumptions are facile. 🎋🕊

[@chrisofnottingham]

Thx for uploading

[@jaspertickler1831]

Brilliant, and thank you for sharing

[@chinchilla687]

Thank you.

[@angelicaryans8819]

Oh poly is beautiful in every way everything she does is magic xxx

[@Turtle152]

3:13 Poly with Lora Logic. They were in X-Ray Spex together, then by chance went to the same temple later.

[@davidnaharnowicz6753]

Short n sweet nod to a tribal goddess of the modern world ....

[@louisasmiles]

A very honest and beautiful piece

[@kjzone101]

A true original and genius

[@benpotaka5893]

You look exactly like her😐 wow and can sing like her, please carry on the greatness???

[@eekowarrior4409]

A true groundbreaker

[@DrewKane]

Poly's daughter looks just like Poly!

[@officialndilhm.x1]

Daughter like mother ❤ YES

[@psyndicated5929]

QUEEN!