Marilyn

Lisa Climie Management is delighted to be managing Marilyn on his return to the music scene.

Since his extremely influential days in the New Romantic scene of the 80s, Marilyn has been a champion for self-expression. He challenged peoples ideas of gender as a man of incredible beauty, looking every bit as good dressed in women’s clothes as his idol Marilyn Monroe.

‘I used to bring Oxford Street to a standstill. If you had bleached hair in the late 70s, you were gobbed at in the street. I mean, I was also wearing a corset, stilettos and an antique dress. I just didn’t care’.

Alongside David Bowie and Boy George, Marilyn and co. were recognised as being the vanguards of non gender specific fashion. Marilyn modelled for designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier. A regular at ‘The Blitz’ nightclub run by Steve Strange of Visage, the club was the go-to venue for Spandau Ballet, Boy George and many others from the burgeoning New Romantic scene. Twenty years later, Marilyn is back and better than ever.

Love Or Money, the first new Marilyn song for too long, marks a fresh start rather than a comeback. Written and recorded with best friend Boy George, it’s a sun-soaked introduction to the singer’s new sound, a laid-back blend of reggae, summer soul and those distinctive vocals set firmly to sultry. Crucially, it’s a sound that pays homage to the music of Marilyn’s youth.

“I was born in Jamaica, spent the early years of my life there and have duel English/Jamaican citizenship, Reggae has always been a huge part of my life, but I'd never thought to incorporate it in to my own music before. It was George who suggested going back to my roots, taking inspiration from the rhythms of the islands that remind me of my childhood.”

With a sound decided, the songs came quickly. Love Or Money was the first one written at co-writer and producer, John Themis’s studio in north London.

“I wish I could say it was recorded in the Caribbean,” laughs Marilyn. “Believe me, I tried! But it was such an easy, organic song to write that it didn’t much matter where we were. We got great live musicians to play on it and it definitely has that islands vibe.”

As for the lyrics, Marilyn won’t spill. They could be about his friendship with Boy George or his sometime tumultuous relationship with himself. They might be about neither.

“They’re about whatever the listener decides,” he says. “They could be about your relationship with your bank. What I love about lyrics is that they’re subjective. I know what they mean to me because I wrote them, but whatever they mean to you works too.”

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