Marc Bolan rock shrine: Pilgrimage, identity and ownership in a fan community. (1st June 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bickerdike, Jennifer Otter; Downing, Niamh
• Is Part Of: Journal of fandom studies. Volume 5:Number 2(2017)
• Page Start: 193
• Page End: 207
• Publication Date: 2017-06-01
• Subjects: Fans (Persons) -- Periodicals; Subculture -- Periodicals; Popular culture -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; 306.1
• DOI: 10.1386/jfs.5.2.193_1
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2046-6692

Abstract

Marc Bolan, lead singer of T-Rex and purveyor of the glam rock movement, died in 1977. The passenger of a Mini Cooper that crashed into a sycamore tree, Bolan was killed instantly from injuries sustained in the accident.When reports began circulating in 1998 that the tree was in danger of being felled, fan Fee Mercury Moon formed the T-Rex Action Group (TAG) in an effort to save the tree and the site. The space has been preserved and embellished through TAG's efforts and self-funded initiatives, transforming what was a space of grisly death into a location for worship, reflection and behaviours often echoing traditional religion.While the shrine attracts pilgrims from around the world, a core Bolan contingent continues, almost 40 years since his death, to in-fight over who controls the right to the memory of Bolan, the place of his death and the rituals performed by visitors to the site. As ideas of heritage and history clash with rising property prices, fans face a battle in which they need to be united, instead of splintered over personal peccadilloes. This article will examine how a physical space, such as the shrine, allows for both the perpetuation of memory as well as the expunging of the icon from the importance of the place, as personal meaning and value become intrinsically tied into fan authenticity and religious rituals and behaviours.