Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche with Sweeping Promises

<p>Today's episode is about "Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche", a 2021 doc about the British punk legend and X-Ray Spex leader, directed by Celeste Bell and Paul Sng.</p> <p>The movie was selected by our guests, Sweeping Promises. Check out their outstanding new album Good Living Is Coming for You.</p> <p>Poly Styrene, born Marianne Joan Elliott-Said, was the child of a Scottish-Irish mother and a Somali father. Celeste Bell, her daughter, narrates and appears in the film in addition to being its co-director. It's a very personal examination of Poly's life and career as Celeste deals with the aftermath of Poly's 2011 death from cancer.</p> <p>We learn about Poly's challenging youth as a mixed-race child in postwar Britain, her explosion as a teenage icon in the early British punk scene, and the mental health issues that arose as she encountered New York for the first time. If you're looking for a movie where John Lydon and Sid Vicious come off as good guys, this is not the film for you.</p> <p>Poly went through several hospitalizations, became a Hare Krishna, lost custody of and later reunited with Celeste, and continued to pursue her artistic ambitions through it all.</p> <p>It's a beautiful movie and it will hopefully continue to bring more attention to Poly Styrene's life and work.</p> <p>Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts<br />  <br /> Twitter: @RockDocsPod<br />  <br /> Instagram: @RockDocsPod<br />  <br /> Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt</p> <p> </p>