Bertie Marshall was a member of the legendary Bromley Contingent. He is the author of a novel, Psychoboys, and a memoir, Berlin Bromley (see our interview with Bertie here):
Summer 1977: I was a fifteen-year-old androgyne living ”in four sordid rooms in Chelsea” (lyrics by Kander and Ebb) at 92 Oakley Street — three doors down from Angie Bowie. Even in the shocking heatwave and with much discomfort, I’d swish up and down the King’s Road in full make up “blind with mascara and dumb with lipstick,” wearing a short and very tight peach angora sweater, black wool ski pants and red plastic sandals.
I shared rooms with 3 others — a raging queen called Jon, who spent all the long summer afternoons, back combing, teasing, and spraying his dyed, thinning, auburn locks with Ellenet hair lacquer; Tracey, who worked as a sales girl at Seditionaries, McLaren and Westood’s boutique at World’s End. Tracey didn’t care about the summer or anything except Mr Steven Jones of the Sex Pistols. And, lastly, Blanche, a pre-op transsexual. One bath between four people.
I ended up sharing three inches of dirty bath water with Blanche. We couldn’t find a plug. So Blanche, looking like a cross between Buddha and a pug, sporting a livid pink turban, sat on the plug hole. (Pic: Bertie Marshall and Jordan by Six, 1977.)
Check out the previous episodes:
The Summer of Hate 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8
First posted: Wednesday, July 11th, 2007.
There are currently 2 comments on this post. You can follow all the comments on this post through this RSS feed.
Bertie, So wish you were here! Sitting in Malibu reading this and laughing….it is so spot on. Miss you.
/ Posted by Judy Nylon on July 14th, 2007 at 7:19 pm / Permalink /It’s been awhile and I have been psychotic as usual-the village is damned and your book brilliantly lashed with disdain, heartache and great “fun”. I loved it but then I always knew you would make this a classic-and it is Bertie, it is as valid as anything Warhol but with depth and that makes the difference! It is a great work! Miss you but then of course I would!
/ Posted by Lenore Feyleaves on October 29th, 2007 at 11:28 am / Permalink /