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History
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velvet_Goldmine
From the moment Brian Slade stepped into our lives, nothing would ever be the same.
Sometime prior to 1969, Mandy left America and came to England, quickly insinuating herself in the London party scene. While not famous, she seemed to be happy as a party girl mingling with the likes of the glamorous Jack Fairy, a cross dresser who had a large entourage and inspired the misfits and outcasts around him--including one Brian Slade. On New Year's Eve, 1969, Mandy and Brian met at the Sombrero, a nightclub of some 'notorious sway', frequented by people of various sexualities and genders. Mandy was immediately enamored with Brian, who longed to be a pop star, and married him not long into 1970. Her 'career', then, became helping to build Brian up to stardom. She became the hostess of the Sombrero, drawing attention for her bawdy sense of humor and 'amusing' transformation into a transported Brit. While many of the Sombrero's patrons snickered at her behavior, Mandy didn't seem to care or notice, simply using the attention she drew to help make Brian the Sombrero's 'shimmering star', setting a pattern for the next four years of her life--it didn't matter how outrageous or obscene Brian's artistic endeavors were, she always went along with them with complete enthusiasm. Amongst the Sombrero's drag queens and other freaks, Brian's act of performing in a flower print dress with long hair was extremely successful, much to Mandy's delight While performing in 1971, Brian was discovered by agent Cecil Hayward. The three hit it off very quickly, and soon Brian was performing at other venues.
I was beaming, truly, like someone's mum! And they, they adored you!
While Brian was 'the Sombero Club's prettiest star', when he began to perform at more conventional venues and festivals, he was not just giggled at but frequently insulted and cursed off the stage. Being very much the diva, Brian took these insults extremely personally, although Mandy continued to assure him the crowds loved him just as much as she did. His wife's praise, however, fell on deaf ears. Instead, Brian's attention turned to the American garage band the Wylde Ratz and their manic lead singer, Curt Wild, who performed in nothing but black leather pants (and, at this performance, removed said pants and performed in nothing but glitter), and seemed to feed off of the crowd's taunts and insults. This inspired Brian to take his work in a new direction, and soon the outrageous, blue-haired alien persona of Maxwell Demon was born. Despite the very drastic change from the long-haired, gentle-looking man she fell in love with, Mandy enthusiastically joined in on this new act when Maxwell Demon was soon discovered by the far-more cutthroat agent Jerry Devine, throwing herself into the photoshoots and press stunts that made Brian a household name not just in England, but worldwide.
Today there'd be fighting the streets, but in 1972 it was more like dancing.
Mandy was extremely proud of her husband, including the fact that he quite readily admitted, when asked point blank, that he liked 'boys as much as I like girls'. Mandy believed that his music would truly help the world progress to be a more open and loving place, and enjoyed supporting him in that if not being a visible player herself. She even easily let a mousy young girl named Shannon take her place as the bands' 'wardrobe mistress', as it gave her even more time to spend parading in front of cameras and going to clubs with Brian 'being seen'--and to indulge in 'after parties' that usually consisted of orgies. The two had a open, and seemingly loving, marriage for three years--until Jerry asked Brian who he wanted to meet in America, and he immediately picked Curt Wild.
Yeah, well. Smiles lie.
While initially bringing Curt, who was recovering from heroin addiction, into their fold supposedly to get him back on his feet, it soon became clear that Brian was head over heels in love with Wild. Devine promoted them, in Mandy's words, as 'Tracey and Hepburn for the '70s'. While their marriage had always been open, Brian's new devotion to a single person left Mandy somewhat put out--though she never said so to anyone, telling everyone around them that she had absolutely no problem with Brian's being 'exceedingly partial' to sleeping with anyone and everyone. While she later admits to reporter Arthur that she knew her time with Brian was 'for all intents and purposes' over after he left on a holiday alone with Curt without telling anyone, at the time she continued to put on the mask of the happy, adoring wife, still believing in Brian's dream and that it was one they still shared.
We were all living our dreams! But you see that all went away, all of it, with Curt
Even off of heroin, however, Curt Wild was far from a stable individual. The recording sessions for his comeback album went poorly and ran far over budget, leading Devine to force Brian to choose between his career or his love. Brian (now deep into cocaine addiction himself, and becoming less Brian and more Maxwell Demon every day), chose his career, which lead Wild into a destructive rampage in the studio...and left Brian crushed. Almost immediately, Brian realised he could not continue on without Wild and tried to beg out of the last leg of his tour--something which Mandy only heard second hand in Jerry's office, being so cut off from Brian by that point that she was not even attempting to comfort him as she would have just two years prior. Brian, however, was contractually obligated to continue touring as Maxwell Demon. So, he found the only way out he could--he faked his own death at the final concert of his tour on February 5, 1974.
As a sign of how much Brian had distanced himself from her, Mandy was not told that the assassination would be fake, being lead into believing for a full 24 hours that all her husband's paranoid fantasies had come true. After the news quickly came out that Slade was still alive and that the shooting was a stunt, sales of his records plummeted, he was arrested for possession of cocaine, and his career was in shatters.
I lost my girlhood, true. But it was for you.
Mandy eventually filed for divorce, but in his self-pity and addiction, Slade 'forgot' to sign the papers--leading Mandy to eventually force her way to him. For what the first time in almost six years, Mandy truly confronted Brian over what he had done to her, proving that despite her act as the loving and supporting wife she was far from a doormat. While he spouted Wildean witticisms, she pointed out the squalor he was now living in, and reminded him that she had been his first supporter, that she gave up any dreams she might have had before of making anything of herself for his ambition. She managed to hold up a facade of strength until Shannon walked in, trying to escort her out, at which point Mandy nearly broke down crying and screaming about how she was his wife, showing how deeply hurt she was that all of the groupies and one night stands have taken her place when she was his first and biggest fan for so long.
No, I didn't see him.
Although according to Mandy they never spoke again after this incident, Mandy did see Brian one last time just a few weeks after their stormy parting. Curt, and several other glam rockers, were putting on a 'farewell' to glam rock concert, which Mandy attended, presumably invited by Curt as the two of them embrace backstage. While Curt was performing a very heartwrenching rendition of Gimme Danger, Mandy was noticeably moved, closing her eyes and rocking to Curt's almost-painful wailing. When she opened her eyes at one point during the performance, though, she saw Brian in the distant crowd, blue hair standing out despite his black trench and large hat. While he left before Curt left the stage, Mandy was still clearly rattled by his appearance, and when Curt asked if Brian had attended, she lied--although whether this was to simply protect herself, or Curt as well, she never tells--only admitting that this even took place ten years later to reporter Arthur Stuart.
Honestly darling, I haven't spoken with Mistah Slade in...seven years? At least? After everything crashed, we split. And Brian, he just...became someone else. Then again, he always was
Ten years later, near the anniversary of the shooting hoax, Mandy would be interviewed by Arthur Stuart, a former fan turned journalist trying to find out the truth about what happened to Brian. Unbeknownst to the general public, he became a clean cut popstar by the name of Tommy Stone, and, supported by the American president and various corporations, has silenced those who were once near and dear to him. While Mandy does not outright tell the truth about what became of Brian, she does tell the truth of what he was--both the good and the bad. She is in turns nostalgic, fondly remembering when she and Brian were a team working together to change the world (and, in fact, still using the Slade name in her own lackluster career as a lounge performer), then suddenly bitter, laughing at the idea that Brian would have been performing at a tribute concert that took place shortly after their divorce. She is, as Cecil puts it when pointing Arthur in her direction, full of contrary opinions--but considering that the man she married changed from a long haired faux hippie, to a blue-haired glam rocker, to a squeaky clean idol all in the space of ten years, it isn't hard to see that Mandy herself would be full of contradictory traits.
From the moment Brian Slade stepped into our lives, nothing would ever be the same.
Sometime prior to 1969, Mandy left America and came to England, quickly insinuating herself in the London party scene. While not famous, she seemed to be happy as a party girl mingling with the likes of the glamorous Jack Fairy, a cross dresser who had a large entourage and inspired the misfits and outcasts around him--including one Brian Slade. On New Year's Eve, 1969, Mandy and Brian met at the Sombrero, a nightclub of some 'notorious sway', frequented by people of various sexualities and genders. Mandy was immediately enamored with Brian, who longed to be a pop star, and married him not long into 1970. Her 'career', then, became helping to build Brian up to stardom. She became the hostess of the Sombrero, drawing attention for her bawdy sense of humor and 'amusing' transformation into a transported Brit. While many of the Sombrero's patrons snickered at her behavior, Mandy didn't seem to care or notice, simply using the attention she drew to help make Brian the Sombrero's 'shimmering star', setting a pattern for the next four years of her life--it didn't matter how outrageous or obscene Brian's artistic endeavors were, she always went along with them with complete enthusiasm. Amongst the Sombrero's drag queens and other freaks, Brian's act of performing in a flower print dress with long hair was extremely successful, much to Mandy's delight While performing in 1971, Brian was discovered by agent Cecil Hayward. The three hit it off very quickly, and soon Brian was performing at other venues.
I was beaming, truly, like someone's mum! And they, they adored you!
While Brian was 'the Sombero Club's prettiest star', when he began to perform at more conventional venues and festivals, he was not just giggled at but frequently insulted and cursed off the stage. Being very much the diva, Brian took these insults extremely personally, although Mandy continued to assure him the crowds loved him just as much as she did. His wife's praise, however, fell on deaf ears. Instead, Brian's attention turned to the American garage band the Wylde Ratz and their manic lead singer, Curt Wild, who performed in nothing but black leather pants (and, at this performance, removed said pants and performed in nothing but glitter), and seemed to feed off of the crowd's taunts and insults. This inspired Brian to take his work in a new direction, and soon the outrageous, blue-haired alien persona of Maxwell Demon was born. Despite the very drastic change from the long-haired, gentle-looking man she fell in love with, Mandy enthusiastically joined in on this new act when Maxwell Demon was soon discovered by the far-more cutthroat agent Jerry Devine, throwing herself into the photoshoots and press stunts that made Brian a household name not just in England, but worldwide.
Today there'd be fighting the streets, but in 1972 it was more like dancing.
Mandy was extremely proud of her husband, including the fact that he quite readily admitted, when asked point blank, that he liked 'boys as much as I like girls'. Mandy believed that his music would truly help the world progress to be a more open and loving place, and enjoyed supporting him in that if not being a visible player herself. She even easily let a mousy young girl named Shannon take her place as the bands' 'wardrobe mistress', as it gave her even more time to spend parading in front of cameras and going to clubs with Brian 'being seen'--and to indulge in 'after parties' that usually consisted of orgies. The two had a open, and seemingly loving, marriage for three years--until Jerry asked Brian who he wanted to meet in America, and he immediately picked Curt Wild.
Yeah, well. Smiles lie.
While initially bringing Curt, who was recovering from heroin addiction, into their fold supposedly to get him back on his feet, it soon became clear that Brian was head over heels in love with Wild. Devine promoted them, in Mandy's words, as 'Tracey and Hepburn for the '70s'. While their marriage had always been open, Brian's new devotion to a single person left Mandy somewhat put out--though she never said so to anyone, telling everyone around them that she had absolutely no problem with Brian's being 'exceedingly partial' to sleeping with anyone and everyone. While she later admits to reporter Arthur that she knew her time with Brian was 'for all intents and purposes' over after he left on a holiday alone with Curt without telling anyone, at the time she continued to put on the mask of the happy, adoring wife, still believing in Brian's dream and that it was one they still shared.
We were all living our dreams! But you see that all went away, all of it, with Curt
Even off of heroin, however, Curt Wild was far from a stable individual. The recording sessions for his comeback album went poorly and ran far over budget, leading Devine to force Brian to choose between his career or his love. Brian (now deep into cocaine addiction himself, and becoming less Brian and more Maxwell Demon every day), chose his career, which lead Wild into a destructive rampage in the studio...and left Brian crushed. Almost immediately, Brian realised he could not continue on without Wild and tried to beg out of the last leg of his tour--something which Mandy only heard second hand in Jerry's office, being so cut off from Brian by that point that she was not even attempting to comfort him as she would have just two years prior. Brian, however, was contractually obligated to continue touring as Maxwell Demon. So, he found the only way out he could--he faked his own death at the final concert of his tour on February 5, 1974.
As a sign of how much Brian had distanced himself from her, Mandy was not told that the assassination would be fake, being lead into believing for a full 24 hours that all her husband's paranoid fantasies had come true. After the news quickly came out that Slade was still alive and that the shooting was a stunt, sales of his records plummeted, he was arrested for possession of cocaine, and his career was in shatters.
I lost my girlhood, true. But it was for you.
Mandy eventually filed for divorce, but in his self-pity and addiction, Slade 'forgot' to sign the papers--leading Mandy to eventually force her way to him. For what the first time in almost six years, Mandy truly confronted Brian over what he had done to her, proving that despite her act as the loving and supporting wife she was far from a doormat. While he spouted Wildean witticisms, she pointed out the squalor he was now living in, and reminded him that she had been his first supporter, that she gave up any dreams she might have had before of making anything of herself for his ambition. She managed to hold up a facade of strength until Shannon walked in, trying to escort her out, at which point Mandy nearly broke down crying and screaming about how she was his wife, showing how deeply hurt she was that all of the groupies and one night stands have taken her place when she was his first and biggest fan for so long.
No, I didn't see him.
Although according to Mandy they never spoke again after this incident, Mandy did see Brian one last time just a few weeks after their stormy parting. Curt, and several other glam rockers, were putting on a 'farewell' to glam rock concert, which Mandy attended, presumably invited by Curt as the two of them embrace backstage. While Curt was performing a very heartwrenching rendition of Gimme Danger, Mandy was noticeably moved, closing her eyes and rocking to Curt's almost-painful wailing. When she opened her eyes at one point during the performance, though, she saw Brian in the distant crowd, blue hair standing out despite his black trench and large hat. While he left before Curt left the stage, Mandy was still clearly rattled by his appearance, and when Curt asked if Brian had attended, she lied--although whether this was to simply protect herself, or Curt as well, she never tells--only admitting that this even took place ten years later to reporter Arthur Stuart.
Honestly darling, I haven't spoken with Mistah Slade in...seven years? At least? After everything crashed, we split. And Brian, he just...became someone else. Then again, he always was
Ten years later, near the anniversary of the shooting hoax, Mandy would be interviewed by Arthur Stuart, a former fan turned journalist trying to find out the truth about what happened to Brian. Unbeknownst to the general public, he became a clean cut popstar by the name of Tommy Stone, and, supported by the American president and various corporations, has silenced those who were once near and dear to him. While Mandy does not outright tell the truth about what became of Brian, she does tell the truth of what he was--both the good and the bad. She is in turns nostalgic, fondly remembering when she and Brian were a team working together to change the world (and, in fact, still using the Slade name in her own lackluster career as a lounge performer), then suddenly bitter, laughing at the idea that Brian would have been performing at a tribute concert that took place shortly after their divorce. She is, as Cecil puts it when pointing Arthur in her direction, full of contrary opinions--but considering that the man she married changed from a long haired faux hippie, to a blue-haired glam rocker, to a squeaky clean idol all in the space of ten years, it isn't hard to see that Mandy herself would be full of contradictory traits.