Marilyn (singer)
| Marilyn | |
|---|---|
Marilyn in Munich, January 1984
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter Antony Robinson |
| Born |
3 November 1962 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Origin | London, United Kingdom |
| Genres | New wave, pop, dance |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1983–85, 1989, 2000–03, 2016 |
| Labels |
Phonogram (1983–1985) Interbeat (1989) Desilu Records (2000) |
Peter Robinson (born Kingston, Jamaica, 3 November 1962), better known as Marilyn, is a British/Jamaican pop singer and songwriter. He is most well known for his 1983 hit "Calling Your Name" and his highly androgynous appearance.
Robinson was born in Kingston, Jamaica. At age 5, he moved with his mother to Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. He left school at 15, and has stated that he was bullied at school for being feminine, and that he self-harmed.
As a boy, Robinson loved Marilyn Monroe's image, and Marilyn became his school nickname. While the name originated from homophobic bullies at school, Robinson decided to appropriate it to his advantage. As a teenager, he was a regular nightclub-goer and wanted to look different, so he adopted a Marilyn Monroe image wearing vintage dresses with bleached blond hair. He became part of the British New Romantic movement which emerged in the late 1970s club scene and was popularised in the early 1980s.
Robinson was a regular at 'The Blitz' nightclub (regulars being labelled as Blitz Kids), a highly stylised club in London run by Steve Strange of the pop group Visage, and a place which spawned many early 1980s pop stars such as Spandau Ballet. During this time, Robinson met Boy George (prior to his forming Culture Club), and the pair would later share a squat together.
In 1979, Robinson appeared in the documentary Steppin' Out directed by Lyndall Hobbs, which explored the fashionable nightclubs and the trendy pop culture scenes that were famous in London in the late 70s. It was shown as the support film to Alien in British cinemas. Also in 1979, he appeared in the first segment of director Derek Jarman's 12-minute short film Broken English. While Boy George went on to form Culture Club in 1981 and secured a recording deal with Virgin Records, Marilyn was still scouting for a recording contract and had relocated to Los Angeles for some time. There, he worked as a personal assistant to daytime soap star Terry Lester, and teamed up with songwriter and pop entrepreneur Paul Caplin who became his manager.
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