Tony Visconti recently explained why T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan and David Bowie had a power struggle while speaking with Mojo.
Visconti produced both Bowie and T. Rex, which meant they shared the studio; so when the host asked if there were times when the two acts ‘crossed the floor,’ Tony explained:
“I was working with both of them at the same time, loving them equally, doing my best for each of them. Then David had the first big hit. Marc saw it more as rivalry.”
Then, the producer delved into exclusively how Bowie and Bolan treated one another in the light of this ‘rivalry:’
“David loved Marc, and was always kind to him. Marc was occasionally very catty and snipey. But it got better when he became more successful and they were on more equal terms.”
T. Rex got their first major commercial hit with 1970’s ‘Ride A White Swan’ and then with ‘Hot Love,’ as their eponymous ‘debut’ album produced two chart-topping hits. Bowie was already popular with 1969’s ‘Space Oddity,’ at the time of T. Rex’s reach into the mainstream rock scene, which set the scene for Bolan’s mixed feelings against the singer.
However, the friendly ‘feud’ between Bolan and Bowie tragically didn’t carry on for long, as the T. Rex singer died in a car crash in 1977, aged only 29.
Source: rockcelebrities.net