Marianne Faithfull (1946-2025)

We note with sadness the passing of our friend, Marianne Faithfull

In the words of obituary writer Hillel Italie’s obituary note for the AP wire service, she was
“pop star, muse, libertine, and old soul who inspired and helped write some of the Rolling Stones’ greatest songs, and endured as a torch singer and survivor of the lifestyle she once embodied”   – and that’s just the beginning!

A scattering of further obituary notices:

from Harvey Kubernik’s obituary note/interview with Marianne

HK: I got from your autobiography you were a poetry head

.

MF: Always. That’s one of the reasons I love Allen so much and William Burroughs...

HK: I really enjoyed the passage in your book when Allen came to London with the Italian poet Giuseppe Ungaretti. They read at Queen Elizabeth Hall. You had spent some time with Ginsberg during Dylan’s Dont Look Back tour and I laughed out loud as you described inviting Allen to the house you shared with Mick Jagger. Great image and a very fortunate position for you as Ginsberg sat on your bed with you and Mick naked under a fur cover.
As you put it, “Allen, as usual, was on a mission. Allen was trying to get Mick to put William Blake’s ‘The Grey Monk’ to music.”  Again, until this book, I never knew you had such a jones for poetry, and beat generation poets.

MF: (smiles). I find them very sexy all those guys. Wonderful. I teased Allen in my book. I adore him. The first time I went to Naropa, Allen was literally by my side like he is. There was a lot of criticism and “Who is the woman?” “Why do you (Allen) think she can do this?” And he didn’t say anything. “I just do.” And then I came back again. We are very good friends. He also represents a lot of things for me that aren’t part of our friendship or our relationship. He is the greatest living American poet. I hooked Allen up with (producer) Hal Willner..”

from Jefferson Hack’s interview in 2021 (around the time of the release of She Walks In Beauty with Warren Ellis

JH: It was Allen Ginsberg who took you to the Savoy to meet Bob Dylan, wasn’t it? How did you know Allen?
MF: Through John Dunbar …
JH: Gotcha …
MF: And Indica (Books and Gallery) and all that …
JH: Which was then the epicentre of London cool.
MF: Yes it was.

JH: There was a thing that I read once where you talked about meeting William Burroughs, who you’ve met a few times, and I think had quite a good relationship with?
MF: I did, I didn’t start off with a good relationship …
JH: A tough nut to crack I can imagine …
MF: Very, yeah. But as we went along, he began to get the point of me.
JH: Yeah, and you knew his work.
MF: I did.
JH: Did you tell him that Naked Lunch was the reason why you took drugs?
MF: Eventually I did.
(Both laugh.).
JH: How did he react?
MF: He was very cross. He said, “I didn’t write that for you, for you to get wrong.” He said, “You got it completely wrong!” I felt very humbled.

Gregory – Gregory Corso –  she had (for obvious reasons!) a very special bond with Gregory

Here’s our 2013 posting – Marianne Faithfull Reads (& Converses With) Gregory Corso

Here’s our 2015 posting on Marianne

& here’s our  2021 posting on She Walks  In Beauty