Memories of meeting Marc Bolan: T.Rex fan with dementia sings along to tribute act

A care home resident with dementia who, in his youth, met his idol Marc Bolan, enjoyed a night out with carers at a T.Rex tribute act singing along to all the band’s favourite hits remembered from his youth.

Care home resident Malcolm Temke donned his Harrington jacket and ‘Marc’ t-shirt to see tribute band T-Rextasy at Middlesbrough Theatre, and was accompanied by fellow resident Christine Standley and carers from Briarwood Care Home, in Middlesbrough.

The songs from the evening will have special resonance for T.Rex superfan Malcolm, who met the late, great, Marc Bolan when he was a teenager. He first saw the real band play live when he was a teenager and covets a photo of himself and Marc from that very first gig.

Even though Malcolm is known for being quiet and has dementia, he was lost in the moment at the tribute act, mouthing to all the songs he loved from his teenage years.

Julie Foster, home manager at Briarwood Care Home, said: “Malcolm is a very quiet gentleman and rarely speaks. However, he was singing along to all the songs and asked our activities coordinator Norma Dobie if she was going to share her crisps.

“It was lovely we could take Malcolm and Christine out to enjoy the show and both had such a fantastic time.”

The music of T-Rex has undergone something of a resurgence in recent years with the film Billy Elliot featuring many of their songs.

In his teenage years, Malcolm put together a scrapbook of T.Rex memories, including ticket stubs, programmes and photos. One ticket, from a concert at ABC Theatre in Stockton-on-Tees, on 4th November 1971, shows he paid 60p for a seat in the stalls, which he still has to this day.

The power of music to unlock memories is becoming increasingly important in the area of dementia care. With dementia, singing, in particular, seems to reach parts of the brain in ways other forms of communication can't.

Malcolm clearly enjoyed singing to “20th Century Boy”, “Get It On” and “Children of The Revolution” which were all covered by the tribute act.

Dawn Temke, Malcolm’s wife, knew her husband would enjoy reminiscing to T-Rextasy. She said: “I was delighted staff at Briarwood Care Home took Malcom to see the show. He loved it.”

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