A b-side from 1977.
mp3: X-Ray Spex – I Am A Cliché
It was the flip side of debut single Germ Free Adolescents, Oh Bondage Up Yours!. It has long been one of the band’s best loved and most famous songs, and formed part of the title of the enjoyable and illuminating documentary film, Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché, released in 2021.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
The song. 10 out of 10 out of 10 out 10 all day long, every day of my life.
Unfortunately, I didn’t find the documentary illuminating. It viewed very much like a re-working of history. We learned little that was new about Poly – in fact, I’d suggest the documentary offered less. Celeste (Poly’s daughter), as the well-meaning, narrator was just too naïve. My own view is that someone like John Robb, or Lora Logic, would have added more gravitas.
So much more could have been explored:
Poly’s design influences
Poly’s musical influences
Her desire to be a pop star
Her mental health
Her role with her family and as a mother
Her longstanding involvement with the Hare Krsna movement
Her enduring friendship with Lora Logic
Her difficult relationship with Falcon Stuart
The second X-Ray Spex LP
Her solo work
Her re-emergence to the pop/punk world
All of the above, if mentioned, seemed glossed over? I really wanted to like this.
Just a note: Germfree Adolescents* wasn’t the debut single.
*Germ-Free Adolescents, Germ Free Adolescents and Germ Free Adolesence – so many to choose from.
Flimflamfan
Germ Free Adolescents wasn’t the debut single, Oh Bondage Up Yours! was. I Am A Cliché was the b side of that.
Dave
Sent from Outlook for iOShttps://aka.ms/o0ukef
Ah, such original and energetic joy! Along with its glorious A-side (yes, Oh Bondage!… as Dave says)
Definitely a single of the year 1977. I never tire of repeating this: The period from 1975 to 1985 was the most glorious time in pop and rock music. Fun Fact: In Germany, the single was released with “I Am A Cliché” on the A-side and “Oh Bondage Up Yours!” on the B-side. At least that’s what it says on Discogs.
It’s a very difficult task not to be a cliché, isn’t it?