In the early 1980s, the arrival of Boy George caused such a sensation that record chiefs began looking for another so-called “gender bender.” They didn’t have far to look. Born in Jamaica and raised in the UK, Peter Robinson had adopted the name MARILYN by the time he and George shared a series of squats. Marilyn’s pop career, beginning with the hit CallingMy Name in 1983, was brief; but his drug abuse kept him in the headlines for much longer. He’s still friends with George, who has produced the singer’s comeback single Love or Money. Now 53, Marilyn has a new boyfriend — a yoga instructor.
EVERY TIME I GO TO JAMAICA, EVERYTHING FALLS INTO PLACE. I wake up early in the morning, six o’clock. I’m tired by nine o’clock. There’s a certain rhythm and a vibrational frequency that happens only in Jamaica. That’s where I came on to the planet. But I also feel at home in Jamaica.
STARDOM. Before it was kind of like a game and fun. But then it gets very serious when the corporations get hold of you and big money’s involved. I’m not comfortable with that at all. But having people say you changed their lives, that’s mind-blowing. A certain kind of responsibility comes with that.