Marilyn

Peter Robinson (born 3 November 1962), better known as Marilyn, is an English singer. He is known for his 1983 hit "Calling Your Name" and his androgynous appearance. Early life Robinson was born in Kingston, Jamaica. At age five, he moved with his mother to Borehamwood, England. He left school at 15, and has stated that he was bullied at school for being feminine, and that he self-harmed. The Marilyn persona As a boy, Robinson loved Marilyn Monroe's image, and Marilyn became his school nickname. While the name originated from homophobic bullies at school, Robinson decided to appropriate it to his advantage. As a teenager, he was a regular nightclub-goer and wanted to look different, so he adopted a Marilyn Monroe image wearing vintage dresses with bleached blond hair. He became part of the British New Romantic movement which emerged in the late 1970s club scene and was popularised in the early 1980s. Robinson was a regular at 'The Blitz' nightclub (regulars being labelled as Blitz Kids), a highly stylised club in London run by Steve Strange of the pop group Visage, and a place which spawned many early 1980s pop stars such as Spandau Ballet. During this time, Robinson met Boy George (prior to his forming Culture Club), and the pair would later share a squat together.