Marcia Hines

    Marcia Hines is utterly fabulous - she just hides it well behind her annoying “earth mother” persona on Australian Idol. Marcia has taken on Paula Abdul’s role on American Idol - as a vacuous waste of space who has something nice to say about everyone and is moved to tears by even the most tone deaf contestant. Then, there are her annoying catch phrases that she probably picked up from a Spike Lee movie in the 1980s. Everyone is "da bomb" and anyone who manages to almost sing in key is greeted with "that's what I'm talkin' about, girlfriend!" Someone desperately needs to tell Marcia that black slang has moved on!



Humble Beginnings

Now that the requisite bitching out of the way, it’s time to get correct and open your heart to all things Marcia. Marcia Hines has the kind of pop pedigree that today’s divas can only dream about. For starters, she was crowned queen of Australian pop three times in the 1970s. That is pretty astounding for a woman who arrived in Australia as a 16 year old to sing in the musical "Hair", got knocked up with superstar daughter Deni, continued performing in "Hair" until someone found a naked, pregnant teenager a little too uncouth, then simply decided to stay and make her mark. To survive as a single, teenage mother in a foreign country is an achievement in itself but the fact that she not only survived but thrived and went on to become one of Australia's biggest female pop star of the 1970s is nothing short of amazing..

Queen Of Pop

If you're not familiar with Marcia's 1970s gems, then hurry up and buy one of the many compilations she has floating around. Chances are you will recognise more songs than you think. Mixed in with Marcia's own classics such as her signature song "You", are covers of soul standards and more than her fair share of show tunes! Musical loving poofs will get positively moist at the prospect of hearing Marcia sing "What I Did For Love" from "A Chorus Line" and “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” from “Jesus Christ Superstar”.

80s Diva

Moving into the early 1980s, Marcia embraced a more modern pop sound and cranked out hit after hit. Marcia reached the zenith of her early career with the 80s classic, "Your Love Still Brings Me To My Knees". The song remains one of Australia’s finest pop moments to this very day. Marcia memorably performed the song on “Countdown” wearing MC Hammer pants and holding a black feather duster as an accessory. The 80s were so unkind! The song is still inspiring drag queens to this very day, as a quick search on Youtube will demonstrate.

Career Slump

As with any true diva, Marcia's career went to shit in the mid-80s and she was disregarded as a relic from an earlier time. Marcia spent most of the decade playing to senior citizens in RSL clubs. In one interview, Marcia stated that she played an entire set to an empty room. Surely if no one was there, she could have just had a cocktail at the bar? Anyway, I digress. My point is that Marcia is a trooper. Things started to pick up for Marcia when her illustrious daughter Dohnyale (otherwise known as Deni) scored a series of top 10 hits as the lead singer of The Rockmelons. Deni went solo and became a star, which gave Marcia the inspiration to lose 30 kilos, get treatment for diabetes and stage the first of many comebacks with the hugely underrated album "Right Here And Now".

Time Of Our Lives

Surely the fact that Marcia expelled goddess Deni from her juicy loins should be reason enough to worship her but if you still need more convincing, consider her status in the late 90s as the queen of the gay dance party scene. At that stage Marcia was embarking on her second comeback attempt with the album "Time Of Our Lives". Unlike the soul sound of "Right Here And Now", "Time Of Our Lives" was aimed squarely at the gays. The album was not a massive success but it established Marcia as a "local star" on Sydney's gay scene and she was a regular at gay dance parties and discos for a couple of years.

A True Australian Idol 

Unfortunately, "Time Of Our Lives" failed to set the charts on fire, despite the fact that it was brilliant and the release of about 6 singles (including a cover of "What A Feeling"). Marcia disappeared again until Australian Idol and then rapidly embarked on yet another comeback with her new high profile. The results were immediate and "Hinesight" reached #12 on the Albums chart. In 2006 Marcia scored her most successful album in almost 30 years when she revisited the gay dance diva vibe of "Time Of Our Lives" with her magnificent album of disco cover versions, "Discotheque". "Discotheque" debuted at #6 on the Albums chart and went gold.



Disco Diva

The CD/DVD version of “Discotheque” is highly recommended for the hilarious sight of Marcia and Deni recording their amazing duet "Stomp". Poor Deni desperately tries to steal Marcia's thunder but is roundly ignored by everyone in the studio! "Stomp" was released as a single and the video clip is the most glorious piece of trash to hit the screen in years. The highlight is definitely Marcia and Deni "driving" a car against the worst blue screen in the history of digital technology! “Discotheque” could be the most desperate plea for a gay audience since Sheena Easton's "Fabulous" and just like that record, "Discotheque" is utterly amazing. It is time to look past the Australian Idol facade and embrace the diva goddess that is Marcia!

- Mike