Marianne Faithfull Steals Roy Orbison’s Sunglasses! WTF!!?

Marianne Faithfull stealing Roy Orbison’s sunglasses. Note how Orbison becomes increasingly disheveled as the encounter proceeds.

There’s something messed up about these photos.

Firstly I was surprised to discover Marianne Faithfull and Roy Orbison ever lived in the same universe.

Secondly taking Roy Orbison’s sunglasses is like giving Samson a haircut. You can tell something like that happened here. Look at photo 2 in the sequence. Roy’s tie is gone and his collar is undone. He looks all hot and bothered, yet simultaneously disoriented like he hasn’t seen pure unfiltered light in years. One can imagine him blinking.

They did a British package tour together in February 1965.

February 1965 Ad for Orbison/Faithfull package tour sourced from http://www.edinburghgigarchive.com.

As the story goes: somewhere in England Roy knocked on her hotel door, introduced himself, suavely told her his room number and left. Marianne however found him “large, strange and mournful looking like a prodigal mole” and never dropped by.

Looking at these photos in this context one gets the feeling Marianne is rubbing the rejection in by stealing Roy’s persona and wearing it like a trophy. The expression on her face is sly and triumphant. At least Delilah had the good grace not to parade around Gaza in a wig made of Samson’s hair clippings.
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