Biography of Marion

Marion is almost 73 and is working in a variety of minimum wage jobs in and around Rye. This is despite being a highly educated German woman with a background in publishing, writing and translation and the partner of a newly deceased world-renowned rock guitarist. 

Almost always working self-employed, she started her early career as a translator of cookbooks for German into English.  She was also able to boost her income translating erotic texts (but always under a pseudonym!) She made a good living.

Though a close friend who worked at CBS records she met and got to hang out with artists like Santana, Miles Davis, The Stray Cats and The Strangers.  However, Marion was no groupie! Through the same friend she met her partner David Young, the guitarist in the John Kale band.  It was (almost) love at first sight Marion says. 

Marion’s life changed over- night jetting off to live in New York for a year and then settling in London.  Marion continued working and looking after her only son while David was often off touring all over the world.

Marion loved deserts and would think nothing of getting on a plane and spending 24 hours in the desert.  Money was no problem.

After 2 decades in London it began to change and Marion didn’t feel comfortable when David was away anymore.  It was time to move to the country.

However, after only a few years David became very ill and passed away in 2022.  Marion’s mother also passed away after many years of special care in Germany which Marion and David had paid for.  All the savings were now gone.

She has lived the high life but is now struggling to make ends meet.

As an animal lover, an activist against the live transportation of animals going to slaughter and a vegan, she is working hard to support a houseful of stray and abandoned cats and dogs.  A publishing or translation job in the 2020s in London now pays so little compared to the past that local seasonal labour is the only way of paying her bills.

She currently works in a variety of back breaking roles.  As a kitchen porter at Winchelsea Lodge, pre-washing all the crockery, scrubbing pots and pans and shining up the cutlery in vinegar water.  She is often on her feet for 8-hour shifts, getting home too tired to eat.

Marion works for Johnson’s Fruiterers loading up fruit and vegetable boxes and working on the lorries delivering to cafes, restaurants and pubs.  She can’t always carry the sacks of potatoes but the guys she works with are kind to her and let her carry lighter trays and boxes.

She also works at the Oxney vineyard.  Picking grapes at the end of the summer and is involved in pruning and cutting back the vines in the winter. 

Going forwards as Marion gets older, she hopes to be able to write a Vegan cookbook and replace her minimum wage jobs with something more comfortable and based indoors.

Audio of interview with Marion