December 20, 2002 | 10:25 AM

Broken English by Marianne Faithfull

One of THE most insightful pieces of rock criticism I ever read was about Marianne Faithfull. I can�t remember who wrote it, and I�m paraphrasing here, but the author said something like:

Marianne Faithfull�s story is a fairytale in reverse in which the vapid fairy princess defeats an evil spell thereby leaving her helpless silliness behind and becoming a majestic old crone.

I think that about sums up why Marianne is so important�not just to pop music, but to the story of feminism.

In the 60�s, Marianne was just beautiful ornamentation to famous rock stars. She hung on the arms of Brian Jones and Mick Jagger. She even put out a couple records, most notably a likeable but fluffy remake of �As Tears Go By�. Certainly nobody took her seriously as an artist or even as a person . She was a lovely object and a status symbol.

And then something fantastic happened. Marianne Faithful, swinging London�s favorite China Doll, got into Bill Boroughs and the Velvets, dropped out of society, and became a JUNKY.

Imagine how HUGE this was. Like the homecoming queen dropping off the cheerleading squad, gaining thirty pounds, piercing her nose, and blowing up the school.

Marianne hung out in bombed out slums and became a real person through the total negation of this stereotype that had choked her. As destructive as heroin is, her sex kitten image was probably much more so.

She emerged in the late 70�s weathered, haggard, and looking not at all like the pin up she�d been. Previously her voice was pretty but forgettable. But on 1979�s Broken English it had cracked and broken and become deep, scary, poignant.

Although the Slits and the Au Pairs and X-Ray Spec and X had the Raincoats had been breaking down barriers for women in rock, there was something fundamentally scholarly and studied about all of them. Even Patti Smith with her Rimbaud on speed schtick was still just copping an attitude and playing Keith Richards (one could, I guess, make the argument that Keith Richards is just playing Keith Richards as well. But I digress.)

Marianne Faithfull was the REAL Thing. Like Nico, she wasn�t interested anymore in exploring image. She�s been stuck in that game for too long, and Broken English is a big beautiful messy testament to stripping bare. It is rawer than Raw Power. Realer than The Real Kids.

In 1979 what woman was saying things like

When I stole a twig from our little nest
And gave it to a bird with nothing in her beak,
I had my balls and my brains put into a vice
And twisted around for a whole fucking week.
Why'd ya do it, she said, why'd you let that trash
Get a hold of your cock, get stoned on my hash ?

Marianne doesn�t mince any words. She is not polite. She is nasty. She is rude. She is in pain. And she wants you all to know about it.

Broken English is without a doubt one of the most uncomfortable albums ever made. It makes me squirm and it makes me glad.

Marianne may just be my biggest influence as a diarist. She makes ugly gorgeous and I salute her.