Mark Hollis: A Perfect Silence

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Consciously lo-fi, it sees Breës unstitching some of the myths behind the band’s transformation and transformative recordings, with talking heads ranging from youthful acquaintances like Eddie & The Hot Rods’ singer Barrie Masters, who recalls Hollis’ work as a roadie, to musicians, engineers and even random strangers, including, bizarrely, Frank Bruno’s former sparring partner.

Even though he’d been near silent for 20 years, #MarkHollis dying is a devastating loss. I did pretty much his last interview, and I genuinely believe music meant so much to him, it was painful to pace it in the public glare. RIP. I Believe In You. Talk Talk – and, in particular, Hollis – were always enigmatic figures, not least for what Depeche Mode’s Alan Wilder once called “a career in reverse”, with the distinct schism between the band’s first hit albums and final neglected two bridged by The Colour Of Spring’s international accomplishments. Between 1998’s solo album and his death in 2019, Talk Talk singer Mark Hollis retreated into a reclusive, enigmatic silence. Aided by a new book and a documentary, we explore the story behind the sunglasses… Wardle has interviewed Keith Aspden, Talk Talk’s former manager; Mark Feltham, the harmonica player and one of Hollis’ most trusted session musicians; and Phill Brown, the audio engineer who worked on the great albums. They help him fill in some of the gaps in the story: where Hollis was living at certain times; how the albums were recorded and in what circumstances (rumours about opium-laced sessions during the recording of Spirit of Eden are shown to be nonsense); and what it was like to be around Hollis – sometimes fun and sometimes maddening. It’s a conventional work about an unconventional musician. It is diligent, sceptical when it needs to be, well reported, authoritative and written from the heart. An early Mirror Man – later reworked for The Party’s Over – boasts a reggae feel worthy of The Police, I Can’t Resist sounds almost like Elvis Costello, while Talk Talk Talk Talk, later reinvented as his band’s signature tune, could pass for Dr Feelgood.Ben Wardle, a lecturer in music business at the University of Gloucestershire, has set himself the challenge of getting behind or going over the wall and telling Hollis’ story. The biography is unauthorised and so it is a story told from the outside. The author did not speak to Hollis’ family or have access to private papers, diaries or notebooks. He remains cut off from the inner life of the artist. It's My Life' Writer Receives London Award | News". BMI.com. 19 October 2004 . Retrieved 31 December 2011. Talk Talk I Believe In You https://t.co/NZ2pRmNDkf Mark Hollis, one of my most favourite songs ever. The most enigmatic, elusive and brilliant songwriter, singer and musician. A huge loss ? I can’t tell you how much Mark influenced and changed my perceptions on art and music,” he said. “I’m grateful for the time I spent with him and for the gentle beauty he shared with us.” I was too young to appreciate Talk Talk - I was 12 in 1983 and whilst I liked their singles … they passed me by … only upon Mark Hollis’s death and the outpouring … did I revisit …so glad I did … spirit of Eden is probably one of the best albums I have heard … musical genius … glad I found Mark … what a legacy

Goodbye Mark Hollis,We owe you so much ,I cant overstate the influence on us three as musicians and us as a band. #markhollis #talktalk Wyndham Wallace, "Living In Another World: Remembering Mark Hollis", The Quietus, 26 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019 Mark David Hollis (4 January 1955 – February 2019) [a] was an English musician and singer-songwriter. He achieved commercial success and critical acclaim in the 1980s and 1990s as the co-founder, lead singer and principal songwriter of the band Talk Talk. Hollis wrote or co-wrote most of Talk Talk's music—including hits like " It's My Life" and " Life's What You Make It"—and in later works developed an experimental, contemplative style. Ed also influenced the line-up of the fledgling Talk Talk, helping Mark and the keyboard player Simon Brenner to find Webb and Harris, who hailed from the Southend-on-Sea area. Their deal with EMI came about after the A&R man Keith Aspden heard a demo tape they had sent to Island Music, which impressed Aspden so much that he left his previous job to become their manager. EMI put the group together with the producer Colin Thurston, who had worked with David Bowie, the Human League and Duran Duran, and they set to work on Talk Talk’s debut album. a b McGee, Alan (9 April 2008). "Wherefore art thou Mark Hollis?". The Guardian . Retrieved 7 May 2018.Recent news of the passing of Mark Hollis in February 2019 was deeply sad and an addition to Lennon's execution in December 1980 that tremendously reduced the amount of music delivering anything of substance, purity and meaning. Sorry kids, find what they left behind or anything else that learned from or was influenced by their contributions to the music world and enjoy it. His cousin-in-law tweeted: “RIP Mark Hollis. Cousin-in-law. Wonderful husband and father. Fascinating and principled man. Retired from the music business 20 years ago but an indefinable musical icon.” Later, he thanked what he described as a “lovely response” from Hollis’“many fans” on social media. Talk Talk's Mark Hollis Resurfaces With New Music for the Kelsey Grammer TV Show "Boss", Pitchfork.com, Retrieved 1 September 2012. W hen Talk Talk mastermind Mark Hollis died, aged 64, in 2019, the outpouring of grief was so great that, while it didn’t match the mourning provoked by Davie Bowie’s or Prince’s passing in 2016, it nonetheless came close.