Mark Hollis: A Perfect Silence

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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. In 1977, The Reaction recorded a demo for Island Records. A song from the demo, "Talk Talk Talk Talk", was included on the punk compilation Streets, released by fledgling label Beggars Banquet. [14] [18] Written by Hollis, "Talk Talk Talk Talk" is an early version of Talk Talk's 1982 second single, " Talk Talk". [18] George Gimarc noted the Reaction's rendition of the song is about twice as fast and has "a completely different feel" than the 1982 version. [19] Island released the Reaction's only single, "I Can't Resist", in 1978. The Reaction disbanded the following year. [20] It's My Life' Writer Receives London Award | News". BMI.com. 19 October 2004 . Retrieved 31 December 2011.

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. In't Veld, Holger; Stefan Weber (trans.). "Mark Hollis Interview: The path over the burnt bridge". Subadio. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016 . Retrieved 25 September 2013. You only have to watch any of Talk Talk’s live performances to hear how blindingly brilliant they were live, enough to wonder if a bad note ever even left Hollis’ mouth. He was pitch perfect. It’s no wonder the band loathed to lip synch and took every opportunity to have their fun with that. The other way is to stop when you’ve achieved everything you set out to do, never again reappearing. No interviews. No reunions. No explanations. No lap of honour. No further communication. Nothing. The way Mark Hollis did it. (2/2) In 1982, when his synth-pop band Talk Talk were making a mark on the charts with the singles Talk Talk and Today, Mark Hollis said: “I want to write stuff that you’ll still be able to listen to in 10 years’ time.” Nearly 40 years later, Hollis, who has died aged 64, has left a musical legacy that seems set to last indefinitely.Mark Hollis spoke about making music that didn’t instantly point to the time it was made in. I hope somewhere he knows that he did just that. Ben Wardle’s Mark Hollis: A Perfect Silence is the first full-length biography about the reclusive figure, while Breës’ aforementioned documentary explores the Belgian director’s relationship with Hollis’ records – he calls later ones “life companions” – as well as their making.

Everything begins with Hollis’ older brother, Ed Hollis – a Dj, producer, manager, and manic inspirator. Ed was many things to many people, but most importantly, Ed’s love and knowledge of music and his eclectic music collection would be the spark that fired up Hollis. Growing up amid the Punk movement, Hollis would take their modus operandi of DIY to heart, follow the sounds in his head, and form Talk Talk in 1981.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… I would rather just have the album say what it is itself and not do anything for it,” Hollis told International Musician And Recording World’s Andrew Smith on the eve of Spirit Of Eden’s release. Ten years later he extended his fondness for reticence further, telling Danish TV: “I get on great with silence. I don’t have a problem with it. It’s just silent, y’know. So it’s kind of like, well, if you’re going to break into it, just try and have a reason for doing it.” Zabel, Sebastian (26 February 2019). "Zum Tod von Mark Hollis: Der Mann, der keine Vorbilder brauchte"[To the death of Mark Hollis: The man who did not need role models]. Rolling Stone (in German). RIP Mark Hollis. Talk Talk has been an ever-present shadow on the new album and it seems so poignant to hear this news on the eve of mastering. His voice was a thing of distinct fragile beauty and I think we won’t hear his like again anytime soon. ? https://t.co/37Aswhq49j