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{{short description|British singer}}
{{Short description|English musician and singer-songwriter (1955–2019)}}
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{{EngvarB|date=February 2019}}
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{{EngvarB|date=November 2021}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Mark Hollis
| name = Mark Hollis
| image = Mark Hollis 1988.jpg
| image = Mark Hollis 1988.jpg
| caption = Mark Hollis in 1988.
| caption = Hollis in 1988
| background = solo_singer
| background = solo_singer
| birth_name = Mark David Hollis
| birth_name = Mark David Hollis
| alias =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1955|1|4}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1955|1|4}}
| birth_place = [[Tottenham]], London, England{{sfn|Marsh|Roberts|Benjamin|2015|p=31}}
| birth_place = [[Tottenham]], London, England{{sfn|Marsh|Roberts|Benjamin|2015|p=31}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2019|2|25|1955|1|4}}<ref name="NME obit">{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/features/talk-talks-mark-hollis-1955-2019-nme-obituary-2454143 |title=Talk Talk's Mark Hollis: 2019 is full of the notes he isn't playing |last=Beaumont |first=Mark |website=[[NME]] |date=26 February 2019 |accessdate=1 March 2019 |deadurl=no |archiveurl= |archivedate=}}</ref>
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2019|2||1955|1|4}}{{efn|name="death date"|Hollis's date of death was reported as 18 February<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.de/mark-hollis-talk-talk-nachruf-1632027/ |title=Zum Tod von Mark Hollis: Der Mann, der keine Vorbilder brauchte |language=de |trans-title=To the death of Mark Hollis: The man who did not need role models |first=Sebastian |last=Zabel |date=26 February 2019 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://trauer.sueddeutsche.de/todesanzeige/mark-hollis |title=Anzeige von Mark Hollis |language=de |trans-title=Obituary of Mark Hollis |website=[[Süddeutsche Zeitung]]}}</ref> and 25 February 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/features/talk-talks-mark-hollis-1955-2019-nme-obituary-2454143 |title=Talk Talk's Mark Hollis: 2019 is full of the notes he isn't playing |last=Beaumont |first=Mark |website=[[NME]] |date=26 February 2019 |access-date=1 March 2019 }}</ref> His death was announced as early as 24 February 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/jordmarley/status/1099779602363359235|title=Ah mate, just heard that Mark Hollis passed away today. Talk Talk were a proper 80's band, horrible news. RIP.|last=Jordan|date=24 February 2019|publisher=[[Twitter]]|access-date=11 March 2019}}</ref>}}
| instrument = [[Singing|Vocals]], [[guitar]], [[piano]]
| instruments = {{hlist|[[Singing|Vocals]]|[[guitar]]|[[piano]]}}
| genre = [[new wave music|New wave]], [[synthpop]], [[art rock]], [[post-rock]], [[progressive rock]], [[folk music|folk]], [[jazz]], [[ambient music|ambient]]
| genre = {{hlist|[[new wave music|New wave]]|[[synth-pop]]|[[progressive&nbsp;rock]]|[[post-rock]]|[[art&nbsp;rock]]|[[folk music|folk]]|[[jazz]]|[[ambient music|ambient]]}}
| occupation = Musician, singer-songwriter
| occupations = {{hlist|Musician|singer-songwriter}}
| years_active = 1977–1992, 1998, 2012
| years_active = {{hlist|1977–91|1998|2001|2012}}
| label = [[Polydor]]
| label = [[Polydor]]
| associated_acts = [[Talk Talk]], [[Unkle]], [[Anja Garbarek]]
| past_member_of = [[Talk Talk]]
| website =
}}
}}


'''Mark David Hollis''' (4 January 1955 – 25 February 2019{{dubious|discuss=Talk:Mark Hollis (musician)#Death date|date=March 2019}}) 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 (Talk Talk song)|It's My Life]]" and "[[Life's What You Make It (Talk Talk song)|Life's What You Make It]]"—and in later works developed an experimental, contemplative style.
'''Mark David Hollis''' (4 January 1955 – February 2019){{efn|name="death date"}} 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 (Talk Talk song)|It's My Life]]" and "[[Life's What You Make It (Talk Talk song)|Life's What You Make It]]"—and in later works developed an experimental, contemplative style.


Beginning in 1981 as a [[synth-pop]] group with a [[New Romantic]] image, Talk Talk's sound became increasingly adventurous under Hollis's direction. For their third album, ''[[The Colour of Spring]]''{{nbsp}}(1986), Talk Talk adopted an [[art pop]] sound that won critical and commercial favour; it remains their biggest commercial success. The band's final two albums, ''[[Spirit of Eden]]''{{nbsp}}(1988) and ''[[Laughing Stock (album)|Laughing Stock]]''{{nbsp}}(1991), were radical departures from their early work, taking influence from jazz, folk, classical and experimental music. While they were commercial failures in their own time, these albums have come to be seen as early landmarks of [[post-rock]] music.
Beginning in 1981 as a [[synth-pop]] group with a [[New Romantic]] image, Talk Talk's sound became increasingly adventurous under Hollis's direction. For their third album, ''[[The Colour of Spring]]''{{nbsp}}(1986), Talk Talk adopted an [[art pop]] sound that won critical and commercial favour; it remains their biggest commercial success. The band's final two albums, ''[[Spirit of Eden]]''{{nbsp}}(1988) and ''[[Laughing Stock (album)|Laughing Stock]]''{{nbsp}}(1991), were radical departures from their early work, taking influence from jazz, folk, classical and experimental music. While they were commercial failures in their own time, these albums were retrospectively highly critically acclaimed and have come to be seen as early landmarks of [[post-rock]] music.


After Talk Talk disbanded in 1992, Hollis returned to music in 1998 with a [[Mark Hollis (album)|self-titled solo album]], which continued the direction of Talk Talk's sound but in a more minimal, spare, acoustic style. Following the release of his only solo album, Hollis largely retired from the recording industry.
After Talk Talk disbanded in 1991, Hollis returned to music in 1998 with his only [[Mark Hollis (album)|solo album]], which continued the direction of Talk Talk's sound but in a more minimal, sparse, acoustic style. Following the release of the album, Hollis largely retired from the recording industry. He died, aged 64, in February 2019.<ref name="Guardian"/>

Hollis died, aged 64, in February 2019.<ref name="Guardian"/>


==Biography==
==Biography==
===Early life (1955–1977)===
===Early life (1955–1977)===
Hollis was born on 4 January 1955 in [[Tottenham]], London.{{sfn|Marsh|Roberts|Benjamin|2015|p=31}} He had two brothers, one elder and one younger.{{sfn|Marsh|Roberts|Benjamin|2015|p=31}} Little is known about his early life as Hollis was a reluctant interviewee throughout his career.{{sfn|Marsh|Roberts|Benjamin|2015|p=25}} He attended [[Tollington School]], a now-defunct [[grammar school]] in [[Muswell Hill]], London.{{sfn|Marsh|Roberts|Benjamin|2015|p=31}} In one interview, he claimed to have quit pursuing an education before he had completed his {{nowrap|[[GCE Advanced Level|A-levels]]}}; in another, he said he had taken a course in [[Developmental psychology|child psychology]] at the [[University of Sussex]] but dropped out after a year and a half.{{sfn|Marsh|Roberts|Benjamin|2015|p=25}}<ref name="SH83">{{cite web |url=http://www.snowinberlin.com/partysover.html |title=Talk Talk |work=[[Smash Hits]] |date=18 January 1982 |accessdate=25 February 2019 |deadurl=no |archiveurl= |archivedate=}}</ref><ref name="Kim">{{cite web |url=http://www.snowinberlin.com/itsmylife.html |title=Talk Talk |work=Kim ''magazine'' |date=22 January 1983 |accessdate=25 February 2019 |deadurl=no |archiveurl= |archivedate= }}</ref> Between school and the launch of his music career, he worked in factories and as a laboratory technician.<ref name="SH83" /><ref name="Kim" /> Reflecting on this period in his life, he later said, "I could never wait to get home and start writing songs and lyrics. All day long I'd be jotting ideas down on bits of paper and just waiting for the moment when I could put it all down on tape!"<ref name="Kim" />
Hollis was born on 4 January 1955 in [[Tottenham]], London.{{sfn|Marsh|Roberts|Benjamin|2015|p=31}} He had two brothers, one elder and one younger.{{sfn|Wardle|2022|p=17}} Little is known about his early life as Hollis was a reluctant interviewee throughout his career.{{sfn|Marsh|Roberts|Benjamin|2015|p=25}} His family moved from London to Rayleigh, [[Essex]] in 1962 and Hollis started at Rayleigh's Sweyne Grammar School (now [[The Sweyne Park School]]) in 1966.{{sfn|Wardle|2022|pp=18-20}} He left Sweyne after completing his [[O-levels]] in 1971 and dropped out of college without completing his {{nowrap|[[GCE Advanced Level|A-levels]]}} blaming the "complete lack of rules" there.{{sfn|Wardle|2022|p=28}} After studying part time whilst working in an industrial laboratory, he accepted a place at [[University of Sussex]] in 1975 to study [[Developmental psychology|child psychology]] but dropped out in 1976 to pursue music.{{sfn|Wardle|2022|pp=33-34}} He worked at what he later described as a "succession of horrible jobs" whilst he began to write songs. Reflecting on this period in his life, he later said, "I could never wait to get home and start writing songs and lyrics. All day long I'd be jotting ideas down on bits of paper and just waiting for the moment when I could put it all down on tape."{{sfn|Wardle|2022|p=37}}<ref name="Kim">{{cite web |url=http://www.snowinberlin.com/itsmylife.html |title=Talk Talk |work=Kim magazine |date=22 January 1983 |access-date=25 February 2019 }}</ref>


===The Reaction (1977–1979)===
===The Reaction (1977–1979)===
Ed Hollis, Mark's older brother, mentored Mark and introduced him to the music industry. Ed was a [[disc jockey]], producer and manager of several bands, including the [[Pub rock (United Kingdom)|pub-rock]] group [[Eddie and the Hot Rods]].{{sfn|Ankeny|2002|p=534}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/after-all-this-time-its-still-good-to-talk-talk-8200977.html |title=After all this time, it's still good to Talk Talk |last=Perrone |first=Pierre |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=8 October 2012 |accessdate=25 February 2019 |deadurl=no |archiveurl= |archivedate=}}</ref> With Ed's encouragement and assistance, Mark formed his first band, The Reaction. Emerging in the [[post-punk]] era, the Reaction's sound reflected Hollis's interest in early [[garage rock]] as found on the 1972 compilation ''[[Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968|Nuggets]]''.{{sfn|Marsh|Roberts|Benjamin|2015|p=24}} In a later interview, Hollis said, "Up until punk there's no way I could have imagined I could get a record deal because I didn't think I could play, but punk said, 'If you think you can play you can play.'"{{sfn|Irvin|1998}}
Mark's older brother, Ed, mentored him and introduced him to the music industry. Ed was a [[disc jockey]], producer and manager of several bands, including the [[Pub rock (United Kingdom)|pub-rock]] group [[Eddie and the Hot Rods]].{{sfn|Ankeny|2002|p=534}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/after-all-this-time-its-still-good-to-talk-talk-8200977.html |title=After all this time, it's still good to Talk Talk |last=Perrone |first=Pierre |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=8 October 2012 |access-date=25 February 2019 }}</ref> With Ed's encouragement and assistance, Mark formed his first band, The Reaction. Emerging in the [[post-punk]] era, the Reaction's sound reflected Hollis's interest in early [[garage rock]] as found on the 1972 compilation ''[[Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968|Nuggets]]''.{{sfn|Marsh|Roberts|Benjamin|2015|p=24}} In a later interview, Hollis said, "Up until punk there's no way I could have imagined I could get a record deal because I didn't think I could play, but punk said, 'If you think you can play you can play.'"{{sfn|Irvin|1998}}


In 1977, The Reaction recorded a [[Demo (music)|demo]] for [[Island Records]]. A song from the demo, "Talk Talk Talk Talk", featured on the punk compilation ''[[Streets (punk album)|Streets]]'', released by the record-store chain and fledgling label [[Beggars Banquet Records|Beggars Banquet]].{{sfn|Ankeny|2002|p=534}}{{sfn|Gimarc|2005|p=101}} Written by Hollis, "Talk Talk Talk Talk" is an early version of Talk Talk's 1982 debut single, "[[Talk Talk (Talk Talk song)|Talk Talk]]".{{sfn|Gimarc|2005|p=101}} [[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.{{sfn|Gimarc|2005|p=102}} Island released the Reaction's only single, "I Can't Resist", in 1978. [[George Gimarc]] likened "I Can't Resist" to early works by [[the Hollies]] and [[the Who]]. The Reaction disbanded the following year.{{sfn|Gimarc|2005|p=145}}
In 1977, The Reaction recorded a [[Demo (music)|demo]] for [[Island Records]]. A song from the demo, "Talk Talk Talk Talk", was included on the punk compilation ''[[Streets (punk album)|Streets]]'', released by fledgling label [[Beggars Banquet Records|Beggars Banquet]].{{sfn|Ankeny|2002|p=534}}{{sfn|Gimarc|2005|p=101}} Written by Hollis, "Talk Talk Talk Talk" is an early version of Talk Talk's 1982 second single, "[[Talk Talk (Talk Talk song)|Talk Talk]]".{{sfn|Gimarc|2005|p=101}} [[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.{{sfn|Gimarc|2005|p=102}} Island released the Reaction's only single, "I Can't Resist", in 1978. The Reaction disbanded the following year.{{sfn|Gimarc|2005|p=145}}


Around this time, Hollis's musical outlook broadened considerably. He began to listen to [[progressive rock]] like [[King Crimson]] and [[Pink Floyd]], which were considered unfashionable in the punk era.{{sfn|Marsh|Roberts|Benjamin|2015|p=31}} His brother Ed introduced him to a wider range of music including [[jazz]], particularly [[John Coltrane]] and [[Ornette Coleman]].{{sfn|Marsh|Roberts|Benjamin|2015|p=25}} [[Miles Davis]]'s collaborations with arranger [[Gil Evans]] on ''[[Porgy and Bess (Miles Davis album)|Porgy and Bess]]''{{nbsp}}(1959) and ''[[Sketches of Spain]]''{{nbsp}}(1960) had a lasting impact on Hollis; he later said Davis and Evans's work together "has space, tight arrangement and technique but it also has movement within it" and said those two albums "were extremely important albums to me then and they still are, because the values they work with are faultless."{{sfn|Irvin|1998}}
Hollis's musical taste was owed greatly to Ed.{{sfn|Wardle|2022|p=19}} He introduced Mark to a wide range of music from [[garage rock]] to [[modal jazz]], particularly [[Miles Davis]]'s collaborations with arranger [[Gil Evans]] on ''[[Porgy and Bess (Miles Davis album)|Porgy and Bess]]''{{nbsp}}(1959) and ''[[Sketches of Spain]]''{{nbsp}}(1960). Hollis later said Davis and Evans's work together "has space, tight arrangement and technique but it also has movement within it" and said those two albums "were extremely important albums to me then and they still are, because the values they work with are faultless."{{sfn|Irvin|1998}}


===Talk Talk===
===Talk Talk===
{{main|Talk Talk}}
{{main|Talk Talk}}

Hollis was best known for being the lead singer and primary songwriter of the band Talk Talk between 1981 and 1991. He was praised for his "always remarkable voice"<ref>{{cite news |last=Gilbert |first=Ruth |title=Hotline: Music (''Spirit of Eden'') |work=[[New York Magazine]] |date=23 January 1989 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ugCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA29&dq=%22mark+hollis%22+talk+talk&lr=&client=firefox-a |accessdate=27 June 2009}}</ref> and, along with Talk Talk's producer [[Tim Friese-Greene]], took the lead in evolving the band's style from [[New Romanticism|New Romantic]] into the more experimental and contemplative style that later became known as [[post-rock]].<ref name="Guardian"/> Hollis has been credited with saying: "Before you play two notes, learn how to play one note. And don't play one note unless you've got a reason to play it."<ref>[https://opuszine.us/reviews/mark-hollis Jason Morehead, Review of ''Mark Hollis'', 28 January 2006]. Retrieved 26 February 2019</ref> He also commented: "The silence is above everything, and I would rather hear one note than I would two, and I would rather hear silence than I would one note."<ref>[https://thequietus.com/articles/06963-talk-talk-laughing-stock Wyndham Wallace, "After The Flood: Talk Talk's Laughing Stock 20-Years On ", ''The Quietus'', 26 February 2019]. Retrieved 27 February 2019</ref> In 1982, he cited his greatest influences as [[Burt Bacharach]] and [[William Burroughs]].<ref name="bbc obit">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47373897 Mark Savage, "Obituary: Talk Talk's Mark Hollis", ''BBC News'', 26 February 2019]. Retrieved 26 February 2019</ref>
Hollis was best known for being the lead singer and primary songwriter of the band Talk Talk between 1981 and 1991. He was praised for his "always remarkable voice"<ref>{{cite news |last=Gilbert |first=Ruth |title=Hotline: Music (''Spirit of Eden'') |work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |date=23 January 1989 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ugCAAAAMBAJ&q=%22mark+hollis%22+talk+talk&pg=PA29 |access-date=27 June 2009}}</ref> and, along with Talk Talk's producer [[Tim Friese-Greene]], took the lead in evolving the band's style from [[New Romanticism|New Romantic]] into the more experimental and contemplative style that later became known as [[post-rock]].<ref name="Guardian"/> Hollis has been credited with saying: "Before you play two notes, learn how to play one note. And don't play one note unless you've got a reason to play it."<ref>[https://opuszine.us/reviews/mark-hollis Jason Morehead, Review of ''Mark Hollis'', 28 January 2006]. Retrieved 26 February 2019</ref> He also commented: "The silence is above everything, and I would rather hear one note than I would two, and I would rather hear silence than I would one note."<ref>[https://thequietus.com/articles/06963-talk-talk-laughing-stock Wyndham Wallace, "After The Flood: Talk Talk's Laughing Stock 20-Years On ", ''The Quietus'', 26 February 2019]. Retrieved 27 February 2019</ref> In 1982, he cited his greatest influences as [[Burt Bacharach]] and [[William Burroughs]].<ref name="bbc obit">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47373897 Mark Savage, "Obituary: Talk Talk's Mark Hollis", ''BBC News'', 26 February 2019]. Retrieved 26 February 2019</ref>


{{listen|filename=Mark Hollis - The Colour of Spring.ogg|title="The Colour of Spring" |description=Excerpt from "The Colour of Spring", the opening track from Hollis' solo album| format=[[Ogg]]}}
{{listen|filename=Mark Hollis - The Colour of Spring.ogg|title="The Colour of Spring" |description=Excerpt from "The Colour of Spring", the opening track from Hollis' solo album| format=[[Ogg]]}}
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===Solo work and retirement===
===Solo work and retirement===
Talk Talk disbanded in 1991. In 1998, Hollis released an eponymous solo debut album, ''[[Mark Hollis (album)|Mark Hollis]]''.<ref>"A record that floors me each time." {{cite web |last=Parkes |first=Jason A. |title=Rev. of Mark Hollis, ''Mark Hollis'' |publisher=Julian Cope Presents Head Heritage |date=12 May 2007 |url=http://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/1728 |accessdate=27 June 2009}}</ref> In an interview at the time, he said: "To me the ultimate ambition is to make music that doesn't have a use by date, that goes beyond your own time."<ref name="palyniam.co.uk"/> He also said: "Technique has never been an important thing to me. Feeling always has been, and always will be, above technique."<ref>[https://thequietus.com/articles/26107-mark-hollis-talk-talk-obituary?fbclid=IwAR33Jl2tCJRJNT4o46rqzNQi6TgEwKrCWjVRFYmt2nMnx1TzvZaIQXqsYMI Wyndham Wallace, "Living In Another World: Remembering Mark Hollis", ''The Quietus'', 26 February 2019]. Retrieved 26 February 2019</ref>
Talk Talk disbanded in 1991. In 1998, Hollis released a self-titled solo debut album, ''[[Mark Hollis (album)|Mark Hollis]]''.<ref>"A record that floors me each time." {{cite web |last=Parkes |first=Jason A. |title=Rev. of Mark Hollis, ''Mark Hollis'' |publisher=Julian Cope Presents Head Heritage |date=12 May 2007 |url=http://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/1728 |access-date=27 June 2009}}</ref> In an interview at the time, he said: "To me the ultimate ambition is to make music that doesn't have a use by date, that goes beyond your own time."<ref name="palyniam.co.uk"/> He also said: "Technique has never been an important thing to me. Feeling always has been, and always will be, above technique."<ref>[https://thequietus.com/articles/26107-mark-hollis-talk-talk-obituary Wyndham Wallace, "Living In Another World: Remembering Mark Hollis", ''The Quietus'', 26 February 2019]. Retrieved 26 February 2019</ref>


According to a 2008 article in ''[[The Guardian]]'', he then largely retired from making music. He stated about his decision to retire from performing, "I choose for my family. Maybe others are capable of doing it, but I can't go on tour and be a good dad at the same time."<ref name="palyniam.co.uk">{{cite web |url=http://www.palyniam.co.uk/content.php?page=interview-mark |title=Interview :: paul's talk talk pages – Fansite dedicated to Talk Talk |website=Web.archive.org |date=9 October 2009 |accessdate=24 July 2014 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009000251/http://www.palyniam.co.uk/content.php?page=interview-mark |archivedate=9 October 2009}}</ref> Despite Hollis' absence from the public eye, he continued to be mentioned in the music press as an example of an artist who refused to sacrifice his artistic ambition for commercial success, and as a yardstick for current artists.<ref>{{cite news |last=Aizlewood |first=John |title=Why Ashcroft is missing Verve |work=[[Evening Standard]] |date=18 November 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Schmickl |first=Gerald |title=Rev. of Talk Talk, ''Missing Pieces'' |work=[[Wiener Zeitung]] |date=14 December 2001 |url=http://www.wienerzeitung.at/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4454&Alias=WZO&cob=8739 |accessdate=27 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Lees |first=Alasdair |title=Shearwater, Bush Hall, London |work=[[The Independent]] |date=19 September 2008 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/shearwater-bush-hall-london-935240.html |accessdate=27 June 2009}}</ref> His withdrawal from the public continued to fascinate music critics.<ref name="wherefore"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Masi |first=Bruno |title=Retour sur la planète Merz |work=[[Libération]] |date=18 March 2006 |url=http://www.liberation.fr/culture/010142469-retour-sur-la-planete-merz |accessdate=27 June 2009}}</ref> By the time his solo album was released, Hollis had moved back from the countryside to London in order to provide his two sons with a more cosmopolitan environment.<ref name="interview">{{cite web |url=http://www.withinwithout.dk/IntSUBAUDIO.html |title=Mark Hollis Interview: The path over the burnt bridge |last=In't Veld |first=Holger |author2=Stefan Weber (trans.) |publisher=Subadio |accessdate=25 September 2013 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427072152/http://www.withinwithout.dk/IntSUBAUDIO.html |archivedate=27 April 2016}}</ref>
According to a 2008 article in ''[[The Guardian]]'', he then largely retired from making music. He stated about his decision to retire from performing, "I choose for my family. Maybe others are capable of doing it, but I can't go on tour and be a good dad at the same time."<ref name="palyniam.co.uk">{{cite web |url=http://www.palyniam.co.uk/content.php?page=interview-mark |title=Interview :: paul's talk talk pages – Fansite dedicated to Talk Talk |date=9 October 2009 |access-date=24 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009000251/http://www.palyniam.co.uk/content.php?page=interview-mark |archive-date=9 October 2009}}</ref> Despite Hollis' absence from the public eye, he continued to be mentioned in the music press as an example of an artist who refused to sacrifice his artistic ambition for commercial success, as a yardstick for current artists and one of the most important musicians of his generation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Aizlewood |first=John |title=Why Ashcroft is missing Verve |work=[[Evening Standard]] |date=18 November 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Schmickl |first=Gerald |title=Rev. of Talk Talk, ''Missing Pieces'' |work=[[Wiener Zeitung]] |date=14 December 2001 |url=http://www.wienerzeitung.at/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4454&Alias=WZO&cob=8739 |access-date=27 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Lees |first=Alasdair |title=Shearwater, Bush Hall, London |work=[[The Independent]] |date=19 September 2008 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/shearwater-bush-hall-london-935240.html |access-date=27 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/feb/26/mark-hollis-talk-talk-reluctant-pop-star-who-redefined-rock|title=Mark Hollis: reluctant pop star who redefined rock|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|date=26 February 2019|work=The Guardian|access-date=27 September 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/feb/26/a-sacred-voice-mark-hollis-sang-the-english-gospel|title=A sacred voice: Mark Hollis sang the English gospel|last=Thomson|first=Graeme|date=26 February 2019|work=The Guardian|access-date=27 September 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2033473/mark-hollis-talk-talk-tribute-essential-songs/franchises/list/|title=Celebrating The Genius Of Mark Hollis In 15 Songs|date=26 February 2019|website=Stereogum|access-date=27 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/j5be53/mark-hollis-talk-talk-retire-disappear-reunions|title=How to Disappear Completely: When Musicians Retire For Good|last=Baines|first=Josh|date=2 February 2018|website=Vice|language=en|access-date=27 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music-theatre/2019/02/mark-hollis-sound-silence|title=Mark Hollis: The sound of silence|website=www.newstatesman.com|date=26 February 2019 |language=en|access-date=27 September 2019}}</ref> His withdrawal from the public continued to fascinate music critics.<ref name="wherefore"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Masi |first=Bruno |title=Retour sur la planète Merz |work=[[Libération]] |date=18 March 2006 |url=http://www.liberation.fr/culture/010142469-retour-sur-la-planete-merz |access-date=27 June 2009}}</ref> By the time his solo album was released, Hollis had moved back from the countryside to London in order to provide his two sons with a more cosmopolitan environment.<ref name="interview">{{cite web |url=http://www.withinwithout.dk/IntSUBAUDIO.html |title=Mark Hollis Interview: The path over the burnt bridge |last=In't Veld |first=Holger |author2=Stefan Weber (trans.) |publisher=Subadio |access-date=25 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427072152/http://www.withinwithout.dk/IntSUBAUDIO.html |archive-date=27 April 2016}}</ref>


He participated in occasional musical projects, including playing melodica and bass guitar on [[Anja Garbarek]]'s 2001 album ''Smiling & Waving'', as well as producing two tracks on it.<ref>{{cite web |author=Mark Hollis |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mark-hollis-mn0000498562/credits |title=Mark Hollis &#124; Credits |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |accessdate=24 July 2014}}</ref><ref name="wherefore">{{cite news |last=McGee |first=Alan |title=Wherefore art thou Mark Hollis? |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=9 April 2008 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2008/apr/09/markhollis |accessdate=7 May 2018}}</ref> In 2004, Hollis resurfaced briefly to receive a [[Broadcast Music Inc.]] Award for having written "It's My Life".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234221 |title='It's My Life' Writer Receives London Award &#124; News |website=BMI.com |date=19 October 2004 |accessdate=31 December 2011}}</ref> In 2012, a piece of specially commissioned music by Hollis entitled "ARB Section 1", was used in the television series ''[[Boss (TV series)|Boss]]''.<ref>[http://pitchfork.com/news/47680-talk-talks-mark-hollis-resurfaces-with-new-music-for-the-kelsey-grammer-tv-show-boss/ Talk Talk's Mark Hollis Resurfaces With New Music for the Kelsey Grammer TV Show "Boss"], Pitchfork.com, Retrieved 1 September 2012.</ref>
In 2004, Hollis resurfaced briefly to receive a [[Broadcast Music Inc.]] Award for having written "It's My Life".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234221 |title='It's My Life' Writer Receives London Award &#124; News |website=BMI.com |date=19 October 2004 |access-date=31 December 2011}}</ref> In 2012, a piece of specially commissioned music by Hollis titled "ARB Section 1", was used in the television series ''[[Boss (TV series)|Boss]]''.<ref>[http://pitchfork.com/news/47680-talk-talks-mark-hollis-resurfaces-with-new-music-for-the-kelsey-grammer-tv-show-boss/ Talk Talk's Mark Hollis Resurfaces With New Music for the Kelsey Grammer TV Show "Boss"], Pitchfork.com, Retrieved 1 September 2012.</ref>


===Collaborations===
===Collaborations===
Hollis performed the solo track "Piano" on the 1998 [[minimalism|minimalist]] album ''AV 1'', by Phill Brown and Dave Allinson, under the pseudonym John Cope. This was later included on the 2001 ''Talk Talk'' compilation album ''[[Missing Pieces (Talk Talk album)|Missing Pieces]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Such a shame: The Within Without interview with Mark Hollis, September 1998 ... |url=http://users.cybercity.dk/~bcc11425/IntWW0998.html |publisher=Within Without |accessdate=26 February 2019 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927003929/http://users.cybercity.dk/~bcc11425/IntWW0998.html |archivedate=27 September 2011 |df=}}</ref> He played piano on and co-wrote the track "Chaos" on the 1998 [[trip hop]] album ''[[Psyence Fiction]]'' by [[Unkle]], later asking for his name to be removed from the album credits.<ref>[https://www.mowaxplease.com/unkle-appliance-psyence/ "UNKLE: The Appliance of Psyence"], ''NME (republished by Mo'Wax Please)'', 29 August 1998</ref> He also co-produced and arranged two tracks ("The Gown" and "Big Mouth") on [[Anja Garbarek]]'s 2001 album ''Smiling & Waving''.<ref>[https://www.allmusic.com/album/smiling-waving-mw0000382251 Thom Jurek, "Smiling & Waving - Anja Garbarek", ''Allmusic.com'']. Retrieved 26 February 2019</ref>
Hollis performed the solo track "Piano" on the 1998 [[minimalism|minimalist]] album ''AV 1'', by Phill Brown and Dave Allinson, under the pseudonym John Cope. This was later included on the 2001 ''Talk Talk'' compilation album ''[[Missing Pieces (Talk Talk album)|Missing Pieces]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Such a shame: The Within Without interview with Mark Hollis, September 1998 ... |url=http://users.cybercity.dk/~bcc11425/IntWW0998.html |publisher=Within Without |access-date=26 February 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927003929/http://users.cybercity.dk/~bcc11425/IntWW0998.html |archive-date=27 September 2011 }}</ref> He played piano on and co-wrote the track "Chaos" on the 1998 [[trip hop]] album ''[[Psyence Fiction]]'' by [[Unkle]], later asking for his name to be removed from the album credits.<ref>[https://www.mowaxplease.com/unkle-appliance-psyence/ "UNKLE: The Appliance of Psyence"], ''NME (republished by Mo'Wax Please)'', 29 August 1998</ref> He also co-produced and arranged two tracks ("The Gown" and "Big Mouth") on [[Anja Garbarek]]'s 2001 album ''Smiling & Waving'',<ref>[https://www.allmusic.com/album/smiling-waving-mw0000382251 Thom Jurek, "Smiling & Waving - Anja Garbarek", ''Allmusic.com'']. Retrieved 26 February 2019</ref> as well as playing bass guitar, piano and melodica.<ref name="wherefore">{{cite news |last=McGee |first=Alan |title=Wherefore art thou Mark Hollis? |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=9 April 2008 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2008/apr/09/markhollis |access-date=7 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Smiling & Waving Credits|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/smiling-waving-mw0000382251/credits |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=7 April 2021}}</ref>


== Personal life ==
== Personal life ==
As of 1998, Hollis lived in [[Wimbledon, London]] with his wife (a teacher) and his two children.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jasoncowley.net/profiles/Out-of-Time-Mark-Hollis |title=Out of Time: Mark Hollis |last=Cowley |first=Jason |author-link=Jason Cowley |website=[[The Times]] |date=13 February 1998 |accessdate=25 February 2019 |deadurl=no |archiveurl= |archivedate= }}</ref> Hollis's desire to spend more time with his family was a major reason that Talk Talk stopped touring after 1986,{{sfn|Marsh|Roberts|Benjamin|2015|p=73}} and his reason for retiring from the music industry in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-47370626|title=Talk Talk star Mark Hollis dies at 64|first=Mark|last=Savage|date=26 February 2019|website=Bbc.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009000251/http://www.palyniam.co.uk/content.php?page=interview-mark|title=Interview :: paul's talk talk pages - Fansite dedicated to Talk Talk|date=9 October 2009|website=web.archive.org}}</ref>
From 1998 until 2017, Hollis lived in [[Wimbledon, London]] with his wife Flick (a teacher) and their two sons, before moving to [[Heathfield, East Sussex]] where he lived until his death.{{sfn|Wardle|2022|p=6}} Hollis' desire to spend more time with his family was a major reason that Talk Talk stopped touring after 1986,{{sfn|Marsh|Roberts|Benjamin|2015|p=73}} and his reason for retiring from the music industry in 1998.<ref name=BBC/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.palyniam.co.uk/content.php?page=interview-mark|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009000251/http://www.palyniam.co.uk/content.php?page=interview-mark|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 October 2009|title=Interview :: paul's talk talk pages - Fansite dedicated to Talk Talk|date=9 October 2009}}</ref>


== Death ==
== Death ==
It was first reported on social media on 24 February 2019,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/jordmarley/status/1099779602363359235|title=Ah mate, just heard that Mark Hollis passed away today. Talk Talk were a proper 80’s band, horrible news. RIP.|first=|last=Jordan|date=24 February 2019|publisher=[[Twitter]]|accessdate=11 March 2019}}</ref> and more widely the next day, that Mark Hollis had died,<ref name="Guardian"/> aged 64. Initial reports included a [[Twitter|tweet]] from his cousin-in-law, the paediatrician [[Anthony Costello]],<ref name="NME death">{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/mark-hollis-talk-talk-reportedly-died-aged-64-2453863 |title=Talk Talk's Mark Hollis has reportedly died, aged 64 |last=Aubrey |first=Elizabeth |website=[[NME]] |date=25 February 2019 |accessdate=25 February 2019 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=http://archive.today/2019.02.25-193941/https://www.nme.com/news/music/mark-hollis-talk-talk-reportedly-died-aged-64-2453863 |archivedate=25 February 2019}}</ref> and a tribute by Talk Talk’s bassist [[Paul Webb]].<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/feb/25/mark-hollis-lead-singer-of-talk-talk-dies-at-age-64-reports-say|title=Mark Hollis, lead singer of Talk Talk, dies at age 64|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=25 February 2019 |accessdate=26 February 2019}}</ref> Hollis's death, after "a short illness from which he never recovered", was confirmed by his former manager on 26 February.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Savage |first1=Mark |title=Talk Talk star Mark Hollis dies at 64 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-47370626|website=Bbc.com |accessdate=26 February 2019 |date=26 February 2019}}</ref>
Hollis died from cancer{{sfn|Wardle|2022|p=328}} in February 2019,{{efn|name="death date"}} aged 64.<ref name="Guardian"/> Initial reports of his death included a [[Twitter|tweet]] from his cousin-in-law, the paediatrician [[Anthony Costello]],<ref name="NME death">{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/mark-hollis-talk-talk-reportedly-died-aged-64-2453863 |title=Talk Talk's Mark Hollis has reportedly died, aged 64 |last=Aubrey |first=Elizabeth |website=[[NME]] |date=25 February 2019 |access-date=25 February 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190225193941/https://www.nme.com/news/music/mark-hollis-talk-talk-reportedly-died-aged-64-2453863 |archive-date=25 February 2019 }}</ref> and a tribute by Talk Talk's bassist [[Paul Webb]],<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/feb/25/mark-hollis-lead-singer-of-talk-talk-dies-at-age-64-reports-say|title=Mark Hollis, lead singer of Talk Talk, dies at age 64|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=25 February 2019 |access-date=26 February 2019}}</ref> before his former manager, Keith Aspden, confirmed Hollis's death to the media on 26 February.<ref name=BBC>{{cite web|title=Mark Hollis, Talk Talk star, dies at 64 |last1=Savage |first1=Mark |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-47370626 |website=[[BBC News]] |date=26 February 2019}}</ref>

Further tributes to Hollis included [[Duran Duran]], [[Depeche Mode]], [[The The]], [[Steven Wilson]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BuUdjQIAkUL/|title=Steven Wilson on Instagram: “Another one gone. Genius and visionary, and one of my biggest musical influences. So sad 😞 Mark Hollis RIP #talktalk #markhollis…”|website=Instagram.com|accessdate=11 March 2019}}</ref> [[Alexis Taylor]], [[Andy Kim]], [[Charlotte Church]], [[Flea (musician)|Flea]], [[Roland Orzabal]], [[Robin Pecknold]], [[Peter Gabriel]], [[Ryley Walker]],<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/feb/26/musicians-on-mark-hollis-he-found-hooks-in-places-im-still-trying-to-fathom?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook&fbclid=IwAR3M_m3RuFOg6okXMRfLYNKbQNExHku-QqYy-9dlVKzxTuuGZ8547rZSz6E "Musicians on Mark Hollis: 'He found hooks in places I'm still trying to fathom'", ''The Guardian'', 26 February 2019]. Retrieved 26 February 2019</ref> [[Peter Hammill]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Sofa_sound/status/1100126457152589825|title=Hammill twitter condolence|first=Peter|last=Hammill|date=25 February 2019}}</ref> [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark]],<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=OfficialOMD |number=1100176190915178497 |date = 25 February 2019 |title=OMD condolence}}</ref> [[Marc Almond]],<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=MarcAlmond |number=1100456676551991298|date = 26 February 2019 |title=Marc Almond condolence}}</ref> [[Elijah Wood]], [[Chris Baio]] and [[Broken Social Scene]].<ref name="NME death"/>


==Discography==
==Discography==
{{see also|Talk Talk discography}}
{{see also|Talk Talk discography}}

===Solo albums===
===Solo album===
* ''[[Mark Hollis (album)|Mark Hollis]]'' (1998)
* ''[[Mark Hollis (album)|Mark Hollis]]'' (1998)


== References ==
== References ==

=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}

=== Citations ===
=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Ankeny |first=Jason |chapter=Mark Hollis |chapter-url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mark-hollis-mn0000498562/biography |editor1-last=Bogdanov |editor1-first=Vladimir |editor1-link=Vladimir Bogdanov (editor) |editor2-last=Woodstra |editor2-first=Chris |editor3-last=Erlewine |editor3-first=Stephen Thomas |editor3-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |title=All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul |edition=3rd |location=San Francisco |publisher=[[Hal Leonard LLC|Backbeat Books]] |year=2002 |page=534 |isbn=0-87930-653-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1-pH4i3jXvAC&printsec=frontcover |accessdate=1 March 2019 |via=[[AllMusic]].com and [[Google Books]] |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |last=Ankeny |first=Jason |chapter=Mark Hollis |chapter-url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mark-hollis-mn0000498562/biography |editor1-last=Bogdanov |editor1-first=Vladimir |editor1-link=Vladimir Bogdanov (editor) |editor2-last=Woodstra |editor2-first=Chris |editor3-last=Erlewine |editor3-first=Stephen Thomas |editor3-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |title=All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul |edition=3rd |location=San Francisco |publisher=[[Hal Leonard LLC|Backbeat Books]] |year=2002 |page=534 |isbn=0-87930-653-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1-pH4i3jXvAC |access-date=1 March 2019 |via=[[AllMusic]].com and [[Google Books]] }}
* {{cite book |last=Gimarc |first=George |author-link=George Gimarc |title=Punk Diary: The Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock, 1970–1982 |location=London |publisher=[[Hal Leonard LLC|Backbeat Books]] |year=2005 |isbn=0-87930-848-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC&printsec=frontcover |via=[[Google Books]] |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |last=Gimarc |first=George |author-link=George Gimarc |title=Punk Diary: The Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock, 1970–1982 |location=London |publisher=[[Hal Leonard LLC|Backbeat Books]] |year=2005 |isbn=0-87930-848-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC |via=[[Google Books]] }}
* {{cite magazine |last=Irvin |first=Jim |author-link=Jim Irvin |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/mark-hollis-interview |title=Mark Hollis Interview [''unpublished''] |publisher=[[Rock's Backpages]] |date=1998 |accessdate=1 March 2019 |ref=harv}} {{subscription required}}
* {{cite magazine |last=Irvin |first=Jim |author-link=Jim Irvin |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/mark-hollis-interview |magazine=[[Rock's Backpages]] |title=Mark Hollis Interview [''unpublished''] |date=1998 |access-date=1 March 2019 }} {{subscription required}}
* {{cite book |last1=Marsh |first1=James |author-link1=James Marsh (artist) |last2=Roberts |first2=Chris |last3=Benjamin |first3=Toby |title=Spirit of Talk Talk |edition=expanded paperback |location=London |publisher=Rocket 88 |year=2015 |orig-year=1st pub. 2012 |isbn=978-1-906615-95-6 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |last1=Marsh |first1=James |author-link1=James Marsh (artist) |last2=Roberts |first2=Chris |last3=Benjamin |first3=Toby |title=Spirit of Talk Talk |edition=expanded paperback |location=London |publisher=Rocket 88 |year=2015 |orig-year=1st pub. 2012 |isbn=978-1-906615-95-6 }}
* {{cite book |last=Wardle |first=Ben |title=Mark Hollis: A Perfect Silence |edition=1st |location=London |publisher=Rocket 88 |year=2022 |isbn=9781910978856 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RuJ8zwEACAAJ }}
* {{cite magazine |last=Young |first=Rob |url=https://reader.exacteditions.com/issues/35232/page/26 |title=Return from Eden |magazine=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]] |date=January 1998 |issue=167 |pages=26–29 |accessdate=1 March 2019 |via=[[Exact Editions]] |ref=harv}} {{subscription required}}
* {{cite magazine |last=Young |first=Rob |url=https://reader.exacteditions.com/issues/35232/page/26 |title=Return from Eden |magazine=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]] |date=January 1998 |issue=167 |pages=26–29 |access-date=1 March 2019 |via=[[Exact Editions]] }} {{subscription required}}
{{refend}}
{{refend}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20141031025637/http://users.cybercity.dk/~bcc11425/ Within Without] – Talk Talk and Mark Hollis fan site with articles, interviews and other content (via the [[Internet Archive]])
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20141031025637/http://users.cybercity.dk/~bcc11425/ Within Without] – Talk Talk and Mark Hollis fan site with articles, interviews and other content (via the [[Internet Archive]])
* [https://thequietus.com/articles/26107-mark-hollis-talk-talk-obituary?fbclid=IwAR33Jl2tCJRJNT4o46rqzNQi6TgEwKrCWjVRFYmt2nMnx1TzvZaIQXqsYMI Wyndham Wallace, "Living In Another World: Remembering Mark Hollis"], ''The Quietus'', 26 February 2019
* [https://thequietus.com/articles/26107-mark-hollis-talk-talk-obituary Wyndham Wallace, "Living In Another World: Remembering Mark Hollis"], ''The Quietus'', 26 February 2019


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{{Talk Talk}}
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[[Category:People from Tottenham]]
[[Category:People from Tottenham]]
[[Category:Polydor Records artists]]
[[Category:Singers from the London Borough of Haringey]]

Latest revision as of 12:58, 10 July 2024

For other uses, see Mark Hollis (disambiguation).

Mark Hollis
Hollis in 1988
Hollis in 1988
Background information
Birth nameMark David Hollis
Born(1955-01-04)4 January 1955
Tottenham, London, England[1]
DiedFebruary 2019(2019-02-00) (aged 64)[a]
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
Instruments
Years active
  • 1977–91
  • 1998
  • 2001
  • 2012
LabelsPolydor
Formerly ofTalk Talk

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.

Beginning in 1981 as a synth-pop group with a New Romantic image, Talk Talk's sound became increasingly adventurous under Hollis's direction. For their third album, The Colour of Spring (1986), Talk Talk adopted an art pop sound that won critical and commercial favour; it remains their biggest commercial success. The band's final two albums, Spirit of Eden (1988) and Laughing Stock (1991), were radical departures from their early work, taking influence from jazz, folk, classical and experimental music. While they were commercial failures in their own time, these albums were retrospectively highly critically acclaimed and have come to be seen as early landmarks of post-rock music.

After Talk Talk disbanded in 1991, Hollis returned to music in 1998 with his only solo album, which continued the direction of Talk Talk's sound but in a more minimal, sparse, acoustic style. Following the release of the album, Hollis largely retired from the recording industry. He died, aged 64, in February 2019.[6]

Biography

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Early life (1955–1977)

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Hollis was born on 4 January 1955 in Tottenham, London.[1] He had two brothers, one elder and one younger.[7] Little is known about his early life as Hollis was a reluctant interviewee throughout his career.[8] His family moved from London to Rayleigh, Essex in 1962 and Hollis started at Rayleigh's Sweyne Grammar School (now The Sweyne Park School) in 1966.[9] He left Sweyne after completing his O-levels in 1971 and dropped out of college without completing his A-levels blaming the "complete lack of rules" there.[10] After studying part time whilst working in an industrial laboratory, he accepted a place at University of Sussex in 1975 to study child psychology but dropped out in 1976 to pursue music.[11] He worked at what he later described as a "succession of horrible jobs" whilst he began to write songs. Reflecting on this period in his life, he later said, "I could never wait to get home and start writing songs and lyrics. All day long I'd be jotting ideas down on bits of paper and just waiting for the moment when I could put it all down on tape."[12][13]

The Reaction (1977–1979)

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Mark's older brother, Ed, mentored him and introduced him to the music industry. Ed was a disc jockey, producer and manager of several bands, including the pub-rock group Eddie and the Hot Rods.[14][15] With Ed's encouragement and assistance, Mark formed his first band, The Reaction. Emerging in the post-punk era, the Reaction's sound reflected Hollis's interest in early garage rock as found on the 1972 compilation Nuggets.[16] In a later interview, Hollis said, "Up until punk there's no way I could have imagined I could get a record deal because I didn't think I could play, but punk said, 'If you think you can play you can play.'"[17]

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]

Hollis's musical taste was owed greatly to Ed.[21] He introduced Mark to a wide range of music from garage rock to modal jazz, particularly Miles Davis's collaborations with arranger Gil Evans on Porgy and Bess (1959) and Sketches of Spain (1960). Hollis later said Davis and Evans's work together "has space, tight arrangement and technique but it also has movement within it" and said those two albums "were extremely important albums to me then and they still are, because the values they work with are faultless."[17]

Talk Talk

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Main article: Talk Talk

Hollis was best known for being the lead singer and primary songwriter of the band Talk Talk between 1981 and 1991. He was praised for his "always remarkable voice"[22] and, along with Talk Talk's producer Tim Friese-Greene, took the lead in evolving the band's style from New Romantic into the more experimental and contemplative style that later became known as post-rock.[6] Hollis has been credited with saying: "Before you play two notes, learn how to play one note. And don't play one note unless you've got a reason to play it."[23] He also commented: "The silence is above everything, and I would rather hear one note than I would two, and I would rather hear silence than I would one note."[24] In 1982, he cited his greatest influences as Burt Bacharach and William Burroughs.[25]

"The Colour of Spring"
Excerpt from "The Colour of Spring", the opening track from Hollis' solo album
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Solo work and retirement

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Talk Talk disbanded in 1991. In 1998, Hollis released a self-titled solo debut album, Mark Hollis.[26] In an interview at the time, he said: "To me the ultimate ambition is to make music that doesn't have a use by date, that goes beyond your own time."[27] He also said: "Technique has never been an important thing to me. Feeling always has been, and always will be, above technique."[28]

According to a 2008 article in The Guardian, he then largely retired from making music. He stated about his decision to retire from performing, "I choose for my family. Maybe others are capable of doing it, but I can't go on tour and be a good dad at the same time."[27] Despite Hollis' absence from the public eye, he continued to be mentioned in the music press as an example of an artist who refused to sacrifice his artistic ambition for commercial success, as a yardstick for current artists and one of the most important musicians of his generation.[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] His withdrawal from the public continued to fascinate music critics.[37][38] By the time his solo album was released, Hollis had moved back from the countryside to London in order to provide his two sons with a more cosmopolitan environment.[39]

In 2004, Hollis resurfaced briefly to receive a Broadcast Music Inc. Award for having written "It's My Life".[40] In 2012, a piece of specially commissioned music by Hollis titled "ARB Section 1", was used in the television series Boss.[41]

Collaborations

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Hollis performed the solo track "Piano" on the 1998 minimalist album AV 1, by Phill Brown and Dave Allinson, under the pseudonym John Cope. This was later included on the 2001 Talk Talk compilation album Missing Pieces.[42] He played piano on and co-wrote the track "Chaos" on the 1998 trip hop album Psyence Fiction by Unkle, later asking for his name to be removed from the album credits.[43] He also co-produced and arranged two tracks ("The Gown" and "Big Mouth") on Anja Garbarek's 2001 album Smiling & Waving,[44] as well as playing bass guitar, piano and melodica.[37][45]

Personal life

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From 1998 until 2017, Hollis lived in Wimbledon, London with his wife Flick (a teacher) and their two sons, before moving to Heathfield, East Sussex where he lived until his death.[46] Hollis' desire to spend more time with his family was a major reason that Talk Talk stopped touring after 1986,[47] and his reason for retiring from the music industry in 1998.[48][49]

Death

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Hollis died from cancer[50] in February 2019,[a] aged 64.[6] Initial reports of his death included a tweet from his cousin-in-law, the paediatrician Anthony Costello,[51] and a tribute by Talk Talk's bassist Paul Webb,[6] before his former manager, Keith Aspden, confirmed Hollis's death to the media on 26 February.[48]

Discography

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See also: Talk Talk discography

Solo album

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Hollis's date of death was reported as 18 February[2][3] and 25 February 2019.[4] His death was announced as early as 24 February 2019.[5]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b Marsh, Roberts & Benjamin 2015, p. 31.
  2. ^ 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).
  3. ^ "Anzeige von Mark Hollis" [Obituary of Mark Hollis]. Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German).
  4. ^ Beaumont, Mark (26 February 2019). "Talk Talk's Mark Hollis: 2019 is full of the notes he isn't playing". NME. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  5. ^ Jordan (24 February 2019). "Ah mate, just heard that Mark Hollis passed away today. Talk Talk were a proper 80's band, horrible news. RIP". Twitter. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d "Mark Hollis, lead singer of Talk Talk, dies at age 64". The Guardian. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  7. ^ Wardle 2022, p. 17.
  8. ^ Marsh, Roberts & Benjamin 2015, p. 25.
  9. ^ Wardle 2022, pp. 18–20.
  10. ^ Wardle 2022, p. 28.
  11. ^ Wardle 2022, pp. 33–34.
  12. ^ Wardle 2022, p. 37.
  13. ^ "Talk Talk". Kim magazine. 22 January 1983. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  14. ^ a b Ankeny 2002, p. 534.
  15. ^ Perrone, Pierre (8 October 2012). "After all this time, it's still good to Talk Talk". The Independent. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  16. ^ Marsh, Roberts & Benjamin 2015, p. 24.
  17. ^ a b Irvin 1998.
  18. ^ a b Gimarc 2005, p. 101.
  19. ^ Gimarc 2005, p. 102.
  20. ^ Gimarc 2005, p. 145.
  21. ^ Wardle 2022, p. 19.
  22. ^ Gilbert, Ruth (23 January 1989). "Hotline: Music (Spirit of Eden)". New York. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  23. ^ Jason Morehead, Review of Mark Hollis, 28 January 2006. Retrieved 26 February 2019
  24. ^ Wyndham Wallace, "After The Flood: Talk Talk's Laughing Stock 20-Years On ", The Quietus, 26 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019
  25. ^ Mark Savage, "Obituary: Talk Talk's Mark Hollis", BBC News, 26 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019
  26. ^ "A record that floors me each time." Parkes, Jason A. (12 May 2007). "Rev. of Mark Hollis, Mark Hollis". Julian Cope Presents Head Heritage. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  27. ^ a b "Interview :: paul's talk talk pages – Fansite dedicated to Talk Talk". 9 October 2009. Archived from the original on 9 October 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  28. ^ Wyndham Wallace, "Living In Another World: Remembering Mark Hollis", The Quietus, 26 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019
  29. ^ Aizlewood, John (18 November 2002). "Why Ashcroft is missing Verve". Evening Standard.
  30. ^ Schmickl, Gerald (14 December 2001). "Rev. of Talk Talk, Missing Pieces". Wiener Zeitung. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  31. ^ Lees, Alasdair (19 September 2008). "Shearwater, Bush Hall, London". The Independent. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  32. ^ Petridis, Alexis (26 February 2019). "Mark Hollis: reluctant pop star who redefined rock". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  33. ^ Thomson, Graeme (26 February 2019). "A sacred voice: Mark Hollis sang the English gospel". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  34. ^ "Celebrating The Genius Of Mark Hollis In 15 Songs". Stereogum. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  35. ^ Baines, Josh (2 February 2018). "How to Disappear Completely: When Musicians Retire For Good". Vice. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  36. ^ "Mark Hollis: The sound of silence". www.newstatesman.com. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  37. ^ a b McGee, Alan (9 April 2008). "Wherefore art thou Mark Hollis?". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  38. ^ Masi, Bruno (18 March 2006). "Retour sur la planète Merz". Libération. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  39. ^ 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.
  40. ^ "'It's My Life' Writer Receives London Award | News". BMI.com. 19 October 2004. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  41. ^ Talk Talk's Mark Hollis Resurfaces With New Music for the Kelsey Grammer TV Show "Boss", Pitchfork.com, Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  42. ^ "Such a shame: The Within Without interview with Mark Hollis, September 1998 ..." Within Without. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  43. ^ "UNKLE: The Appliance of Psyence", NME (republished by Mo'Wax Please), 29 August 1998
  44. ^ Thom Jurek, "Smiling & Waving - Anja Garbarek", Allmusic.com. Retrieved 26 February 2019
  45. ^ "Smiling & Waving Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  46. ^ Wardle 2022, p. 6.
  47. ^ Marsh, Roberts & Benjamin 2015, p. 73.
  48. ^ a b Savage, Mark (26 February 2019). "Mark Hollis, Talk Talk star, dies at 64". BBC News.
  49. ^ "Interview :: paul's talk talk pages - Fansite dedicated to Talk Talk". 9 October 2009. Archived from the original on 9 October 2009.
  50. ^ Wardle 2022, p. 328.
  51. ^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (25 February 2019). "Talk Talk's Mark Hollis has reportedly died, aged 64". NME. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.

Bibliography

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