The story of English singer/songwriter MARK HOLLIS is an inspiration to serious musicians and listeners everywhere — a lesson in 'following the muse' to a place of true creativity.
Born in London in 1955, Hollis came of age in the 1970s and embarked on the mythic road to fame and fortune by starting a rock band. After a few false starts it worked, and the group TALK TALK began a short, brilliant pop music career that included several gold records in England and Europe in the 1980s.
But Mark Hollis' artistic yearnings pulled him off the beaten track and into a subtle, moving and deeply contemplative space — influenced by jazz, blues, ambient and chamber music, yet sounding unlike anyone else, before or since.
The two final TALK TALK albums—SPIRIT OF EDEN from 1988 and LAUGHING STOCK from 1991—plus a 1998 solo album titled simply MARK HOLLIS, are all quiet masterpieces and timeless works of art, graced by profoundly poetic lyrics and vocals from powerfully emotional...to evanescent. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a MARK HOLLIS Retrospective called INSIDE LOOKING OUT.
Mark Hollis hung up his guitar for the last time in February 2019, aged 64. This program is dedicated to his music and his memory.
Info: http://users.cybercity.dk/~bcc11425 (fan site)
SPIRIT OF EDEN Lyrics
LAUGHING STOCK Lyrics
MARK HOLLIS (solo album) Lyrics
[ view program page ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]
Stephen Hill,
Thank you so much for rebroadcasting this episode. Although Mark Hollis retired from the recording industry shortly after his solo album, I still can't believe that he is gone ... but he left us with an extraordinary collection of albums with Talk Talk and a brilliant solo album.
‘Hear it in my spirit’
~C.A. Chicoine
Posted by: Craig A. Chicoine | 07 April 2019 at 05:39 PM
As you said, it's a rare occasion when HOS does a broadcast dedicated solely to one artist. But as this beautiful tribute showed, Mark Hollis was an absolutely perfect choice. A beautiful episode.
Posted by: SeanLMcCarthy | 19 April 2019 at 07:46 PM
Greetings. I listened to this when it first came out. Amazing. How can I access this again. I've since let my membership expire. DO I need to re-up it to listen?
Paul
Posted by: paul kolp | 28 October 2022 at 08:15 PM