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Mark Hollis: A Perfect Silence
Now in paperback and updated in 2024 with fresh interviews and a new cover design by James Marsh, this is the first complete, in-depth biography of Mark Hollis. The new, revelatory text includes interviews with musician Tony Paknadel, who jammed with Hollis in 1979; producer Gareth Jones, who worked with Hollis on a demo in 1980 and discusses a Hollis-compiled mixtape from the period; Axel Ray Steuerwald, who lived with Mark’s brother Ed for much of the last year of his life; and EMI executive Nigel Reeve, who enjoyed a long working relationship and personal friendship with Hollis from 1986 until 2019. Together with original interviewees Simon Brenner, producer Rhett Davies, Phill Brown, musical collaborators George Page, Phil Ramocon, Martin Ditcham, Dominic Miller, Mark Feltham, Johnny Turnbull, Robbie McIntosh, Talk Talk live sound engineer Chris Beale, long-time manager Keith Aspden, original A+R manager Ashley Goodall, it all makes for as complete a history of the life and work of Mark Hollis as there is, told in fascinating detail.
382 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 10, 2022
As a fan of Talk Talk, admittedly in their (his?!) earlier, less experimental form, I was eager to read this. I knew so little of Mark Hollis, and that was how he liked it, it seems. Based around the chronology of the band's releases, beginning before Talk Talk was their name, it walks a path that deviates here and there to shine light on many of the other people involved with Hollis over the years. There's a little personal information, but upon reading the whole book you'll realise why it's scant. As documentary evidence of the process of recording their albums, this book is invaluable. It goes into just enough nerdy detail to explain events, but not too much that you wish you'd been born a sound engineer. I don't want to spoil anything, but for me personally, at least, I wasn't sure of who Mark was when I began reading, but I felt by the end of it I saw large pieces of his character, his 'way', and how he interacted with others. I could understand many parts of that, and empathised, yet others I couldn't rationalise with expectation. The book is well written, and aside from a few typos in this first edition that were not caught at proofreading stage, the presentation is excellent. My only wish was that there were a few more photos included, particularly ones that are explicitly mentioned in the text. I know at least some could be found from their original sources in the references, but it felt like a missed opportunity.
For anyone interested in Talk Talk, this book adds to the superb 'Spirit of Talk Talk' from the same publisher, and will be an essential read.
For anyone interested in Talk Talk, this book adds to the superb 'Spirit of Talk Talk' from the same publisher, and will be an essential read.
June 9, 2022
This biography of Mark Hollis is a fascinating read but, if you're looking for a tale of rock 'n' roll debauchery, you're going to be disappointed. What emerges is that Hollis made a few records, had a taste of fame, didn't much like it and chose to move away from the music business following the release of his solo album, just before the turn of the millennium. Consequently, this is a tale of fiercely protected privacy and obsessive artistic purity. He was not quite the mysterious recluse that legend suggests, which makes for a less interesting story.
However, Wardle does justice to the story by impinging very little on Hollis' marital life, leaving his wife and sons faceless and undeveloped, just as his subject would have wanted it.
However, what makes this book worth reading is the insight Wardle gives us into the economics, politics and legalities of record company contracts and negotiations.
Additionally, as I'd hoped, the sections on the recording of the indisputable classics, 'Spirit of Eden', 'Laughing stock' and 'Mark Hollis ' are fascinating. It's clear that what set Hollis apart from his peers was his refusal to do the same thing twice and, despite the similarity in tone between the last two Talk Talk albums, the working methods could not be further apart!
All in all, I was left feeling rather sad at the end of the book. There appeared to be years where Hollis was beset by uncertainty about which path to pursue musically. However, this emotional response is wrong because, if I learned anything at all about Mark Hollis from Wardle's book, it's that he was perfectly happy to get out of the music business. Good for him!
However, Wardle does justice to the story by impinging very little on Hollis' marital life, leaving his wife and sons faceless and undeveloped, just as his subject would have wanted it.
However, what makes this book worth reading is the insight Wardle gives us into the economics, politics and legalities of record company contracts and negotiations.
Additionally, as I'd hoped, the sections on the recording of the indisputable classics, 'Spirit of Eden', 'Laughing stock' and 'Mark Hollis ' are fascinating. It's clear that what set Hollis apart from his peers was his refusal to do the same thing twice and, despite the similarity in tone between the last two Talk Talk albums, the working methods could not be further apart!
All in all, I was left feeling rather sad at the end of the book. There appeared to be years where Hollis was beset by uncertainty about which path to pursue musically. However, this emotional response is wrong because, if I learned anything at all about Mark Hollis from Wardle's book, it's that he was perfectly happy to get out of the music business. Good for him!
Read
April 5, 2024A biography which admits from the off that it's taken on a tough job, the Talk Talk frontman being not just famously reclusive, but a bit of a bullshitter when he did deign to speak; early on, Wardle answers the question of the third Hollis brother, which I hadn't known was a long-standing mystery on a par with the third Summers brother. But Paul will indeed prove just as marginal a figure as that comparison suggests, unmentioned after page 21, while big brother Ed gets Mark into music, into the nascent pub rock scene...and then gets himself into heroin, which goes about as well as that usually does. By this point, though, Mark has got over his failure to become a rock star with new wave also-rans the Reaction, and established himself with Talk Talk, albeit in a tentative sort of way; he's already talking in terms of John Coltrane as a key influence, but the press mostly see the band as a knock-off Duran Duran, and (not that the exact phrase was in circulation in the same way) definite industry plants. Encounters with journalists go poorly, them equally unsympathetic whether he's talking about Bartók or Russ Abbot, and instilling an increasing scepticism about the whole process. From here, the broad trajectory of the story is the same as the legend - eventual pop success, though mainly overseas, puts Hollis in a position to make the increasingly un-pop music he dreams of, gradually stripping things away until he eventually disappears entirely.
Except, also no. Because in those last years of retirement, yes, friends would sometimes come round to visit Hollis and find him insisting on playing them a single, sustained note on the piano - but equally, he did use the income from the No Doubt cover to engage in cliché ageing rock star activities like buying motorbikes and sports cars and, worst of all, getting into golf. Most jarring of all, the man who'd retreated from the music industry because he was fed up with all the compromises tried getting into making music for films instead, which sounds like a punchline (though you do wonder whether Marie Antoinette might have been slightly less of a grind had it had a Hollis score). And even before that, the apparent simplicity of his later records turns out to have been grounded in monumentally wasteful recording sessions, months of big name guest musicians and whole choirs being dragged in and then having a single moment of their work, if that, appear in the finished piece. And not necessarily being treated very well while they were doing it, either, though memories vary on that. Certainly, there's a recurring sense of Hollis needing collaborators, but also failing to communicate with them and taking advantage, financially and otherwise. Combined with his dislike of eye contact, it would be tempting to attempt to diagnose him with something after the event, a temptation Wardle avoids (though he does seem a bit fixated on Hollis' sticky-out ears). At the very least, the guy was a moody git, prone to various unappealing behaviours running all the way from bullying his bandmates into getting drunk, to not getting his round in when he was clearly the richest one there. Which left me feeling a bit awkward about reading this, perhaps seeing why Hollis was so reluctant to ever present himself, instead of the work. I know we all have our own shifting grids of considerations as to when the person spoils the work, but for me, a big part of it is about whether the new information goes against the grain. And just as I can still watch a bastard play the villain, but not the romantic hero, so all the waste and Essex geezer misbehaviour from someone with such an ascetic image bothers me far worse than it would with a musician where maximalism and debauchery were their acknowledged schtick. Mercifully, I've got Colour Of Spring on now, same as every April 5th, and it still sounds immense.
Except, also no. Because in those last years of retirement, yes, friends would sometimes come round to visit Hollis and find him insisting on playing them a single, sustained note on the piano - but equally, he did use the income from the No Doubt cover to engage in cliché ageing rock star activities like buying motorbikes and sports cars and, worst of all, getting into golf. Most jarring of all, the man who'd retreated from the music industry because he was fed up with all the compromises tried getting into making music for films instead, which sounds like a punchline (though you do wonder whether Marie Antoinette might have been slightly less of a grind had it had a Hollis score). And even before that, the apparent simplicity of his later records turns out to have been grounded in monumentally wasteful recording sessions, months of big name guest musicians and whole choirs being dragged in and then having a single moment of their work, if that, appear in the finished piece. And not necessarily being treated very well while they were doing it, either, though memories vary on that. Certainly, there's a recurring sense of Hollis needing collaborators, but also failing to communicate with them and taking advantage, financially and otherwise. Combined with his dislike of eye contact, it would be tempting to attempt to diagnose him with something after the event, a temptation Wardle avoids (though he does seem a bit fixated on Hollis' sticky-out ears). At the very least, the guy was a moody git, prone to various unappealing behaviours running all the way from bullying his bandmates into getting drunk, to not getting his round in when he was clearly the richest one there. Which left me feeling a bit awkward about reading this, perhaps seeing why Hollis was so reluctant to ever present himself, instead of the work. I know we all have our own shifting grids of considerations as to when the person spoils the work, but for me, a big part of it is about whether the new information goes against the grain. And just as I can still watch a bastard play the villain, but not the romantic hero, so all the waste and Essex geezer misbehaviour from someone with such an ascetic image bothers me far worse than it would with a musician where maximalism and debauchery were their acknowledged schtick. Mercifully, I've got Colour Of Spring on now, same as every April 5th, and it still sounds immense.
May 30, 2024
The late Mark Hollis, brains behind the band Talk Talk, is an interesting figure. First, he was a puzzle to almost everyone who met him. He was difficult to get to know, eschewed publicity, and had a single-minded vision of what music should be about. His desire to make music for the sheer sake of making it - the business of it be damned - took his band on a fascinating creative arc. If you were to play their first album, The Party's Over back-to-back with their last, Laughing Stock, you'd be hard pressed to explain whether or not they were even the same band.
Author Wardle does his best to give us a picture of this enigmatic composer, and for the most part, he succeeds. Interviewing, seemingly, everyone Hollis ever came in contact with, working to overcome their reticence to talk Talk Talk, he takes us through the early days of grudging commercial success (the UK press never viewed them as anything more than Duran Duran wannabees), past the creation of It's My Life (which would give Hollis a hit in two different decades), and examining the transition across the band's last three albums, with Hollis dueling with record companies over pursuing the vision given him by his many musical influencers.
Along the way Wardle debunks some of the legends that have persisted around the creation of these highly influential albums, catalogs the comings and goings of band members and studio musicians (Hollis' modus operandi begins to look a lot like Steely Dan's in those later years), and gives us the best picture that can be had of him - a creative with a genuine vision, who came, said everything he wanted to say, and then walked away from that to be a family man.
Hollis as a subject might be a bit obscure for most, but his story is compelling. And considering that over the years he has replaced Trevor Horn as my favorite male singer (sorry, Trev!), I found the book absorbing. I'm not sure I'd have wanted Hollis as a friend, given his quirks, but I'll still play his records into the ground. And recommend this book as the story of someone who fought the big corporate music machine - and won.
Author Wardle does his best to give us a picture of this enigmatic composer, and for the most part, he succeeds. Interviewing, seemingly, everyone Hollis ever came in contact with, working to overcome their reticence to talk Talk Talk, he takes us through the early days of grudging commercial success (the UK press never viewed them as anything more than Duran Duran wannabees), past the creation of It's My Life (which would give Hollis a hit in two different decades), and examining the transition across the band's last three albums, with Hollis dueling with record companies over pursuing the vision given him by his many musical influencers.
Along the way Wardle debunks some of the legends that have persisted around the creation of these highly influential albums, catalogs the comings and goings of band members and studio musicians (Hollis' modus operandi begins to look a lot like Steely Dan's in those later years), and gives us the best picture that can be had of him - a creative with a genuine vision, who came, said everything he wanted to say, and then walked away from that to be a family man.
Hollis as a subject might be a bit obscure for most, but his story is compelling. And considering that over the years he has replaced Trevor Horn as my favorite male singer (sorry, Trev!), I found the book absorbing. I'm not sure I'd have wanted Hollis as a friend, given his quirks, but I'll still play his records into the ground. And recommend this book as the story of someone who fought the big corporate music machine - and won.
July 9, 2024
I’m all for insightful and creative musical archeology.
However this book is as threadbare as the previous Talk Talk book from the same publisher.
These books go to great lengths to talk to some people on the very periphery of those involved without actually talking TO THE PEOPLE INVOLVED!!!
Where are the Lee Harris and Paul Webb stories?
Probably because they didn’t want to be involved.
And that’s because it’s the way that Mark wanted it
And here’s the rub, raking over already thin on the ground information is only going to give you more thin on the ground information, it’s the law of diminishing returns.
Phil Brown covered this subject adequately and in more detail.
I admire the enthusiasm and commitment but it doesn’t make for any great revelations.
These days everything has to be forensically examined so much so that it sucks the mystery and soul out of things.
Going over the past again and again diminishes the product.
Mark would have been aghast.
Just let things be and enjoy the wonderful music that was gifted to us by a small group of individuals.
Let it the music into your life and enjoy the silence….
However this book is as threadbare as the previous Talk Talk book from the same publisher.
These books go to great lengths to talk to some people on the very periphery of those involved without actually talking TO THE PEOPLE INVOLVED!!!
Where are the Lee Harris and Paul Webb stories?
Probably because they didn’t want to be involved.
And that’s because it’s the way that Mark wanted it
And here’s the rub, raking over already thin on the ground information is only going to give you more thin on the ground information, it’s the law of diminishing returns.
Phil Brown covered this subject adequately and in more detail.
I admire the enthusiasm and commitment but it doesn’t make for any great revelations.
These days everything has to be forensically examined so much so that it sucks the mystery and soul out of things.
Going over the past again and again diminishes the product.
Mark would have been aghast.
Just let things be and enjoy the wonderful music that was gifted to us by a small group of individuals.
Let it the music into your life and enjoy the silence….
November 23, 2022
As an insight into the recording, song writing and lyrics of Talk Talk/Mark Hollis albums this book is excellent and probably one of the best music books I have read. Usually books either go into too little or too much detail about recording processes but this was perfect and it made me go back and listen to the output of the band and hear it in a new light which is exactly why I read books about musicians I like in the first place, so full marks for that. As an insight into Mark Hollis this book doesn't really deliver, not so much the fault of the author, but I assume the main band members and his family didn't want to be involved, so it falls a bit flat as a biography and if anything puts a question mark over his head (pardon the pun). I really wish the author had decided to write a book about Talk Talk rather than focus on Mark, I think then the band members would have been more open to discussion and I would have liked to have known more about their backgrounds and post Talk Talk careers.
February 1, 2023
What a book!!! Very good job from Mr Wardle. Not only for TALK TALK fans like me but for any music lover, this is a real gem of a book. Very well researched, in depth, trying to give a holistic aspect of Hollis behaviour within music business but also in a personal level. I really enjoyed the chapters for the recrordings of Spirit of Eden and Laughing stock. I do think i understand now Hollis more as an artist but also as a person. I dont know if Mr Wardle implies it, but I do have the feeling from what I' ve read that he was a highly functional Autistic (Asperger Syndrome maybe?) or just a person with not so many social skills? Or just a loner... Who knows? The truth is that he changed the life of many people including myself with his music.
Ps There are some tiny errors in the book (The prog legend is Steven Wilson not Stephen and is a huge fan of Mark Hollis and Talk Talk) but not that many to make me overlook its importance in music biographies...
Ps There are some tiny errors in the book (The prog legend is Steven Wilson not Stephen and is a huge fan of Mark Hollis and Talk Talk) but not that many to make me overlook its importance in music biographies...
March 13, 2023
A hugely entertaining book about the enigmatic Mark Hollis, songwriter and frontman of the incredible band Talk Talk. Given his legendary taciturn nature, Ben Wordle has managed to wring out every possible bit of colour and detail of a deeply private life in this biography, through interviews with ex-band members, studio and record label staff, and management. In doing so, the reader learns so much new detail about the band and Hollis himself, from the first ever performances to the meticulous, painstaking (and often maddening) construction of the final three albums, now fully appreciated as seminal works of art. For a man who, as a young boy, rode all the way to Bradford on an early-morning bus to be at the HMV in order to pick up a copy of ‘The Colour Of Spring’ on release day, only to be told it hadn’t come in yet, this was the perfect read. I grew along with the music, and Talk Talk will always be one of my very favourite bands. A superb book.
August 10, 2024
Well it's 5 stars because it does a very good job of piecing together all of the available info on my favourite musician and presents some insight into what motivated him and the circumstances of the recordings of some of my most cherished albums.
With this latest addition there is a short but intriguing afterword resulting from a few friends of Mark who had read the first edition but had not contributed providing an update. This includes contemporaneous info on Ed Hollis listening to and reacting to I Believe In You, which is often attributed to being about him and his struggles with drug addiction. Then we hear from Nigel Reeve who reveals some details of Mark's life near the end and a poignant message following surgery and just before his death.
Ultimately, this a great book for fans of Mark and his music, it charts how he eventually got to make the music he wanted to make despite the obstacles of the music business. He doesn't always come across as a sympathetic figure and tellingly the core members of Talk Talk, including Tim Friese Greene remain tight lipped.
With this latest addition there is a short but intriguing afterword resulting from a few friends of Mark who had read the first edition but had not contributed providing an update. This includes contemporaneous info on Ed Hollis listening to and reacting to I Believe In You, which is often attributed to being about him and his struggles with drug addiction. Then we hear from Nigel Reeve who reveals some details of Mark's life near the end and a poignant message following surgery and just before his death.
Ultimately, this a great book for fans of Mark and his music, it charts how he eventually got to make the music he wanted to make despite the obstacles of the music business. He doesn't always come across as a sympathetic figure and tellingly the core members of Talk Talk, including Tim Friese Greene remain tight lipped.
October 3, 2022
I've not knowingly read any of Ben's writing before, but this is a lovely read.
It would be easy to work with the mythology around Mark Hollis simply. But this is a lovingly reached book, which seeks to take a very balanced view of who the very private Mark Hollis. Fact is nicely separated from fiction and myths.
Ben has done an amazing job to gather what limited information is out there, and getting insights from those around Mark Hollis as many are tight-lipped.
On the strength of this, we'll be looking at Ben's other work
It would be easy to work with the mythology around Mark Hollis simply. But this is a lovingly reached book, which seeks to take a very balanced view of who the very private Mark Hollis. Fact is nicely separated from fiction and myths.
Ben has done an amazing job to gather what limited information is out there, and getting insights from those around Mark Hollis as many are tight-lipped.
On the strength of this, we'll be looking at Ben's other work
June 1, 2022
I wanted to give it 5 stars but there were some errors. Nothing major except one being the man himself's name. It is Mark David Hollis, not John. A good proof read would have made all the difference.
Having said that I did enjoy reading, I am pleased people who previously did not understand the intricacies of Mark Hollis and Talk Talk will now know a hell of a lot more!
Having said that I did enjoy reading, I am pleased people who previously did not understand the intricacies of Mark Hollis and Talk Talk will now know a hell of a lot more!
August 18, 2023
A good story briskly told and a fair number of myths busted. Happily Mark Hollis is neither turned into a saint or shown to be monster. No, he shown to be a very talented human being. A very human being.
September 13, 2023
A really lovely read and as well researched and detailed as a book about a reclusive musician could be. I still wanted more about what made Hollis tick musically and while the book offers as much as possible on this I'll likely see what he revealed in the small number of interviews he granted.
October 22, 2022
Well researched and interesting biography of a very talented artist.
August 22, 2024
Great read
September 5, 2024
отличная книга для всех фанатов. показывает, что, к сожалению, и марк холлис не бог, а такой же человек со своими недостатками
RIP, мистер Холлис, мы скучаем
RIP, мистер Холлис, мы скучаем
December 3, 2024
As detailed a portrait of a complicated reclusive (in some ways) genius as you’re gonna get without speaking to the man himself.
November 3, 2025
Great book, audio book is good too. Still some errors sprinkled throughout, and disappointing that he adds unnecessary speculative fuel to the ‘I Believe In You’ song js about Ed when it is not.
Despite the errors it is a decent look into Mark Hollis as was the Spirit of Talk Talk book. Highly recommend these two books as the only definitive books about Talk Talk.
Thanks Ben for the book.
Despite the errors it is a decent look into Mark Hollis as was the Spirit of Talk Talk book. Highly recommend these two books as the only definitive books about Talk Talk.
Thanks Ben for the book.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews