Tag: Talk Talk

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Roundtable on Radio One, 1982.

RIchard Skinner: This is a new band now called Talk Talk. They come from London and this is Mirror Man.

(Mirror Man plays)

RS: If you’ve just joined us, this is Roundtable with Richard Skinner here, Kid Jensen as well, Robert Palmer and from Japan, David Sylvian.

The music there provided by Talk Talk, it’s called Mirror Man.

I’ll turn to you first Kid, coz I know that this is something that you’ve been involved in a sense, hasn’t it, the band.

KJ: Yes, I’m rather pleased that they made their Radio One debut on my show with a session, several weeks ago, it was amazing because a couple of nights after that they announced that they had signed to EMI Records, because the following day there had been all the major companies onto them they were so impressed, and up to that point they’d only done about 5 gigs! It sounded like some strange hype. I got more letters about the Talk Talk session than any other session I’ve ever broadcast, and I thought, this really is major hype at work here but then they toured with Duran Duran, and again I got a lot of response from people who had gone to see Duran Duran, had seen the support act and were asking me to play more of Talk Talk.

Now, about this single, I don’t think this is one of their better songs, some of the numbers from our session were more obvious, but I think this will be successful for them because they have certainly a big following already.

RS: Mark Hollis, who writes the songs, also sings, says he wants to write songs to last a decade. Robert? You know, I assume they don’t last that long, but you know, still stand up in ten years.

RP: That’s very ambitious.

RS:  Do you think he’s over reaching himself here or what?

RP. Um well. As I say, I heard this last night and it didn’t make any impression on me at all, last night,  and listening to it there, I know why – the mix is awful. It don’t think it’s bad but …

RS You’re straining to hear the words there aren’t you?

RP It wasn’t the lyrics. It sounds quiet and I bet if you turn it up really loud it’ll still sound quiet. The drummer’s really going for it, and there is no sensation of it. The part he’s playing is real strong. It’s probably good.

RS. David Sylvian, have you met this lot before? Are you aware of them?

DS. No, no.

RS First impressions then.

DS I quite like the song actually. I think, had it been produced differently, maybe a different arrangement, it could have been quite good. As it is, it doesn’t offend me. But you know. It should do maybe.

RS. I have to give mention to producer Colin Thurston here, who put the record together.

RP Is he on the phone?

RS I don’t think so, he probably will be in a minute!

I like the twiddly bits of violins, that’s what really got me.

KJ Maybe it’s coz the song was on their session, it was more immediate in our studio somehow.

RS. Because they just put it together, in what? 2 or 3 hours?

KJ Yeah.

RS Allright, I think they’ve got a big future anyway. Talk Talk.

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DeeJay TV, Italy, 1984

TRANSLATION from ITALIAN

First guy from audience: “Look I expect to space out! It’s been a depressive week, but now I am here and… ‘fiieeww’!!”

First girl from audience: “I await a concert with a music that is different from what we are usually used to…”

Second girl from audience: “I already saw Talk Talk in Milano and they were wonderful. I expect they will be even better here today, with all these people…”

First interview – Mark: “Why do I close myself in the wardrobe after the concert? Well, it happened twice in my life and both the times there were TV troupes in my room. You see, when I come back to the hotel and I am alone, I can slip into my bed and sleep. But if I come back and I find TV people in my room, so I begin to look for a better place to be quiet and I found out this best place is my wardrobe!”

Mark (in italian) on stage when introducing “It’s my life” song: “This song is very important to me because its title is ‘It’s my life’!!”

Second interview – Paul: “I have to say this was the best concert we ever did.” Lee: “It is a fantastic audience.” Mark: “Well, what can I say? I had fun. There is not so much to add, really. It was great and I had fun. I like doing concerts.”

Third interview, probably on the bus to the concert (not so easy to distinguish who is saying what) – Paul: “Here we are guys! All together while we’re going to the concert!” Lee(or Mark?): “First scene, ciak one!”

Fourth interview, immediately after the third, minute 10:16 – Lee: “Before getting on the stage I think about how I am going to play, I prepare myself psychologically, I think about the beats of the different songs and similar things…” Mark (laughing): “Before getting on the stage I train drinking two bottles of Gin!” Paul: “I do not think about anything before a concert. I get on the stage and play, just that. It’s simple.”

Again second girl from audience: “[I loved]… when they sang ‘Dum dum girl’, that is my favourite song from them…”    

Fifth interview, from minute 24:10, on the bus – Mark: “You know, there is this guy here (points the cameraman with finger) that is following me everywhere! I woke up this morning…” Paul(?): “And you got up…” Mark: “No! No! I did not ever get up and there was this guy with the camera filming! But who are you?! (Shouting) Who are you??!!” Lee: “I was under the shower, under the shower!! (from under the shower) Stop! Cut! I do not want to see you no more! (this last part added by italian translation)”

Again on the bus – Interviewer: “Which is the main difference between Italy and the other countries where you played?” Paul: “Here they speak Italian!” Mark: “ Yes, it’s true! They speak Italian!”

Sixth interview, with the crew, minute 27: Interviewer: “What does it mean [for you] to be touring with TT?” Phil Reis: “It’s a question of life!” John Turnball: “It is like delivering a baby!” Ian Curnaw: ”It’s a terrible thing!”

Final greetings, minute 29:40 – Mark: “I would like just to say that it was a great pleasure to work with Deejay Television!” Paul: “Ciao Deejay Television! Thank you!” Lee: ”Bye Deejay Television! Over and out!”

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Trailer for Tim Pope Video Tree Show 1984

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“Look. Do yself a favour. You must be getting well tired of talking to your girlfriend all the time, right? If you’ve got a wife you’re in even more trouble. Do something interesting for a change. Have something to talk about with your friends. The Tim Pope Video Show! …I’ve done my bit. I’ve got my money. I’m off out.”

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Tim Pope talking to Steve Rapport on Instagram Live, July 2021

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TP: I saw those pictures you did of Mark Hollis, I love that picture you did of me and Mark, it’s a wonderful picture. Talking of intense people.

(SR shows said picture)

TP: oh right yeah yeah what a wonderful picture that is. My dear buddy. Yeah what a lovely picture that is. Look at that.

SR: We’ve lost a lot of great people haven’t we.

TP: Mmm. I was very upset about Mark.

SR: I didn’t know that he was so popular but a lot of the people in this Instagram Live now that are listening are huge Mark Hollis fans.

(Shows pics from Such a Shame video).

TP: Oh look at that. Oh bless him. I remember shooting that, this is the Such a Shame video. Oh bless him. Yeah…well, erm, yeah. What can you say?

(SR shows more photos from the video shoot)

Aw, look at him, bless him. He once drove me around the north of England. When he got a little bit of money and he bought a Landrover, he took the top off it, which he wasn’t meant to, and it was January and it was, like, fucking cold. It was like minus whatever, and it had a heater about that size (indicates something very small) and we drove around the north of England. Oh my god. I’ve never been so cold. I can feel it now.
I liked Mark. Mark was always one of the most … I always say this…he was the most down to earth person, maybe you remember this, like,down to earth but the most extreme person. And those albums. I was around for all those albums. He used to joke and say that each album got half the speed of the previous one. Which was quite funny. Those albums are genius tho.
(Explaining the joke:)
I started working with him on It’s My Life, by the time he got to the next album all the songs were running at half speed, coz each album slowed down.

Funny enough, you talked about Stravinsky, earlier on, Mark, like, (he spins the camera to show shelves of DVDs “actually those are my DVDs”) he was the biggest influence on my record collection of anyone, ever, and Stravinsky was one of those people, he used to go “Get fucking Stravinsky, Popey!” So we’d be listening to a lot of Stravinsky, Milhaud…anyway, anyway, he literally shaped my record collection as it is now. Miles Davis and all that stuff. When you hear those albums … (Hollis accent)”Bit of Satie, Popey!”,y’know Eric Satie he was into,all this stuff,so he literally shaped my record collection, my musical taste, you know. Amazing. I mean, amazing.

I remember him, he got this place, he moved out of London and got this little vicarage in the east of England, near Bury St Edmunds,and he had this great big room with a piano in it, and I used to sit there with him,and he used to play these chords, with what he called claw hands or crab hands, I can’t remember what he called it,and he used to just sit there and play these chords as the sun…I can see it now, with the sun going down on the wall… just wonderful times with him.