Mark Holden joins Paul Cashmere for an in-depth Noise11 interview about his new album Now & Then & Shirley MacLaine, a deeply personal collection connecting his past as an Australian pop star with his decades as a songwriter, producer and creative collaborator.
Mark Holden reveals the extraordinary story behind the album title and the song Shirley MacLaine, which began with an unexpected conversation in Hawaii with a man who claimed to have been Shirley MacLaine’s tour manager.
He also discusses reconnecting with longtime Los Angeles songwriter Richard Feldman, rediscovering recordings from his 1970s career, releasing previously unavailable material, and the remarkable creative growth he experienced between the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The conversation explores Mark Holden’s work with Larry Dunn of Earth, Wind & Fire, his songwriting connection to The Temptations, his R&B influences and his collaboration with Vanessa Amorosi.
Mark talks openly about The Shine In You, written for his daughter, and Last Dance, an intimate song about his wife and the passage of time.
He explains how Every Little Thing became one of the album’s most emotional recordings, the role of young producer Tyler Sunshine, engineer Thomas Strode and piano composer Andy Martin, and why Anthony Callea was the perfect singer for Welcome Home.
Mark Holden also discusses his reworking of Tom Waits’ Tom Traubert’s Blues as a response to the Bondi Beach tragedy, including his decision to seek the blessing of the Britvan family.
Finally, Mark Holden explains why he has no plans for a major tour. At 72, his focus remains songwriting, recording and production, with one Melbourne performance planned to celebrate the album before he turns his attention to an audiobook project based on the Holden Brothers Travelling Circus.
Watch the full Mark Holden interview with Paul Cashmere on Noise11.
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