MARC ALMOND
“ I’M LOOKING AT THE WORLD AROUND ME AND MYSELF IN THE MIRROR AND, REALLY, I’M DANCING THROUGH THE CHAOS OF IT ALL”
SEX, FAME, RELIGION, CHILDHOOD, GROWING OLDER, THE TROUBLE WITH RELATIONSHIPS… THERE IS PROBABLY NO SUBJECT THAT MARC ALMOND WON’T TACKLE WITH UNFAILING HUMOUR AND A LACERATING LEVEL OF SELFKNOWLEDGE. CLASSIC POP HAS OFTEN BEEN THE LUCKY RECIPIENT OF AN ALMOND BON MOT, SO FOR THIS SYNTH-POP SPECIAL WE COLLECT A FEW OF OUR HERO’S THOUGHTS AND REVISIT THEM ONE MORE WELL-DESERVED TIME…
JOHN EARLS
One of the most adaptable of our synth-pop icons, Marc Almond is equally at home on daytime TV or acting as part of an industrial music art-noise project. He’s equally flexible as an interviewee. Classic Pop has interviewed Marc no less than four times; unfailingly polite, Almond engages fully with any questions put to him, often at his own expense.
Over the six years we’ve been speaking, Marc began by sounding uncertain about his future – his 2010 album Varieté looked, for a while, like it might be his final pop album, as he was battling with writers’ block. All that was needed, it transpired, was meeting the right writing partner. Ever since Chris Braide – who progressed from being Soft Cell’s backing singer to producing Beyoncé – volunteered to write songs for Marc, he’s been flying, and this new collaboration helped spark the confidence to reunite Soft Cell for their 40th anniversary in 2018.
Throughout our conversations Marc has shared his wisdom on everything from the state of modern pop to climate change while revealing what his life is like in the rare moments when he’s not on stage or in the studio. As someone who admits he plans his activities two years in advance, Marc is already plotting a new Soft Cell album to follow his recent eclectic classic, Chaos And A Dancing Star. Classic Pop will be with Marc all the way.
In the meantime, here are some of the highlights of our chats over the years. Almond is a quote magnet: imagine him delivering these lines with a conspiratorial smile and the relaxed air of someone who’s been through the hard times and emerged all the stronger. Unless you’re Greta Thunberg, you’ll definitely want to read on…
Marc Almond: “I’ve come to terms with the fact I can’t really leave music behind. I don’t know what else I’d do”
How did your childhood inspire 2015’s The Velvet Trail?
Southport beach was the most magical place in the world when I was growing up, even into my teens. You’d always stumble across young couples making love, and it was where I had some of my first sexual experiences. The town became neglected, this once-sandy beach became overgrown. But it’s become a nature trail now, known as The Velvet Trail. As an adult, I’ve tried to recognise the landscape of where I had all those adventures, spot the tree I’d listen to Marc Bolan under.