Did I miss something?

RIP Mark Hollis, former lead singer of Talk Talk, who died yesterday. Though I must admit, until this morning, I’d never heard of him. And this despite being an obsessive music fan, especially in the 1980s. This was Talk Talk’s biggest – well, let’s be honest, only hit that most people would recognise. And yet all over social media, there are mournful posts about how Mark Hollis made such “important” music. The Guardian described him as an “icon”. I’m not saying they’re wrong, only that his reputed genius somehow passed me by. But if he really was a such an “icon”, I’m not sure how this happened. There’s one possible explanation for the unexpected outpouring of grief. Since we lost David Bowie, George Michael and Prince – three genuine icons – in the same year, we’re now obliged to grieve similarly for any musician. Even the former lead singer of Talk Talk.