Editing Mark Linkous (section)

==Biography==
===Early life===
Frederick Mark Linkous<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timesdispatch/obituary.aspx?n=frederick-linkous&pid=140689253 |title=FREDERICK LINKOUS Obituary: View FREDERICK LINKOUS's Obituary by Richmond Times-Dispatch |website=Legacy.com |date= 14 March 2010|accessdate=2010-05-01}}</ref> was born on September 9, 1962, in [[Arlington, Virginia]], to Gloria Hughes Thacker and Frederick Linkous.<ref name="siario2010" /> He had three brothers.<ref name="siario2010" /> Many members of his family were [[coal miner]]s by trade,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.readthehook.com/Stories/2002/02/28/heSparklesTheSadAndBeautif.html |newspaper=The Hook |first=James D. |last=Graham |date=28 February 2002 |title=Sparklehorse's one-man band owes everything to his snoozing wife |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206134734/http://www.readthehook.com/Stories/2002/02/28/heSparklesTheSadAndBeautif.html |archivedate=6 December 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://portable-infinite.blogspot.com/2010/03/sparklehorse-2002-interview-mark.html | title=Sparklehorse 2002 interview | first=Alexander |last=Laurence | work=The Portable Infinite | date=6 March 2010}}</ref> and Linkous chose a career in music in part to avoid working in mines.<ref name="bbc">{{YouTube|m3GCYWiz7Dk|"Sparklehorse BBC Culture Show"}}.</ref> His parents divorced before he was 13.<ref name="hook">{{Cite web|url=http://www.readthehook.com/Stories/2002/02/28/heSparklesTheSadAndBeautif.html|title=He sparkles: The sad and beautiful world of Mark Linkous|website=The Hook|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206134734/http://www.readthehook.com/Stories/2002/02/28/heSparklesTheSadAndBeautif.html |archive-date=2007-12-06 }}</ref>

He later characterized himself during his teenage years as a "juvenile delinquent", and began hanging out in a [[motorcycle gang]] at a young age.<ref name="hook" /> During his adolescence, he was sent to live with his paternal grandparents in [[Charlottesville]], Virginia.<ref name="hook" /> Linkous also attended [[Albemarle High School (Virginia)|Albemarle High School]] in Charlottesville, where he "went to school to see my friends&mdash;that's the only reason I didn't drop out."<ref name="hook" /> During his high school years, he began abusing [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] and consuming [[marijuana]] heavily.<ref name="hook" />

===Dancing Hoods===
Shortly after graduating from high school in the early 1980s, Linkous moved to [[New York City]], where he co-founded the band Dancing Hoods.<ref name="siario2010" /><ref name="amdh">[[AllMusic]] page: "[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p26327/biography|pure_url=yes}} Dancing Hoods - biography]."</ref> It featured Linkous on guitar and vocals, Bob Bortnick on vocals and guitar, Don Short on drums, and Eric Williams on bass.<ref name="amdh" /> In 1984, the group released a self-titled EP; a year later, it released the album ''12 Jealous Roses'' on [[Relativity Records]], which received a number of positive reviews.<ref name="amdh" /> [[The Replacements (band)|The Replacements]] and [[The Del Fuegos]] were also vocal fans of the band after the release of its first record.<ref name="amdh" />

In 1988, Dancing Hoods put out its second album, ''Hallelujah Anyway'', on [[Combat Records]].<ref name="amdh" /> A single from the album, "Baby's Got Rockets", was a modest [[college radio]] hit, and its video was picked up by [[MTV]]'s program''[[120 Minutes]]''.<ref name="amdh" /> The same year, the group relocated to [[Los Angeles]] in hopes of achieving mainstream success, but broke up shortly after.<ref name="amdh" />

=== Salt Chunk Mary ===
Following the breakup of Dancing Hoods, Linkous moved back to Virginia. There, before he started the [[Sparklehorse]] project, he had another band consisting of Frederick Mark Linkous, Matt Linkous, Chip Jones, and Steve Schick. Formed in late 1989 as The Johnson Family, it soon became Salt Chunk Mary—both names being characters in [[Jack Black (author)|Jack Black]]'s memoir ''[[You Can't Win (book)|You Can't Win]].'' Demos were circulated, but no official releases were made. By 1995, Mark Linkous formed the solo project Sparklehorse, taking a couple of Salt Chunk Mary songs with him, and Matt Linkous later formed The Rabbit with Melissa Moore.<ref>You can find the only existing album from this band [http://www.chromewaves.net/2010/11/mark-linkous-salt-chunk-mary-demos/ here].</ref>

===Sparklehorse===
After Dancing Hoods broke up, Linkous moved back to Virginia,<ref name="siario2010" /> where he continued writing songs. One of the tracks he wrote during this period with [[David Lowery (musician)|David Lowery]], "Sick of Goodbyes", was recorded by [[Cracker (band)|Cracker]] and appeared on its 1993 album ''[[Kerosene Hat]]''. While in Virginia, he performed concerts under the monikers The Johnson Family (with members of Richmond punk legends Honor Role) and Salt Chunk Mary.<ref name="variety">''[[Variety magazine|Variety]]'' article: "[https://www.variety.com/article/VR1118016169.html?categoryid=16&cs=1 Sparklehorses's Mark Linkous dies]".</ref> Linkous finally settled on the band name [[Sparklehorse]], and released ''[[Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot]]'' on [[Capitol Records]] in 1995. He remained the only consistent member throughout the band's existence.

In 1996, while supporting [[Radiohead]] on the first Sparklehorse tour, Linkous overdosed on alcohol, [[Diazepam|Valium]], [[antidepressant]]s, and possibly other substances in his London hotel room.<ref name="harp">{{cite web |url=http://www.harpmagazine.com/articles/detail.cfm?article_id=4606 |title=Mark Linkous: It's a Wonderful Life |accessdate=2006-10-31 |url-status=usurped |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031050602/http://www.harpmagazine.com/articles/detail.cfm?article_id=4606 |archivedate=2006-10-31 }}</ref> Rendered unconscious, he collapsed with his legs pinned beneath him, and remained in that position for almost 14 hours.<ref name="fwb">''Free Williamsburg'' article: "[http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/february_2002/interviews.html Sparklehorse: An interview with Mark Linkous] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130123131616/http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/february_2002/interviews.html |date=2013-01-23 }}."</ref> He was treated at [[St Mary's Hospital, London]].<ref name="siario2010" />  Subsequent surgeries saved both legs, but he required the use of a wheelchair for six months.<ref name="fwb" /> His legs never regained their original strength.<ref name="latimes">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mark-linkous9-2010mar09-story.html|title=Mark Linkous dies at 47; singer-songwriter of Sparklehorse|newspaper=LA Times|date=March 8, 2010}}</ref>

1998 saw the release of ''[[Good Morning Spider]]''; one of the album's songs, "St. Mary", dealt with Linkous's accident in London and subsequent rehabilitation.<ref name="siario2010" /> In 2001, Sparklehorse released ''[[It's a Wonderful Life (album)|It's a Wonderful Life]]'', which featured contributions from [[Tom Waits]], [[PJ Harvey]], [[John Parish]], [[Nina Persson]], [[Vic Chesnutt]], and [[Dave Fridmann]].

In 2003, Sparklehorse's song "Sea of Teeth" was featured on the soundtrack for ''[[All the Real Girls]]'', a film starring [[Zooey Deschanel]] and directed by [[David Gordon Green]].

In September 2006, Sparklehorse released ''[[Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain]]''. The album marked a new collaboration with [[Danger Mouse (musician)|DJ Danger Mouse]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=CULTURE- Light Years later: Linkous back after five years|url=http://www.readthehook.com/80047/culture-ilight-yearsi-later-linkous-back-after-five-years|access-date=2020-09-10|website=www.readthehook.com|language=en}}</ref>

In 2009, Linkous teamed up with electronic ambient artist [[Christian Fennesz]] to create ''[[In the Fishtank 15]]'', an experimental EP. The last four live shows Linkous did with Fennesz were during a European tour in October 2009.

At the time of his death, his manager confirmed that Linkous "had completed most of the work for a new Sparklehorse album", was in the process of moving to [[Knoxville, Tennessee]], and was working on setting up a studio where he planned to finish the record.<ref name="siario2010" />

===''Dark Night of the Soul''===
In the late 2000s, Linkous recorded the album ''[[Dark Night of the Soul (album)|Dark Night of the Soul]]'' with the producer [[Danger Mouse (music producer)|Danger Mouse]], the director [[David Lynch]], and ten other musicians. It was released on the Internet in May 2009, as was a book of photographs by Lynch to accompany the music. Though long delayed due to legal problems, it was officially released in 2010<ref name="siario2010" /> several months after Linkous's death. The album features several guest singers and writers, such as [[The Flaming Lips]] and [[Iggy Pop]]. Vic Chesnutt, another guest on the album, died by suicide a few months before Linkous. Because of this, the album is dedicated "in memory of Mark Linkous and [[Vic Chesnutt]]".

===Production and other work===
Aside from his own music, Linkous became a sought-after [[record producer]], and helmed works such as [[Nina Persson]]'s solo record, ''[[A Camp (album)|A Camp]]''; the track "Silverlake" by [[Azure Ray]] (feat. [[Sparklehorse]]), the first recording by Azure Ray after its six-year hiatus ended in 2009, later rerecorded and released by [[Saddle Creek Records]] after Linkous's death along with the demo he created; and [[Daniel Johnston]]'s ''[[Fear Yourself (Daniel Johnston album)|Fear Yourself]]''. Linkous was one of Johnston's most ardent supporters. Johnston was an [[outsider music|outsider artist]] who had a long battle with [[mental disorder|mental illness]]. In 2004, Linkous curated and produced ''[[The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered]]'', a tribute album featuring acts such as [[Beck]], [[Death Cab for Cutie]], [[Vic Chesnutt]], [[Tom Waits]] and [[Bright Eyes (band)|Bright Eyes]], and a collaboration between Sparklehorse and [[The Flaming Lips]] on the track "Go."

He collaborated with [[The Bangles|Bangles]] singer-songwriter [[Susanna Hoffs]] on several tracks for an unrealized solo album in 1993-1994, cowriting and contributing songs and playing on tracks including a cover of Johnston's "Go." Linkous also provided music for rapper [[Sage Francis]]'s album ''[[Li(f)e]]'' and the song "Love The Lie." The album and song were released after Linkous's death.