Mark Holden: podcast appearances and interviews

Mark Ronald Holden, born on 27 April 1954, is an Australian who has held roles as a singer, actor, TV personality, record producer, songwriter, and barrister. During the 1970s, he achieved fame as a pop star with four top 20 hit singles including Never Gonna Fall in Love Again, I Wanna Make You My Lady, Last Romance, and Reach Out for the One Who Loves You. Holden was a regular presence on the national pop music show Countdown, where he was known for his clean-cut image, white dinner suit, and for handing out carnations to girls on the set, earning him the nickname The Carnation Kid. In the 1980s, he worked as a songwriter in Los Angeles, providing material recorded by artists such as Meat Loaf, Joe Cocker, Gladys Knight, Bob Welch, and Steve Jones. Holden also gained recognition as a television judge, serving as one of the three original judges on Australian Idol from 2003 to 2007 and appearing in the first season of The X Factor in 2005. Besides his entertainment career, he has been involved professionally in other fields, including serving as COO for Tungsten Parts Wyoming. His diverse career spans music, television, songwriting, and business, highlighting his multifaceted contributions across various industries.