Welcome back to Those Who Are About To Dive: Chronicling Colosseum, Track by Bloody Track, where the track list occasionally takes a polite step aside so history can walk straight into the room and pour itself a drink.
THIS EPISODE:
Dr.’s Digressions — Mark Clarke: Mach II
Mark Clarke returns to the Den, and what begins as a simple question — “What was your first recorded track with Colosseum?” — detonates into a two-hour guided tour through five decades of rock mythology.
We confirm the answer: “Downhill and Shadows” from Daughter of Time — Mark’s first committed Colosseum studio performance. Nervous. Half an hour to cut it. Jon Hiseman says, “That’s great.” History moves on.
From there?
Strap in.
Mark walks us through:
And through it all, the recurring theme: Colosseum may have been a “well-known secret” among musicians — but the musicians were absolutely listening.
We also get deep into “Tonight” from Restoration — the song that brought Clem Clempson to tears in the studio.
There are brandy stories.
There are backstage politics.
There is honesty about egos, genius, and the difference between myth and memory.
Most importantly, there is this: After all the tours, the supergroups, the near-misses and the legends…Mark still wants to get on the plane.
Still wants to jam at soundcheck.
Still hugs Clem after a great show.
That’s not nostalgia.
That’s DNA.
No verdicts rendered this week.
Just lived history from a man who was there when it was all new.
Recommended Indulgences — Mark Clarke Edition
(Administered not for correction, but for pleasure.)
Next episode: we return to the tracks.
But for now —
The Doctor is in.
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