Chris Whitten interview

[NicoMK]

Yes, I can't remember any time Mark smiled at me during the show, or had a good word to say about my performance.
On the flight to Barcelona after the final show he sat in silence. There was no end of tour party.

I feel sorry that it happened this way between you (at least) and Mark.

The episode in the plane is just as sad. No party after such a big tour, whether you enjoyed it or not, is just incredible. No thankyous to the whole band either? No excuses for Mark but hell, I wouldn't have wanted to be in his head at the time.

[superval99]

I enjoy listening and watching On The Night a lot, what happened between Mark and the band is their business, not mine, but it was a long time ago now, and Mark is a different person now, I am sure he was a different person when he started his solo career, he just needed a different focus I think, there a more people who have good things to say about him than negative, I am sure the likes of Chet Atkins, EmmyLou Harris, the 96's etc would have found him out by now, Guy would have jumped ship long ago, and John Illsley wouldn't still have Mark as a close friend if he was the type of person he was painted as being years ago, we all change over time, it's natural, I am sure we all have behaved a certain way when younger that we wouldn't do when older.

 I wonder if Mark treated the rest of the band in the same way as he treated Chris -  not speaking or smiling to them for two years - or was it just Chris?   I find that very difficult to imagine, even though I know it wasn't a happy tour for MK or other band members.  Also I wonder how did Chris get along with the rest of the band?

[Rolo]

Extremely Glad you are the real Chris, I started playing with the OES tour and for me the gods after MK from that tour
are Paul Franklin and You, that says it all

but frankly I am quite perplexed that you feel the need to tell the world after 30 years that MK treated you that way,
and repeated in several posts, why do you feel that need ?

it doesn't matter if the story is really true or not, it's interesting from a fan point of view like mine, but also very unprofessional from another point of view, so to me at the end it feels like an offense/insult to MK, if you feel differently we agree to disagree.

I'm sorry, but it's Chris history as a musician.
Many artists tells historyes from 30, 40, 50 years ago.
So, CW has the right to tell his experiences as a musician anytime he wants.

There's no need too much search to read/listen MK criticism about DK as a musician or the way that he treated Pick's wife after that he left the band. Or even he tells that the Jeff Beck's solo on Private Dancer is the second worst guitar solo ever. And i never read anyone saying that its unprofessional.

Many times, i've read from other forums, sites, blogs... enormous critics about hired DS/MK band members. Danny, McCusker, The Brass guys, Ianto....

Chris gave a glimpse to some fans what is to be a hired musician.
Sometimes its a Joy, manytimes not.
Chirs gave to us a perspective to how the market really is and it's nothing wrong with that.

From some years to now, i see that DS is backing to the lights again.
The tribute bands, books, album reissues... These things make that some band mambers tell his storyes and back to the scene. Playing with great bands its good to get new gigs and tours.

Same occurred with the Pensa Suhr history. Tottally bullsh8.
Jonh came to this forum and told the real story.
And John went to the GuitarWank podcast and told the very same history again.

So, MK and Rudy are both liers?
Or business men?

[Chris W]

Again.... I can't emphasise this enough.
*I didn't start this topic*
I posted the first time because people were guessing this and that about me, so I wanted to set a few things straight.
I have felt the same way about the tour since about the second week. It comes out now because I retired from drumming after the tour (that tells you something) and I haven't done any interviews since 1992. Recently podcasts have become a thing, so I've done a few. I was actually shocked when Pick did a bunch of podcasts in 2020 and mentioned the exact same issues I faced, 10 years before I experienced it.
Drums are always an easy area to vent on. Feel and tempo are subjective. A guitarist has to actually play a wrong chord or note to be criticised.
There were only a few of us new boys - Me, Phil, Danny and Paul Franklin.
Paul had played on the album and Mark admired him. From my point of view Phil was given a hard time.

[NicoMK]

I'm sorry, but it's Chris history as a musician.
Many artists tells historyes from 30, 40, 50 years ago.
So, CW has the right to tell his experiences as a musician anytime he wants.

There's no need too much search to read/listen MK criticism about DK as a musician or the way that he treated Pick's wife after that he left the band. Or even he tells that the Jeff Beck's solo on Private Dancer is the second worst guitar solo ever. And i never read anyone saying that its unprofessional.

Chris gave a glimpse to some fans what is to be a hired musician.
Sometimes its a Joy, manytimes not.
Chirs gave to us a perspective to how the market really is and it's nothing wrong with that.

From some years to now, i see that DS is backing to the lights again.
The tribute bands, books, album reissues... These things make that some band mambers tell his storyes and back to the scene. Playing with great bands its good to get new gigs and tours.

Same occurred with the Pensa Suhr history. Tottally bullsh8.
Jonh came to this forum and told the real story.
And John went to the GuitarWank podcast and told the very same history again.

I'd tend to agree with this whole post.

It can't be all white or all black and we have to accept different stories, whether we like them or not.

We can debate, share opinions etc. always, in a very gentle manner…

Many times, i've read from other forums, sites, blogs... enormous critics about hired DS/MK band members. Danny, McCusker, The Brass guys, Ianto....

BUT whoever criticizes Danny here then I'll kick his a**   

[quizzaciously]

The Pensa/Suhr situation might be the fishiest story in Mark's entire biography. Without knowing the truth told from their side I honestly can't take seriously both Mr Pensa or Mark's obsession with his guitars. Every time I see Rudy I think about this controversy and how absolutely nothing has been done to avoid it.

[Chris W]

but also very unprofessional from another point of view, so to me at the end it feels like an offense/insult to MK, if you feel differently we agree to disagree.

When you have played with a major artist we can agree to disagree, in the meantime, you're a fan and telling my side of the situation is !!NOT!! insulting Mark.

[NicoMK]

When you have played with a major artist we can agree to disagree, in the meantime, you're a fan and telling my side of the situation is !!NOT!! insulting Mark.

From my point of view, I read nothing insulting or disrespectful towards Mark in all your posts above. Just your testimony of a situation at a time.

Maybe John or Alan or Danny or even Phil etc. would post something different but it's precisely the point.

Plus, I think that it's a real chance that we, fans, can interact with a member of a band that we used to love, so Chris thank you for posting here, all anecdotes are welcome.

Once again we should feel lucky to chat about something that we love(d). 

[Rolo]

When you have played with a major artist we can agree to disagree, in the meantime, you're a fan and telling my side of the situation is !!NOT!! insulting Mark.

Chris, thank you to come to this forum and tell us your experience with the Dire Straits.
Your work with Paul its a blast. Working with some great guys like Robbie, Gilmour (probally he recorde, far his guitars after the sessions), Trevor, David Foster and many other great musicians.
It must be a joy to record with these fellows.

Like some here, i am a musician (not a good one), but i worked with some local bands, record some sh*t... Manytimes the concerts was very stressfull. Some artists are a pain in the *ss, but that's life.
As a musician, we always try to play our best, pick up the money and, if the pros are above the cons, we keep the job (if it was still avaliable).

I'm not telling my story as a musician, far from this.
I'm telling that, in my case and many other musicians, there's no tour sponsor, barely has a contract, the transportations sucks... its a nightmare. A real dire straits. 

Reading your comments about the tour, i admire the professionalism of all crew. Expecially the musicians.

In my opiniom, the OES album and tour are purelly contractual.
Your glimpse about MK's mind shows me, even if his head was in Nashville, he made the tour and played a hell of guitar.
And you guys worked to bring a big concert and played a great amount of songs.
Two years tryng to find joy and friendship with the band members.
Even if the tour was unfriendly, you guys delivered a great product (live concerts, live album and video) that its admired from fans all across the globe.

You are not insulting anyone.
And, who gave up from the rest of the tour, that person was MK.
Because, if i'm not wrong, the plan was a 3 or 4 year tour.
He knew he was not well.

Sorry my poor english and thank you again to share that small part of your life with us.

[Robson]

It's a shame John Illsley writes so little about DS's last tour. But I haven't read the entire book yet. Memories John should also be important to us.

[NicoMK]

From my point of view, I read nothing insulting or disrespectful towards Mark in all your posts above. Just your testimony of a situation at a time.

Describing MK like a robot who literally "never smiles at you, not even once the whole 350 shows tour" who is "miserable and borderline angry the whole time" "who never had a good word to say the whole tour" is not disrespectful ? man

For me at least, it's not insulting. Apparently it's just how Chris felt, none of us were there to tell how things exactly happened so I won't speak for him. Plus, as I pointed out, maybe other band members would tell different stories etc. so why not accepting Chris' words as they are? Everyone's perfectly entitled to agree or to disagree. Personally I'm just quite happy to have an insight on the Dire Straits history.

Obviously many stories tend to confirm that the OES tour was not quite a happy tour but… one more time we were not there!

And we are fans, so our opinion are most of the time biased, to say the least. 

Whether MK is an ogre at work or not, well……… I respect him as an artist and I'm glad that he and his musicians -- all of them -- brought some good music to us for more than 40 years.

[Pierre]

I have a feeling this thread is a wasted opportunity to have a proper and constructive chat with someone we have all admired at some point. I'm talking about Chris! Yes, all the guys in the On the night video were heros for me at some point, I was 14 when I discovered it and back then I thought people in a band were friends. 
I've grown up, thanks whoever, and now I know better, but Chris W. can say whatever he has to say, I believe him, I like his sincerity and the courage he is showing to be posting here. He is not my favourite of drummers to have played with MK, I said so somewhere, but he is in my music pantheon all the same. I love MK's music but I am not blind to the fact he can be a tyrant of sort. There have been quite a few stories. 
I take things with a grain of salt for sure but there's an underlying issues between MK and drummers. Pick left, Terry wasn't taken for On the night, Chris stopped drumming, Chad disapeared.
Come on we are not here to "defend" MK, he has no need for that.

Some people here are stuck with Chris' experience with MK while we could be chatting of how the tour was prepared, were there any songs that the band liked to play more? Song that were tricky or boring? How did the song evolved or not?
 

[Rolo]

Some people here are stuck with Chris' experience with MK while we could be chatting of how the tour was prepared, were there any songs that the band liked to play more? Song that were tricky or boring? How did the song evolved or not?

Tottally agreed.

[NicoMK]

I have a feeling this thread is a wasted opportunity to have a proper and constructive chat with someone we have all admired at some point. I'm talking about Chris! Yes, all the guys in the On the night video were heros for me at some point, I was 14 when I discovered it and back then I thought people in a band were friends. 

Exactly.

[NicoMK]

Some people here are stuck with Chris' experience with MK while we could be chatting of how the tour was prepared, were there any songs that the band liked to play more? Song that were tricky or boring? How did the song evolved or not?

100% agree. In the end Chris will think that we are completely nuts so let's turn this thread into a much more positive discussion. A bunch of questions for you Chris, if you feel like it:

- best pal(s) on that tour?
- song that you liked best?
- most challenging song to play and why?
- best memory / anecdote?
- best venue?

Cheers!