A Mark In Time
Mark Knopfler Discussion => Mark Knopfler Discussion Forum => Topic started by: superval99 on February 04, 2011, 09:47:19 AM
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Just came across this! :o
http://www.elsewhere.co.nz/mybackpages/765/mark-knopfler-why-the-long-face-son/
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I think it's very unprofessional of a journalist to publicise your personal, subjective impressions (spiced with lots of speculation) about a celebrity you interviewed... Even if Mark was in a bad mood that day for whatever reason. You can talk about it with your colleagues at lunch but not write about it, at least not in that way.
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The writer seems to have a chip on his shoulder one way or the other, seems fairly clear that MK isn't comfortable speaking about himself or doing just about any kind of "publicity". As we saw in that great documentary, he is a musician and songwriter, the other stuff just isn't important to him. :)
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A few of my friends, who obviously know I am a great MK fan, have said, after viewing the documentary,that he seemed very uncomfortable talking about himself, although they all enjoyed the programme immensely, just as I did! Obviously MK is a very reserved person and shuns publicity, that's why the documentary caused such excitement for us all, because we rarely see him talk about himself! :)
I agree that the journalist should have kept his feelings to himself, or at least discussed them in private. We know that MK likes to do things on his own terms and perhaps he wasn't in the mood for an interview that day.
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Mk is known to be not the easiest musician to interview especially for promotion. Ed sounds like he was the perfect man for that but for the casual reader Ed Bicknell's name does not sound as much appealing than the magical Mark Knopfler.
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still it is a blog, so not really an official "journalist outing" now was it?
i found it just another good story to read. and hell, we know how grumpy the old knopf can be,do i need to mention the magic word?
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--> videocamera ::)
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;D ;D :lol You said it, Pottel! Yes, MK can be very grumpy, but we still love him! :P
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Hahaha ;D Well, he is a person too and not a robot, he has also the right to be grunmpy one time! :)
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The magic word surely has to be "sausages" right? ;D Or was that Illsley (according to Phil Palmer?)
MK is simply not very good in interview situations, but now and again there is some good stuff. The BBC documentary was pretty good.
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;D ;D :lol You said it, Pottel! Yes, MK can be very grumpy, but we still love him! :P
Su're we're all grumpy from time to time :o :o
I have to say that MK makes me cringe sometimes when he's being interviewed or doing his band intros.I've always found the best interviews with MK aka the Parkinson one, are the ones where he has a few guitars besides him & he's talking about guitar & music stuff - I dont think he appreciates the weather or how lady gaga are getting on :disbelief :disbelief
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Mark playing guitar on stage for Lady Gaga could be fun
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Just posted a comment under the article... ;D ;D ;D
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I saw your comment, Slavi. Good for you. I added one also, with the thought that MK was probably bored to death by the interviewer's inane, repetitive, and shallow questions. I find the business for the photographer during the concert very hard to believe.
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I don't see what is so controversial about a journo telling the truth. ???
Mark has no interest in fame or image, and that is endearing in itself, if occasionally frustrating too.
I think he problem is, we all imagine that if we were Mark, we would all have so much to say... Hence the journalist frustration.
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I received a very civil and polite note from the journalist. I give him lots of credit for that.
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Interesting. I interviewed Mark in Newcastle in 1996 (I'm a former BBC journalist). While he wasn't exactly verbose, he was polite, charming and had plenty to say on the subject I was interviewing him about (providing opportunities for young musicians)
When an interviewer fails to illicit a good response from a subject, 99 times out of 100 it is because the interviewer has failed to do their job properly. If Mark came across as uninterested, I'd suggest it was because he was being asked uninteresting questions.
I suspect the journalist got a bollocking from his news editor for failing to get a good interview, and harbours a grudge.
I was once at a press conference with "Beast of Bolsover" Dennis Skinner at Selby Colliery where he berated a poor cub reporter on the local paper for asking stupid questions by saying "why don't you come back when you've learned your trade". Suspect that is a good message for the hack in question here.
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Would have liked to have seen the Skinner incident.
Can you post your interview from 96 Jake?
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Interesting. I interviewed Mark in Newcastle in 1996 (I'm a former BBC journalist). While he wasn't exactly verbose, he was polite, charming and had plenty to say on the subject I was interviewing him about (providing opportunities for young musicians)
When an interviewer fails to illicit a good response from a subject, 99 times out of 100 it is because the interviewer has failed to do their job properly. If Mark came across as uninterested, I'd suggest it was because he was being asked uninteresting questions.
I suspect the journalist got a bollocking from his news editor for failing to get a good interview, and harbours a grudge.
I was once at a press conference with "Beast of Bolsover" Dennis Skinner at Selby Colliery where he berated a poor cub reporter on the local paper for asking stupid questions by saying "why don't you come back when you've learned your trade". Suspect that is a good message for the hack in question here.
Welcome Jakehadlee,
thats why I always say the Parkinson interview is excellent,he obviously was one of the best in the business & saw that MK was a tough draw unless you drank & ate music with him & thats exactly what he did - it was pointless talking to him about how Arsenal got on at the weekend.
We have a programme over here called the Late Late Show & the current guy hosting is a Dublin based nerd,which he admits to - he can talk for Ireland about Harry Potter,politics,books,films but dont ask hin to interview a sportsperson as he's fu***g useless, unless they are from the Irish rugby team & the only reason he knows about them is their WAGS are probably all over the media.
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Would have liked to have seen the Skinner incident.
Can you post your interview from 96 Jake?
Looking back, I think now it was actually 1994 (time flies!) Mark was opening the Centre for Popular Music in Newcastle and I was a cub reporter on the Newcastle Chronicle at the time. Sadly, no internet papers in those days so the interview probably only exists in the filing cabinets of the Chron, or possibly somewhere in a dusty pile of my old cuttings in the attic!
I do remember he was very late though, and I'd been told by my news editor to go to another press conference straight afterwards. My choice was, stay and have a once in a lifetime opportunity to talk to my favourite guitarist or miss the next conference and get a bollocking from my news editor. No choice really.
In my later career as a "proper" hack I interviewed everyone from Tony Blair to Paul McCartney - but it was the only time I felt starstruck (although I did have a few palpitations interviewing Louise Redknapp - for very different reasons!)
I was so tempted to ask MK if I could jam with him (there were guitars lying around) but bottled it!
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Imagine "jamming" Louise! ;D
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Sadly, that is exactly what I was imagining most of the way through the interview - I think most of my questions were something like: "You sure is perty missy" :-[
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Imagine "jamming" Louise! ;D
Lol ;D ;D :o