A Mark In Time
Mark Knopfler Discussion => Mark Knopfler Discussion Forum => Topic started by: twm on April 03, 2012, 10:16:28 AM
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How would you feel if Mark used a teleprompter on-stage, to avoid forgetting the lyrics to his songs, to recall the various between-songs "stories" and even to recall the name of the city he's playing?
My question is prompted by this article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/bruce-springsteen-uses-teleprompter-in-performances-does-it-matter/2012/03/30/gIQAQTXGlS_story.html
And would your view change if he merely used pre-printed cards (like the notes for a speech)?
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No problem, if he needs it, its ok for me.
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He doesn't need one because he plays the same songs all the time. Even the jokes are the same!
No problem for me either. It would make changing the set easier for him... :-\
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In the love-or-hate it Where The Light Is video (John Mayer) I was surprised to see clear evidence of the prompter used.
It must be much easier to remember lyrics if you actually wrote them yourself, much more of a pain if your just learning someone else's poems...
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I don't think he needs one just yet but he may be nearly there! I think Mr Saggers bringing a particular guitar to him, with the capo on a particular fret, jogs his memory and keeps him flowing. When he did a promo at Bush Hall and Mr S wasn't able to come on the stage, he only knew where he was in the setlist because Guy kept telling him! Teleprompt will be ok if/when the time comes.
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I don't think he needs one just yet but he may be nearly there! I think Mr Saggers bringing a particular guitar to him, with the capo on a particular fret, jogs his memory and keeps him flowing. When he did a promo at Bush Hall and Mr S wasn't able to come on the stage, he only knew where he was in the setlist because Guy kept telling him! Teleprompt will be ok if/when the time comes.
I think he just does that as a bit of a joke to be honest. Maybe his dry delivery doesn't pull it off too well but he is very well organised in my opinion.
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In reply to the original question, on reflection I suppose I do have a slight reservation with it, unless the performer has real difficulty through medical grounds or old age. They may amount to the same thing actually.
The performer should have the show and it's songs well enough rehearsed for the fans so that they know all the lyrics. It shows a disrespect to the fans using a teleprompter as they've obviously neglected to learn the lyrics in any serious way for them.
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I think MK does a pretty good job of remembering the lyrics - he very rarely fluffs the words and the between songs banter is all good fun eg John McGoldrick/Mike McCusker "sorry I've forgotten your name" stuff! ;D
I don't think he needs a teleprompt for a long time, if ever, but if the worst happens and he really needs one, I won't mind - it's better than him being unable to perform! :) LOL! Sometimes I can't even remember the names of members of my own family! :lol
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Well, I can see the need of promter in Springsteen's case, as he changes the setlist quite a lot. What amazes me is that Dylan doesn't use one (or does he?) with the extreme setlist changes that he does.
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Well, nobody is really understanding what he is si.....
oh yes, when I think about it, with Bob it's awesome! Just imagine how many songs he has in his catalogue... Mark once had this real moment where he
lost the path in Telegraph Road... I have some little words missing or changing here and there on CD, but not too much. So MK still has it, too.
(Hamburg 2008: Cannibals : instead of And then the radio was playing and the weatherman was saying he was clearly singing
and the weatherman was saying and the weatherman was saying... ;)
LE
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Anyone remember What It Is at the Edison Music Awards 2003? No matter how many times I hear it, I can't figure out what he's saying @ 2:03!
It was a nice save though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3D_dPPU3b4
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Well, I can see the need of promter in Springsteen's case, as he changes the setlist quite a lot. What amazes me is that Dylan doesn't use one (or does he?) with the extreme setlist changes that he does.
but also bobby tends to loose his words...(rare but it happens)
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I insist that I dont mind. If he has to read his lyrics, thats ok for me, its not a lack of respect, its just something helpful to sing the songs as more accurate as possible.
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The worst time was when Mark completely lost his way during Everybody Pays in a Brussels radio showcase in 2004. Sessions In Flanders or something I think it was called. I think the host was called Ned! Anyway, Guy kindly obliged and helped out but there was a few seconds without any lyrics at all! :disbelief
There was anothere time during the Princes Trust concert in 1988 when Elton John lost his way during I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That. It was near the start of the song and he just mumbled some rubbish instead of the line. Sounded quite funny actually. Some fine playing by MK on that one too.
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Gosh, a few comments about Dylan. I can't resist.
Dylan does fluff lines from time to time. Indeed, even his studio albums contain the occasional fluffing of words. He goes for the feel of the recording as much as anything and lauds the raw feel of those early rockabilly/r'n'r recordings he loves so much, irrespective of technical issues. In concert, there have been many lyric lapses. When he changes the words from those on the album, there are occasions when this is clearly deliberate and an involve complete new verse. Other times, it may just be covering a memory lapse. He also omits complete verses or changes the verse order.
The only Dylan show where I've seen a teleprompter being used was at the 30 Year Tribure concert in Madison Square Garden in October 1992. I believe that you can see it happening in the official video. Lou Reed was obviously doing so but then he chose a long, fairly complex and not that well-known song. I paid for my ticket there, avoiding "street prices", but it was arranged through a musicbiz contact, so I was sitting amongst a number of musicbiz/media types and one asked loudly what the song was called. I answered, not quite as loudly, but loud enough to be heard by several folk around. That and my English accent, I guess, resulted in my being quizzed (pleasantly) by a few people at the end of the show.
In more recent years, Dylan has been seen, between songs, shuffling laminated papers resting near the keyboard. Some have suggested that these were the lyrics of songs he sings less frequently in concert. I once tried to read them through binoculars from an elevated position and, to me,they looked like individual lines rather than whole lyrics, but I can't be sure. My theory is that he has some opening lines there (either of the song or of the verses within a song) and this jogs his memory, when required. He obviously doesn't do it when he is centre-stage.
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Can you imagine how tough it must be to remember all the lyrics live on stage, particularly for someone like knopfler who writes so many words sometimes? It still amazes me. Anyway providing he never stops performing I couldn't care less if he ever had to use one. I doubt he ever will to be totally honest though, the day he does would probably the day he hangs up his guitar for good. Knopfler really is the lyric master to be fair.
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I wouldn't mind the use of an aid, (after a certain age people use aids and pills in order to please... ;) ) but dmg's point is solid, though.
I believe that I wouldn't really mind the occasional slip of the tongue or blank mind, just the feel as twm states for Dylan. Of course, for me, Bob is the exception of the rule, since I really try very hard to figure out what he is singing. So i don't see the need for lyrics for Dylan. Perhaps he is just looking for what joke to say.
Seriously now, the key phrase is "pay to see them play the guitar and sing". If we were casual concert goers, we would decide to go to a concert partially based on the ticket price and we would expect a certain level of performance. So, based upon our standards and expectations from other artists, we might be very disappointed or extremely thrilled from a performance that is just average for the artist. On the other hand, since we are not the ordinary fans, we can be both thrilled for seeing the artist live and at the same time objective with the performance, because we have plenty to compare with.( Glad to see him but today's concert was really crappy. Remember Royal Albert Hall in 1996? That was really something! ::) )
Or maybe it is the other way around? ;D
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Well, I can see the need of promter in Springsteen's case, as he changes the setlist quite a lot. What amazes me is that Dylan doesn't use one (or does he?) with the extreme setlist changes that he does.
Oh, I didn't know Springsteen uses a teleprompter :o
And I'm surprised Dylan doesn't, as he always appears to be a litte confused onstage.
I was, however, very surprised to find out Jon Bon Jovi needs one when I last saw him and his band last year...
Generally speaking, I find it very human if someone mixes up the lyrics, also, it helps you to distinguish your bootlegs ;D
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Mark isn't 27 anymore and all that matters to me is that he keeps happy and healthy and will be able to continue playing the guitar as long as it feels good to him! Every new album and every Tour is a present for us, because as you know every time it might be his last one! Of course I hope we can enjoy his beautiful songs and music for many years in future!
So just like many others, I wouldn't mind if Mark needs a teleprompter or other tools to be on stage and share his music with all of us as long as he can!
Fieneke
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Further on-line comment on this subject in general:
http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/teleprompters-for-musicians-cheating-or-helping
Please note, within this, the following statement: Some fans go to multiple shows during a tour, and nobody wants to hear the same songs every night.. This is then followed by: Heck, the musicians don
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yeah, I think we'd all like to hear some never-before-played-live songs once in a while, or at least a little more variety (I'm still upset about no So Far From the Clyde). But the benefits of MK and his band's playing the same songs over and over again means that they are constantly improving the arrangements and execution of the songs. EVERY song played live in 2011 was better than in any past tour I've heard them in; I'm serious (except maybe the Dire Straits ones; that's always arguable).
So I can appreciate the benefits.
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EVERY song played live in 2011 was better than in any past tour I've heard them in; I'm serious (except maybe the Dire Straits ones; that's always arguable).
IMO HFB 2008 sounded better. Freakin' version in Paris, after already excellent ones in ADam. By the the time they reached the RAH it had already not the same taste. And I still have a preference for Marbletown early live version from 2008. For SAN, I still *can't* cope with the 2011 extra instrument on it and STP has lost the 2005 feel.
* : edit : "can't" instread of "can"
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For me, most of the songs on the 2010 tour were the best. HFB (Bournemouth especially) STP with the beautiful "conversations" between Matt and MK and some fantatic Marbletowns and SANs, not to mention all the rest! ;)
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For me, most of the songs on the 2010 tour were the best. HFB (Bournemouth especially) STP with the beautiful "conversations" between Matt and MK and some fantatic Marbletowns and SANs, not to mention all the rest! ;)
+1
Yeah, Matt will be missed...
LE
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I forget about Matt. Well he is very subtle and we have been so used to his style (that can be close to Alan) that this has been a bit of a shock listening the different style of Jim when he took the seat back. But in 1996, SOS piano break apart, Jim's playing was fine for me.
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IMO HFB 2008 sounded better. Freakin' version in Paris, after already excellent ones in ADam. By the the time they reached the RAH it had already not the same taste. And I still have a preference for Marbletown early live version from 2008. For SAN, I still *can't* cope with the 2011 extra instrument on it and STP has lost the 2005 feel.
* : edit : "can't" instread of "can"
Man, I forgot about that Paris 2008 HFB; none sound like it at all. Lol, and by the "extra instrument" in SAN, you mean the flute right? At least it was much lower in the 2011 mix than in the Simfy recordings, and the guitar solos were top-notch. But speaking of Matt, I just remembered my favorite performance from him with MK: Our Shangri-La from Lille 2005. It's crazy when I think about it, but I must say he actually stole the spotlight from Mark in that song.