A Mark In Time
Mark Knopfler Discussion => News Articles and Interview Transcripts => Topic started by: stratmad on March 25, 2024, 06:36:45 PM
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There's a fairly long interview in the German "Rock Magazin Eclipsed":
https://www.eclipsed.de/de (https://www.eclipsed.de/de).
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Can it be found with the link?
LE
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No, unfortunately.
You can subscribe for 3 months, though.
I found it in the shop today. I had never seen the magazine brand before.
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Ok thank you! Will check it out tomorrow. I read it occasionally. It's mainly about prog, older rock bands and stuff, also jazz. A Boomer's magazine. :lol
LE
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I've written up summary of the article. Is it legal to post this here?
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No expert here but if you say "summary" and there is no one-to-one quote but your own words, I guess you are safe?
LE
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LE, Check your PN. :-)
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LE, Check your PN. :-)
I am also interested, my eyes don't like google translate...
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A very insightful interview indeed. I've tried to sum up the main points for those who don't read German. I'm not sure if it's legal to actually translate the text, and it would feel strange, too, so I'll just write up the main points.
Farewell to the Fairground
At the beginning, the interviewer remarks that Mark is slower than ever, and that he has visibly aged. They talk about his health, the new songs and his plans for the future.
Mk explains that the new album took six years to make partly because of the pandemic: he got Covid 3 times, so he struggled playing the guitar and can still feel the effects of that [I'm not sure if he means the effects of covid or the effects of not being able to play].
They go on to talk about "Ahead of the game", which is about live music and being in a band: MK says these days a lot of musicians have to play cover music to survive. He says that in DS days, bands could play clubs and small venues to play their own music, but these days people only want to pay money for superstars, and they don't buy records anymore, so it's hard for young bands. He adds that he hopes to make some money through airplay, since he has quit touring.
Then there is a question about "Tunnel 13", a song about a train robbery: apparently, the redwood for MK's new Boswell guitars comes from the sleepers of that railway line. He explains how that made him think about how something positive and wonderful can actually come out of violence and crime.
About the album title: MK says it's up to the listener to say what it means.
Re touring: MK says that he misses the stage, but sees his physical limits and prefers spending time with his wife and make the best of the time that remains. He says that he has no intention of 'copping it' on some autobahn. [I wonder if he used the German word here]
Apparently, he feels too "rusty" to even play some gigs in London, and it would be just as much hassle as a whole tour. He explains that he simply doesn't want to tour because of his marriage and his health.
He compares touring to riding motorcycles, which he couldn't do today because it's painful in the neck and the wrists. He says he prefers sitting upright these days.
They talk about the guitar auction: MK explains that he sold them because he wasn't using them. [Basically what he said at Christie's]
They talk about the TCT charity single, and why he didn't use those 60 musicians for his album, while they were there: MK says it was a bit like a cavalry attack, he could hardly keep up, and so it didn't occur to him to ask them to do more. He is full of praise for Hank, Bruce, Bonamassa, EC and Jeff Beck.
Finally, asked about about his plans for the future, he says he wants to make a few more albums, instead of moving around on the fairground he's been on for so long.
(Source: Eclipsed Rock Magazin Nr. 259, April 2024)
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Wow! Thank you
This should be the main topic of One Deep River. Lots of valuable information.
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What I take from that is him ever playing live again is not going to happen, and if it means him writing lots more new songs, I'll take that.
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Apparently, he feels too "rusty" to even play some gigs in London, and it would be just as much hassle as a whole tour.
I disagree with this. Obviously it is his option and there is nothing else to do that respect and swallow it, but I disagree it would be as much hassle as a whole tour, specially linked with everything he says about he wants to be at home with his family and not to travel. Let's say he does a week of playing live in London, he could be at home for the whole thing, for the rehearsals and for the shows, he would be taken from home to the rehearsals room and to the venue and brought to home after, so apart of obviously having to play, spent the X hours per day when rehearsing, and the X hours per day arriving, playing and leaving the venue, what's the hassle, further than his difficulties to play (that probably are the hassle itself)?
Again, I totally respect his choices and would take any new record as a gift, as we can't do anything else than take it and be grateful.
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He is 74. He has done so many gigs in his life. Just imagine all these shows. Must be thousands. You can only admire the amount of energy he has put into it.
If he decides to quit playing live, he must know the best.
He can't play anymore. On an album, there is a lot of wizardry possible. But he has problems to stand uprght, to move, to hold the guitar. I totally respect his decision and am thankful for what he has given over the last decade. A real trooper!
LE
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Apparently, he feels too "rusty" to even play some gigs in London, and it would be just as much hassle as a whole tour.
I disagree with this. Obviously it is his option and there is nothing else to do that respect and swallow it, but I disagree it would be as much hassle as a whole tour, specially linked with everything he says about he wants to be at home with his family and not to travel. Let's say he does a week of playing live in London, he could be at home for the whole thing, for the rehearsals and for the shows, he would be taken from home to the rehearsals room and to the venue and brought to home after, so apart of obviously having to play, spent the X hours per day when rehearsing, and the X hours per day arriving, playing and leaving the venue, what's the hassle, further than his difficulties to play (that probably are the hassle itself)?
Again, I totally respect his choices and would take any new record as a gift, as we can't do anything else than take it and be grateful.
I think the hassle refers to him being rusty and unable to play, not the whole circus. I guess he never had a problem with touring and his family life over the last two decades. He once said they planned the tours around school holidays. But maybe none of the kids live at home anymore, which may be different from the 2019 tour, and he just wants to be with Kitty ;D
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I don't think I'll ever forgive Mark for not doing more intimate gigs in pubs or clubs rather than sticking to ~100 identical stadiums/arena shows all the time, in the best-case scenario theatre if you're lucky. For the man who said a million times he loves small gigs he surely played a lot of big arenas. Why not play Ronnie Scott's type gig for a change, I would travel to Europe for that (when I was able to do it myself).
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Apparently, he feels too "rusty" to even play some gigs in London, and it would be just as much hassle as a whole tour.
I disagree with this. Obviously it is his option and there is nothing else to do that respect and swallow it, but I disagree it would be as much hassle as a whole tour, specially linked with everything he says about he wants to be at home with his family and not to travel. Let's say he does a week of playing live in London, he could be at home for the whole thing, for the rehearsals and for the shows, he would be taken from home to the rehearsals room and to the venue and brought to home after, so apart of obviously having to play, spent the X hours per day when rehearsing, and the X hours per day arriving, playing and leaving the venue, what's the hassle, further than his difficulties to play (that probably are the hassle itself)?
Again, I totally respect his choices and would take any new record as a gift, as we can't do anything else than take it and be grateful.
I think the hassle refers to him being rusty and unable to play, not the whole circus. I guess he never had a problem with touring and his family life over the last two decades. He once said they planned the tours around school holidays. But maybe none of the kids live at home anymore, which may be different from the 2019 tour, and he just wants to be with Kitty ;D
Yes. I don't have the interview at hand but he clearly stated that he is aware of not having too many years left and made a conscious decision to spend the years left with Kitty. He was away from home too often, and he not only meant touring but also times in studios abroad. He enjoys immensly that his studio enables him to work in London but stay at home. Again, he is 74. Why still work anyway? It's all a bonus for us. That's how I see it.
LE
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Apparently, he feels too "rusty" to even play some gigs in London, and it would be just as much hassle as a whole tour.
I disagree with this. Obviously it is his option and there is nothing else to do that respect and swallow it, but I disagree it would be as much hassle as a whole tour, specially linked with everything he says about he wants to be at home with his family and not to travel. Let's say he does a week of playing live in London, he could be at home for the whole thing, for the rehearsals and for the shows, he would be taken from home to the rehearsals room and to the venue and brought to home after, so apart of obviously having to play, spent the X hours per day when rehearsing, and the X hours per day arriving, playing and leaving the venue, what's the hassle, further than his difficulties to play (that probably are the hassle itself)?
Again, I totally respect his choices and would take any new record as a gift, as we can't do anything else than take it and be grateful.
I think the hassle refers to him being rusty and unable to play, not the whole circus. I guess he never had a problem with touring and his family life over the last two decades. He once said they planned the tours around school holidays. But maybe none of the kids live at home anymore, which may be different from the 2019 tour, and he just wants to be with Kitty ;D
Yes. I don't have the interview at hand but he clearly stated that he is aware of not having too many years left and made a conscious decision to spend the years left with Kitty. He was away from home too often, and he not only meant touring but also times in studios abroad. He enjoys immensly that his studio enables him to work in London but stay at home. Again, he is 74. Why still work anyway? It's all a bonus for us. That's how I see it.
LE
Yes, that's the only way to see it, of course, as that's his decision.
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Exactly, I have accepted Mark is in a new phase of his life and career, and that phase does not include live performance anymore. It enables him to write more and more songs, which is great, he may have so many songs that he can give them to other artists to record, which is great to. I expect he is already thinking about the next album.
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I don't think I'll ever forgive Mark for not doing more intimate gigs in pubs or clubs rather than sticking to ~100 identical stadiums/arena shows all the time, in the best-case scenario theatre if you're lucky. For the man who said a million times he loves small gigs he surely played a lot of big arenas. Why not play Ronnie Scott's type gig for a change, I would travel to Europe for that (when I was able to do it myself).
I saw him round about 20 times, the biggest venue would have been the Hydro in Glasgow and even then I was usually in the front row.
Guess I got lucky.
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Apparently, he feels too "rusty" to even play some gigs in London, and it would be just as much hassle as a whole tour.
I disagree with this. Obviously it is his option and there is nothing else to do that respect and swallow it, but I disagree it would be as much hassle as a whole tour, specially linked with everything he says about he wants to be at home with his family and not to travel. Let's say he does a week of playing live in London, he could be at home for the whole thing, for the rehearsals and for the shows, he would be taken from home to the rehearsals room and to the venue and brought to home after, so apart of obviously having to play, spent the X hours per day when rehearsing, and the X hours per day arriving, playing and leaving the venue, what's the hassle, further than his difficulties to play (that probably are the hassle itself)?
Again, I totally respect his choices and would take any new record as a gift, as we can't do anything else than take it and be grateful.
He's just being diplomatic. He doesn't do a few gigs at RAH for one simple reason: he physically can't anymore. Can't stand upright for long, can't properly hold a guitar or play bar chords. No chance.
The only way I see him playing live ever again is if there's some kind of charity or special performance and he just comes in for 5 minutes and plays Romeo and Juliet and leaves.
But considering what he said in recent interviews and how simplified his guitar playing is on ODR, I don't think we'll even see that.
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I think Mark might be a guest on some performance strumming acoustic or something like that.
It is good to know your limits and enjoy the life.
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I think Mark might be a guest on some performance strumming acoustic or something like that.
It is good to know your limits and enjoy the life.
I thought that might happen during the Transatlantic Sessions concert in London last February. It was the perfect scenario for that. His own city, a band in which one of the musical directors is his friend Phil Cunningham, a band that has two of his band members, John McCusker and Mike MCGoldrick, and having announced his new record, the perfect chance to make a guest appearence to sing one or two new songs, as Clapton did last year. I bought tickets for that gig just in case, as I've seen one Transatlanctic show and enjoyed it a lot, so it was a bet that if would had went well, it would had been excellent, if not, I would had enjoyed a top quality show, which I did. Obviously he didn't appeared at the show despite all the positive factors for it, and in a way it was a slap of reality, that day I knew I would never seen again MK live again.
So MK talking openly or diplomaticly, about it, is just make peace with that slap on the face and settle the reality for once and all.
I just wish MK to live happily and quiet, as he has earned.
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I just wish MK to live happily and quiet, as he has earned.
Very well said!