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Author Topic: Chris Whitten interview  (Read 27192 times)

Offlinekoobaa

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Re: Chris Whitten interview
« Reply #15 on: February 25, 2021, 07:24:58 PM »
Chris Whitten commenting the video:

"Yeah, same grimace"

"I liked OES because of Jeff and Manu. Jeff's playing was the main reason I agreed to do the long tour. "

"I was lucky that Danny was so good. He was fun to play with. Robert Collins mixed the out front sound and by all reports he did an amazing job!"
So he did like the music after all. You have to enjoy it at least a bit to be convincing enough to get hired for the job, no matter how professional you are.
...Well, he's a big star now but I've been a fan of his for years. The way he sings and plays guitar still bring me to tears...

Offlinepeterromer

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Re: Chris Whitten interview
« Reply #16 on: February 25, 2021, 08:50:43 PM »
Thanks for sharing the video  :thumbsup
Cheers Peter

OfflinePensaGhost

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Re: Chris Whitten interview
« Reply #17 on: February 27, 2021, 06:00:33 PM »
Even More

Is there a specific gig you remember vividly (maybe the crowd, set list, energy etc)?
"Well Nimes and Verona, both beautiful Roman buildings"

could you PLEASE do another video on your version of SULTANS OF SWING, Basel 1992. of all the previous straits drummers, you totally nailed it and is the best version ever!
"I’ll put it on the list. I don’t actually think i ‘nailed’ it. I think I understand better how it should be played now"
A Pensaboy who later became a Pensaghost http://pensaboy.altervista.org/guitar.html

Onlinejbaent

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Re: Chris Whitten interview
« Reply #18 on: February 28, 2021, 01:29:36 PM »
Even More

Is there a specific gig you remember vividly (maybe the crowd, set list, energy etc)?
"Well Nimes and Verona, both beautiful Roman buildings"

could you PLEASE do another video on your version of SULTANS OF SWING, Basel 1992. of all the previous straits drummers, you totally nailed it and is the best version ever!
"I’ll put it on the list. I don’t actually think i ‘nailed’ it. I think I understand better how it should be played now"

I always thought that his sultans version was a total disaster.
You might get lucky, now and then

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Offlineborder_reiver

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Re: Chris Whitten interview
« Reply #19 on: February 28, 2021, 05:48:39 PM »
Even More

Is there a specific gig you remember vividly (maybe the crowd, set list, energy etc)?
"Well Nimes and Verona, both beautiful Roman buildings"

could you PLEASE do another video on your version of SULTANS OF SWING, Basel 1992. of all the previous straits drummers, you totally nailed it and is the best version ever!
"I’ll put it on the list. I don’t actually think i ‘nailed’ it. I think I understand better how it should be played now"

I always thought that his sultans version was a total disaster.

+1 on that
"My idea of heaven is a place where the Tyne meets the Delta, where folk music meets the blues."

OfflinePottel

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Re: Chris Whitten interview
« Reply #20 on: March 01, 2021, 06:11:36 PM »
the guy played the song some 230 times that tour, i am pretty sure muscle memory will kick in till he dies..
any Knopfler, Floyd or Dylan will do....

Onlinejbaent

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Re: Chris Whitten interview
« Reply #21 on: March 01, 2021, 09:52:44 PM »
the guy played the song some 230 times that tour, i am pretty sure muscle memory will kick in till he dies..

If I was him, I would had gone to therapy to forget that mess of drumming in Sultans.
You might get lucky, now and then

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OfflineChris W

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Re: Chris Whitten interview
« Reply #22 on: February 09, 2022, 06:24:00 PM »
If I was him, I would had gone to therapy to forget that mess of drumming in Sultans.

Sure I agree - hi guys.
Some people are pointing out that Mark completely called the shots 100%, then you and another are making out it was my idea to play Sultans that way. Nope.
The person who started the thread took the most extreme negative view, but I'm glad to see most others pointed out Pick had a similar experience, Manu turned down the tour and so did Porcaro actually.
It wasn't exactly that I didn't like Dire Straits. Their albums weren't in my CD player at the time. Mainly I had heard how difficult Mark was to work with. I had just done McCartney for three years. I knew how to work at the highest level, with extremely talented artists. When someone doesn't smile at you for a two hour show, for 350 shows and never once pats you on the back for a job well done in 1.5 years -that IS someone who is difficult to work with.
We rehearsed for a couple of months.
When we set up on the actual touring stage for the first time my drums were placed at the back right, high above Mark and John. When we started playing Mark said he couldn't feel the drums. He instructed me to play on my own, kept saying play louder in his mic until I was playing as hard as I could. At that point he said great, keep it like that.
So for most of a two hour show I was aways playing as loud as I could. Which IMO didn't suit the music and yes, ruined songs with a light feel like Sultans of Swing.
It's funny because last year Pick did a bunch of interviews and said exactly the same thing happened to him in the early 80's. One of the main reasons he left DS. He was constantly being told to play louder until he felt he was just bashing the drums the entire show. I never knew that until I watched his recent interviews.
Back to the '92 tour, of course as a professional I tried to play my absolute best all the time, and play the music in a way that honoured the people who had paid a lot of money to come see the show. If you are ing t d something for over a year, you might as well do it to the best of your ability, take some pride in it.
Ed Bicknel has said publicly it was the most gruelling godawful depressing tour Dire Straits ever did. I don't think Mark wanted to do the tour from the start. His head was already in that Nashville space. I think he did the tour to promote the album, give John, Guy and Alan a good send off (and pay day), but once he realised the enormity of what he'd signed up to, over a year on the road, he just became an unhappy camper, miserable and borderline angry the whole time.

OfflineChris W

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Re: Chris Whitten interview
« Reply #23 on: February 09, 2022, 06:25:18 PM »
I also talk about it more in this podcast:
https://www.drummersresource.com/chris-whitten-interview/

Offlinecannibals

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Re: Chris Whitten interview
« Reply #24 on: February 09, 2022, 07:05:13 PM »
Thank you for this update Chris and welcome to the forum  :clap :wave

Offlinequizzaciously

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Re: Chris Whitten interview
« Reply #25 on: February 09, 2022, 07:32:52 PM »
I also talk about it more in this podcast:
https://www.drummersresource.com/chris-whitten-interview/

Yeah, welcome and kudos to you for joining the relevant discussion! There are a lot of fans of your playing, me included.

The question though, is that "obsession" with drums loudness is something uncommon in the biz? And what could be the reason for it? Doesn't seem normal to me.

Onlinejbaent

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Re: Chris Whitten interview
« Reply #26 on: February 09, 2022, 07:40:29 PM »
I also talk about it more in this podcast:
https://www.drummersresource.com/chris-whitten-interview/

Wow Chris, that's very honest from you. Thanks for sharing that with us.

We'll love to see you in one of your Instagram videos playing Sultans like you would had liken to play.
You might get lucky, now and then

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OfflineChris W

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Re: Chris Whitten interview
« Reply #27 on: February 09, 2022, 07:44:18 PM »
It's not normal.
Loudness feels like energy. Sometimes artists that are too self conscious cover it up with volume and energy.
When I was down stage playing on Sultans, Mark's guitar was so loud I couldn't really hear my drums.
Before I heard Pick (in 2021?) talk about his issue being told to play so loud all the time, I put my experience down to bad stage design.
That was also definitely a factor.
It looked great, but wasn't correct for the vibe Mark was after. On the Brothers tour, Terry was centre stage and just behind Mark.
Because they hired Danny Cummings in 92, but also Paul Franklin, they decided to assign stage positions in convenient sectors. So you had the three main guitars at ground level Phil, Mark and John).
Next level up you had Chris White, the two keyboard rigs and Paul Franklin. Above them, and effectively above Mark's head, they put Danny and me.
I guess the idea was that Mark would hear my drums through his monitors, but in realty he wanted to FEEL the drums, and that was impossible with me so far away, up the back, above his head.
But apart from all that, as I say, it was just an extremely unhappy tour from the start, from 'the boss' down.

Offlinenando_5994

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Re: Chris Whitten interview
« Reply #28 on: February 09, 2022, 07:48:06 PM »
My two favourite drummers on SOS where Chris W and Chad. Thanks to Chris for the insight on this theme.

OfflineChris W

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Re: Chris Whitten interview
« Reply #29 on: February 09, 2022, 07:48:48 PM »

We'll love to see you in one of your Instagram videos playing Sultans like you would had liken to play.

I had actually been planning it for a while, but now the criticism has put me off.
Essentially I don't think anyone has played it well other than Pick. It is light, with dancing on the snare and cymbals to match Mark's guitar work. Most people post Pick have played loud rimshot backbeats. Including me (sadly). Mark absolutely ruled that tour with a rod of iron. I don't think I had the balls to suddenly start playing the song much lighter.

 

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