A Mark In Time
Mark Knopfler Discussion => Mark Knopfler Discussion Forum => Topic started by: Robson on July 19, 2024, 05:38:07 PM
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Mark at the BBC will be the subject of Gary Davies’ Sounds of the 80s on BBC Radio 2, 10th of August at 3 pm (BST). Gary tells the story of Mark through his greatest hits with Dire Straits and as a solo artist, and in interviews with the BBC. The programme will also be online shortly after being broadcast.
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UK fans: Mark’s episode of Desert Island Discs will air on BBC Radio 4 at 10:00am on Sunday 4th August.
Tune in to hear Mark share eight tracks, a book, and a luxury item he would take with him if castaway to a desert island. Hosted by Lauren Laverne.
https://www.markknopfler.com/news/desert-island-discs-airing-august-4th/
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Desert Island Discs is hosted by Lauren Laverne, from Sunderland!! Could make for some interesting chats between them ;D
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two interesting broadcasts to look forward to! thnx
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Wow, Desert Island Discs is an institution!
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Since when has it been allowed to take a luxury item? It used to be just a record.
In that case, I'd take a luxury speedboat. ;D
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Wow, Desert Island Discs is an institution!
As is Lauren.
If anyone can get something new out of him it'll be her.
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Agreed about Desert Island Discs being iconic. I went through a phase of listening to some early episodes and I am surprised MK has never been featured until now.
However, I fear this interview may just be a compilation of all the little anecdotes we all know already....."1st guitar was a weeks salary", "didn't want to mention an amp", "blew up the family radio" "Uncle Kingsley....Boogie Woogie"...."you've got to really want it".....
We do need a few new stories and an interview in this setting may just unlock the MK archives....
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Agreed about Desert Island Discs being iconic. I went through a phase of listening to some early episodes and I am surprised MK has never been featured until now.
However, I fear this interview may just be a compilation of all the little anecdotes we all know already....."1st guitar was a weeks salary", "didn't want to mention an amp", "blew up the family radio" "Uncle Kingsley....Boogie Woogie"...."you've got to really want it".....
We do need a few new stories and an interview in this setting may just unlock the MK archives....
Yes, will be the same old stuff stories wise I’m sure.
To be fair, those are his stories. He can’t really make up new ones. I tell my same old stories too. :)
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I can't exactly tell any examples right now but I remember that during all those recent ODR promo interviews he told some stories I never knew or had heard so far.
LE
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I can't exactly tell any examples right now but I remember that during all those recent ODR promo interviews he told some stories I never knew or had heard so far.
LE
I think it was an interview with a female host. It was brilliant. Mark was in good form, but much was thanks to the woman, who asked the right questions and was able to make Mark feel comfortable. It's all down to the interviewer. Don't give Mark a chance to go on autopilot.
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Twiggy?
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Twiggy?
Could be.
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she was. but there were more interviews like that. he still likes to fall back into his blowingupradiounclekingsleysmellingfendercatalogue-safety net but there were some interesting nuggets out there
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The questions are often generic and similar. They should ask time-specific but open questions, like "Tell us about the rehearsals for the latest tour".
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The questions are often generic and similar. They should ask time-specific but open questions, like "Tell us about the rehearsals for the latest tour".
It's because they often have a very generic audience with little knowledge of Mark's background. BUT, as I have pointed out before, the interviewers should - and some do - include well-known info in the questions and ask Mark to elobarate. If Mark is given open-ended questions, he would without fail seek to turn the topic to something familiar ;D
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The questions are often generic and similar. They should ask time-specific but open questions, like "Tell us about the rehearsals for the latest tour".
Problem is, it's only a tiny percentage of listeners (us) who would be interested in that.
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The questions are often generic and similar. They should ask time-specific but open questions, like "Tell us about the rehearsals for the latest tour".
Problem is, it's only a tiny percentage of listeners (us) who would be interested in that.
It's the framing that sells it.
"How do you make the rehearsals of a new tour interesting for you and the band, after decades as a touring artist?"
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"Oh it's always fun. We have much to laugh about. I like the whole circle of it you know? I am one of those lucky guys who likes everything about it
I like recording it, I love to rehearse and I love to play live, especially with guys like these."
LE
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"Oh it's always fun. We have much to laugh about. I like the whole circle of it you know? I am one of those lucky guys who likes everything about it
I like recording it, I love to rehearse and I love to play live, especially with guys like these."
LE
This is so funny and accurate, I even read it in Mark's voice
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"Oh it's always fun. We have much to laugh about. I like the whole circle of it you know? I am one of those lucky guys who likes everything about it
I like recording it, I love to rehearse and I love to play live, especially with guys like these."
LE
;D
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"Oh it's always fun. We have much to laugh about. I like the whole circle of it you know? I am one of those lucky guys who likes everything about it
I like recording it, I love to rehearse and I love to play live, especially with guys like these."
LE
for you and all other german speaking users on here:
https://www1.wdr.de/radio/wdr4/programm/sendungen/legenden/legenden-mark-knopfler-zum-75-geburtstag-100.html
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"Oh it's always fun. We have much to laugh about. I like the whole circle of it you know? I am one of those lucky guys who likes everything about it
I like recording it, I love to rehearse and I love to play live, especially with guys like these."
LE
for you and all other german speaking users on here:
https://www1.wdr.de/radio/wdr4/programm/sendungen/legenden/legenden-mark-knopfler-zum-75-geburtstag-100.html
Danke, Pottel, for sharing! :thumbsup
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Saved the day in my calender, Danke!
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14th? :hmm It was just that the time was wrong... ;)
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Any guesses what his songs will be? I think there'll be a BB King, a Chet Baker, a classical music thing, an early blues thing, probably Robert Johnson but maybe a more exotic piece, a Dylan and/or Van Morrison
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Big Rock Candy Mountain
And Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, because he was singing it before he was conceived.
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"Oh it's always fun. We have much to laugh about. I like the whole circle of it you know? I am one of those lucky guys who likes everything about it
I like recording it, I love to rehearse and I love to play live, especially with guys like these."
LE
LOL, he must have read your post before doing the interview😂😂😂
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"Oh it's always fun. We have much to laugh about. I like the whole circle of it you know? I am one of those lucky guys who likes everything about it
I like recording it, I love to rehearse and I love to play live, especially with guys like these."
LE
LOL, he must have read your post before doing the interview😂😂😂
Yes, I had to laugh at that point!
I enjoyed the programme very much, but was a bit surprised at his choice of music, although I expected Bob and Van to be there as well as The Shadows. Loved hearing his voice too! :)
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:lol :-\ Oh my, he really must have read this topic. It made me laugh, then it made me a sad. We can literary write his replies beforehand, word by word. With a few exceptions, his interviews sound manuscripted and planned to every detail. Almost down to handing the questions to the interviewer. How about the last 25 years? The last album? When I stumble over interviews, it is almost always about the persons lastest years, not the first.
(Yes, here's some negativity you Facebook lurkers can glutton over.)
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To be honest with you, I wasn't very excited about this interview. As you all said, we know practically all the answers with a few exceptions.
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Really thought Hank/The Shadows would have been one amongst his chosen 'discs', especially as he has a framed 'Shadows' EP on his mantelpiece!
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Really thought Hank/The Shadows would have been one amongst his chosen 'discs', especially as he has a framed 'Shadows' EP on his mantelpiece!
Yes, The Shadows, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison were chosen, but I was surprised at the rest of his choices. I thought Chet, Lonnie or the Everlys would have been mentioned, but I suppose that would have been too predictable.
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Dean Martin was a big surprise. Never heard him mention Dino before.
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Mark talked about Dean Martin on radio broadcasts and presented "Red Sails In The Sunset"
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Could it be that Mark the man is consideably less interesting than Mark the artist? Or is it obvious and inevitable and not smth he would disagree nd unhappy about anyway? Mark the artist is what will endure, the man will perish
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Mark talked about Dean Martin on radio shows and presented "Red Sails In The Sunset"
Yes, you are right, Robson!
Mark played this song by Dean Martin in episode 6 at his British Grove Broadcast in 2020. I just listened to this episode the other day.
I would love for him to do new episodes because Mark has such extensive knowledge of all kinds of music and the way he talks about it is interesting and relaxing at the same time.
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Mark talked about Dean Martin on radio shows and presented "Red Sails In The Sunset"
Yes, you are right, Robson!
Mark played this song by Dean Martin in episode 6 at his British Grove Broadcast in 2020. I just listened to this episode the other day.
I would love for him to do new episodes because Mark has such extensive knowledge of all kinds of music and the way he talks about it is interesting and relaxing at the same time.
Exactly! I dream of episode 25 and more. It was a fantastic adventure.
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Mark talked about Dean Martin on radio broadcasts and presented "Red Sails In The Sunset"
Ah ok, thanks. I don’t think I got round to listening to them all.
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Could it be that Mark the man is consideably less interesting than Mark the artist? Or is it obvious and inevitable and not smth he would disagree nd unhappy about anyway? Mark the artist is what will endure, the man will perish
The fame part never interested him so he never played that game.
For me that makes him more interesting.
He is an intelligent man,very talented and has a sense of humour.
He's a happy family man which is what we all strive for.
He didn't sell out his soul to remain relevant and does things his own way.
I find this much more interesting than someone full of themselves thinking they are a gift from God.
His reserved interview style has held him back in some respects but it enabled him to live HIS life.
Most of us struggle with that,at least from time to time,so I have nothing but admiration for his approach to incorporating his immense abilities into a successful home life.
Perhaps if enough dug beneath the headlines they would be equally as impressed.
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Could it be that Mark the man is consideably less interesting than Mark the artist? Or is it obvious and inevitable and not smth he would disagree nd unhappy about anyway? Mark the artist is what will endure, the man will perish
The fame part never interested him so he never played that game.
For me that makes him more interesting.
He is an intelligent man,very talented and has a sense of humour.
He's a happy family man which is what we all strive for.
He didn't sell out his soul to remain relevant and does things his own way.
I find this much more interesting than someone full of themselves thinking they are a gift from God.
His reserved interview style has held him back in some respects but it enabled him to live HIS life.
Most of us struggle with that,at least from time to time,so I have nothing but admiration for his approach to incorporating his immense abilities into a successful home life.
Perhaps if enough dug beneath the headlines they would be equally as impressed.
👍Well put!
For me it's the same: Mark the human being comes first, and his music is of course the result of it. I know I may be opening a can of worms here, but all art is imho directly connected to its creator and the circumstances it was created in. The more you know about the background, the more interesting a piece of art will become. So, as soon as the creator is forgotten, the art will lose a lot of its meaning (with the exception, maybe, of instrumental music and abstract art). I mean, if you look at a 3000-year-old Greek statue, you may think it's beautiful but it doesn't mean a thing, but if you look at a sculpture by Michelangelo and you know the story behind it, it will somehow come alive.
But quite apart from that, Mark the man has always been at least as interesting as Mark the musician. He's intelligent, educated, open-minded, responsible, resilient, always trying to improve, ready to help others, and with high moral standards, but no saint. And just the sheer amount of work that he's done in his career makes me dizzy - how on earth did he find the time and energy to do all these things? Amazing!
I don't know who brought up the "boring guitar nerd" myth in the first place (was it MK himself?), but for me it clearly doesn't apply.
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Well said Statmad :) I admire and respect him, like we all do, and it is not the lack of scandals I miss. I miss the latter 25 years as a musician. How he brilliantly mix in the American style and musicians, then add some folkies, and so on. His albums, film scores and collaborations after year 2000. Yes it has been a repeated cykle and it may be difficult to find new angles to it, I see that, but still. If he wants to add personal things, then great :)
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"Oh it's always fun. We have much to laugh about. I like the whole circle of it you know? I am one of those lucky guys who likes everything about it
I like recording it, I love to rehearse and I love to play live, especially with guys like these."
LE
LOL, he must have read your post before doing the interview😂😂😂
Yes, I had to laugh at that point!
I enjoyed the programme very much, but was a bit surprised at his choice of music, although I expected Bob and Van to be there as well as The Shadows. Loved hearing his voice too! :)
Good start, with the questions about his partens, then it drifted a bit into familiar territory, still a very enjoyable hour. also interesting choice of songs, no surprise with Dylan, but was surprised with the song choice. also, had expected JJ Cale to be there too.
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Really thought Hank/The Shadows would have been one amongst his chosen 'discs', especially as he has a framed 'Shadows' EP on his mantelpiece!
where do you have that from?
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Mark talked about Dean Martin on radio shows and presented "Red Sails In The Sunset"
Yes, you are right, Robson!
Mark played this song by Dean Martin in episode 6 at his British Grove Broadcast in 2020. I just listened to this episode the other day.
I would love for him to do new episodes because Mark has such extensive knowledge of all kinds of music and the way he talks about it is interesting and relaxing at the same time.
or get together with Bob and do a music show, now THAT would be 2 musical encyclopedias together, AND damn interesting.
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Really thought Hank/The Shadows would have been one amongst his chosen 'discs', especially as he has a framed 'Shadows' EP on his mantelpiece!
where do you have that from?
He told us at the ODR promo in London....
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Really thought Hank/The Shadows would have been one amongst his chosen 'discs', especially as he has a framed 'Shadows' EP on his mantelpiece!
where do you have that from?
He told us at the ODR promo in London....
aha, little inside left info. thnx
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Just listening... it's beautiful!
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Could it be that Mark the man is consideably less interesting than Mark the artist? Or is it obvious and inevitable and not smth he would disagree nd unhappy about anyway? Mark the artist is what will endure, the man will perish
The fame part never interested him so he never played that game.
For me that makes him more interesting.
He is an intelligent man,very talented and has a sense of humour.
He's a happy family man which is what we all strive for.
He didn't sell out his soul to remain relevant and does things his own way.
I find this much more interesting than someone full of themselves thinking they are a gift from God.
His reserved interview style has held him back in some respects but it enabled him to live HIS life.
Most of us struggle with that,at least from time to time,so I have nothing but admiration for his approach to incorporating his immense abilities into a successful home life.
Perhaps if enough dug beneath the headlines they would be equally as impressed.
👍Well put!
For me it's the same: Mark the human being comes first, and his music is of course the result of it. I know I may be opening a can of worms here, but all art is imho directly connected to its creator and the circumstances it was created in. The more you know about the background, the more interesting a piece of art will become. So, as soon as the creator is forgotten, the art will lose a lot of its meaning (with the exception, maybe, of instrumental music and abstract art). I mean, if you look at a 3000-year-old Greek statue, you may think it's beautiful but it doesn't mean a thing, but if you look at a sculpture by Michelangelo and you know the story behind it, it will somehow come alive.
But quite apart from that, Mark the man has always been at least as interesting as Mark the musician. He's intelligent, educated, open-minded, responsible, resilient, always trying to improve, ready to help others, and with high moral standards, but no saint. And just the sheer amount of work that he's done in his career makes me dizzy - how on earth did he find the time and energy to do all these things? Amazing!
I don't know who brought up the "boring guitar nerd" myth in the first place (was it MK himself?), but for me it clearly doesn't apply.
Every human being, a janitor, a peasant, doctor or astronaut, is interesting, if you (are able to) look at him close/careful enough. I'm sure MK has, had (?) many volcanoes in him, many contradictions, struggles, regrets, fears, anger, hatred, jealousy, mistakes, guilts, yearnngs, missed opportunites, girls he couldn't forget etc. We sometimes see glimpses of them in his songs, both in words and the music. It's mostly very beautiful, often sublime. He pours most of the things like in the list above to his art... and the result is magnifico. That's why we are all here. But the "public" man ... he is evasive, private, kind of shy, hides himself behind cliches, tired anecdotes etc. He doesn't (want to) reveal himself, does not open those "interesting" stuff about himself. Does he have to? Of course not. The artist is supreme and very interesting. I think that will live "forever." The mn behind that art is of course interesting, he must be, becoz his art is not something happens without him, it's not God's art, not nature's art, it's not the almighty speaks to us thru MK. No, it's MK speaking, he distills his life, thoughts, philosophy, observations, talent, study, hard work etc and gave us his own thing. That man cannot be not interesting. But the public persona is. At least compared to the artist. And I'm OK with that. In fact that's preferable.
Otherwise the puzzle would be easier to decipher, it will lose some part of his magic. Art springs from the artist subjective experience, perspective but it must be to a degree at least univrsal. Of course I'd love to be privy to his most inner thoughts, emotions, experiences etc but that's a selfish thing. One last thing, I have the feeling that if I spend, say, two years with MK in a desert island, I'm not sure I would know much more about his inner self than I already do.
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Every human being, a janitor, a peasant, doctor or astronaut, is interesting, if you (are able to) look at him close/careful enough. I'm sure MK has, had (?) many volcanoes in him, many contradictions, struggles, regrets, fears, anger, hatred, jealousy, mistakes, guilts, yearnngs, missed opportunites, girls he couldn't forget etc. We sometimes see glimpses of them in his songs, both in words and the music. It's mostly very beautiful, often sublime. He pours most of the things like in the list above to his art... and the result is magnifico. That's why we are all here. But the "public" man ... he is evasive, private, kind of shy, hides himself behind cliches, tired anecdotes etc. He doesn't (want to) reveal himself, does not open those "interesting" stuff about himself. Does he have to? Of course not. The artist is supreme and very interesting. I think that will live "forever." The mn behind that art is of course interesting, he must be, becoz his art is not something happens without him, it's not God's art, not nature's art, it's not the almighty speaks to us thru MK. No, it's MK speaking, he distills his life, thoughts, philosophy, observations, talent, study, hard work etc and gave us his own thing. That man cannot be not interesting. But the public persona is. At least compared to the artist. And I'm OK with that. In fact that's preferable.
Otherwise the puzzle would be easier to decipher, it will lose some part of his magic. Art springs from the artist subjective experience, perspective but it must be to a degree at least univrsal. Of course I'd love to be privy to his most inner thoughts, emotions, experiences etc but that's a selfish thing. One last thing, I have the feeling that if I spend, say, two years with MK in a desert island, I'm not sure I would know much more about his inner self than I already do.
You've nailed it!
The thought of spending two years on a remote island with anyone is frightening in itself, but with MK, you'd get to hear a lot of good music, at least :)
But it's true: you might get a few glimpses into his character, but you probably wouldn't get to know that innermost part of his soul that is the source of the songs, because a large part of it may be subconscious, inarticulate and only comes to the surface in the process of writing / performing. In that sense, art is not a product, but an action or a process, both on the side of the artist and on the side of the listener/viewer/reader.
About the volcanoes: I'm sure he still has a few!
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There are many beautiful thoughts and words here that I agree with. I read with pleasure:)
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I'm sure he said before somewhere that he had a Lonnie Donegan record on his mantlepiece as well.
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I'm sure he said before somewhere that he had a Lonnie Donegan record on his mantlepiece as well.
There were four if I rememberon his mantelpiece....Can't remember the other two
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I'm sure he said before somewhere that he had a Lonnie Donegan record on his mantlepiece as well.
There were four if I rememberon his mantelpiece....Can't remember the other two
I think he said he's kept the first golden Sultans single.
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Mark said he thinks some of the buildings his dad designed are still standing, do we know which buildings he designed?
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There may be records at Newcastle City Council, if they've kept them for such a long time.
Since he worked for the Council planning office, it will probably be public buildings or maybe council flats.
I think Mark said in the STP documentary that their own house is no longer there.
There's one thing that puzzles me, though: we know that he grew up in Blyth, but in the Myles Palmer bio it says that they lived in a semi-detached off Salters Road, not far from the schools. Do we know when they lived where?
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Mark said he thinks some of the buildings his dad designed are still standing, do we know which buildings he designed?
he obviously does not know the specific location of any of them and was guestimating...
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There's one thing that puzzles me, though: we know that he grew up in Blyth, but in the Myles Palmer bio it says that they lived in a semi-detached off Salters Road, not far from the schools. Do we know when they lived where?
Everything I read states that MK was raised and grew up in Blyth, which is 12 miles from Gosforth where Mark went to Archibald Primary School when he was seven or eight and later to Gosforth Grammar School, according to school friends in the Myles Palmer bio. Mark has always said that he walked to school down Salters Road past a music shop, where he looked through the window at the guitars. Obviously he wouldn't have walked 12 miles to school from Blyth, so they must have moved from there before he went to primary school. I have a friend who attended Archibald Primary at the same time as Mark's sister, Ruth.
The address in the Myles Palmer book is Briarfield Road, Gosforth, which I googled a while ago and the semi-detached houses there are still standing.
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Maybe this has already been mentioned somewhere on this thread, but the upcoming Sounds of the 80s broadcast on BBC Radio 2 (mentioned in the original post of this thread) appears to be tomorrow (10th August) at 3 am BST, not 3 pm—so you’d have to stay up pretty late tonight to catch it live!
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There's one thing that puzzles me, though: we know that he grew up in Blyth, but in the Myles Palmer bio it says that they lived in a semi-detached off Salters Road, not far from the schools. Do we know when they lived where?
Everything I read states that MK was raised and grew up in Blyth, which is 12 miles from Gosforth where Mark went to Archibald Primary School when he was seven or eight and later to Gosforth Grammar School, according to school friends in the Myles Palmer bio. Mark has always said that he walked to school down Salters Road past a music shop, where he looked through the window at the guitars. Obviously he wouldn't have walked 12 miles to school from Blyth, so they must have moved from there before he went to primary school. I have a friend who attended Archibald Primary at the same time as Mark's sister, Ruth.
The address in the Myles Palmer book is Briarfield Road, Gosforth, which I googled a while ago and the semi-detached houses there are still standing.
Thank you!
They should put Blue Plaques on every house he's lived in, so we can find them more easily :lol
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For me it's the same: Mark the human being comes first, and his music is of course the result of it. I know I may be opening a can of worms here, but all art is imho directly connected to its creator and the circumstances it was created in. The more you know about the background, the more interesting a piece of art will become. So, as soon as the creator is forgotten, the art will lose a lot of its meaning (with the exception, maybe, of instrumental music and abstract art). I mean, if you look at a 3000-year-old Greek statue, you may think it's beautiful but it doesn't mean a thing, but if you look at a sculpture by Michelangelo and you know the story behind it, it will somehow come alive.
I strongly disagree with this. Yes, knowing something about the author, artist, composer, etc. may/can/will shed light on their works of art. It's interesting for the sake of analysis, but first of all I think a work of art should speak for itself. Secondly, there are authors/artists/composers who I find totally unsympathetic, whose political/religious views I strongly disagree with, people who may be outright a$$holes, but whose works of art still are amazing.
Having been so interested in Mark the artist and person, over so many years, has ruined my view of his art in a way. I really wish I knew lot less about him. A lot of the mystery is gone. All the interviews, all the insights (through Guy for example) have actually contributed to lessening my interest. As I have discovered other artists and musicians, I have a made it a point to know very little about them. Maybe just some elementary facts, but that's it.
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Just finished the Desert Island Discs broadcast, nothing new offcourse but very enjoyable to listen to.
Reminds me a little of the SXM British Grove Broadcast MK did himself.
The other broadcast, Mark Knopfler at the BBC; Sounds of the 80s was also good.
Offcourse everything was 'old' but some interview bits were new to me.