Knopfler - Unhappy Millionnaire??

[IrisRose]

I received a very civil and polite note from the journalist.    I give him lots of credit for that.   

[jakehadlee]

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.

[dustyvalentino]

Would have liked to have seen the Skinner incident.

Can you post your interview from 96 Jake?

[Waterline Man]

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.

[jakehadlee]

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!

[draad]

Imagine "jamming" Louise!

[jakehadlee]

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" 

[Waterline Man]

Imagine "jamming" Louise!

Lol