Mark Knopfler An Unauthorized Biography by Myles Palmer!!!

[Marijo58]

Just like with everything, apparently Mark's biography is also in the hands of his fans. He thinks it would not be interesting, but I don't think so.
If only it would be not just a fact list, but rather a story of a man, who turned all negativeness in his life into positiveness, even his band's name.

Foma  A very good resume!!!

[Pierre]

Been reading it for the last few days now, it's a very good book in my opinion,

It's funny how 30 years before Knopfler even wrote the song "Watch me gone" this journalist, Myles Plamer, quotes someone explaining how MK basically said "Are you coming?" to his then wife when he decided to move to London, it's a direct quotation from a yet unmade song, that's very uncanny, it's like the song was already there waiting for MK to actually word it through.

The same about the Penzance gig that MK hichhiked back from and which became Matchstick man 25 years later, the story is in the book (which was published in 1991).

You also have the spirit of Laugh and Jokes and other Deptford songs in how the people speak about the period.

But the most exciting thing I read is the Café Racers gig which was apparently wholly recorded (I'm talking about the prime Café Racers in  1975/76 not the pre-dire straits Café Racers) and which Palmer could listen to and which he describes in minute details. If that recording still exists somewhere, it would be my next quest as some of the comments from the author make you want to listen to it at once. He is quite in awe of MK's playing actually. Has anyone in this forum heard of it or even heard it?

[dustyvalentino]

Haven't read it in a long time but I didn't think it was a very good book.

Myles Palmer seems competent in that he gets most of the facts right and tracked down interviews with some old friends/acquaintances but the whole thing had a kind of sneering tone that just made it an unpleasant read.

He's overall quite dismissive of DS/MK and quite aloof, seems like he decided to write the book because DS were big and no one else had done it, despite the fact he fairly openly disliked the subject.

[Love Expresso]

Been reading it for the last few days now, it's a very good book in my opinion,

It's funny how 30 years before Knopfler even wrote the song "Watch me gone" this journalist, Myles Plamer, quotes someone explaining how MK basically said "Are you coming?" to his then wife when he decided to move to London, it's a direct quotation from a yet unmade song, that's very uncanny, it's like the song was already there waiting for MK to actually word it through.

The same about the Penzance gig that MK hichhiked back from and which became Matchstick man 25 years later, the story is in the book (which was published in 1991).

You also have the spirit of Laugh and Jokes and other Deptford songs in how the people speak about the period.

But the most exciting thing I read is the Café Racers gig which was apparently wholly recorded (I'm talking about the prime Café Racers in  1975/76 not the pre-dire straits Café Racers) and which Palmer could listen to and which he describes in minute details. If that recording still exists somewhere, it would be my next quest as some of the comments from the author make you want to listen to it at once. He is quite in awe of MK's playing actually. Has anyone in this forum heard of it or even heard it?

Maybe MK have read it also and wrote all those songs afterwards. 

LE

[Pierre]

Haven't read it in a long time but I didn't think it was a very good book.

Myles Palmer seems competent in that he gets most of the facts right and tracked down interviews with some old friends/acquaintances but the whole thing had a kind of sneering tone that just made it an unpleasant read.

He's overall quite dismissive of DS/MK and quite aloof, seems like he decided to write the book because DS were big and no one else had done it, despite the fact he fairly openly disliked the subject.

I agree with the sneering tone at times but isn't MK on the sneering side sometimes too? I think it's a good book in the sense that it does have the facts right plus it's written by someone who's not a fan and who can look at MK and see the good sides as well as the bad ones with some healthy distance from his subject. I haven't finished it yet so maybe the author's tone will get to me but for now I'm qui happy with what I'm reading

[stratmad]

Haven't read it in a long time but I didn't think it was a very good book.

Myles Palmer seems competent in that he gets most of the facts right and tracked down interviews with some old friends/acquaintances but the whole thing had a kind of sneering tone that just made it an unpleasant read.

He's overall quite dismissive of DS/MK and quite aloof, seems like he decided to write the book because DS were big and no one else had done it, despite the fact he fairly openly disliked the subject.

I agree with the sneering tone at times but isn't MK on the sneering side sometimes too? I think it's a good book in the sense that it does have the facts right plus it's written by someone who's not a fan and who can look at MK and see the good sides as well as the bad ones with some healthy distance from his subject. I haven't finished it yet so maybe the author's tone will get to me but for now I'm qui happy with what I'm reading

When it came out, the book pointed me to a few things I had no idea about at the time (this was before the internet!), so it was useful.
It's quite ironic (or sneering?) sometimes, but also very thoughtful in places. Highly subjective, of course, but  Palmer says so right at the beginning.
Sometimes I'm not sure how accurate the information is, especially about the early years. But it's hard to say what "official" information he had access to at the time.

[stratmad]

I read this book long ago, when my English was quite bad. I would like to re-read it again now that my English improved from very bad to just bad 

YNothing wrong with your English, it's a lot better than my French! 

[stratmad]

I read this book long ago, when my English was quite bad. I would like to re-read it again now that my English improved from very bad to just bad 

Nothing wrong with your English, it's a lot better than my French! 

[superval99]

I have had the book since 1991 and since then it has been well-thumbed.   I enjoyed reading the book, but noticed some inaccuracies and it was obvious to me that he wasn't a fan of MK.  I still read parts of it and found the page where "Are you coming?" was mentioned.