interview with DK

[Jackal]

If these journalists had done a trifle research and had a minimum of social intelligence, they might have understood that DS and Mark are personally difficult topics for David. Yeah, yeah. He wouldn't have been where he is today without DS and Mark, but isn't it possible for the journalist just to THINK for a second and gloss it over and just refer to him as "a founding member of DS who decided to go his own way" and leave it at that? David might not be the greatest artist out there, but, heck, respect the guy and interview him on his own terms, on the basis of his own artistic achievements. It's only 30+ years since he left DS ...

Idjeets.

[Pottel]

same happens all the time when famous people break up for example, or in the same case when artists "break up"
journalists need a story, more exciting then "david just played a great show in front of 200 people2 so i guess it's only human i guess, silly, ill prepared, but human.

[vgonis]

About the reaction of DK to stop the interview, bravo, I would have done the same, if I couldn't find something clever to say. After all if the journalist has intentions of using him just as a source for DS days, 30 years ago, and not as a solo artist, at least some tact and a cunning plan. In this very case it is both what you say and how you say it, so lose-lose situation if you go down this road. It is a shame because the Chris Rea contributions in his last but one album were great. Why not ask about Chris Rea? I guess every body has records in his/her collection that didn't make it to the turntable or CD player more than a couple of times. Why don't we make fan of them? Because they don't have a famous big brother?  (And apparently he is not watching...)

[Pottel]

honestly people, the guy is touring in front of 200 people a night. yes his performances are not bad, but honestly, would ANY of us even think about going to his performance were it not for his previous band?

[Jackal]

Of course not, but as I said, it must be possible for the interviewer to handle the issue a bit more gently. He could even have skipped the questions altogether and just written in the introduction to the interview that David was part of Dire Straits.

A similar incident occurred on Norwegian TV last week, when Noel Gallagher was interviewed. The moron of an interviewer seemed like the conflict between the Gallagher brothers was the only thing worth asking about! I understand if it is done in a passing sentence or jokingly, but he just kept on and on. Much to Noel's displeasure.

[dmg]

If DK if promoting something then this is something he must put up with.  The interviewer is only doing his job by asking questions that he thinks people would like to know the answers to and DS was a major part of his life.

[vgonis]

Jackal, that is the attitude! We sometimes forget that musicians are people like us and a little tact in matters that seem to bother an other human being is in order. Of course I can understand DMG & Pottel's argument, because the musician uses the journalist at least as much to promote his work. But he is not asking the questions and he has every right not to answer, or in this case stop altogether with the danger of losing a part of his audience, while the journalist is probably out of harms way - playing it safe. Maybe DK should ask the journalist if he knows the guy his wife slept with last night and sure was not the journalist himself. That would also intrigue (the other word for interest) the world. The intention of the interviewer is not just to please his audience at all expenses. His guest is not a dancing bear.
What I don't get is the argument about going to his performances were it not for his previous band. OK, he was in DS. He is a musician. Should he stop performing? He can't change the past. Why is it bad? Why should he be punished for that? MK is no longer in DS. Should he stop playing? Of course he plays in bigger venues and that is his reward for writing more popular songs. If people go to DK concerts just for the former glories, let me tell you they are bound to be let down. After all I haven't seen an ADIT site. Have any of you seen one?  And the same goes to the straits situation. Their concerts are actually good. The best tribute band of them all with real members from the original straits. Would I go to their concerts? I don't know, but it is all about music not ethics or a feeling about right and wrong.  And it is more honest and fair, even if it bother us. Maybe we have some secret hope that we could travel back in time to see DS. And as I said before, who would buy an Alan Clark album of originals, even if it was the best music of the year. Almost none, (see all the other solo ex-DS efforts, bar MK, or even with MK sales wise) since the music industry is more keen in promoting for the 10th time the Pink Floyd re-issues and everybody buying for the new covers and having it sit next to all the previous editions. The money spent for that,  would deprive any new artist of healthy sales. A good example is John Martyn. He was a fantastic musician with albums so good you can not help but wonder why he wasn't huge. And he had the right friends. Gilmour has even toured with him as a simple guitarist. Massive attack mention him. A friend of Nick Drake but I guess even Drake was a passing trend for most, and nobody  cared to dig a bit and find. He was there but never made it. Even Phil Collins (dusty sorry, some kind words for Phil) helped him by producing an album and contributing in more. But no, nothing. And what's more he wasn't even a ex-member of DS, to deserve such a treatment.
Well I got this load of my back, sorry guys, but I was pissed off when he died and even then he received a small tribute for his great work.  

[Jackal]

I'm not entirely defending David either. After all, he does sing some of the old DS songs, he does refer to himself as a founding member of DS (of course for marketing purposes), and his guitarist Harry something does play solos that often are very Mark-esque. SO, if he really was that upset about the past, he should let go completely.

At any rate, I think asking those kind of questions is very sensationalist and cheap. A good journalist does research first.

Asking questions like this is a bit like the joke about the narcissist:

"Well, enough about me", said the narcissisit. "What do you think about me?" -> "Enough about Mark," said the journalist. "What do you think about Mark, David?"

[vgonis]

It is time we leave egotism aside and think about ourselves.

[Jackal]

Haha