Dire Straits Break Up

[Buford T Justice]

Evening everyone.

I wondered if anyone had specific interview transcripts, or just views, on the dissolution of DS?

The latter DS albums differed markedly, with On Every Street arguably closest to post DS Knopfler in its sounds and some themes. Did MK decide to end things with DS due to the fame/pressure and wish instead to go on his own and, if so, why change out some musicians but continue with others?  Given most positions had been changed out several times during DS's lifetime why, specifically, did the likes of  Illsley not continue with a "solo" MK while Guy Fletcher did?

Few questions here I guess, just wondered on any concrete answers. Whilst, for all intents and purposes, DS could be argued to be MK's "backing band" given his input and level of control through the bands life, why did MK need to break things up. Would Illsley et al continuing with him under the MK name not have worked? Would this really have increased expectations from the majority of fans (who likely don't know the names of other members?).

All the best to everyone.





Buford

[Ar (aka Enlight)]

With the enormous success of Brothers in Arms, the members of Dire Straits were under a significant amount of stress. In September 1988, Mark Knopfler officially announced the break-up of the band.

[Love Expresso]

"...Alan Clark is a very close friend of mine"

LE

[TJ]

Mark has been very explicit in describing his motivation for ending DS. The quote I hear over and over is, "It had just gotten too big". Mark wanted to step out of the limelight, play a different style of music, play smaller venues, and not have to live up to the enormous expectations that came with Dire Straits.

My take.

[Buford T Justice]

Thanks for the feedback guys, much appreciated. I hadn't realised they "broke up" before On Every Street. I fully got into the band post BIA, working back then forward to the release of OES. I remember taping a radio "interview", perhaps off uk radio 1 - less an interview, more Mark answering a few questions interspersed with chat and a VoiceOver guy going on about "Philips - the inventor of compact disc". May still have the tape somewhere actually

The one thought I have on the replies to this thread though is why get back together, and why with such a massive accompanying tour? If the BIA tour took such a roll then why essentially repeat that - one final "cash grab" before the final break up and the return to smaller gigs with a solo career? I'm not saying that to be critical either - clearly supply and demand, and making it while you can for yourself and, with such wealth, your children, their children and so on. Wouldn't a few select gigs have been the answer rather than the gruelling event mentioned? Perhaps a few (say 20 or 30) stadium sized gigs with the full ensemble (covering costs etc) before smaller arenas with a paired down band, more intimate audience etc? Ultimately his choice of course, just can't see the reasons for a full scale OES tour which, given the effects of the BIA your, was arguably bound to spell the end.


Final thought / question - Had OES been more successful than BIA would they have continued or was the treturn to lower levels of "success" (defined in this case by album sales, which were still more than 99.9% of bands out there) the reason to close the chapter and move on to different things? Had the heights simply been scaled and there was no higher to go?

[ds1984]

I don't remeber hearing / reading a pre OES disbanding so that's new to me. From my known when asked Mark always denied DS break up although giving no real clue about "when" the band had to be back in work.

Other thing, the OES tour did not last 2 years nor performed 300 shows.
The biggest DS tour was 85/86 with 238 concerts in 117 cities if I remember well.

OES started August 23rd 1991 in Dublin , and ended on October 9th 1992 after 216 shows so it was a whole full year on the road not two.

[Buford T Justice]

Thanks DS1984.

The OES tour still sounds lengthy and gruelling, especially if cracks were appearing before this.

Did Ed Bicknell continue post the OES commitments into Golden Heart or did he and Mark cut loose before Golden Heart? Ed features quite extensively in a book on Peter Grant I read recently - seemingly be attended gigs by the Notting Hillbillies, taking the "role" of Ed's manager (in a joke on another attendee) and also went to a few DS gigs, with them being friends thereafter on the UK south coast. Is Ed still active in management?

[Ar (aka Enlight)]

OES started August 23rd 1991 in Dublin , and ended on October 9th 1992 after 216 shows so it was a whole full year on the road not two.

edited

[TJ]

Thanks DS1984.

The OES tour still sounds lengthy and gruelling, especially if cracks were appearing before this.

Did Ed Bicknell continue post the OES commitments into Golden Heart or did he and Mark cut loose before Golden Heart? Ed features quite extensively in a book on Peter Grant I read recently - seemingly be attended gigs by the Notting Hillbillies, taking the "role" of Ed's manager (in a joke on another attendee) and also went to a few DS gigs, with them being friends thereafter on the UK south coast. Is Ed still active in management?

Mark and Ed split up after Sailing to Philadelphia was recorded, but before the STP tour. I believe, just from second-hand info, that Mark was tired of Ed pushing so hard to tour and possibly to record what he thought was saleable music. I heard that Ed wanted DS to re-form and do a big tour to support the Private Investigations best-of album, but Mark wouldn't hear of it. Ed also liked to call the 96ers "The Dullards" - lol.

[dmg]

"The Dullards!"   Gotta love Ed!  Great musicians though they are, I know where he's coming from.

[ds1984]

During the OES period the relationship between  Mark and Alan was not at its best as Alan and Mark did not get well on the musical direction the band should take : interesting is the case of "I think I love you too much" planned to be on OES album but in the end given to Jeff Healey's Hell to Pay album although being performed live during the tour.

DS was no more the suitable backing band for Mark's music but the GH era was not easy time either, the project ending being at least one full year late.

I wonder if the splitting between Ed and Mark was at a contractual term or not, because Ed started to do some clearance at the DM office through two charity auction, the first one toward october 1999.
 

[Pottel]

what charity action in 1999??

[Tally]

It is a bit ironic that the reason for the DS break-up is usually given as "it got too big", when in fact the OES tour seemed designed to be just that - enormous beyond proportion. Maybe they got a bit carried away. The tour did not sell quite as well as expected in some regions if memory serves, yes? I've always loved the OES tour musically but the band certainly had their issues at the time.

[ds1984]

what charity action in 1999??

Auction   

Done through MK News-site, retrieved from archive.org :

ED BICKNELL'S CHARITY AUCTION OF DIRE STRAITS GOLD AND PLATINUM AWARDS, OCTOBER 1999


Ed has finally been persuaded to clear out the garage - it took three of us two days to do it! - and offer for sale his surplus DS awards. This is the biggest ever auction of Dire Straits disc awards. Generous as always, Ed will give all the money he makes from this auction to charity, (choice of charity to be determined upon completion of sale).

[...]

The auction will close at 12.00 midnight GMT on Sunday 31st of October, 1999


An example of a winning bidder from the second auction that took place the following year in fall 2000 :

Platinum award Brothers in Arms

(from site oneverybootleg )