Why is he so modest?

[WaterofLove]

Everytime I watch an interview with MK and someone points out the fact that he is one of the best guitarists through history he ALWAYS puts himself down, like saying he would be a guitar teacher's worst nightmare and that he doesn't know what he is doing and many other things. He comes across as very modest and humble, but is it really true that he sees himself this way? He HAS to know he is a brilliant guitarist? Is it just that he doesn't like the attention and ranking himself?

[ds1984]

Mark is perfectly aware of his gift.

[Millionaire Blues]

I think he knows his true value of this genius and is pretty smart to play it down as it only adds to his legendary status....There is a direct relationship between talent and modesty. Ho many crap artists do you see trying to get attention when they have no real substance as a writer / musician. MK is the polar opposite of style over substance...He is pure talent without any of the bullshit.....

Although interesting he is quick to react when an interviewer doesn't give him the credit he feels he deserves especially in regard to his soundtrack work. I remember MK saying that he can't do the "falling down the stairs music" and when interviewer accepted this without disagreeing MK looked a little miffed.


X

[ds1984]

I like the Knopfler of the early days when he was obviously in search of some virtuosity.

 

[JF]

I like the Knopfler of the early days when he was obviously in search of some virtuosity.

+1 

and I far far prefer the virtuosity from early days till Alchemy rather than the heavy rock demonstrative style from early 90ies

[Throttle]

I found this secluded spot for response to the question taken from the topic "Rare MK pics".

...a while back I counted in his character at least 3 neurotic traits, associated with probable psychological traumas.

I would like to read your analysis...

So, that's what I can say about peculiarities of his nature.

At first, it's shyness coupled with a stutter. These features could appear as a result of emotional abuse in his childhood or early youth. I have no evidence, only some knowledge of basic principles underlying these states.

At second, there is the well-known difficulty of expressing his feelings. MK has a narrow emotional channel, working in the simplest possible mode: <on> and <off>. Either fully open, or sealed shut, without any intermediate position. And all these fine nuances of emotional expression cause him certain problems. He doesn't feel too good, pretending to be a star, and therefore prefers to stick to his familiar pattern to make himself feel safe. But it doesn't mean he is in no condition to feel at all. Nothing of the kind. He just can't express his emotions properly, arousing criticism from his ardent fans year after year. But this is his innate peculiarity, that can't be changed by force of will.

At third, such a thing as emotional eating disorder. He had suffered with anorexia for quite some time when colleagues reproached him for his obnoxious behavior. And at the same time the audience admired his fiery temperament. By the way, the reverse is also true, as has been mentioned earlier, he grows stout when all goes well.

[Love Expresso]

Stutter? Anorexia? These are the things you discovered and mentioned in the other thread? Then please don't forget bipolar disorder and split personality, because of all the many characters in his songs...

Sorry by all respect but this goes way overboard from my point of view. What exactly is your qualification to claim these things?

Isn't it dangerous to create an "emotional abuse in his childhood" only because of the occasional stutter? I have seen hundreds of Interviews with him and stutter is not the first thing that comes to mind but eloquence, nice speaking voice and well-thought searching for words.

Far too many smokes and booze... that's what made him so thin in the early days I'm sure... And his love for good good and wine seems pretty healthy to me.

So all in all, I disagree.

LE

[Banjo99uk]

Self deprecation is a very British thing to do. Thats all it is I would say.

[quizzaciously]

Self deprecation is a very British thing to do. Thats all it is I would say.

The thing is, you can't just see Mark say 'I'm a teacher's worst nightmare' and assume he's a modest guy. He just thinks deeper than that.

I can play something, of course, but there's literally millions of guitar players better than me out there, and this is just a honest look.
People often say to me things like 'you play good, man, wow, you play so good' or my favourite 'I wish I could play like you'. I LOL at it.

Self-deprecation plays its role here, but not so much. In case of Mark, his overall sound obscure all his technical capabilities.

For example, I make a lesson on how to play his part in 'I'll See You In My Dreams' 1987 version. And what I can say? Well...
It almost impossible. Literally the teacher's worst nightmare, because there's so much information. I can play it, but explain? Er...
In other hand, the lesson for Chet's part took me one weekend to pull out, because it's a straightforward virtuosity right there. On or off.

Same goes with Mark's songwriting. Many people will say like 'Mark is the best songwriter on the planet', but you know this is exaggerated.
And he knows this is exaggerated. There are thousands of good songwriters out there and dozens of almost-genius songwriters.
So Mark is not so modest so to speak, but rather have a very intelligent approach on explaining his own skills.

I'm Jack of all trades, master of none.

[Lis]

Thank you Throttle.  I think this is a very interesting "take" on MK.

Just a couple of thoughts... I don't hear a stutter; however, that just might mean that it is not very prevalent.  I do recall Ed Bicknell trashing MK by means of teasing him about a stutter.   

Also, it is very lucky for us that MK expresses himself emotionally through his songwriting, playing and singing. What a wonderful gift he has given us!!! 
   

[Throttle]

I don't hear a stutter; however, that just might mean that it is not very prevalent.  I do recall Ed Bicknell trashing MK by means of teasing him about a stutter.   

Yes, I remember it. Such a mockery does him no credit. 
Lis, I think that singing has served as a compensatory mechanism in this case and worked its magic.

[dustyvalentino]

I've never noticed a stutter. But he does have a speech impediment, struggling to pronounce the letter "R".

Also, he wasn't so modest in the DS days.

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[superval99]

He does seem to have a slight speech impediment, but not a stutter as such.   Also, regarding his weight - he started putting on weight around 1996 when he stopped smoking, so probably the smoking kept him thin, not anorexia! 

[Throttle]

He does seem to have a slight speech impediment, but not a stutter as such.   

There is no contradiction here. The most common way of avoiding stutter is the substitution of one word for another.
Also a similar outcome is successfully achieved by verbiage and use cliches, boilerplate phrases.

Also, regarding his weight - he started putting on weight around 1996 when he stopped smoking...

...or after he married Kitty.
And yes, I know that "after" and "as a result of" aren't synonyms. 

Don't get me wrong. I don't urge you to agree with me, that would be presumptuous of me.
I just clarified what I considered to be right.

[Masiakasaurus]

Also, he wasn't so modest in the DS days.

This is very interesting I think. IMHO it seems like he had his days of humbleness as well as more of a cocky rock star well aware of his talents.

As much as I admire him for his humble and (as it seems) kind personality these days, I love watching him being the guitar god in the early 80's. The fire and hunger he showed then probably wouldn't have existed if he was as laid back about his talents as he is now. Just imagine him writing something as personal as LoG these days... 

PS: I still like the MK of today too.