Chris Whitten interview

[Jules]

We'll love to see you in one of your Instagram videos playing Sultans like you would had liken to play.

I had actually been planning it for a while, but now the criticism has put me off.
Essentially I don't think anyone has played it well other than Pick. It is light, with dancing on the snare and cymbals to match Mark's guitar work. Most people post Pick have played loud rimshot backbeats. Including me (sadly). Mark absolutely ruled that tour with a rod of iron. I don't think I had the balls to suddenly start playing the song much lighter.

Actually we know now of first hand that it wasn't you who ruined Sultans but Mark!

Listening to Tripping the live fantastic, I always thought that in comparison with On the night, it sounded like two different drummers, now I understand why.

[Tobben]

Well, I enjoy your playing on the OES tour Chris! Actually OES is my favourite tour together with the first one.

I do understand it must have been a hard tour to do! But still. So many great songs played so well.

If you would like to, it would be really nice to learn more about how you approached songs like Planet Of New Orleans and Telegraph Road 🙂

[Jules]

"I’ll put it on the list. I don’t actually think i ‘nailed’ it. I think I understand better how it should be played now"

As per the above quote from earlier in the discussion.
I already admitted it should have been played differently, but that option was never really given to me.
On the McCartney tour I was valued and nurtured. I was allowed to basically play how I wanted, and I did play loud rock most of the show, but sometimes very light on songs like The Long And Winding Road
On the OES tour Mark basically told everyone what to play, except maybe Paul Franklin who he greatly admired.

Phil Palmer mentioned in his book "session man" how he had Danny trying all his shakers for hours, and in the end he asked him to take out some of the things inside one of them, and decided that was the one.

Also mentions when he had Phil playing the OES chords at the end with many different guitars and amps combinations, also for hours!

[Chris W]

Thanks all for the last few comments.
Again, I didn't turn down the tour because 'I didn't like Dire Straits'. I hadn't particularly followed DS other than the hits - Sultans, Walk Of Life, Money etc...
I left McCartney in 1990 because I saw myself as a studio drummer. Previous to Paul I had played on various records over the 80's and really enjoyed it. Some were hits.
I wasn't really interested in going out on another (even longer) tour.
DS asked two or three times, and on the third time my manager said I should really just go and meet them.
I went to Air Studios and recorded on the same songs Porcaro had played on, that was the audition. I loved what Jeff had played. Mark and John were friendly.
It was those two things that persuaded me to do the tour, the chance to recreate Jeff's great drum performances on stage, and maybe Mark wasn't as 'down' on drummers as I had heard.

[the visitor]

Hello Chris, hopefully you weren't too offended by my post opening this thread. Being told what to play and how loud explains it all rather than you not liking the songs at all; maybe that's just what I took from the interview incorrectly. I think Dire Straits were in a different space when you were with them and interesting to hear Mark's head was already in Nashville. Thanks very much for stating your case .

[rmarques821]

Very interesting discussion here with Chris. I personally never had a problem with the OES tour drumming on Sultans, but I never really liked the drumming on Telegraph Road. It felt like a running of the bulls song by the final guitar solo. Of course, like Chris said, Mark was unbearable by then. He obviously didn't want to do the tour, got bored, angry and was dealing with a divorce. He just told people exactly what to do for 350 shows, and where there's no artistic freedom, there's no possibility of delivering a good performance. I listen to the album and the tour performances a lot and I always enjoy your work on Calling Elvis and Private Investigations among others...
Thanks Chris for your comments.

[Peter1981]

sorry to hear the tour was a bit of downer vibe-wise, Chris. It being 350 shows must have been a drag at some point. Way too long a tour for anyone's good, that is.
But! Just so you know; I have played the On The Night record and video (had it on VHS, never forget;-) at least a thousand times. Probably 2 thousand ;-)
It got me into Dire Straits and will always be a very, very special record to me. Maybe even thé most.
That Brothers in Arms version is absolute magic. The whole build up. Still goosebumps, every time.
So I'd just like to say; thank you!

[schmonka]

Just to chip in here, MK might have been a grumpy sod at that time, but the On The Night version of You and Your Friend - you guys knock it 110% out of the ballpark.   

[Pottel]

i have an entirely different question for Chris:
How did you make it onto here?

and personally, also for me On the Night was my getting into DS live (before that, and the world of the internet, all i had was my fathers Making movies, Love over gold, BIA and Dire Straits vinyl records)
it made me go to my first show, in Werchter, Belgium, 1992.05.27, which for me at the time felt like some holy moment.
i always thought you were playing, ...powerful, but i got shit drumming knowledge, nor does it interest me anymore then it being the important backbone to all the music i so love.
Also, i knew your name as Jbaent did from the live Macca album you did, which i absolutely loved.

Care to share anymore insights, good or bad, on the whole experience of touring?
Also, what are you doing these days?
thnx.

[NicoMK]

Essentially I don't think anyone has played it well other than Pick. It is light, with dancing on the snare and cymbals to match Mark's guitar work.

Danny in 2010 

Welcome Chris, it's very brave from you to put some insight into this here. I guess it must be complicated to share your experience on a die-hard forum fans like this one, even 30 years after. However it's very valuable to have some feedback from someone who actually lived the whole thing, something that we couldn't just imagine back in the days! The 1991-92 tour was coincidentally what really brought me into Mark's music, being a young dude at that time, so it brings me very fond memories.

Unfortunately for me, I can't comment on how the show sounded live because I never had the opportunity to attend it so I'll miss a go.

Having toured with Dire Straits for almost two years (and I remember that you played a few gigs with a tribute band some years ago), would you be able to play these songs again? I mean, would it be like, rehearsal for a bit and then be ready for the show?

Also, there's a lot of talks here about how to play or not to play Sultans but are there any other songs from the set that you would have liked to play completely differently?

And, one more question if I may, what is more comfortable for a band? Playing the same show over and over again which was the case for most of the 1992 leg, or vary the set a bit night after night, to keep it fresh and alive?

Of course feel free to answer or not, and thank you for your contribution to this thread and… to the Dire Straits history too! 

[dustyvalentino]

Welcome Chris, thank you for your insights.

On the plus side, you got to be a Thunderbird puppet. 

[zeusjazmin]

great of chris going out his way to post on here much appreciated,i personally was critical of the drumming on the oes tour as being robbotic,being told exactly how to play on each song would explain why it sounded as such.
having now watched lots of chris whittens drumming away from dire straits well wow what a special drummer he really is,superb!!!!!
if jeff porcaro had accepted the invitation to do the tour he would have been put in the same poition as chris and been playing the exact same way as per mk instruction.once again thanks chris for the explanation on this forum,top man

[quizzaciously]

great of chris going out his way to post on here much appreciated,i personally was critical of the drumming on the oes tour as being robbotic,being told exactly how to play on each song would explain why it sounded as such.
having now watched lots of chris whittens drumming away from dire straits well wow what a special drummer he really is,superb!!!!!
if jeff porcaro had accepted the invitation to do the tour he would have been put in the same poition as chris and been playing the exact same way as per mk instruction.once again thanks chris for the explanation on this forum,top man

I don't think MK would had dared to say Jeff Porcaro how to play, you need to have very big balls to say the best drummer in the world how to play! How sad he left us while DS was on tour 

Personally, I don't see any trouble in Mark giving instructions on how to play something, whoever the recipient of instructions is. If he wants a certain sound, why not?

I also don't think that tour could be "happy" in its essence. No tour should last that long, it's ridiculous. Break your families, exhaust yourself for what? To say you had a bigger tour than somebody else? Never was a fan of Mark bragging about long tours.

[NicoMK]

I don't think MK would had dared to say Jeff Porcaro how to play, you need to have very big balls to say the best drummer in the world how to play! How sad he left us while DS was on tour 

Re. Mark's personnel, I think we all pretty much understood how it has always worked over the years: 

a) The boss is happy with your work, you can stay.
b) You're not happy, then leave.
c) For whatever reason the boss is not happy with your work or thinks he has found better, then you're out. As good as it gets. 

[dustyvalentino]

The BiA tour was about the same length and it was happy was it not?