Highly entertaining and insightful interview, but two things I still don't quite understand:
1. Ed paints the One Every Street tour as a complete disaster in terms of human interactions. Isn't it strange that watching the concerts (one of them, Basel, in person, front row), I never got that impression at all? The playing was absolutely outstanding, and they often clearly did have fun. There was no lack of emotional moments (in a positive way) - just think of Mark playing You and Your Friend. Also, he did seem to show a lot of respect for the band, watching Danny/Chris during Calling Elvis, for instance, or having these wonderful interactions with Paul Franklin. If they really had such an awful time, who was struggling with whom? If Paul Franklin had to take sleeping pills to avoid everyone, why then was his playing so inspired? Why did Mark play so absolutely brilliantly, at the very top of his game, if he couldn't care less about the new songs and everything was just awful? I don't doubt that there were tense moments, but to say that the whole experience was just one huge disappointment is not what I see and hear when I watch and listen to One Every Street, the album, and the tour.
2. I still don't know why Ed was fired or ready to quit, as he puts it. "Strangest meeting ever", "Mark said something very upsetting" -- why and what, Ed? The only hints I have come from the song Let's See You, but that doesn't tell me much more, either. "Tonight we pushed the border just a little too far for comfort" -- understood, that's what I gather from listening to Ed. But how exactly? Ed says that the whole situation with Mark (until today) is just strange; he makes it sound almost inexplicable. But I have this feeling that he knows exactly why they broke up and no longer "drink". Also, I have a hard time believing that Mark just wrote to Ed from the tour with Dylan completely out of the blue. Ed's memory is amazing, but I also get the impression that he remembers (or tells) exactly what he wants to.
