Special Q & A with Ed Bicknell - QUESTION THREAD

[Jules]

As a Led Zeppelin fan, my second favourite band after DS, it's great to know that the managers of both bands, both key in their respective success, were friends. I would like to ask you about anything you could tell us about Peter Grant, specially if is anything related to both Zepp and DS. I doubt that both bands crossed their paths as DS were starting to success when Zepp were about to abruptly end (rip John Bonham) but maybe there is any nice story that in any way cross both musical worlds.

Thanks Ed for everything you does interacting with us.

[Rolo]

Hey, Mr. Policeman.
Please don't fine me, mister. Let me go with just a warning.

The last 2 Mark's albums (with bonus tracks) + EP  has almost the same amount of songs that the entire Straits discography.
If Mark's solo albums were released those days, probably the amount of songs per album would be way less then nowadays.
However, the 'winds of change anxiety' changed everything and now, like the Swedish Shredder used to say: - More is More.

Rumours from Hal ex-members says that, to the LOG album, there was way more songs recorded that the 5 released.
Since the band always have the appeal for details and admirers that are musicians (include the pro's), I always wonder about a Ultimate Dire Straits package that brought all recorded demos, outtakes, unreleased and unfinished songs, interview with the ex-members...
Something like PF's The Wall Experience, Mile Davis Kind Of Blue Legacy or the Dylan rehearsal albums.

The question is: The band have this kind of material archived?
I am asking it because I feel that the band's legacy is going into obscurity with the same kind of material released again and again and again... and now ATMOS... Without nothing really new.

I talked too much, mister.
Give me a penalty.
I'll defend myselft on a court.

and sorry about my very poor english.


cheers, Ed.
You are THE MAN.

[dustyvalentino]

FROM ED:

Well that was predictable.
One day in and some of you are squabbling like children in a pram, one person sends ten questions when I agreed one per member, and sorry Pavel, you are not going to go to the Ball   as inventive as your suggestion is ( and incidentally I would not take money for any of this …Brunno your comment is beyond hilarious.! )
But I will answer your quiz AS IF it appears on the Q and A site ( and on a personal note I wish you well in a very difficult time) .

ANYWAY, I have had a discourse with the Dusty toilet seat this am and I’m quite happy to extend the time frame on this by 2 weeks to September 17 so you can discuss what you want to ask among yourselves PROVIDED that it is reduced to ONE QUESTION PER PERSON, is grammatically correct and I can understand it ( no problem with translation blips).

If you have more questions than people to ask, then put those to one side and we will look at what remains unanswered at September 17. OK?

I have a life which does not revolve around MK/DS ( I know, amazing) and can only spend a limited amount of time on this SO, I will answer any question that is not intrusively personal to the best of my ability but what I won’t do is then get into a back and forth about that response.
The answer is the answer.
That’s it and that’s all.

If someone is prepared to do it, a Chris Whitten thread and a Godlike Genius thread ( me) pulling each of our contributions ( historical and current) together would make things alot easier to follow and to be clear, I mean our GENERAL COMMENTS , so, for instance, the stuff I've sent re CAL should stay in the CAL section unless you feel differently since that’s quite specialised . I’d class all Chris’ so far as GENERAL.

And I’d really welcome some questions from the ladies amongst you and others outside of the small group who have verbal diarrhoea ( you know who you are).

On the basis that’s agreed ( because you don't have any choice) I will send a batch of answers today. 
I’ve been impressed by alot of the questions by the way.
And you should stop criticising Dusty, he simply laid out what he and I thought might work best, no problem in varying that , happy to do so.

Lastly, I’m only going to be answering questions that end up on the Q and A thread, NOT the brainstorming one …and that’s where I’m going NOW.

Drummin’ man, he's a drummin’ man,
No one kicks a set of drums just like he can,
All about biology he knows not a thing
But when he sits down at those drums you know he’s really KING.

[qjamesfloyd]

Hello Ed,

In the Arena documentary about Dire Straits, Mark is seen reading the lyrics for the song Sucker For Punishment, we know that song wasn't released, but was there many other songs in that black book of his that never saw the light of day?

[superval99]

Hi Ed,

You very kindly signed my tour book at the Town & Country in Leeds (Golden Heart) before the show began. I told you that I was very excited and you replied that you were very nervous.   The question is, were you always nervous before a show?

Many thanks!   

[cannibals]

Dear Ed, is there a story behind Tunnel of Love and the reason MK stopped playing that song during the OES tour and never played it again.....
Thank you...

[stratmad]

Dear Ed,
thank you very much for giving us this unique opportunity.
My question is about Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull, who seems to be a great admirer of MK/DS, and maybe vice versa.
In an interview https://paulroland.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/paul-interviews-ian-anderson-of-jethro-tull/, IA said that in the early eighties, MK was looking for a guitar that would give him a more Martin Barre-like sound. Apart from that, was there ever any contact between the two, any idea of working together?
Cheers, stratmad

[March]

Hello.

My one question:

What is Your personal favourite and least favourite track of each album? (DS; if You want MK, too)
Or if too time consuming (what I would understand  ) personal top 5. (DS; if You want MK, too; or / and least fav top 5 – is that one question? yes; You can even choose  )

Err... – Thank You very much, Mr. Bicknell, for writing here!!! :-) And also Chris W.!!! (personally far most interested in the OES-time; because around 1989 I finally got addicted) 

[Viervalen]

Hi Ed,

How did start the friendship between MK and Clapton? Was ever planned or discussed to record songs together, maybe a whole album?

[Rolo]

Hi Ed,

How did start the friendship between MK and Clapton? Was ever planned or discussed to record songs together, maybe a whole album?

GOOD one!

[kempston_joystick]

Hi Ed!

This is a simple one, what were yours and Mark's favorite Viz comic strips?

Viz had an affinity for Geordie celebs, and I recall, in addition to various references to Sting ("real name 'Gordon Sting'") a entry on the letters page that was signed "Mark Knopfler, a f*cking big house somewhere."

Cheers!

[Darling Pretty]

Hi Ed,

thank you for answering our questions.
I really enjoyed your podcast with Bob on my return flight from Greece.

I am interested in facts. What were the albums sales from each DS and MK album in your managing period?
As this is not a real question...
What is your favourite track of Dire Straits and MK's solo catalogue?

Thank you for all, I really missed you as MK's manager

[hunter v2.0]

OMG, folks ...

[quizzaciously]

OMG, folks ...

Nobody screwed anything up, we're adequate human beings and resolved all our differences in DM's. And I'm sure Ed perfectly understands the situation.

By the way, don't forget to notify all your Dire Straits friends they can ask one question about the band's history and get an answer from EB.

I asked a few friends of mine and as expected, they were like "errrr, let me think about it for a few days". It's not that easy

[quizzaciously]

Also, a good source of questions could be Ed's interviews, maybe you want him to elaborate on something (or ask whether he was joking or not):

The Bob Lefsetz Podcast (3 hours!):

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4tKI1Oiv8kf7Ce2wEkrtbv?si=d3a1c5563b254a83
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ed-bicknell/id1316200737?i=1000657274743

Chet Atkins and false teeth' by Ed Bicknell: youtube.com/watch?v=Ln_KnVyaKm8

John Illsley on Ed: youtube.com/watch?v=f84c7R54tjQ

And so on.