Special Q & A with Ed Bicknell - DISCUSSION THREAD

[Pottel]

Thanks, Ed for answering my stupefyingly long question and it's actually a perfect answer, I expected nothing less from you. You've left no stone unturned, bravo!

The upbringing, growing together and life experience is exactly what I wanted to see in your answer. But I also have to comment on one thing...

The thing MOST people are getting wrong about me is that I think of MK as some kind of a living God. That's simply not true. I believe in the presumption of innocence, and every man or woman is equally smart and important to me UNLESS they prove me otherwise.

And I actually praise Ed left and right, I praise everybody, and yes, I praise Mark left and right because I strive to see only the good in people. It's obvious everybody has their skeleton in the closet, everybody goes to the toilet, and as we say in Russia, "everybody masturbates how he wants".

I'm not interested in the dark side of people, I'm only interested in their good side. That's why I do my best to be "Mark's advocate" here and sometimes seem like a brainwashed fanboy.

where is my praise damnit?

Pottel has to be the most adequate AMIT member. His post are short and precise unlike mine, he's always funny and calm as a tank (as we say in Russia), never joins into arguments and fights, but rather trying his best to resolve them and avoid them. He never quits, never threaten, never ban, never insult anyone, overall a top bloke I'd be happy to share a drink together should the world be less fucked up and travel was possible for me. Pottel is the Rick Blaine of AMIT. And he's a co-founder of the damn thing. Amen!

i am a true T-72
amen indeed brother

[Rolo]

2) I'm still a little bit confused about how MK can be described as a guy who avoids conflicts, stress, confrontation at all cost, etc., and at the same time described as this tyrannical leader who fires people left and right, insults his bro, scolds musicians and ignores his mates. Something's wrong here as if we are talking about two different Marks. Maybe, there are two Marks after all.

Maybe I can explain my thoughts since was I am who  writes this sentence.
Seems to me that the only band member that was fired directly by MK as David.
All the others choosed to quit or were "fired" by Ed.
Well, my thoughts are that Mark waves to Ed saying that he didn't want to work with a DS musician, and Ed had the "job" to fire those ones without Mark having to crosspath with this musician ever again.
The ones who choose 'to quit' or wont had their contract renewed never got a 'thanks, mate' from Mark.

Been bossy when you are the boss it's easy. Putting pressure on the band, been on bad mood and transfer his 'bad energy' to the others it's selfish. However, after live almost 2 years with a couple of band mates, sharing food (sausages), rooms, personal problem... after all, at the end, even been bossy and bad moody, the right thing to do is to say:
- Hey, pal. I am sorry for some issues and, sometimes, not been so friendly. I don't know how will be my direction for the future, however, if we wont play again, thanks for everything. Please, talk to Ed and your always be welcome.

Seems that MK never sayed anything even closer to this.

[dustyvalentino]

2) I'm still a little bit confused about how MK can be described as a guy who avoids conflicts, stress, confrontation at all cost, etc., and at the same time described as this tyrannical leader who fires people left and right, insults his bro, scolds musicians and ignores his mates. Something's wrong here as if we are talking about two different Marks. Maybe, there are two Marks after all.

Well, ignoring his mates is absolutely avoiding conflict.

And likewise, "firing" seems to have involved simply not picking up the phone, leaving Jack and Terry baffled.

[quizzaciously]

A question, if I may, this time about Mark. One of the things I admire the most about him as a live performer is how effortlessly he plays lead lines behind his vocals. Many famous singer-guitarists don't, or can't. I mean, take Lady Writer for instance. An uptempo song, a mouthful lyrically, and then to play those intricate lines with precision and without messing up the singing. In your opinion, or from observation, is that just something he has a gift for, or did he practice a lot to achieve that kind of independency?

Gift I’d but there’s no point having a gift/talent if you done practice and apply it.
You know I can't recall ever seeing him practice in the time we worked together…doodling yes, but dedicated practice, no.

That's a great question, hunter v2.0 and since Ed's answer is not that detailed, I'll try to discuss it even though I know you dislike me at a genetic level.

ALL musicians who are multitasking, whether it's playing bass and singing like Sting or Paul McCartney, playing multiple melodies on the guitar at the same time like Chet Atkins or Tommy Emmanuel, or gaining limb independence to play drums, achieved that through practice and practice alone. I don't think you can even have a gift for something like singing/playing independence as you're doing something your hands and brain simply aren't wired to do.

And what's most impressive to me, is while everybody I've mentioned sings and plays pre-learned stuff like bass lines, arrangements and whatnot, Mark continues to improvise while singing as if he's not multitasking at all. To me, it screams about Mark putting in the proverbial 10,000 hours of practice and then some to gain this kind of independence. Blues musicians do this all the time too, but Mark applies it to non-blues music and it's infinitely cool.

As for observing practice, usually, it's all done privately, like writing, so you can't observe somebody's practice. Though Stewart Copeland in an interview with Rick Beato stated that he constantly oversaw Sting practising his bass/voice independence, which is, I must admit, on the highest level.

[Robson]

qjamesfloyd:

Do you think Mark going solo was always inevitable from more or less the beginning of Dire Straits?

ED:
I never thought about at the time but, yes.

It gave him complete control and then I went and he got complete control in that area.

--------

I think very important words from Ed. This is a new perspective. No one has ever told us this in such a direct way.

[qjamesfloyd]

The main reason I asked that was because of the Arena documentary, when Mark is asked what extent is Dire Straits just a vehicle for his songs (I am paraphrasing) and he says "To no extent" and that was very early in his career.

One thing I am picking up from Ed is his dislike for Alan Clark and David Knopfler!!

I have a feeling Mark is a different person now from the one Ed knew, maybe he has been for many years as it is almost a quarter of a century since they had a working relationship. People can and do change, unless your Roger Waters of course!! I just don't think the likes of Guy Fletcher, who everyone say is a really nice "Guy" would have stayed around and worked with Mark for so long if he was so bad.

[dustyvalentino]

The main reason I asked that was because of the Arena documentary, when Mark is asked what extent is Dire Straits just a vehicle for his songs (I am paraphrasing) and he says "To no extent" and that was very early in his career.

One thing I am picking up from Ed is his dislike for Alan Clark and David Knopfler!!

I have a feeling Mark is a different person now from the one Ed knew, maybe he has been for many years as it is almost a quarter of a century since they had a working relationship. People can and do change, unless your Roger Waters of course!! I just don't think the likes of Guy Fletcher, who everyone say is a really nice "Guy" would have stayed around and worked with Mark for so long if he was so bad.

Because he's a working musician and it's a good gig?

[dustyvalentino]

Ed's revelations about the 79 tour are fascinating.

We've been banging on about OES for years, but it seems DS really could have folded after 79.

Making Movies was absolutely crucial. To be fair to Holly Beth Vincent, if she hadn't dumped Mark and thus R&J was born, DS might have been dropped by the label.

[TheTimeWasWrong]

I've just caught up with the answers, and I absolutely love Ed's responses and humor. Though I would love to know more about the whole OES/OTN story (I have always been fascinated by that part of the band), I really appreciate that he keeps things private — stuff that's none of our business — and he is not opening unhealed wounds. He is a real gentleman, if you ask me.

[dustyvalentino]

MK had said in recent interviews, that he was running away from home as he was getting divorced and it was being quite bad, I know Ed doesn't get into that details but if it's that, as long as MK himself has mentioned it, maybe he can confirm?

When did MK say that?

[qjamesfloyd]

The main reason I asked that was because of the Arena documentary, when Mark is asked what extent is Dire Straits just a vehicle for his songs (I am paraphrasing) and he says "To no extent" and that was very early in his career.

One thing I am picking up from Ed is his dislike for Alan Clark and David Knopfler!!

I have a feeling Mark is a different person now from the one Ed knew, maybe he has been for many years as it is almost a quarter of a century since they had a working relationship. People can and do change, unless your Roger Waters of course!! I just don't think the likes of Guy Fletcher, who everyone say is a really nice "Guy" would have stayed around and worked with Mark for so long if he was so bad.

Because he's a working musician and it's a good gig?

There must be more to it than that, they have been together for many decades, and haven't they both said that they have never had an argument?

[dustyvalentino]

Well. I've never had an argument with my boss either 

[Rolo]

Ed's revelations about the 79 tour are fascinating.

We've been banging on about OES for years, but it seems DS really could have folded after 79.

Making Movies was absolutely crucial. To be fair to Holly Beth Vincent, if she hadn't dumped Mark and thus R&J was born, DS might have been dropped by the label.

I had this feeling when, back on my fervorous fan days of DS, i saw the Arena doc with the recording sessions for what could be the MM.
I felt that tha band was kind of lost because it have to move on and the band was still trapped on his original sounds.
Mark was trying hard to bring new stuff to the band so, i think that, if the band wont decided to chance his direction, maybe MK went solo in 1980.
However, i don't know if he could grow without calling himself as Dire Straits.

[wayaman]

MK had said in recent interviews, that he was running away from home as he was getting divorced and it was being quite bad, I know Ed doesn't get into that details but if it's that, as long as MK himself has mentioned it, maybe he can confirm?

When did MK say that?

Can't remember exactly but when he used to talk about how he liked touring like a solo artist, he made that comment, I remember that running away from home sentence in various interviews.

[Rolleyway Man]

MK had said in recent interviews, that he was running away from home as he was getting divorced and it was being quite bad, I know Ed doesn't get into that details but if it's that, as long as MK himself has mentioned it, maybe he can confirm?

When did MK say that?

Can't remember exactly but when he used to talk about how he liked touring like a solo artist, he made that comment, I remember that running away from home sentence in various interviews.

I distinctly recall him mentioning it once or twice when he was promoting The Ragpicker’s Dream during interviews on BBC Radio 2 way back in 2002, either with Johnnie Walker, Richard Allinson or both.