dual personalities

Guitar god and song-writer supreme

I’ve been a huge fan of Mark Knopfler since the 1980s and I’m pretty sure I own every album he’s made except the odd live performance or ep. He was the first musician to make me appreciate the electric guitar, which I had previously considered loud, unmusical, and even tacky. How wrong I was — just go listen to “Brothers in Arms”! Douglas Adams once wrote, “Mark Knopfler has an extraordinary ability to make a Schecter Custom Stratocaster hoot and sing like angels on a Saturday night, exhausted from being good all week and needing a stiff drink.” True, but it’s not just his guitar playing that’s great; it’s his song-writing.

Mark Knopfler has an incredible feel for people’s stories and their history. Not many people write historical songs these days and his stand out. Who else could write songs about the discoverers of the Mason Dixon line, a mail order bride, a soldier in Napoleon’s army, a farmer driven to the edge, a ship dismembered for scrap iron, or a piper at Dunkirk and with a combination of simple lyrics and great music make them come alive?

It’s impossible to choose an all-time favorite, but I think my current one is “Before Gas and TV” — I love what it says and the music is perfectly mournful. You can hear it here:

If you’re in the mood for something more lively, try the classic:

What’s your favorite Mark Knopfler song?

P.S. Happy news! He’s coming out with a new cd in September!