I think they're taking "The Sultans of Swing" a little too literally.

I still don't see it.

Hmmm. Images disabled?

"Sailing to Philadelphia" is the greatest album ever.

/I know it has nothing to do with the article linked, I just don't care.

As a gay, I would like to make it known that George Michael is NOT a 'gay icon'.

PainInTheASP:"Sailing to Philadelphia" is the greatest album ever.

/I know it has nothing to do with the article linked, I just don't care.

I think it's his greatest, even including the Dire Straits albums.
I had "Sailing to Philadelphia" in my CD changer for 2 months.

xtex:As a gay, I would like to make it known that George Michael is NOT a 'gay icon'.

As a straight guy, if I were gay, I'd be pissed that someone would suggest that George Michael represented my community or coven or whatever you guys belong to.

Great musician. Stupid article.

5:15AM is in my top 5 favorite songs of all time

...George Michael, who, remember, wasn't out and proud until long after Wham! disbanded. But, Lord, how could we have not known it then?

Really? Some people were surprised when he was outed?

Nobody confuses Richard Thompson with Mark Knopfler.

Moran.



/saw Thompson last weekend
//didn't confuse him for Knopfler once

The little Knopfler got his own jet airplane,
The little Knopfler, he a millionaire.

Whoever confuses Richard Thompson with Mark Knopfler deserves to listen to George Michael for the rest of their lives.

Actually a Knopfler/Thompson pairing could sound great. They could have a lot of fun with "Two Left Feet"

No mention of the song "Les Boys"?

Mugato 2008-07-12 01:07:55 PM
xtex:As a gay, I would like to make it known that George Michael is NOT a 'gay icon'.

As a straight guy, if I were gay, I'd be pissed that someone would suggest that George Michael represented my community or coven or whatever you guys belong to.

WTG! One of the funnier comments I've read on Fark,

Wow, now that I think about it, Knopfler does have a few really gay moments:

"He got the action, he got the motion. Oooooh yeah, the boy can play..."

I want my three minutes back from reading that mess.

/saw Knopfler with Clapton years ago at the Palace
//Great show
///extra slashies for the Money for Nothing encore

2. Claiming Bigoted Term for the Tribe. Whereas Michael shied away from addressing the topic of homosexuality in his lyrics until he was effectively outed by a Beverly Hills cop, Knopfler's dropping of the f-bomb could be construed as a wry slap at homophobic Reaganism at its most rampant.

did the writer pulled that one out of his well used anus ?

Compared to the automatic, carelessly written, poorly edited articles that are usually linked by farkers, this one was whimsical and enjoyable to read.

davynelson: Nobody confuses Richard Thompson with Mark Knopfler.

Agreed. Knopfler's great, but Thompson's better. There's always a tinge of vinegar and/or psychosis in Richard's guitar playing... the soundtrack from Grizzly Man is a great example. But if you want to say Knopfler's better than Clapton, that's a fair argument.

incircles: No mention of the song "Les Boys"?

Good call. I forgot about that song; article writer should not have.

I think gay people can't be gay icons

strangeguitar:PainInTheASP:"Sailing to Philadelphia" is the greatest album ever.

/I know it has nothing to do with the article linked, I just don't care.

I think it's his greatest, even including the Dire Straits albums.
I had "Sailing to Philadelphia" in my CD changer for 2 months.

Looked all over town (and out of town) at used CD stores for it for a month after hearing "What It Is". I only found one copy which I take as a sign that it's a good record. And it is.

incircles:No mention of the song "Les Boys"?



Satisfied?

Brothers in each other's Arms?

I don't get it. What was the purpose of that article?

milesl:...Knopfler's dropping of the f-bomb could be construed as a wry slap at homophobic Reaganism at its most rampant.


What about the time he called Amanda White a "fat pregnant biatch"?

/It's just a prank...just...just hang up.

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 beer.

- D. Adams, QFT

Sweet! It got greenlit!!
i did the "LOL WUT?" / "WTF?!" when I saw the headline / read the article... i just HAD to submit it.

I saw MK in concert last night. [basically sold out i think]. I got pretty good seats [I could see everything... even tho i was in the third (top) balcony.] $87.
Great sound [except when he played the strat... the higher notes pierced and stang mah ears in an odd way... hard to describe... prolly the acoustics].
had a few [good natured] hecklers.
I was kinda surprised there was a first act. And i'm pretty sure most of the people were as well. Well I at least expected Knofler and crew to be THE whole show.
She was pretty cool... hot female singer songwriter called Jesca Hoop. Neat voice... like a combination of Fiest and Kate Nash, vocally. It was weird... she's from the states, but she sings in a British vernacular/accent.
A kinda mean/funny thing happened, just before she played her last song, she said something like "this is going to be my last song for this evening" and some people [sounded like 50 people] actually clapped!! lolz i felt kinda bad for her cuz she was actually very very good.

It's funny.... MK's solos on Sultans of Swing wasn't the greatest.... but i'm glad there was just a fourpiece on stage for that one... good bare bones sound... no keyboards or sax solos [remmeber live aid 85?]. It's funny... he seemed to solo better on and generally enjoy playing his newer songs [solo songs] than the old DS ones [SOS, BIA]... I can't blame him tho...

Romeo and Juliet was pretty good.... tho telegraph road was missing something... prolly lack of solo lead guitar until almost the middle of the song... and his vocals weren't the greatest for most of the night... [gravelly/deep/mr. mumbles/ mr. speak/sing
].
awesome versions of "What it is", "speedway at Nazareth", "Why Aye Man", "so far away", "going home", and another one i forget.

overall great night... i'm very very glad i went...


/ i am teh subby

Third_Uncle_Eno:Sweet! It got greenlit!!
i did the "LOL WUT?" / "WTF?!" when I saw the headline / read the article... i just HAD to submit it........

/ i am teh subby

You are just lucky that some of the Mods really likes MK. I won't complain because he is by far my favorite musican.

I saw him at Red Rocks about 2 weeks ago and Jesca was there also. I was like you, very suprised to see an opening act.

Since it was his first gig in the states, the energy was suprinsingly high for this group, although you can tell that he does not like playing Sultans anymore. It has to get old. He played for about two and a half hours, which was amazing. He did chop some out of Telegraph although he played So Far Away, Hill Farmer Blues, Done with Bonaparte, Fish and the Bird, Local Hero and several others I did not expect.

I grew up in the sticks and never was able to attend any concerts growing up but I always vowed that if MK came west now that I am in Denver, I would go. Red Rocks has to be one of the best venues. My hearing sucks (thanks to being in a band) and I have to wear earplugs at most venues to hear things correctly, but I did not need them at all. It was pretty much everything that I was hoping for.

Off on a sidenote, I wonder if the author of the article is the same person that posed this debacle (new window)

Now, when you say "bigger"...?

Gay icon? Wouldn't he be more of an Accountant Icon, or an Insurance Actuary Icon or something equally tedious and beige?

But that begs the real question... why the fark is Mark Knopfler even newsworthy anymore?

Mark Knofler is corporate rock. Pass the mayonnaise.

penis?

Wasn't the lyrics for Money for Nothing just a bunch of chatter Knopfler jotted down from a bunch of people at an appliance store? I could be wrong, but I think I remember hearing that story back when Dire Straits ruled Mtv.

Glenechocreek:Mark Knofler is corporate rock. Pass the mayonnaise.

Corporate??? Are you kidding?? Yes, you see his songs smeared on advertisements all over the place.

I think that it is about as far as roots music can get. Have you ever listened to the Sailing to Philadelphia or Ragpicker's Dream albums??? Try them sometime. It may just open your eyes.

Boris S. Wort:But that begs the real question... why the fark is Mark Knopfler even newsworthy anymore?

He is not newsworthy. He is simply a musican making music. Some folks like it, some not so much. Pretty basic if you ask me. You don't see too many people making music for over 4 decades that is not completely dependant upon their old material for their continued sucess,nor who has stayed true to the roots of the music. Knopfler is one of the few acts that I see as getting better with time for as long as he has been making music.

Montag19
Wasn't the lyrics for Money for Nothing just a bunch of chatter Knopfler jotted down from a bunch of people at an appliance store? I could be wrong, but I think I remember hearing that story back when Dire Straits ruled Mtv.

Yup. I remember seeing an interview or two w/ Mark from the 80's, on MuchMusic... during a DS "Spotlight".
Yeah. if i remember the interview well enough, the story went like so:
knopfler was in an electronics/appliance store, mtv was on the televisions, and he heard this loudmouth [and foulmouth] salesman ranting negatively about these rockstars and all their money, fancy cars, airplanes, tons of girls, etc.

[cuz back in the early or mid 90's, a video on MTV supposedly raised your band's popularity a lot...
which is ironicaly/interestingly what the videos for "money for nothing", "walk of life" and "brothers in arms" did for Dire Straits.... and being one of the first mass-produced popular rock/pop compact discs helped a bit too...]
[they went from being gold-selling barely-not-making-the-top-10 on the Billboard albums charts in the early 80's... to being multiplatinum, having your album go to #1 in 31 countries, selling out huge arenas whilst on a two year 85/86 worldwide tour... etc.]

anyway, Mark hid behind a rack or something and just wrote a bunch of down that the guy was saying. I remember reading somewhere later in some magazine, that the guy said a lot more foul-mouthed/swear-filled things than is in the song...

Montag19:Wasn't the lyrics for Money for Nothing just a bunch of chatter Knopfler jotted down from a bunch of people at an appliance store? I could be wrong, but I think I remember hearing that story back when Dire Straits ruled Mtv.

Yep. (new window)

PainInTheASP:
"Sailing to Philadelphia" is the greatest album ever.

/I know it has nothing to do with the article linked, I just don't care.

I think it's his greatest, even including the Dire Straits albums.
I had "Sailing to Philadelphia" in my CD changer for 2 months.

I dunno... "sailing..." is a good/great album... but IMHO, "Golden Heart" is his best solo album...
"ragpicker's dream" is slightly less good than "Sailing".... it has a bunch of good songs in the first half, but the last half just doesn't do much for me.

my ratings:
Dire Straits (1978): 4.5/5
Communique: 4/5
Making Movies: 3.5 or 4 / 5
Love Over Gold: 3.5 or 4/5
Twisting By the Pool EP: 2.5 or 3/5
Alchemy: 5/5
Brothers in Arms: 3.5 or 4/5
On Every Street: 3/5

Solo:
Golden Heart: 4/5
Sailing to Philadelphia: 3 or 3.5/5
Ragpicker's Dream: 2.5 or 3/5

I just heard the Killers' version of Romeo and Juliet. It doesn't get much more anemic. I had to listen to the original again as earbleach.

Third_Uncle_Eno:my ratings:

what about Shrangri La or Kill to Get Crimson??

My take
Dire Straits (1978): 4/5 (mostly upbeat and semi-laidback tunes)
Communique: 4/5 (the first hint of true melancholy, semi rushed after their first album)
Making Movies: 3.5/ 5 (back to the more popular, upbeat tunes)
Love Over Gold: 4.5/5 (starting to get into the more developed, atmospheric and moody numbers. Almost going to Pink Floyd levels.)
Twisting By the Pool EP: 1/5 (they were on farking vacation, what can you say)
Alchemy: 3.5/5 (MK's pinnical of guitar playing, but the songs are too rushed for my taste)
Brothers in Arms: 4.75/5 (Tracks 4 through 9 save it from being a 3)
On Every Street: 3/5 (while tracks 2,6,8,11 are great, the rest of the album is filler material)

Solo:
-Golden Heart: 3/5 (Vic and Ray, Cannibals, and Je Suis Desole are the best in this album)
-Sailing to Philadelphia: 4/5 (Silvertown, What it is, Praire Wedding, Speedway, Sands of Nevada are great, but it is missing Camerado and Long Highway which never made it to the final album)
-Ragpicker's Dream: 5/5 (Why Aye Man, Devil Baby - go dip your nose in the Tony Snow thread to see what he is talking about, Hill Farmer Blues is probably my 2nd favorite song, Marbletown and Old Pigweed are classics in my book)
-All the Roadrunning 4/5 (I normally don't like duet albums, but this almost made me change my mind)
-Shangri-La 3.5/5 (5:15 is one of my favorites: "they gather round the glass, tough hewers and crutters, child trappers and putters, the little foals and half-marrows, who pushed and pulled the barrows, the hod boys, and the rolleywaymen-5.15 a.m." I love it)
-Kill to get Crimson 3.5/5 (3/4 and 6/8 measures galore, if that is your thing. Madame Geneva, Fish and the Bird, Heart full of Holes are all great songs)

HeadLever:Ragpicker's Dream: 5/5 (Why Aye Man, Devil Baby - go dip your nose in the Tony Snow thread to see what he is talking about, Hill Farmer Blues is probably my 2nd favorite song, Marbletown and Old Pigweed are classics in my book)

Hill Farmer Blues is my favorite song of all time.

...so bad...

agreed. "hill farmer blues" is one of my very fav. from 'ragpickers"

i did not "rate" "shangri-la" or "kill to get crimson"
because i don't own them and haven't listened to them.
to be truthful... i kinda thought for a while that his solo album quality was going down slightly with each release... so that's partially why i didn't bother with his last two...
but the newer songs he played at the concert gave me hope for those two albums...

That article was the biggest waste of internets I've seen in a while.

Montag19: Wasn't the lyrics for Money for Nothing just a bunch of chatter Knopfler jotted down from a bunch of people at an appliance store? I could be wrong, but I think I remember hearing that story back when Dire Straits ruled Mtv.

I always thought it was a jab at Boy George. Why am I thinking that?
/old
//off my lawn
///etc.

Wait, I've been mishearing "Money for Nothing" lyrics for all these years?

I didn't hear it as "Yeah buddy, that's his own hair". I heard it as "Yeah buddy, that's his own affair" as if they guy was saying that the dude was gay but that is his own business.

Wow, I'm really bad at hearing lyrics.

iammess: I didn't hear it as "Yeah buddy, that's his own hair". I heard it as "Yeah buddy, that's his own affair" as if they guy was saying that the dude was gay but that is his own business.

Wow, I'm really bad at hearing lyrics.

That's just about how I felt after I found out Elton John never made a song about Tony Danza.

How the Hell could anybody confuse Knopfler & Richard Thompson? They're both superb, but very different guitarists.

Knopfler's style is graceful, thoughtful, and fluid.

Thompson has a knack for being consistently surprising, playing notes and runs you'd never see coming. And when the guy really gets rocking, it's like a train going around a sharp curve with half it's wheels off the track, but amazingly it's never derailed.

I thought only straight women could be gay icons?

Isn't he from Australia?