Hey Denmark!

I have been wondering which readings Mark has gotten inspiration from, so it was a surprising treat to find these works listed in your post.

Quick question: How did you amass this list, and how accurate do you think it is?

Best and many thanks,

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kami-kam

Rather than ask, I would like to talk with Mark about world views. He reminds me just a bit of the late, great Kurt Vonnegut in his apparent gentleness.

My fantasy - like I should tell it! - would be to sit with a small group: Mark, maybe his wife and/or a friend or two, my husband (whose playing reminds me of Mark's, but please don't stone me for saying it) and myself. Tropical breeze, I think. Island time. A few fresh drinks, the sun setting on the water. Just talking. That would be so relaxing and soul satisfying.

Perhaps I could have it as a last wish...?

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kami-kam

Hello Kami: Your wish is everybody's wish...I agree with you, just to talk with the guy would be incredible...For all of us that love his music, any kind of near encounter with the man would be a dream come true...And if you do it in an island, with a few drinks, and watching the sunset, well, it doesn't get any better.........Great to read your opinion, thanks, best regards to you and your husband............"Oh yea, once upon a time in the west"..........

Hi, I've read most of the books,although as I mentioned previously I have struggled with a couple of them.

"Growth of the Soil" is one of those,but I did read a fair chunk of it and if you look it up online you will see that in the first couple of paragraphs there is a man walking down the track with a sack on his back and putting down his load where he thought it was the best place to settle.Later in the story the telegraph workers arrive and start putting up the poles.I'm over simplifying a bit.It's a long book and I am determined to finish it one day.Mark was said to be reading it in the band bus driving to a gig in the USA, back in the Straits days and I think he used the story to depict the rise and demise of many such towns and cities in the world and how things are spoiled by modern living,factories closing,being thrown out of work etc. etc."The Eagles did it as well I think with "The:Long Run"

"Money" by Martin Amis I'm reading at the moment,I'm only a few pages in and the main character is into all the things that are bad for you,cigarettes,alcohol,fast food and fast women etc.etc and the words "Heavy Fuel have already been mentioned.

"The Electric Michelangelo" is about Tattoos and love and many other things.(Over simplifying again)

I've no reason to doubt that the information is true and as I said before some of it has come from Mark himself.If you can access it there is an archive programme called "Open Book" on the BBC Radio 4 website on which Mark guested and chose his 5 favourite books.

Try http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/openbook then look for the recent programme transmitted on 15th July 2007

Good Luck and regards from the UK

 

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"You only get one life, this I know.
Gonna get my licks in now before I go".

Hi denmark: Great info you share with us..Thanks, have a nice day........................."You shouldn't come around here singing up at people like that, anyway what you gonna do about it"....

Hi again,check out my previous post I've changed the web address(I got the programme wrong!!) it was open book.

Regards

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"You only get one life, this I know.
Gonna get my licks in now before I go".

Thanks denmark: great info, you are a great contributor to this website..All the things that you know about Mark, and share with us is greatly appreciated................................"And she can raise one eyebrow, put her hand on my hip, and I close one eye now"......Regards from across the Atlantic....

I think I would ask him  (among other songs) where his inspiration for BIA came from. Obviously either he or someone he knew suffered a great personal loss. I remember thinking at the time of it's release that ...due to the timeframe in which it was released... maybe it had something to do with the Falklands War, but I'm not so sure of that anymore. I would like to ask him about the use of the pawnbroker in "Heart full of holes"  as well.

And as for "Telegraph Road"...it is a street in Detroit that the bus was passing by...probably as he was reading the book. From the pictures I've seen...Telegraph Road looks to be the typical over-developed urban US street with layered development and plenty of fast-food restaurants on every corner.

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Doctor parkinson declared Im not surprised to see you here
Youve got smokers cough from smoking, brewers droop from drinking beer
I dont know how you came to get the betty davis knees
But worst of all young man youve got industrial disease

Hello hophead: Very interesting your questions for Mark...The information on "Telegraph Road" is really interesting..I didn't know that...I guess a Talented man like Mark gets his ideas and his inspiration anytime and any place on earth....Thanks man for sharing this great info with us............."And I'm just high on the world"..........Best regards.........

hophead:

I think I would ask him  (among other songs) where his inspiration for BIA came from. Obviously either he or someone he knew suffered a great personal loss. I remember thinking at the time of it's release that ...due to the timeframe in which it was released... maybe it had something to do with the Falklands War, but I'm not so sure of that anymore.

I' m interested in history, so I would be curious too... although the thing that make everybody love "Brothers In Arms", in my opinion, is: no matter WHICH war or fact or time gave the inspiration; he put some ideas in that song that are suitable for every war in any time in the history of human beings. IT' S WRITTEN (...) IN EVERY LINE IN YOUR PALM, WE' RE FOOLS TO MAKE WAR ON OUR BROTHERS IN ARMS.

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ognuno vada dove vuole andare, ognuno invecchi come gli pare, ma non raccontare a me cos' è la libertà

Hi AnnaMaria: Good point you mention in your post...Mark's songs have deep meanings and beautiful music....The problem is that humans will always make wars, it's the nature of the species...Utopias are nice but the reality is that wars will be with us until we destroy ourselves...It's a shame but that is the way it has been for mileniums......But Mark's music makes life very enjoyable......Have a nice day..........."Oh yea once upon a time in the west"................

You are absolutely right Anna Maria. This song is a lesson to all of us that war is foolish. Some conflicts have been fought for the most ludicrous reasons...and at a huge cost to humanity. I'm certain that Mark felt this way the day he wrote the song. I guess thats why I'm curious as to the origin of the songs inspiration.

Questions or no questions...I think that Kami has the right idea.  I would love to sit down with Mark and the band over a few cold brews and talk about things....or just have a few good laughs!            

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Doctor parkinson declared Im not surprised to see you here
Youve got smokers cough from smoking, brewers droop from drinking beer
I dont know how you came to get the betty davis knees
But worst of all young man youve got industrial disease

Hi hophead: Yes it would be fantastic to sit with the man and just talk about things....In the meantime let's listen to his fantastic music.....I'm also curious as to the origin of the songs inspiration, and also curious if he writes his songs in the morning or in the afternoon(night)...In other words, Is he a day or a night person...Well, there are so many things you would like to know about the man.........Best regards..........."she had a ticket for the races just like me she was a victim of the night"........

Hello : I'm really curious where he got his inspiration to compose "Lady Writer", Which I think is a masterpiece of guitar....Just listening to that guitar makes you tremble, sweat, and at the end, laugh and jump of joy...What a song!!...I wish it was a bit longer because I always feel like I need more of that....It's like when you eat great Ice cream, and they only give you one scoop, it's never enough.....Another trademark of DS and MK songs is the length of them....A long song has to be great, and with DS' and MK songs you don't want them to end......Greatness is for a very few!!! and Mark is the greatest of them all............."And I recall my fall from grace, Another time another place"...............

On the ˝ Sultans of Swing˝ DVD, which I purchased the second day it was out, Mark said the inspiration for ˝Lady Writer˝ came when David and him, were watching this show on the TV with this old lady babling bla,bla,bla and David came across with idea for a song which Mark wrote in 20 minutes.

By the way, song is very good. Great Rock and Roll performance. Saw the video, John Illsley looks like he acts in Miami Vice.