I haven't been a fan since the beginning of the DS music... Having not been born then (although, believe me, I wouldn't've mind that -- The musi these days is awfull (and now I'm taling about the charts, not MK or Bruce Springsteen or other icons who release albums!)..

But nevertheless, I became a fan  the first time I saw MK on tv, and it wasn't even a song he was performing. The man was just siting there, elegant  and sophisticated at the same time, and something about the way he was talking about a home he bought in some far away place (It was some sort of island with the sea and a beach in font and then a beautiful house (but not something over the top, it was cool but very homy at the same time) and he was just talking about how he found out about the place intrigued me.

And when they introduced him they played a little bit of the Sultans of Swings song and I was sold! Since then I started to buy a best of 2CD set with booklet and all of these magnificent quotes about and by him, then DVD sultans of swing - the best of and since then just gradually all others, including DVDs and Soundtracks.

I still remember the first time that I visited his website, which was years after I discovered the music, it was during shangri-la CD, and I so terrified that I had clicked on a gambling website and I didn't dare to come back for 2 years -- pathetic really, but I was 14years old, perhaps nearly 15. So yes, I have been a fan for as long as I remember, and I am still looking forward to anything new he might (i hope so!!) release.. :-)

So yes, I am 17 years old, I am not a music barbarian as lots are at the moment, and I could listen to Mark Knopfler's voice, guitar riffs, his beautiful stories and all the other things words just cannot say, and I am going to my first concert June 3th.. I'll be thunderstruck, of that I'm sure.

Take care, and don't mind talking about your first contact with his music.. 

---

"The birds up on the wires and the telegraph poles
They can always fly away from this rain and this cold
You can hear them singing out their telegraph code
All the way down the telegraph road"

"My darling boy, all of my sunshine and all of my joy"

Afterwards, I came across lots of other artists - such as Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Genesis (with Phill Collins as well as Peter Gabriel - liked them solo as well) and many others... - But Mark Knopfler is the one who sticks... This music blows my mind

Music can't be liked by everyone, but you know you've found great songs when you listen to it for a while, let it lay there for a couple of weeks, and want to listen to them over and over again.. Now, it didn't even take me a couple of weeks, I was stunned.. 

---

"The birds up on the wires and the telegraph poles
They can always fly away from this rain and this cold
You can hear them singing out their telegraph code
All the way down the telegraph road"

"My darling boy, all of my sunshine and all of my joy"

How I discovered Dire Straits and Mark? Well, the first ever CD that my parents purchased, was ˝ Money for Nothing˝ in 1988. I still have it and it works. Mark & Dire Straits actually started their B i A tour in 1985. in my country.

MarkKnopflerBelgium:

Afterwards, I came across lots of other artists - such as Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Genesis (with Phill Collins as well as Peter Gabriel - liked them solo as well) and many others... - But Mark Knopfler is the one who sticks... This music blows my mind

Music can't be liked by everyone, but you know you've found great songs when you listen to it for a while, let it lay there for a couple of weeks, and want to listen to them over and over again.. Now, it didn't even take me a couple of weeks, I was stunned.. 

I feel the same way. You said a lot of nice things in these two posts.

Maybe I am wrong, but it seems to me that not all artist have the same kind of fans. Mark Knopfler-kind-of-fan is different, in my opinion, from another-artist-kind-of-fan. I got the impression that MK fan takes everything very personally. Mark and his music, his songs, became a part of MK fans life, in a very serious way. MK is always there. Like someone said before, Mark has always been the quiet man of rock 'n' roll, so, in my opinion, he has true fans who like him because of his work, not because of his popularity. There are many artists with great work, but also with huge popularity, so a part of their fans love them because they are popular. I think that's not the case with Mark so it makes him even greater.

I don't think Mark is the only artist with this kind of fans.

---

"my only prayer is just to see you there at the end of my wondering"

Hi. I got into Mark and his music pretty late. It was when he released the " Brothers In Arms " album. Of course I have heard songs like " Sultans " before that. But it was the big hits from that record that made me a big fan of Mark. In no time I bought his earlier albums and I liked them all. Especially the " Communique " album was a love affair for me and I played it all the time. Six years was a long time to wait for the next Dire Straits album but I never gave up the hope. As you know the last album came in 1991 and it was on that tour that i saw Mark live for the first time. Then he started his solo work and I love all his solo records too. I have always enjoyed Marks guitar play and his cool rusty vocal. As a songwriter he is fantastic and his songs touch me in many different ways.

Thanks Marija for your comments about Mark and his fans. It was the most clever and true words that I have heard for years.

Take care

---

"Where do you think you're going, I think you better go with me girl"

And answer to your question...

I was older than you when I discovered Dire Straits. It was summer 2004, I was 19 years old. Actually, my younger brother introduced me with DS. He was annoying me to come and see this great video of a concert of some group with great guitar player. I wasn't interested in that, but I did as my brother wanted, only to stop his annoying. It was taped from TV - Dire Straits in Basel, Switzerland in 1992. on tour On The Night. So, I listened and watched as my brother wanted and the band looked to me so good, I could see that they are heaving fun performing on the stage, they looked so natural, relaxed, happy... Not at all like todays music stars. Now, when I know a lot about Mark and his work, one of the things I love about him is that you can see him and his band heaving fun at the concert, you can see that he's doing that because he loves to play for the people.

They also looked a bit funny to me because of the clothes and hairstyles, I was a 7 year old child at the time of that fashion. 

That was my first time I saw DS and these are my first impressions.

I can't say that I was immediately interested in DS. But, in a few days after I saw them for the first time, I went to my brothers room to watch and listen to that concert. It was the only thing we had.

Soon, my brother got the Money for Nothing compilation and Dire Straits platinum compilation. I listen to it and fell in love with DS, completely. But, it was hard to get DS albums, because nobody was listening to it and CD shops didn't sell them anymore.

During next year, 2005, I went to University of Zagreb. There I met a guy who was a big fan of Mark and DS. He had some albums so I listened to more DS, and love them more. I also fell in love with the guy who gave me DS albums and we are together since then.  

In the begging, I wasn't aware of Mark's solo carer. First solo album that I found in CD shop was The Ragpicker's Dream. I could'n stop listen to it. Soon, I bought all the rest solo albums.

Now, I can say I listen to Marks solo albums a bit more then DS. My brother and my boyfriend are more in DS.

 This year my brother, my boyfriend and I are going to see Mark live in concert for the first time so we are very excited and proud because Mark is coming to our country.

I'm aware that this post is pretty long, sorry about that.

 

---

"my only prayer is just to see you there at the end of my wondering"

Later, we found out that our father and uncle have some DS vinyl records. And they didn't tell us!
 

---

"my only prayer is just to see you there at the end of my wondering"

Well, my parents kinda introduced me to his music, when I was around 19. Even though I've like Brothers in Arms for as long as I remember, I never really took much interest in the rest of the music. In my teenage years I was more into Metallica and RHCP.

Back then, my parents didn't listen to DS/MK much although my mother has been a big fan from the start. But when I was 19, they started to listen more and more. I then was going to be mum for the first time and during my pregnancy I noticed that the baby was getting calmer when I listened to his music.

That's when it started. It was in 2002, by the way. I'm not a fan for that long yet, but a huge fan anyway  

---

"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have
done for others and the world remains and is immortal. "

Marija:

So, I listened and watched as my brother wanted and the band looked to me so good, I could see that they are heaving fun performing on the stage, they looked so natural, relaxed, happy... Not at all like todays music stars. Now, when I know a lot about Mark and his work, one of the things I love about him is that you can see him and his band heaving fun at the concert, you can see that he's doing that because he loves to play for the people.

Yes, well said. I own a couple of DVDs and you indeed see that they enjoy playing these songs, and that there isn't just the "frontman" who claims up all the attention.. I must've mentioned somewhere on this site that I'd been to a The Police show in the beginning of this year, and I loved it. The music was great, the instruments - wow! - and their capability was overwhelming. I had a blast.. But the band itself (which only contains 3 men: Sting/GM Sumner, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers) didn't even look at each other, they barely winked at one another when a song ended.. And that was probably the only bad think I could say about the concert, but having fun must be more important than the money.. No use in touring for months if you don't want to communicate.. And Mark Knopfler, the entire band really, seem to be a close band of brothers almost, just friends having a ball and being ever so glad to make their living by doing the things that they love most:  Playing music and enjoying themselves..

I'm not someone who'd almost faint at the sight of .. hmmm .. let's just say a member of 'Tokio Hotel' - which seems to be extremely (incomprehensible)  popular nowadays .. They must have some talents, sure, but they just live of the "fame" ------- I don't want care about someone's private life, I don't want to know how many children someone has, their age, which food they like the best, which colour... God, I couldn't care less. I just like MK lots better, even if it would only be because he seems sensible, down-to-earth, and just  ... (can't find the word, but it's definitely positive )

Gentlemen doesn't even begin to cover it, I guess

---

"The birds up on the wires and the telegraph poles
They can always fly away from this rain and this cold
You can hear them singing out their telegraph code
All the way down the telegraph road"

"My darling boy, all of my sunshine and all of my joy"

I'm glad to see so many young folks enjoying the greatest artist of all times.  I had no idea (though I shouldn't be surprised) his fans' age range is so wide!

I've been hooked for almost 30 years now after hearing 'Lady Writer' and 'Romeo and Juliet' on the radio during my high school years.  My husband thinks I'm a borderline MK stalker and that I desperately need therapy (not because he doesn't like MK).

 As long as Mark keeps writing, playing and singing, I'll stay as young as I was when I first heard him with DS.

I remember exactly when I first heard Dire Straits.  It was 1983 and my son brought home a home-made compilation that his friend had taped and on it was Sultans of Swing, Romeo and Juliet, Going Home and The Wild Theme.  Until then I had heard the name "Dire Straits" but thought they were a punk band because of the name, and so I ignored them.  How wrong I was!  When I heard the compilation that my son brought home I said "I love this music!  This is ME!."  I have been a fan ever since.  I remember wondering, when I heard the beautiful guitar and the singer's voice, why didn't they have a better singer in the band, but of course it didn't take long to realise that the guitar and the singer were perfect together.  Next I had to find out who played that beautiful guitar and who the singer was.  So I went to the record shop and saw "Vocals and Lead Guitar, Mark Knopfler".  So they are one and the same person!  Amazing!  

Next I went back to the beginning and started collecting all of the albums until I was up-to-date, and I have been a fan ever since.  I didn't know then what Mark or the band looked like until one day a video of Alchemy was on television.  Of course, I loved the concert, but when Mark sang Romeo & Juliet, I was completely awestruck and I think I always will be! 

When I was in Newcastle just over a week ago, my wildest dream came true.  I actually met Mark Knopfler!  I still haven't recovered and I don't think I ever will.  It was an amazing moment which took me by surprise, because it was he who stopped to talk to me and I  will treasure that moment for ever!

 

 

 

superval99:

 When I was in Newcastle just over a week ago, my wildest dream came true.  I actually met Mark Knopfler!  I still haven't recovered and I don't think I ever will.  It was an amazing moment which took me by surprise, because it was he who stopped to talk to me and I  will treasure that moment for ever! 

 

Cool! How did it happen and what did you guys talk about? (apologies for my curiosity)  

---

"The birds up on the wires and the telegraph poles
They can always fly away from this rain and this cold
You can hear them singing out their telegraph code
All the way down the telegraph road"

"My darling boy, all of my sunshine and all of my joy"

My husband and myself decided to take a stroll around Newcastle city centre late afternoon before the concert and passed a hotel with a foyer facing the street.  My husband spotted the band sitting in the foyer and I waved to them.  Mark, Richard and Danny were facing us and they waved back.  We then continued our walk around the corner.  The next thing, we heard someone calling to us and a black limo drew up alongside and it was Mark with Danny sitting next to him.  He was really lovely and asked me how I was and what we had been doing and I told him how much we were enjoying all the concerts and he said he was pleased to hear that.  My husband asked him if he was in good form for the gig that night and he said he was in great form, thank you.  What I remember, though, is his beautiful smile.  I have always wondered what the scenario would be when I met MK, but I would never have thought it would happen like that!  I would like a re-run, though, because there were so many things I would have liked to say, but they completely went out of my head.  Here's to the next time when I hope I will be a bit more composed, because I was completely off-guard on this occasion. 

Wow... That's a great story! Wish something like that'd happen to me when I'm going to Brussels (June 3th!!!) God it's getting close, I can't hardly beieve it! As if it's something to great and to wonderful to happen to me (even just going to the concert)

---

"The birds up on the wires and the telegraph poles
They can always fly away from this rain and this cold
You can hear them singing out their telegraph code
All the way down the telegraph road"

"My darling boy, all of my sunshine and all of my joy"

superval99,

That is incredible. I am so happy for you. I can only imagine what that would be like. Wow!!  If that happened to me, I think I would be pretty speechless too. I don't know if you can prepare for something like that.

How many gigs did you go to?