He's considered a sleeping pill, a buzzkill, a stubborn buck. And Mark Knopfler is actually more of a ponderous sort. He is more a family man than a rock star, he opposes the madness of business prudence and fights with his hands and feet against a Dire Straits reunion. Yet this stubbornness, coupled with idealism and passion, is what makes the man who turned 70 on August 12 so proud. eclipsed congratulates the tall bald man with the dry humour.
It's always the same: Every time the author of these lines stands before a meeting with Mark Knopfler (which has been the case seven times so far), the reaction in the circle of friends and acquaintances is: "What do you want with him - isn't he super boring?" Or, "Doesn't he always do the same thing?" - No, he's not, he's not. You just have to take a closer look at the birthday boy and his music, then you learn to appreciate and love him. Because Knopfler is an incredibly likeable person: Whether he receives you in his beloved Bluebird Café on King's Road, at the bar of the prestigious Chelsea Harbour Hotel or in his British Grove Studios in Chiswick: The 1.83-meter man is warm, serves coffee, tea or even a beer, shines with thoughtful, objective answers and laughs a lot, loudly and contagiously - most of all about his own dry formulations.
Then he sits there like a Buddha with a broad, contented grin. Like someone who has fun with the few interviews he only gives when he releases a new album. Otherwise he'll never actually show up in the media. When he's not standing on stage or in the studio, Mark Knopfler is a simple four-time family man who collects guitars, but also vintage cars and motorcycles: "I prefer to be on the road on race tracks," he reveals. "Not that I want to compete with anyone, but I like to ride under professional conditions. I find that relaxing. I think it has to do with doing something that completely engages you."
An enthusiasm that he usually only has for music. In this respect, the Scot, who grew up in Newcastle, England, is fanatical. He can think for hours about his influences and heroes, studies their records and has played with many of his idols over the decades. After all, as a post-war child he experienced early Rock'n'Roll, the British Invasion and the Swinging Sixties, is an enthusiastic Beatles, Stones and Who fan, but also loves the Shadows around Hank Marvin and the US blues pioneers. Until 1967, when he was 18, he heard Hendrix for the first time - an experience that changed his life: "I immediately fell in love with Jimi and still consider his guitar playing on 'Hey Joe' and 'The Wind Cries Mary' to be the best of all times. Absolutely fantastic."