Every two years a new album and a tour: The former boss of Dire Straits is as reliable as a Swiss watch. And so persistent that nothing gets him upset - neither the reunion tour of his old band nor the introduction to the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame. The 69-year-old Scot just does his thing, and that, as his new album "Down The Road Wherever" shows, is still damn good.
Mark Knopfler is a habitual man. When he gives interviews, he follows the premise: Why should I fly anywhere when everyone who wants something from me can come to me?! Either in his favourite café The Bluebird in the heart of London or in the British Grove Studios in the Chiswick district, which he has been running since 2006 and which delight illustrious customers such as Eric Clapton or the Rolling Stones. "I'm glad that the shop has been so well received," says Knopfler on the spot. "Because of course this was a big investment, which many people discouraged me from making, according to the motto: How can you open a studio when so many close because they don't have enough orders and because home recording is such an efficient and inexpensive thing today? The answer is that I did it primarily for myself because I was tired of always booking expensive studio time well in advance and then having to let it expire because something came up. This is an incredible waste of money. That's why at some point I said to myself: "It's enough, I'll set up my own studio."
And this is of course state of the art: a sound temple in an old factory building, 30 minutes by car east of Heathrow, which has two separate recording rooms and is bursting with rock devotionals, the most modern high-tech but also noble vintage equipment. "The great thing is the flexibility you have here to record either analog or digital, with a band or a big orchestra and with all sorts of rarities from the old Decca and EMI studios. I have something for every taste. All you have to do is plug in and you're good to go."
