{"id":15778,"date":"2021-08-13T15:23:59","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T15:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/skylight.gr\/?p=15778"},"modified":"2021-08-13T15:24:09","modified_gmt":"2021-08-13T15:24:09","slug":"my-life-in-dire-straits-new-memoir-by-dire-straits-bassist-john-illsley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/2021\/08\/13\/my-life-in-dire-straits-new-memoir-by-dire-straits-bassist-john-illsley\/","title":{"rendered":"My Life in Dire Straits: New Memoir by Dire Straits Bassist John Illsley"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In\u00a0My Life in Dire Straits: The Inside Story of One of the Biggest Bands in Rock<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>History<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>(Diversion Books; November 9, 2021; $30.00 Hardcover; ISBN 978-163-576-9159), bassist and founding member John Illsley goes behind the music with never-before-told stories tracing\u00a0Dire Straits<\/strong>\u2019 rise from the spit-and-sawdust pubs of London to the best-known venues and concerts in the world, and inside the studio recording some of the greatest rock albums of all time.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With wry humor and soulful reflection, Illsley captures a phenomenal musical legacy, the shattering demands of global tours and life in the spotlight, and his friendship with Mark Knopfler, the band\u2019s lead singer, songwriter and remarkable guitarist.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis book above all is about passion and pursuing your dreams \u2013 taking the unpredictable path, not the easy option,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Illsey says.\u00a0\u201cIt charts the journey from my innocent teens strumming a few chords, to playing on the biggest stages in the world; a chance meeting in 1976 with Mark Knopfler that created a musical partnership that lasted 20 years, and a strong friendship that continues to this day.\u00a0<\/em>Dire Straits<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0was an idea that created a phenomenal musical legacy, an extraordinary journey of joy, fun, companionship and surprises. I am immensely proud of my contribution to this journey.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a foreword by Mark Knopfler\u00a0himself, this the first, and only, inside story of one of the greatest bands in rock history.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor us, it was a huge adventure and a hell of a ride, with all its comedy, absurdity, exhaustion, madness, and sadness\u2026.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Knopfler writes in the foreword.\u00a0\u201cThis ride is not for everyone, not for those who can\u2019t take the pressures and the pace\u2026. It was a different world. And John has remembered a pretty big chunk of it.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was, quite simply, no bigger band on the planet throughout the eighties.\u00a0Brothers in Arms<\/em>\u00a0was one of the best-selling albums of the decade and songs like \u201cSultans of Swing,\u201d \u201cMoney for Nothing\u201d and \u201cRomeo and Juliet\u201d remain rock classics. But the\u00a0Dire Straits<\/strong>\u00a0rags-to-riches story has never been told by one of their own until now.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Illsley\u00a0rose to fame as the bass guitarist for the critically acclaimed band and has received multiple Grammy Awards. As a founding member and – along with Knopfler – one of two band members to stay the 15-year distance, Illsley played a major role in the development of the band\u2019s sound. Since the band\u2019s last tour in 1993 he has earned a reputation as a painter, with solo exhibitions in London, New York, Sydney and across Europe. Illsley also has eight solo albums to his name, and he now owns a pub in the New Forest, United Kingdom.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA forensic and uplifting journey through the sheer hard work, pitfalls, and thrills of navigating a great rock and roll band to the pinnacle of success. I so enjoyed the ride! Onwards, John!\u201d\u00a0<\/em>– Roger Taylor, drummer, songwriter and founding member of\u00a0Queen<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For additional information, please visit\u00a0https:\/\/diversionbooks.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In\u00a0My Life in Dire Straits: The Inside Story of One of the Biggest Bands in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,2],"tags":[226,1841,1842],"class_list":["post-15778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-news","category-news","tag-classic-rock","tag-dire-straits","tag-john-illsley"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15778"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15780,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15778\/revisions\/15780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}