Dire Straits Refuse To Reunite Despite ‘Huge Amounts Of Money’
Despite being offered “huge amounts of money,” British rockers Dire Straits have decided not to participate in a reunion.
Bassist John Illsley offered some insight on the subject, noting that the Grammy-winning band, which included Illsley, Pick Withers, and brothers Mark and David Knopfler, is not influenced by the potential of a lucrative comeback.
In an interview with The Telegraph, he claimed that whenever he meets with Knopfler’s manager Paul Crockford, he informs him that there is serious money on the table if the rockers decide to reunite.
“Every time we have lunch, [he] says to me, ‘I wish people would stop offering me huge amounts of money to put [Dire Straits] back together.'”
Despite the band’s decision not to reconvene, John affirmed that he and Mark are on good terms, have “a lovely, lovely relationship,” and communicate “whenever we need to.”
Dire Straits, best known for singles like Sultans of Swing and Money For Nothing, formally split in 1995 following a string of great albums and multiple awards, including a Grammy. They had a brief separation in 1988, followed by a reunion in 1990, before finally dissolving.
Illsley claimed that the band’s dissolution became disruptive to their personal lives.
“I kind of suspected things were coming to an end. And I was relieved, because we were fatigued. We were fatigued. I’m mentally, physically, and emotionally drained. Most of our relationships were failing, and we weren’t spending enough time with our children. It’s typical of what happens to band members.”
“But when you stop a machine, like the Dire Straits, there’s a huge hoover.” There is a vast vacuum. And you wonder if it was a good idea. And I had to keep convincing myself that it was a good idea.
“Because you’re doing something else, completely different – I was in London studying painting, I got some lessons, made a terrible mess for seven or eight years, and then started doing art shows. I thought, ‘Okay, this is fun’. And I stopped playing music for quite a while. I leaned the bass against the wall and said ‘Thank you very much but I’m doing something different now’.”
In a 2008 interview with BBC News, John said that Mark’s successful solo career was in the way of a reunion.
He explained: “I think we’ve definitely got one more tour left in us, and probably another record too. [But] he’s [Knopfler] doing different kinds of music now.”
He added, “He’s doing incredibly well as a solo artist, so hats off to him. He’s having a perfectly good time doing what he’s doing.”
Mark Knopfler released his latest solo studio album Down the Road Wherever in 2018.