My Life in Dire Straits: The Inside Story of One of the Biggest Bands in Rock History

by John Illsley Narrated by John Illsley

Overview

Dire Straits filled giant stadiums around the world and sold hundreds of millions of records. Their classic songs-`Sultans of Swing', `Romeo Juliet', `Money for Nothing', `Brothers in Arms'-formed the soundtrack of a generation and live on
today: still racking up sales, still being played on the radio on every continent. Starting with his own unlikely beginnings in Middle England, John Illsley recounts the band's rise from humble origins in London's spit-and-sawdust pubs to the
best-known venues in the world, the working men's clubs to Madison Square Garden, sharing gigs with wild punk bands to the Live Aid stage at Wembley until, ultimately, the shattering demands of touring on a global scale and living life in
the spotlight took their inevitable toll.
John's story is also a tribute to his great friend Mark Knopfler, the band's lead singer, songwriter and gifted guitarist. They were the only band members to stay the fifteen-year distance. Told with searching honesty, soulful reflection and wry
humour, this is the first and only account of that incredible story.

Editorial Reviews

NOVEMBER 2022 - AudioFile

Gracefully written by the British band’s founding bass player, this nostalgic ride through his life before, during, and after Dire Straits’ peak years (1977-1995) captures rock and roll’s status as a cultural touchstone for baby boomers and musicians on both sides of the Atlantic. The author’s no-fuss narration sounds quick, and the range of his tone and phrasing limited. But his consistent vocal clarity makes everything he says sound assured, thoughtful, and thoroughly connected to the truth of his story. His insider account of working with the Knopfler brothers and other musicians of the era is worth the price of admission, but what will linger is Illsley’s often poetic recollections of his personal life as it intersected with the arc of Dire Straits’ commercial success. T.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

★ 10/11/2021

Illsley, bass player of the British rock band Dire Straits, delivers a fascinating take on the band’s history. Following his rock-crazed youth in Leicestershire, he details his eventful meeting in the mid-1970s with guitar playing brothers David and Mark Knopfler in London’s Deptford district, a bleak area that, during a decade marked by “crippling strikes,” was “far ahead in the race to the bottom.” But it was the ideal place to form a band, as Illsey ably illustrates, recalling how it enabled Dire Straits to develop a unique sound away from the punk scene that dominated London at the time. Once the band’s demo tape landed with popular disc jockey Charlie Gillett in 1977, who began playing their song “Sultans of Swing” on repeat during the summer of 1977, the group shot to superstardom. Illsley breathlessly recounts the nonstop touring that began after they signed with Warner Records, the ascendancy of “Sultans” to worldwide hit status, and the increasingly popular records that followed, among them 1985’s Brothers in Arms, whose breakout song “Money for Nothing” led to a prominent performance at Live Aid. Along the way, Illsley is brutally frank about the toll that the band’s fame had on his relationships, most notably his marriage (“a victim,” he writes, “of my life on the road”). Fans will be mesmerized. (Nov.)

From the Publisher

For us, it was a huge adventure and a hell of a ride, with all its comedy, absurdity, exhaustion, madness, and sadness…. This ride is not for everyone, not for those who can’t take the pressures and the pace…. It was a different world. And John has remembered a pretty big chunk of it.”
—from the Foreword by founding member Mark Knopfler

“A 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!”
—Roger Taylor, drummer, songwriter, and founding member of Queen

“Reading John Illsley’s book, I relived so many moments. He captures the early days of the ‘English bands’ and their story—the ups and downs, relationships, craziness, and fun. Of course, the music was key. This really happened!”

—Mike Rutherford of Genesis

"Illsley, bass player of the British rock band Dire Straits, delivers a fascinating take on the band’s history. Following his rock-crazed youth in Leicestershire, he details his eventful meeting in the mid-1970s with guitar playing brothers David and Mark Knopfler in London’s Deptford district, a bleak area that, during a decade marked by “crippling strikes,” was “far ahead in the race to the bottom.” But it was the ideal place to form a band, as Illsey ably illustrates, recalling how it enabled Dire Straits to develop a unique sound away from the punk scene that dominated London at the time. Once the band’s demo tape landed with popular disc jockey Charlie Gillett in 1977, who began playing their song “Sultans of Swing” on repeat during the summer of 1977, the group shot to superstardom. Illsley breathlessly recounts the nonstop touring that began after they signed with Warner Records, the ascendancy of “Sultans” to worldwide hit status, and the increasingly popular records that followed, among them 1985’s Brothers in Arms, whose breakout song “Money for Nothing” led to a prominent performance at Live Aid. Along the way, Illsley is brutally frank about the toll that the band’s fame had on his relationships, most notably his marriage (“a victim,” he writes, “of my life on the road”). Fans will be mesmerized."

—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

NOVEMBER 2022 - AudioFile

Gracefully written by the British band’s founding bass player, this nostalgic ride through his life before, during, and after Dire Straits’ peak years (1977-1995) captures rock and roll’s status as a cultural touchstone for baby boomers and musicians on both sides of the Atlantic. The author’s no-fuss narration sounds quick, and the range of his tone and phrasing limited. But his consistent vocal clarity makes everything he says sound assured, thoughtful, and thoroughly connected to the truth of his story. His insider account of working with the Knopfler brothers and other musicians of the era is worth the price of admission, but what will linger is Illsley’s often poetic recollections of his personal life as it intersected with the arc of Dire Straits’ commercial success. T.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175984676
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	11/09/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged

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