Ticket 2 Ride

The rock group Dire Straits only had one bass player in their history. His name is John Illsley and he published his memoir in 2021. To date, I believe this is the only “inside” view of the successful British band.

Illsley and lead guitarist/songwriter Mark Knopfler were the only two original members that went the distance. Knopfler hasn’t written his memoir, nor any other member that I’m aware of, so Illsley’s account of the band is the only story we have. I found the book interesting look the story of the band, and less so as a personal look at Illsley or any member of Dire Straits.

“Once again, we stayed in the most basic hotels and there was no money left over from the gigs once we paid the crew, filled up with gas, ate our meals, and drank our pints. I loved every minute of it. We all did.” The few early years would soon be replaced. Illsley almost sounds like he misses the leaner, close times of the band.

The rapid rise to success of Dire Straits is quite amazing, and that part of the book is quite intriguing. The departure of David Knopfler and Pick Withers did not get much explanation, especially since Illsley and Knopfler were such good friends. There was obviously personal and creative tension in the band, and little is explored of Mark Knopfler’s tight control of the band.

The band’s hiatus after the Brothers in Arms tour and then its temporary reformation for On Every Street, also begs more discussion, at least for me. To go from arguably the most successful band to hiatus, to new album and huge tour, to breakup, is the stuff of great interest. Admittedly, until Mark Knopfler writes his own story, mysteries will remain.

There are some very interesting stories. One includes a tour with the Talking Heads and Slaughter and the Dogs. “It’s a great venue and we were act number two, on before the Heads and after a truly grotesque punk band called Slaughter and the Dogs. So, three bands with entirely different musical styles, each with very distinct followings. The Heads attracted the arty new-wave student crowd, we had our own following and, well, Slaughter and the Dogs had their own, very committed admirers too.” Somehow it worked out.

Recording the first album was done with producer Muff Winwood and engineer Rhett Davies, as selected by the record company. “Muff was committed to keeping ‘space,’ which can be as important as sound in a song. That first album has a lovely simplicity to it, just two guitars, bass, and drums. It was clean, and the songs could breathe with ease.”

Something else about the first album, the band was quick to seize the reins of their career. “This album cover, however, was a big wake-up call, and we realized we needed to take control of our identity before a couple of our friends from the marketing department, without even listening to our music, turned us into a parody of Black Sabbath. The cover image used in the end was hardly ground-breaking, but we liked its uncluttered simplicity.”

Illsley’s book is a good weekend or vacation read. It’s easy to pick up and put down. If you are looking for rock star stories of crazy behavior and tabloid tales, you won’t find it here. That can either be a plus or minus.