Dire Straits at Basel, Switzerland '92.....Calling Elvis and Heavy Fuel, now that's some exciting performances. Crowd is wildly enthusiastic and the band is, well amazing is an understatement. Paul Franklin on pedal steel, Phil Palmer, and Knopfler are a tour de force!

Mark Knopfler has done an interview with Brian Johnson of AC/DC about this issue. He said that Dire Straits simply got too big and that he wanted to get back down to a more human scale of music making. He talks about the genesis of 'Money For Nothing' as well. It's really interesting.

Mentioning Mark Knopfler, I have never heard him play the same solo twice. Be it Sultans of Swing, Brothers In Arms, Tunnel of Love, Telegraph Road. Watch any KZfaq video...often they are massively different. Then you realise everything he plays...including in the studio recording the tracks, is improvised. Sometimes live the improvisation means it is not so good. Sometimes it is pure genius. But it is always interesting. A true master of the fretboard.

A great interview with two guitarists who respect each other and clearly enjoy each others company. Fil and Phil both are passionate about what constitutes really good music. Well done.

When I was a dancer Spontaneity was everything.Just changing things up a little bit ....even making slight mistakes created excitement for us and the audience when you're doing the same routine 4 times a day 😂 The audience didn't know it was different but we did which energized the show

I like how Fil just seems like he is sitting down talking with an old Buddy. He also appears to be learning and shows great respect for those that have gone before him. Hes a pro himself in my book.

While watching this, it brought back memories of my brother, who passed away in 2016. He was a really good guitar player, he also played bass. I remember being around his band, talk about spontaneous! We all had such a blast! It was ALL about the music, just as you were saying. I smiled as I thought about him, he loved Clapton! Really wish he were here. We were extremely close... anyway, thank you Fil!🌷

Mark Knopfler was the best concert I ever saw, and it was here in Nashville, TN at the original Ryman auditorium...just mind blowing! I got to see Eric Clapton the night I graduated from Belmont University. The only major disappointment there was that he did the acoustical rendition of Layla. Bummed! But he made up for it with an encore of Sunshine of your Love. Sublime! As a young person living in sort of a commune kind of life, that Dire Straights album was my go to so much that it became quite my trademark. But it always picked the party up and esp. when tensions might be running high. Made everyone feel good! The funny thing is so much later in life I married a musician and Mark K. was probably his favorite and most looked up to musician. Great time for us to get to see him in concert, and at that perfect venue was the cherry on top! So glad I grew up when music was real! My first album was a Rolling Stones album as a child! Best family friend was part of their crew, a luthier that made a place for backstage guitar techs. Ted Newman Jones RIP my dear hearted friend.

I thought it would be hard to successfully follow the first interview, but you scored big! It was cool to hear Phil share things that only he could. Nice job Fil! Thanks.

That was an incredible interview! It was like you two were sitting in the kitchen or patio with a glass of tea and your guitars, and having an easy laid back, down to earth conversation. I hope you get to do more interviews like this in the future! The performance was awesome even with the broken guitar string save. I think that when you sing or play the guitar, you should put your heart and soul into it like Eric Clapton did. Thank you Fil and Phil for a wonderful time, you guys are awesome! Rock! 🙂🎸🤘

You have such a natural and straightforward interview style. And there you are, ready to hold up Phil's book when he forgot his copy. Well done!

That was a great part 2 interview with Phil Palmer. You both made it very interesting and liked what Phil said about learning to play with heart and instinct.

Great interview. I play drums and do several open Mic gigs each month. I tell some of the guitarists " less is more". Make EVERY note count . BB KING + David Gilmore have a lot in common. There is a lot of humanity and emotion in their playing . Thank you. Best Wishes

I first heard Dire Straits in 1980 just after graduating college. Their sound in Sultans of Swing was mesmerizing, and so different from anything else I had heard. I couldn't hear it enough. MK's solo was spot on with the feel of the song. He has only gotten better since and I have heard more of his playing with different artists. He's a wonderful player who adds his own unique taste to a song. Unmistakeable.

Some very good points by Phil P. Fans want to hear sthg but artists change and develop and move on !

Brilliant. Thank you so much Fil and Phil. Could listen to another 10 parts 😍 And yes the book is great. I bought it after the first interview a while ago 🙂

Nice, real nice 🥰 (sometimes it's about the spaces between the words 😊 )

Great to hear from the Phil Palmer himself and get feedback and his thoughts on his amazing career. Thanks, guys, for getting together on this analysis enjoyed it. 😊

I wish I had MORE thumbs to put up!

Great Interview, Fil!👍 Before You Accuse Me Is One Of My FAVORITE Classics Eric Ever Did!!

I knew the continuation of the conversation would be riveting as well. Mr. Palmer had me with his remarks about spontaneity and the DeBussy quote. Reminded me of the Mozart anecdote about too many notes! Thank you both for making this video! 🖤🤘

If you haven't already done it I would love to see an analysis of Jack Bruce's playing because for me it was crucial to the success of the Cream.

I feel so honored that we get to hear stories like Phil's. He's a great artist and it's wonderful he shares his knowledge with us. Thanks Fil for talking with him again. Take care.

Wow that was really interesting I loved it Fil. Great interview, I didn't want it to end. 👍🎸❣

Great interview. So true, about Eric's playing ( especially from the heart) , and the difference to do a Dire Straits song. I found this out in the early 70s with my then band mates. If we did a Cream song ,we would do the theme , then improvise the " break" in a Cream style way , in a song like "Spoonful " for instance. But we were dumb enough to try and cover a Beatle song with a trio.. even when we had a quartet , if we had one note wrong or the singing was off. ( which it was) We got beer thrown on us...lol... it is funny to think of now. I retired from covering Beatle tunes. It took the " Paul" in our then band quite a while to perfect the song " Yesterday " before he was comfortable enough to do it on stage in N.Y.C. at a Beatlefest. ...This was a lot of fun to hear you and Phil talking guitar. BIG thumbs up. Peace.

Let me start by saying I've always been a big fan of Dire Straits. A good friend of mine gave Mark Knopfler tennis lessons in the mid 80s when he was in NY. My friend was a musician also and Mark came to see him one night at a club in Greenwich Village. At the time Dire Straits was really big. I saw Mark standing at the bar and freaked out but was too intimidated and shy to go over and say hello. I regret that now. He came across as a very quiet guy. I guess all the hub bub surrounding a "super group" became too much for him. Sometimes even all the big money can't make up for the craziness in your life. He went on to have an amazing career and the other guys have done well too. I've heard interviews where it was said that Mark wanted everything in the band to be his way and didn't accept input from the other members. It was better for him to go solo in that case and do exactly what he wanted to do.

Phil is a lovely guy, so pleasant.

Informative joint interview analysis and neatly structured in two parts. I got a clear view of role of a session guitarist behind a top-notch lead guitarist. But additionally, explanation of your joint theory with Palmer of the real guitar artistry in spontaneity and its value in expression.

*runs to find chord shapes up the fretboard* I could listen to you guys talk and play guitar for hours!

Some really cool stuff on part 2 as well, interesting to hear about the very different approaches to preparation between Dire Straits and Eric Clapton. I thought this interview came together really well, the way everything was displayed just worked and the editing was very smooth. The hard work paid off!

This is an interesting interview in which Phil Palmer helps us understand the differences in preparation and execution on stage between performers like Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton. In this case, starkly different approaches and why they were so. I understood already why Mark K broke up Dire Straits, and I sympathize with his feelings. I know, too, that he was moving toward more intimate and less showy guitar playing in relation to the songs--that is, creating songs in which the guitar playing is more integrated and subtle, not a way of finding opportunities to do flashy solos, etc. He has said something to that effect, that the songs were more important to him and the guitar showcasing too often undermined the songs themselves. He wanted the guitar playing to be in service to the song as much as possible. As for Eric Clapton, I'm not a big fan, and I somewhat disagree with the way Palmer characterizes the way Clapton plays directly from the heart to his instrument and so on. I respect Clapton's skill but don't care for his extended solos or flashier playing that to me is not that soulful at all. Even the tone--like that kind of screechy sound he uses often--just rubs me the wrong way. I know this is somewhat subjective, but I am not that moved by most of Clapton's playing. The riffs seem excessive and showy rather than essential too much of the time.

AS AN OLD TIMER MUSICIAN, CLAPTON AND PAGE ARE THE ONES THAT I HAVE PATTERNED MY STYLE AFTER, BUT YOU GUYS ARE SO VERSITILE! PHIL PALMER SOUNDS GREAT AND AS ALWAYS YOU DO TOO FIL! THANK YOU FOR THIS VID...I'M STILL LEARNING FROM YOU GUYS!

Good second part, with banging rifs again. Dire Straights never my cup of tea. Thanks for this Phil & Fil✨️🎸🎶😉

Excellent interview Fil. I remenmber Said show streamed Live on TV. It was a great time in music, never to be repeated. Mark Knopfler was "MR clean" and played as the album recording perfectly , all musicians being so,so talented, Alchemy being my favourite album ever! Terry Williams on drums being so underated and yet such a driving force. Rhythm so tight and Ray Cooper everywhere in the day with E.C. and others.Great interview with a sideman for E.C. !!! LOVED THIS FIL.

Thanks Phil for explaining why I enjoy Clapton's playing so much. Best interview on the channel to date. Interesting content! Nice guy.

So great to hear the stories from the folks who were their. Musical history makers

Nice interview to see Phil relive his memories and how he understands these two men and their different rehearsals and time for preparation one was weeks and the other was so spontaneous.

What a fine interview / discussion - a joy to hear and watch.

FIL HENLEY,this was so enjoyable to me as I am not a musician but love to see your shows.Your face says it all of how you love playing guitar.You couldn't stop smiling 🎸🤘💚

Ty to Phil P for giving up time to make these interesting comments!

"Rote burnout"? It's real, for many performers... Fantastic interview, Fil Thank You

Part 2, enjoyed! Thanks again, Phil & Fil 🖤🎸

Man I am with you on BADGE! Having performed it dozen of times it is hard to get Eric’s bends he uses there. Brilliant.

Hello ,Fil..!!what a cool exchange in this. Secquel of vidéo with Phil Palmer..! He talks about the" instinct " aspect in guitar playing...it's true..I think, Jimi Hendrix was playing on instinct..Nice moment ,Fil.thank you .!Lot of love.✨🌹🧚🎸💌

Fil, you and Phil are truly kindred spirits!

Hi Fil, What an extraordinary career Phil has had, with some one of a kind moments! So interesting to hear his thoughts about all his experiences. I think you made a great friend! And I can tell that he likes and admires your work and musical genius as well! Great interview! Thank you for bringing this talented man to the channel! Have a great night! ROCK….!! Debbie☮️

Great interview Fil. one of your bests

Excellent interview Fil...thanks. Enjoyed Phil taking us into the world of guitar playing...cool guy.

That was so much fun to listen to. What a delightful and accessible individual- such talent and understatement! I will check out his book! And Fil- great interview because the level of discussion requires your knowledge and skill base to compliment your delightful guest's! Thanks you both!! This is a perspective I would never see otherwise!

Great interview Fil and Phil. Very much appreciated great work.

Just great. Many thanks to both of you . Sending this to Boris in Switzerland , Mr. Phil. All the best

I love these interviews with other musicians. I find it very interesting to hear it from their perspective, and just how automatic it becomes once you've mastered the instrument. I'm hopeful that someday in the future you can record one of these while you're both in the same room instead of through video feed. Peace and love.

Thank you for this. Great interview into session playing.

Players / Composers can have two attitudes to band members, Hey- Thats mine , I wrote it, keep off, or Hey! I wrote that , thats really great to see you appreciate/ interpret and we work together.

That was awesome, thank you 🎸🎸

This is a wonderful interview...a new perspective on Phil Palmer as well. 🙏

Great video Phil more interviews like this Are most welcome

It was a great interview. What a lovely chap if I may say so. Especially the song Badge. I learned that solo verbatim, note for note. I learned my vibrato from various guitar players and also singers like Tom Jones, Aretha Franklin and sax players. Hendrix was a big influence for bending and vibrato. My main influence was Jeff Beck. I gonna miss him big time. Phil, you're a lovely chap also. Cheers!!

There is a KZfaq video; Eric Clapton - “intro+Crossroad” Hartford 1990, with Phil Palmer playing a very tasty solo at 5:29.

Thank you Fil 🎸

After touring their album Dire Straits would take a few months off. When they came back together in the studio , Mark had already written the next album , which they then recorded then back on tour. I think he was burnt out.

Phil, man, you just always have great stuff on. I love it!

Excellent interview and editing job for Part deux!

This was incredible! Loved it Fil😊

Stupendo eric - Clapton ,🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎼🎵🎶 grazie Fil/ grande Phil Palmer - lui spesso in Italia 🎸🎸🎶

MK said after the last two year world tour working and playing day after day he lost his marriage and had had enough. He’s living the life now he’s always wanted, writing music for others and himself playing much smaller gigs on his timetable. He could have grifted off the past had he wanted the fame, he’s a true gentleman and wanted the art.

Such a great and informative conversation. Thanks so much!

On Part 1 of this series I commented on Phil's awesome tone. Here in Pt 2 he goes into greater detail about improvisation vs playing the same part, and when to do each approach. And it struck me again about Phil's tone-- it was definitely _his_ tone, but at the same time, it was close to Eric's tone so that when Phil played his solo, _there was no discontinuity between what Eric played and what Phil played._ I can close my eyes and listen and the whole thing just flows. I can't count the number of times I've seen similar occasions on which a featured artist unexpectedly hands a solo to a guitarist in their back up band, and the solo works, kind of, but the tone is weak, or the sound engineer doesn't get the 2nd guitarist cranked through the PA enough...here with Eric & Phil, none of that nasty crap happens. Eric plays off his broken string and it's total pro. He hands off to Phil & Phil steps up total pro & nails it. Beee- _caauuse_ , that sound engineer is total pro and man he is ON that spontaneous event and when Phil hits his first note, his guitar is mixed at _exactly_ the same level as Eric's guitar, and it's all just pure joy to hear. People seem to be missing that part of great musicianship more and more these days: it's cool to have chops deluxe, it's cool to be a great improvisor, but musicianship is even more than that, it's about how loud should I be compared to the other instruments, can I get a stage volume that blends with the band and count on the sound engineer to catch my solos and bring me up, maybe I should back my volume a touch during the verses and chorus to support the singer, I am pretty active onstage and move a lot but when the singer is singing or another guitarist or keyboardist is soloing, I can still put on a show but drop back a bit behind the featured soloist or singer & curtail my movement _just enough_ so that I don't fight with the other band members during their featured moments, and above all _never step up to the front of the stage further than any other band member who is in the featured spotlight at the moment!_ because that is the most rank, amateur move of all time .....it just goes and goes and you never, ever quit learning how to refine your art. This video and Pt 1 were 2 of the best videos I have seen that actually touch on these 'intangibles' of great musicianship.

Fil, it would be awesome to hear you play that famous riff from "Sultans of Swing," up close and personal, so we can see just how difficult it is.

I can hear from that little bit Phil played that he's just one of those players that has "it" ,I call it jamming, it's the way good players can capture it, suspend it, carry the tune, it's a phenomenon, hes a great player

FIL and Phil Palmer are really great music masters!

This was a fabulous interview.

Enjoyed this discussion. Thanks Fil and Phil.

Do you guys actually understand what it feels like for us to listen to a legend just ramble on about guitar like its an extension of his brain! Amazing to me any way.

Although I like Phil a lot, as for MK and disbanding DS I think he slightly missed the point. It wasn't for the fact that Knopfler was fed up with playing the same licks within the same songs. Since 1996 onwards he's been playing SoS Telegraph Road, R&J, BiA and many other tunes from the past (gone back to MfN or Once Upon a Time in the West durinng 2019 farewell tour). He said about it many times how the song is incomplete without those bits at the end or at the beginning etc. The real reason he's mentioned on numerous occasions was that it's just become too big (there's a funny story about how he didn't know the people from the crew or drivers as there were couple od stages and staffs leapfrogging). Basically he wanted to get back the control of it all, put it all in a right proportions again. Obviously there was also this "going back to roots" thing as well and as he was writing new songs demanding new arrangements. BTW the great On Every Street album is kind of an entrance to his new chapter that turned ou to be Golden Heart era and so on...

Great stuff. More interviews please

Phil Palmer on The Kinks would be fascinating... He is a nephew of the Davies brothers and often played with the brothers.

Phil doin money for nothing on the green strat live is the solo that the original studio version should’ve had .Always felt that song lacked a dirty bit of tapping whammy action however much I was obsessed with it. Glad to have seen these interviews , brilliant guys 😊😊

good interview Fil thanks 👍👍✌🤘

great conversation.

Fil, just two words for that video. Smile. Happy.

lovely.

Thank you for this video. :)

Here is Fil's interview with Phil Pamer if you haven't yet seen it when Phil came to pay Fil a visit in his old studio. IT'S ARRIVED!!! Clapton & Knopfler's right hand man Phil Palmer IN THE STUDIO! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/o5iZdZd0sLOYgWg.html Here is part 1 of Fil and Phil Palme analysis of Eric Clapton and Phil's solo to enjoy! So, if Eric Clapton asks you to solo in front of Mark Knopfler... get advice from Phil Palmer! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bcB3dtJ-37fXdGg.html

Honestly? I think Knopfler simply wanted to make whatever music he wanted to make without having to run it by the other members of Dire Straits. I know he felt fairly boxed in by the Dire Straits catalog and wanted to try other styles of music and to play with other musicians, as is made obvious by his solo work since breaking up the group. I'm certainly not the first one to express this opinion.

Awesome 👍

I suppose, whatever works for any guitar player to develop is what they need to do. For me, what I found meaningful was to learn to play covers in three different ways. I would try to learn a song note for note as accurately as possible. I would also try to play the song with the same feel, but not note for note. And then I would try to reinvent this song and play it in an entirely new way. Not all three ways worked out to be as awesome. But I learned a lot in attempting to copy other players that I would never have learned if I was just trying to be myself. However, doing things my own way was also essential in😮 stretching my skills.

I remember Pete Townshend saying he was sick of playing won't get fooled again

Have have more respect for Mr Mark. 🎸 🇺🇸

great video

Great pair of videos - very interesting to hear stories from someone who's played with guitarists at that level. Regarding his later comments about youtube whiz kids like Mancuso - I appreciate their skill, but I also prefer to listen to tastefully chosen simple pentatonic phrases than lightspeed hexamixodominantwibblywobbly licks. (I would still love to be able to play at lightspeed though - I fully admit it!)

A very nice interview. Phil touched on technique and artistry of playing. I agree. There is one band in particular where the lead guitarist is so eagar to show his technique that the sound is just a jumble of chords hitting each other with no breaks and it sounds awful. It makes no sense, but the crowd goes wild. Am I missing something that everyone is getting or is it really just speed playing to show off and the sound is secondary to technique? I am not enjoying it and tune out. Every time his solos (my ex and his friend referred to them as "guitar-ecstasy") would come, my mind goes, "Oh, here we go again" and I tune out looking around the stage, not interested in how fast he's playing or that he has both hands on one side of the neck, etc. It cacophony to my ears. When the band comes back in, the lead guitarist is reeled back in from his "cloud of happiness" that the playing is enjoyable again. His playing isn't all like that, but parts of his solo are out of control and makes no sense. It's jibberish to the ears. I honestly think he's lost control in parts and he's hoping no one notices. He's done this several times in videos since the 70's. There is no doubt that he is an accomplished guitarist, but parts of his solos sound like a million car crashes squeezed into a millisecond of a sound byte. It makes no sense and the technique is lost. Too many things happening at once that they can't be enjoyed. The Clapton video, I was OVERWHELMED BY THE CROWD IN THE OPEN AIR CONCERT! Can everyone way back there see or hear anything? It's just bits of color all over the place! Not people, just dots of color and not even that far away from the stage did the dots start. Way back in another country there were still dots of color!!! Sheesh! Massive crowds. That scares me.

I certainly can understand Phil Palmer's point about repeatedly playing songs Ad nauseam, I mean, when DS came to Australia and played in Sydney, they had to put on more shows due to public demand and ended up playing 17!!! nights straight! But I think Phil Palmer misunderstood you point Fil about the instagram culture when he said he disagreed. You were talking about a particular falseness in todays guitar playing culture and Phil went on to discuss DS and why they broke up due to the repetitive nature of the touring aspect of playing. Personally, I think the writing was on the wall for DS when Mark's brother David left sighting issues of writing and acknowledgement of his own creative and personal expertise on the guitar when compared to his brother. As David has been quoted saying: " we both played the same riffs and learned the same lines growing up, practicing together, I was every bit as good as he (Mark) was". Yes Mark went on to write many more great songs and created many more riffs after David's leaving, but after listening to the albums as they came out, you could tell things had changed and were different, I think became the beginning of the end. 'Telegraph Road' for example, I was extremely disappointed with it creatively. I know everyone loves it and thinks it a master piece, but compared to his earlier work and considering how long the song is, I think Mark could have done so much more with it. But like so many bands before them, some of the creative spark (the antagonism between members perhaps) had left the band and hence there was a reduced essence that created the great music that came before their 4th album. IMHO. Love your work as always Fil. Cheers

5 years on and I’m still struggling with barre chords 😆

The CAGED system is the secret to learning your way around the fretboard in the least time. Learn chords, and chord formulas.

Hi Fil. This was an absolutely brilliant and informative interview. Just so many fascinating insights and anecdotes from Phil's fine career, especially that performance with Eric. And appreciated his thoughts on what makes Eric Clapton great and why playing with him was so special. I think I speak for many when I say I would easily go for a part three and four! And There is obviously no shortage of guitar players giving advice to students on KZfaq, but Phil Palmer's tips here were something that every young guitar player should see and hear. Truly invaluable. As yours are! On the subject of Eric Clapton, wondering if you have ever seen this incredible performance of Layla from 2011, when he played it with the great jazz artist Wynton Marsalis and his band: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iNx-fMynrcrdYIU.html Quite a version I never expected to hear but was pleasantly surprised. The long introduction by Eric in which he talks about his experience playing with Wynton is worth the price of admission alone! Wynton being such a master himself obviously plays many styles of jazz. This is his New Orleans style jazz band, which is not normally a style of jazz I'm particularly fond of. But I really think it works here! I realize you just had a lengthy discussion about Eric with Phil Palmer and have covered at least one performance of Eric playing Layla and other performances too, so I certainly realize this is one you may not want to do a reaction of. But just thought you'd enjoy seeing it if you haven't already. And if for some reason you do decide to do a reaction, then I certainly WON'T be upset. And I salute the fact that despite how big your channel is, unlike so many others, you still read the comments. Shows how much you appreciate your viewers and realize how important they are to your success. The channel is nothing without them, right? Never taking your audience for granted has ALWAYS served successful artists well. All the best.

Dont know what set up Phil is using but it is the very "Clean" Strat sound, Fil's one seems more a muddy blues one , interesting.

So interesting.

Awesome channel! New Sub.

creative artists can find and create spots to improvise . when you improvise and its well constructed that becomes the composition and if you make them in the studio, those are the parts that are "through composed" nothing unusual or constricting about that. chamber and even jazz musicians will play pieces of music all the way through the same for consistency as that is what the piece in question calls for. . here's the thing for years now Mark Knopfler has played Dire Straits songs live as a solo act with his own compositions. he still plays "Romeo and Juliet" for example. nah. i think he had other reasons for breaking Straits up. probably financial . maybe he hated to continue to split royalties with an act while he could make more on his own. always the dollars. with the way digitization of music has gone . can you blame him. musicians have to max out on earning every way they can since the public gets recorded work for free and the sites pay pennies on the dollar for plays. fans wanted it that way. so they got it. as he would say.