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So, you’re having a swanky birthday party, with a live band, and a tipsy friend gets up on stage and starts playing in the background. What do you do?
Well, when you’re singer-songwriter Greg Pearle and said friend is John Illsley, former bassist of Dire Straits, it might just be the beginning of a beautiful comeback. Jamming onstage with the band Cunla (at Pearle’s invitation), says John, inspired him first to go on tour with Greg, and then to launch Beautiful You, his first solo studio album since 1988's Glass. And in case you think I’m misrepresenting him, John specifically said that he’d needed “a couple of pints” before he took to the stage. Now, John’s back with a another album, Streets of Heaven, and he’s kindly agreed to talk to me about it, his current tour around the UK, and what it’s like to go from Straights bassist to Streets singer/songwriter. John has been described (on his own website, among other places) as the “engine room” of Dire Straits. It’s an interesting description, combining a vital function with an extremely unglamorous role. John says that “engine room” describes his job, as bassist, to control the speed and provide the core of the songs. “My main concern was always to get the right feel to the music”- implicitly leaving the flashier frontman stuff to his bandmates. Does he feel his musical contribution has been overlooked? “Not in the slightest.” The reply is quick and perhaps just a little testy. I get the feeling that John is edgy about having his words misrepresented. He’s got good cause to be. A throwaway comment at the Hay Literary Festival about how his former bandmates were probably too busy to tour led to the BBC headline ‘Knopfler Declines Straits Reunion’. Interviewed by the Daily Mail about his charity work, he happened to mention that he’d suffered a little hearing damage on the amp side. The resulting article was entitled ‘Did You Hear the One About the Deaf Rockstar?’. I don’t think John takes being misquoted personally, but there is a guarded tone to some of his answers. “I have to tell you, with the greatest respect to your profession, that journalists are always looking to write what will sell, not what I say.” But there’s no tempering his enthusiasm when I ask how it feels to be at the front of the stage (or studio), rather than in the engine room at the back. “It’s surprising how much I’ve enjoyed it. I’m responsible for getting the meaning of the song across - it’s a challenge and I’ve enjoyed that challenge. I’ve also developed a real taste for being front and centre - there must have been something inside me that hungered for that.” Streets of Heaven certainly reflects that hunger; the tracks are superbly crafted, and often seem to come straight from the heart. “I really wanted to get the personal element across - I spent a lot of time getting that meaning into the songs.” Streets is an intensely personal album, with tracks inspired by John’s wife and one of his daughters. “The only problem is that now I’ve got all the rest of my family asking for songs!” The album’s got some fantastic backing work from the six-piece band that’s touring with John. “It was a challenge to coordinate a whole backing group - asking the bass player to play like me was very odd. Apparently he’s capable of much more!” Streets also has some work on it from former members of the Straits. “It was great to be working with Guy and Mark and everyone again - but their contribution was limited. This is definitely a solo work.” I can’t help but wonder if John doesn’t feel a little defensive over his contributions to Dire Straits - not about his role in the band, of course, but how it was perceived from outside. He was, after all, the only other member of Dire Straits (aside from Knopfler) to remain with the band throughout their 28 years, and undoubtedly left as much of a mark on their musical style as anyone. Does John feel frustrated when Streets of Heaven is described as sounding ‘Straits-y’? “That’s the music I’ve been making for 30 years!” he exclaims. “Is it surprising that there’s a similar sound? That’s not me being influenced by Dire Straits - that’s the same influence I had on Dire Straits coming across in my own work.” All in all, Streets of Heaven is an album to delight old Straits fans and new Illsley fans alike. Of course, the tour is more than just the tracks live. “The performance has definitely developed a bit- and we play a few bits and pieces of Straits music and stuff from the other [solo] albums. I’ve got a six piece backing band, with some fantastic musicians - Polly Wood, Steve Fletcher, Chris White - they’re worth coming to see by themselves!” And what about John himself? “Oh, I’m alright,” he replies modestly. “But I have to do things my own way. Trying to play the ending of Sultans of Swing like Mark [Knopfler] does would probably put me in hospital!” We both laugh. I tell him I’m looking forward to seeing him perform at the O2 - he tells me to bring a crowd. “After all, I’ve got mouths to feed.” Unfortunately, John’s gig in Oxford has been postponed due to injury. Watch our Gigs page for a new date. Alwyn Collinson (DI Staff), 09/08/10 |
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