My Life in Dire Straits
The Inside Story of One of the Biggest Bands in Rock History
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My Life in Dire Straits
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Narrated by:
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John Illsley
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By:
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John Illsley
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
With a foreword by Mark Knopfler.
Dire Straits filled giant stadiums around the world and sold hundreds of millions of records. Throughout the '80s they were the biggest band on the planet. Their classic songs - 'Sultans of Swing', 'Romeo and 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.
In My Life in Dire Straits, John Illsley - founder member, bassist and mainstay - evokes the spirit of the times and tells the story of one of the great live acts of rock history. Starting with his own unlikely beginnings in Middle England, he 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 man's clubs to Madison Square Garden, gigging 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 - the only band members to stay the 15-year distance. Told with searching honesty, soulful reflection and wry humour, this is the first and only account of that incredible story.
©2021 John Illsley (P)2021 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about My Life in Dire Straits
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ben Alldis
- 05-12-21
Great account of Dire Straits
I loved the way the story was told by a content side man to Mark Knopflers genius. John really is a man you'd love to have by your side in a band.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mark Wills
- 03-07-22
Simply brilliant
For any fan of the band, or index for any one that winners about the behind-the-scenes machinations of putting together, and maintaining a successful band, this is essential listening. Illsley beautifully illustrated so many stories that have existed for decades as mere anecdotes and gives background and meaning to why certain events happened the way they did.
After completing this book, I find myself humbled. I remember being personally offended when I learned Dire Straits were no more. After this book, I now understand what personal sacrifices these guys made, and how hard they worked. Especially Knopfler. I now completely understand why Knopfler and Illsley lost the appetite for the Dire Straits machine.
Having listened to this audio book an the way to the end, the first thing I'm going to do is make a coffee. Then I'm going to start all over again from the beginning. It's that good.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- David Murphy
- 14-11-21
A great rock and roll listen
Overall John's recollection of the story is lucid and well told. It's really a story in two parts, a guy trying to come to terms with a rapid ascent towards success, then having no time to enjoy it and making sacrifices to stay there. Well worth a listen if you are Straits fan or are into music biogs generally. To quote MK "Success I love, fame I detest".
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
An open book and inside look to Dire Straits
It was a unusual and unique experience to read and listen to the book at the same time. The calm voice of the bassist and the respectful way he is telling the story of a favourite band was really something to me. I could not leave it till I finished.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Janea57
- 12-01-22
If you like Dire Straits you'll love this
As a long-standing fan of Dire Straits I was very excited about this book. I wasn't disappointed. I learned a lot about the origins of the band and it was great to hear about some of the gigs I was at many years ago. I met John Illsley and the rest of the band a few times and they were some of the nicest people in the business.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. Jason Green
- 22-05-23
Well worth a read, especially for fans.
Good story, well read by John. John seems a decent sensible bloke in a mad situation.
As a die hard Straits fan I really enjoyed the stories of a band who touched and touches my life. Enjoyable listen 👍
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- David
- 09-08-22
One for all Strait’s fans.
As a massive Strait’s fan, I was looking forward to this book and I wasn’t disappointed. The parts of it I didn’t like were the mention of Thatcher; to this day, she is hated where I come from, and as a staunch egalitarian, I don’t support the royal family. But it was a great read all the same.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- K. Terrell
- 31-12-21
Excellent telling of the Dire Straits story.
John shares so much detail about the band and the lives of the people involved, especially his, it helps you understand the achievements and huge personal costs of being involved in such a phenomenum, wonderfully read by John.
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- John Roger Fox
- 07-01-24
Brilliant
I thought this book was truly amazing. What a great life and experience and told really well. First class.
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- SIMON
- 25-10-24
Great tale well read.
I feel John was exactly the right person read his book! Easy to listen to and heartfelt.
I was not sure what to expect but I found the way in which he tells the story of the band and describes his own experiences (the good and the not so good ) to be absolutely compelling. The book offers a very plausible and I feel honest insight into the highs and lows and the twists and turns of growing into an internationally famous rock band.
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