As well as the Malcolm Haigh Group.he was my predecessor as Needler President but unfortunately crashed his car into a tree and was killedthere were a number of other Uni student groups and one called Humber Jug, who did folk music and were very popular, I remember. I slept with him and John Hall once . Towards the end of 1984 Knopfler assembled a new line-up of Dire Straits in London to rehearse their next record. It sounded worn and tired, but still racked up 10 million sales. Knopfler always was a prolific writer, but as he approached Dire Straits third album he had new horizons in mind. Im absolutely sure in my own mind that Mark would take his copy and put it straight in the bin.. I tell them the same thing: why would they? Who can tell us which Bicknell was UK Midlands Cycle Racing Champion in the 50s? The second time they came in June 69 was the best show we put on in my opinion, and was also the last concert I was involved in. Or if it has, youre so terrified of it that you dont spend anything, which is what happened with us. The bare-boned economy of Knopflers songs and his dizzying guitar fills were a breath of clean air amid the lumbering rock dinosaurs and one-dimensional punk thrashers of the late 70s. When I first set off for London July 4 69 they were understandably worried but very supportive. Whos managing this group? Bicknell recalls. Iovine brought in Springsteens E Street Band pianist Roy Bittan, and his heart-stopping fills gave wings to another epic, Tunnel Of Love, on which Knopfler located the sweet spot between the E Street Bands hulking engine and Dylans rolling thunder. He was at Needler Hall at the same time as myself and had a wonderful way of keeping life uncomplicated. I hadnt ever thought this would be possible, Bicknell muses, adding that its very unusual for artist managers to have a post-term commission in perpetuity, like the one he does, in the first place, so he didnt have any prior cases to look at when going into the deal. Brickell was born in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Texas to Larry Jean (Sellers) Linden and Paul Edward Brickell. Sting added his distinctive vocals to the intro section of the track singing the single sorrowful refrain: I want my MTV., Sting used to come to Montserrat to go windsurfing, and he came up for supper at the studio, says John Illsley. The teaching job gave Knopfler a lifeline and disposable income. I remember someone at the sit-in debate saying they had been eating one of Bens pork pies and it tasted as though it had been sitting in for a week. Paul McGuinness sat down with former Dire Straits manager Ed Bicknell at London's Royal Garden Hotel for a wide-ranging discussion about his career and thoughts on the music business as part of . Whats odd is that I spent three years in Hull 1966-69 and didnt know the Church existed ! Am in touch a lot with our mutual friend Paul Charles and waiting for his new book to come out.Cheers Andrew. Brother David followed suit, performing at working mens clubs in a folk duo. Ed. ed bicknell wife can i take melatonin during colonoscopy prep can a policeman marry a publican Posted on June 12, 2022by tel: (415) 715-9053. I spent a lot of time doing therapy and dealing with my issues and ghosts and demons, says David Knopfler. Amazing. But he was the bloke Id shared a bedroom with. The band was Dire Straits and that night changed my life. Very little surprised my Dad. (2014), This page was last edited on 2 April 2023, at 01:49. The S&T discos were hosted by (cant remember his name) but after he graduated, I took over the S&T nights along with many other private disco nights in the smaller Uni building rooms as well as in The Lawns etc. Their father was an architect expelled from his native Hungary on account of his firebrand socialism. Whats happening?. But he never knocked anything back and fortunately we did run at a profit. At the time they just seemed to be quite normal fare for University students and it was only in retrospect that one realised one had watched true legends of the music scene for the price of a few pints. Knopfler introduced his brother and Illsley to Pick Withers, a propulsive drummer hed first met while doing an aborted session with Rod Clements of Lindisfarne. The group had a record deal with RCA but were in the process of falling apart. Making Movies stood at least shoulder to shoulder with each of them. Ed Bicknell managed Mark Knopfler for several years after the split but has now retired. In Dire Straits case this was to the back streets of Newcastle and the bright lights of London, with Knopfler narrating his journey from one city to the other. the Lawns was a great alternative: Free, Hawkwind, Leo Sayer, Moody Blues, Roxy, Suzy Quatro. So put 20 aside and Ill let you know when Ive done the rest. I think of you now as the Pope of the Music World with everybody wanting a piece of your time but not being driven around in a Skoda I hope ! i signed the booking contract for a dire straights gig at hull university as vice president around 1978-you must have been the manager ! I also got a part time desk at JSE in the centre of London. Hi, am looking forward to receiving Eds email address as per the thread. It doesnt sound a lot compared with todays kit but was still plenty loud enough even to fill the whole Lawns bar, dance floor and surrounding seating areas. Who it is, where it is, when it is and how much is all you need. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. That album featured just five songs all of them long and involved, and two of them stone-cold classics. Bicknell had taken his first steps into the music business at Hull University in the 60s, where as social secretary he booked gigs by the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Who and Pink Floyd before joining the prestigious NEMS agency that handled such heavyweight clients as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Elton John. Required fields are marked *. The forum and research centre for bicknells worldwide. Tech Comm used to set up and run many of the discos at The Lawns and I remember them being so proud of their new record decks, 2x 100watt HH slave amplifiers and HH speakers. Mark was already a very capable guitarist at eighteen or nineteen, way above the norm, notes Steve Phillips. Sarah Bicknell. Though we have one alum who has written to us about The Smiths in their heyday of 1984 on campus. Now I need to be politically correct ( not something on the screen in the late Sixties), but it has to be said that Hull was a very. Subsequently released on 13 May 1985, Brothers in Arms proved to be a cast-iron phenomenon. In retrospect it sounds like a logical step forward: Wexlers sheen bringing Knopflers textured melodies into sharper focus, heard to best effect on Once Upon A Time In The West and the quick-stepping Lady Writer, each as coolly embracing as a Bahamian sunset. If Mark would have had a blue Gibson Id have walked out, but he encapsulated everything that was my dream. He bought a motorbike and his dads car, allowing him to transport his growing collection of guitars from one pub gig to the next. You are correct. When John Sherry came in you would quickly pick up the phone and pretend to be on the phone. I am sure he will not mind me saying that he only had two interests..music and girls anything else was largely irrelevant to him. The newly christened four-piece played their first gig together in the summer of 1977. March 2022. And to think the highest fee of any act we put on at Uni was 400 ( Jethro Tullone truck). CHIPS. During that time he promoted shows by Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Moody Blues, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Family, Ralph Mctell, Bert Jansch, The Kinks . [20] The track appeared on the accompanying soundtrack, Music from The American Epic Sessions. The album was rushed out less than a year after their debut, to a cooler response and slower sales. Thanks Ed for the great memories and for putting on all events, even though you did it without a Health and Safety Officer being in attendance..none of us would have turned up if we had known!! Heres my email so get in touch. I saw Ralph not long ago. The compact disc had also arrived, and Brothers In Arms exquisite production was tailor-made for the new format. He appeared more single-minded and attentive to detail than ever, rigorously putting the group through their paces for a month before whisking them off to Air Studios on the Caribbean island of Montserrat to cut Brothers In Arms. Net Worth. I know the value of money has changed a teeny bit (! Once I took over the Ents Committee ( a fantastic, very organized and supportive bunch), I made one defining decision: I would put on the bands that I liked and somehow sell them to the student audience which included a technical college next door and a teacher training college nearby. These were taut mini-dramas of dark depths and dazzling melodic and lyrical flourishes. I would do a report for them every week which was then shoved under each of their hotel room doors, says Ed Bicknell. Mark was first to flee the nest, when he got a job as a cub reporter on the Yorkshire Evening Post in Leeds. To put those fees in context using current currency- a regular Saturday night gig in the Union would cost about 25p. Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ed_Bicknell&oldid=1144741890, This page was last edited on 15 March 2023, at 09:28. Perhaps least of all he anticipated making one of the defining albums of the decade. Ive been trying to do a book for years and Ive got two chapters done. This was long before motorways, by passes and bridges over the Humber and getting acts to even consider coming up from London was difficult. The act of Knopfler conclusively seizing control would have been provocative enough, but it was exacerbated by other issues bubbling to the surface as the band gathered in New York to record their third album, Making Movies. Hope you are keeping well, kind regards Bruce Usherwood. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Smith says the demand from investors to get in on the Dire Straits catalog was substantial and there were more investors than they could accommodate. I do recall that our dressing room was the robing room for the Graduation Ceremony back in June 1969. As you have discovered I did not take a degree subject that had a numeric element or Computer science..my repeated efforts are not due to dementia but more a case of techno incompetence. We were at Hull for a Alumni event (Les Eastham also there) and I took some pictures of what remains of Needler.just the old main building and that is a shellthe rest is an Aldi supermarket..so where your room was is probably the bacon counter. One of the most talented Hull student generations had the very best in music. Talking of Health and Safety, many of the concerts and discos were really packed. The former ended their gig by smashing up all their equipment..one of the first times they did this, as it came as a surprise to most of the audience, who watched open mouthed at what was going on. Youre right. It interferes with what you do and has no redeeming features at all.. WOW that article really brings the memories back. My memory is getting a little fuzzy and I might be wrong but I also think I saw these at the Uni or The Lawns: Neil Innes (in Bonzos or maybe Grimms), Suzi Quatro, Steeleye Span, Cockney Rebel, Rory Gallagher, Leo Sayer, Sparks, 10cc, Curved Air, Fairport Convention, Man and many others. It was just through being exhausted: drinking too much every night, partying and wrecking your physical and mental health in the way that rock bands did then to excess., Nobody involved is prepared for success like that, adds Bicknell. Who would forget you? There was a group of us that went round together, including Malcolm Haigh, Mike Ormerod, Ed Bicknell and Steve Williams ( Springs, the tiddleywink champion ). Im going to have to lie down. During one piece the roadies came on and boiled a kettle. I see the Cecil Theatre where I saw the Buddy Rich Orchestra (amazing) is now a bingo hall. What a very sweet and generous thing to say. There was an ease to much of Brothers In Arms, as if the music had seeped from his fingertips unbidden. Hearing the latter, and in particular their bespectacled lead guitarist Hank Marvin, opened up a future filled with possibilities for Mark Knopfler. A lot of the acts you mention certainly Vinegar Joe, Curved Air, Al Stewart were clients of the first agency I worked at and I can remember booking them into Hull , AND Andy Harries . The Untold Truth Of Tony Gonzalez's Wife - October Shroud (Twitch) Wiki Bio, height, net worth, meani Jennifer Pfautch Wiki Bio. On Beacon Hill 4 Raymond Bicknell 1875-1927, On Beacon Hill 6 William Bicknell 1749-1825, On Beacon Hill 8 Ed Bicknell, manager of Dire Straits, On Beacon Hill 11: New Zealand Reunion of 2007, Alf Bicknell 1928-2004. How many students of the 1960d have got LPs stored away somewhere ? In this hothouse atmosphere the Knopflers were soon at each others throats. Brings back happy memories of those days. Paul Rees been a professional writer and journalist for more than 20 years. Just two years after, when MK played the MK and friends gigs, there were two missing musicians in both bands, Ed Bicknell on the NHB, and Alan Clark on DS. Three years later his elder brother guested on his debut solo album, but the two of them were estranged. Malcolm and Mike both died in car crashes when they were quite young . John Illsley and I meet at a coffee shop in Notting Hill on a bright spring morning. I doubt you will remember me but we met in the heady days of 1972 when I was on Cardiff Ents (and Rag) -we booked many bands through you including Ralph McTell and Quintessence. However being like you in my seventh decade my winking days are over. [8] The band released their fifth studio album Hunter and the Dog Star in 2021 available on CD and vinyl.[9]. At the Manfred Mann concert at Hull Baths I remember driving Manfred and Paul Jones back to their hotel in the centre of Hull, there were 5 of us in a clapped out mini. But I absolutely recall booking many acts into Cardiff UniversityQuintessnce! By then Mark had cottoned on that this was his group and he edged himself into pole position.. Why on Earth are you looking on this site? ), and we went round the US, Europe several times and did several lengthy Royal Albert Hall seasons with him. He was the kind of guy that very much did his own thing and for example you could not imagine him going for milk round interviews for mega company graduate schemes, like most of us did. When some of the acts sold too many tickets for the Union building we had to move them into either the Mecca Ballroom ( Mayall/ Tull/ Kinks, cap about 1800) or the Skyline ( Hendrix/ Geno, 1500 on top of the Co- op) in Hull itself. Of course I was not aware of your management skills honed during your time a Hull university, a very entertaining & enlightening article. Every day. If I recall correctly it was normally five shillings ( equivalent to four pints of Hull Bitter !!) By the time of Making Movies he was king, recalls David. Im very late coming to this correspondence but remember the era very well. Yes! As for the Pope of Music..that title belongs to Pope Paul McGuiness who U2 presented with a purple throne when he stepped down. In 2010, Brickell became a founding member of new band The Gaddabouts, consisting of Steve Gadd on drums, Edie Brickell as lead vocalist and guitar, Andy Fairweather Low on electric and acoustic guitars and background vocals, Pino Palladino on bass and guitar, and featuring Dan Block, Ronnie Cuber, Joey DeFrancesco, Gil Goldstein, and Marcus Rojas. My grandmother , Lucy Bicknell Warren, was from Bicknell, IN my hometown. Plus we had the good fortune to be close to Sheffield and Leeds Universities and I managed to arrange for bands playing there to come over to Hull and vice versa. Much of The Whos Live In Leeds was actually recorded at Hull City Hall (after Id left) but as Pete Townshend (sorry, name drop) said to me many years later Live In Hull doesnt have quite the same ring about it. I remember someone at the sit-in debate saying they had been eating one of Bens pork pies and it tasted ad though it had been sitting in for a week. The brothers had an explosive argument and David Knopfler quit. However, and on Friday (March 11), McGuinness sat down with former Dire Straits manager Ed Bicknell at London's Royal Garden Hotel for a wide-ranging discussion about his career and thoughts on. At the time of its release it represented a crossing of the Rubicon for Mark Knopfler as a songwriter and for the band in general. Her name was June and wed hold hands in SoHo looking at the moon, prior to blagging our way into Ronnie Scotts or The Speakeasy. Black Sabbath only stopped setting Bill Ward on fire after the drummer's furious mum called Tony Iommi a "barmy bastard" and told him to "grow up", PJ Harvey releases atmospheric single A Child's Question, August, announces tenth album I Inside The Old Year Dying, Aerosmith appear to be teasing a farewell tour. I still have a signed record from them all, in some distant attic. Music was a fact of life in the Knopfler house. Wow. Pete Bicknell is a very successful businessman and multi-winner and champion. Having run his race with Dire Straits, Knopfler has since contented himself in a quieter, more comfortable niche - composing soundtracks, collaborating with the likes of Chet Atkins and Emmylou Harris, and making a succession of roots-based solo albums . Everyone was calling Springsteen Boss and he completely called the shots. ed bicknell wife can i take melatonin during colonoscopy prep when were emma and kate kaji born Posted on June 12, 2022by Celebrities born in 2016 including Elle McBroom, Taytum Fisher, Oakley Fisher, Dream Kardashian, Kyrie Prince and many more. Luckily it was safety glass but her white dress, from hundreds of small minor glass cuts, quickly turned horribly red. That note is a very sad memory to me but it wasnt a surprise. The Music Businesswhats that ? ( Actually it wasnt called that then and it wasnt even a business at that stage ). Balding and outwardly taciturn, he seemed born to the role of sideman. For the ensuing tour Knopfler brought in American guitarist Hal Lindes to fill his brothers shoes and fellow Geordie Alan Clark on keyboards. Never lose sight of who you married. Maria Bicknell Constable 1795-1828. As John Illsley said to me at the time: This has been going on since David was born. Im stating the obvious, but David was in the group because he was Marks brother, not because he was the greatest rhythm guitarist that Mark could have found.. Further research is warranted. The two most notorious concerts I remember, which were in either 1967 or 1968, was The Who and then Manfred Mann. [1][2] She was raised with her older sister, Laura Strain. At a point when such second-generation punk and new-wave acts as The Jam, Boomtown Rats and Generation X were making an impression, it stood apart. Very different times. Of course ALL of this had an ulterior motive. If you didnt leave right after D-Day, youve probably spent some time in chump Police Academy. Our Story Of The Week No. Its good to see your comments on Eds post. How could I be deferential to him?. She joined the band as lead singer. most I should imagine. Just discovered this wonderful source of some great memories. During that time Knopfler left the paper to take a degree in English at Leeds University, and married his school sweetheart, Kathy White. Ed. Constable painted Maria's portrait in July 1816 . The firm was ranked No. Thank you. . Brilliant. Great stuff Steve. Before we started recording, Jimmy took Mark to watch a Springsteen session and his jaw was on the floor, says David Knopfler. Seems Hull was the start for a lot of us. The last tour was utter misery, says Ed Bicknell. Our [mission] is to move that into something thats much more structured in a way that the assets can be sold or transferred easily, says CEO Matthew Smith. Yet his formidable talent was yoked to an iron will. I was the best PAINTER ! [24], Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Music from The American Epic Sessions: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, "Dallas performing, visual arts school set for Taste of the Arts", "Edie Brickell and New Bohemians [Two Shows]", "Edie Brickell & New Bohemians: Starting Over", "Edie Brickell & New Bohemians join Erwin Center Harvey benefit lineup | Austin Music Source", "Music News: Iggy Azalea and Edie Brickell Highlight the New List of Shows", "Edie Brickell & New Bohemians Master Mood with 'Hunter and the Dog Star' (ALBUM REVIEW)", "Personal Computers: What Is Windows 95 Really Like? What really struck me was the size and height of the stage and narrow access down the stairs behind. 2023 Rolling Stone, LLC. J. Mayne, 1951, p.25). Hi Sir Edward. When it was roused, as on the crashing chords of The Mans Too Strong, the effect was that much more magnified. I do not believe it! As the 80s unwound Mark Knopfler was like a man released. How on earth did you find this? A brash New Yorker just off the back of making hit records with Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, Iovine had a painstaking way of working; the first week of recording was spent attempting to get the perfect drum sound. Ed, I learnt a lot about life from you ! Sad really. Lyrically evocative, beautifully played and sung by Knopfler in a laconic drawl, the tracks sounded fresh and different. The simple facts are these: Knopfler formed Dire Straits in London in 1977 with his younger brother David on rhythm guitar, John Illsley on bass and Pick Withers on drums. Another was to interview a local blues guitarist, Steve Phillips. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Continuing our series of first hand accounts of student life, music, and protest in Hull during the late 1960s, we were pleased to receive contact from Ed Bicknell, (BA Social Studies, 1969). One of his first tasks for the paper was to write Jimi Hendrixs obituary in September 1970, handed to him on account of him being the only person in the office young enough to know who Hendrix was. Let me respond to two in one if thats ok. Descendants from; Alfred James Bicknell Snr,1817 - 1897 & Emma Henshall, 1833 - 1900, married 1851. In 1991 he gathered Dire Straits once more, for the On Every Street album. Malcolm then booked us onto every Campus event he possibly could and we supported the likes of Alexis Korner, Ralph Mctell, Champion Jack Dupree, Michael Chapman (great local folk singer) and so on. Both so small considering who played there. Usherwood, tel 0033553400628. ed bicknell wife can i take melatonin during colonoscopy prep checkmates band louisville ky Posted on June 12, 2022by Center on Fri Aug 12, 2022. The others were a bit later for me ( great lineup though). Certain people also didnt like certain people. Personal relationships were in trouble and it put a terrible strain on everybody emotionally and physically. Hi Ed, still awaiting your Email I think you can google me for Email so we can talk, best regards Bruce Usherwood. On one hand our parents were horrified that we wanted to make a career of pop music, David Knopfler says now. All rights reserved. Its fine to give John this email address. David- you are correct- Dire Straits played the Union on November 9 1978 . Amazing how you forget what you KNOW and then someone flips the switch. I didnt know what to say: I just sat and stared at the ground in complete disbelief. That was the one.. Date Of Birth. In its wake, Dire Straits set off on an 18-month world tour that took in 247 sold-out stadium and arena shows in 100 cities. Introducing Muddy Waters, Hull 1968 University of Hull Alumni Association, Promoter 101 Podcast | Creative Law Network, The 1960s In Your Words: campus life as remembered by alumni University of Hull Alumni Association, I was on campus and the banner with us behind you, opportunity ahead of you felt personal to me. My predecessor Malcom Haigh (who was tragically killed in a car accident in 1970) simply said Dont be daft, sod having a bloody election. Can you send me your email address?Mine is enclosed. 4 on the Billboard albums chart. He moved into a council flat shared with 26-year-old John Illsley, a bass player whod grown up in rural Leicestershire and was then studying sociology at nearby Goldsmiths College. That was a long time ago! He would look over the contracts for my bookings and say is this going to be ok? I should mention he was a pretty useful jazz pianist and along with a guitarist called Pete Rowntree and a flautist called Neil, wed formed a band within about two weeks of my initial arrival in 1966. 4 comes from Ed Bicknell - legendary artist manager to Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits, Bryan Ferry Scott Walker - and his a wonderful. Among the five Mark Knopfler originals on the tape were Sultans Of Swing, a loose-limbed account of watching a hapless jazz combo flailing in a London pub, and a languorous shuffle titled Down To The Waterline. In quick time Knopfler was fted by the rock aristocracy. In 2000 he stood down as Marks manager on an amicable basis. His work has also been published in the Sunday Times, the Telegraph, the Independent, the Evening Standard, the Sunday Express, Classic Rock, Outdoor Fitness, When Saturday Comes and a range of international periodicals. Bicknell was born into a prominent polygamous family; Joseph had four wives when Bicknell was born and later added a fifth, which accorded with Mormon teachings of that era. He also ran the folk and jazz and blues societies across the same period. Maybe 100 for a Tuesday. Thanks Ed Bicknell, Thanks Ed Ill pass your e-mail on to John. Great fun. They really were VERY mushy. Small wonder that Knopfler once told Rolling Stone: Success I adore. Soul and Tamla Disco weekly and the films (Ed mentions he didnt look at fire regs; we also didnt look at the small print of film bookings and were fined for showing films to large audiences in the West Refectory. Ed Bicknell was Chairman of Hull University entertainment's committee from October 1967 to June 1969, when he first got a taste for the music industry. Ed Bicknell: Managing Dire Straits, The Who Live at Hull, and the Union Ents Committee Continuing our series of first hand accounts of student life, music, and protest in Hull during the late 1960s, we were pleased to receive contact from Ed Bicknell, (BA Social Studies, 1969). I remember the night in Peasolme Park; wed missed the last train. She had read three books a week, interviewed authors,. The band drove themselves around the States on their first tour of the country at the start of 1979. Dire Straits became a byword for a certain sort of safe, homogenised music, and Knopfler was turned into a caricature of the middle-aged rocker, with jacket sleeves rolled up and wearing a headband. All rights reserved. Best booker ? I trust our Headmaster would be impressed by Ed probably equally surprised that after he struggled to get me to university I went on to do a PhD (Birmingham) and spend a considerable part of my life in research, even in London and USA in those days an adventure for us country people. BICKNELL REUNION IN NEW ZEALAND 9th JUNE 2007. Checkmate Coaching And Consulting LLC is a Kentucky Klc - Limited-Liability Company filed On May 24, 2021. Remarkably it reached No.2 in the UK. When I was 19 in 1971, you persuaded John Sherry RIP to lend me 100 so that I could take over 3 more clubs bringing my total to 6. After failing utterly as a professional drummer and being sacked from an embryonic Average White Band for not being Scottish (in truth I wasnt good enough), I accidentally bumped into one of the agents who used to try and sell me his crappy bands, on Oxford Street in early 1970. Having some spare time I visited to the old student union (Staff House) which I hadnt been in since July 1969! On one occasion at The Lawns the crush at the entrance hall was such that some poor girl was pushed through one of the full length glass walls. Was there actually a Ben, or was he a dour mythical figure? So good to hear from you and like you now in my 7th decade and thus no more winking. Dear recipient Ive answered this but I cant tell if its gone through. The Union Ball in Feb 1968 which featured Julie Driscoll and the Brian Auger Trinity (number 4 single from memory), Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Blossom Toes, disco, steel band AND a meal was priced at around 1.25p. But at the time we thought we were great. Before they even got to America, the bands UK record company hurried them for a follow-up record, winging them out to the Bahamas to make Communique with producer and impresario Jerry Wexler, the man who had signed Led Zeppelin and recorded Ray Charles. There were issues with various band members that related mostly to the girls in their lives and were calamitous, says Bicknell. Very good. At 10.10pm on October 9, 1992, Mark Knopfler bid goodnight to 40,000 people and walked off stage in Zaragoza, Spain. I assume youre referring to my Dad as Headmaster at Tadcaster Grammar School. The two of them hit it off and began performing together as an acoustic duo called Duolian Stringpickers, and spent the next few years playing gigs in the north-east. Unlistenable! Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan were among those turning out to pay their respects at one triumphal show at the Roxy on Los Angeles Sunset Strip. The great thing was that in those days, even the famous groups turned up in battered vans with one roadie and often went drinking with the students after the concert and kipped down on their floors and drove on the next morning.