Wednesday, March 05, 2008

FBO: 'Continues Mark Knopfler Week (Part II)'

TROLLING FOR FEEDBACK: BAN OR NO?

Mark Knopfler's dyslexic tendencies regarding speech on Making Movies -- as referenced by Rich Trott on Monday –- is nothing compared to the tenacity shown in the band's 1985 record Brothers in Arms.

On this album, the most belligerently head-banded band in the world upped the ante in self-marketing shamelessness when they recruited Sting (a popular Brit singer in the US) to name-drop MTV for a skeptical American audience (and skeptical MTV) in 'Money For Nothing' -- which used pre-Schwab animation. It got worse for the follow-up single 'Walk of Life' -- a fake-Springsteen romp, complete with the same carnival keyboards that sickened the Boss' misunderstood 'Born in the USA' song from the year before, AND the British band even had the gall to sample 'funny', exclusively American, sports images to delight young, impressionable American audiences. No Arsenal/Manchester United footage, no rugby, no thrown cricket wickets.

Typically, the public bought it.

What's worse is the rhythm guitarist: barefoot and wearing a marmot-hammock-sized headband. 'It was the '80s' is no excuse. Please see the 1:50 to 1:52 mark of the video below, and also note how the first image of Mark Knopfler is putting on a head band to keep his last remaining hairs in check. Weird guys. Weird British guys.



Trott may be onto something here.


FBO Admin
Mobile/Semi-Permanent HQ -- Brooklyn, NY

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I vote ban. I submit as evidence in support of the ban the song "Heavy Fuel."

The least convincing sex-drugs-and-rock-n-roll anthem of all time, it tries so hard to be cool, it actually uses the word "cool" no less than nine times, and offers up an excessive consumption of hamburgers (not even cheeseburgers!) as an example of the sort of hard living Knopfler is up to. Just *try* not to cringe when he sings "I love the babes, don't get me wrong, hey, that's why I wrote this song!"

On the other hand, I do like Portobello Belle. But I still vote ban. The evidence is overwhelming.

tom caw said...

Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban!

The Sultans of Swing should suck the cesspool.

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