Illsley's new book is a celebration of the band's achievements and his lasting friendship with Mark Knopfler.

When John Illsley was writing and demonstrating his upcoming eighth solo album, the last thing in his mind was to record him as the co-founder of one of the largest bands in rock history Extraordinary past. But locking does some strange things, not all things are bad. The album is ready to be released in 2022, accompanied by live performances and his autobiography "My Life in the Terrible Channel", newly published by Bantam Press.

Ilsley is the co-founder of the 120 million-selling band. He joined his close friend Mark Knoppler, Mark's brother David (as the original rhythm guitarist), and Pick Withers in 1977. Started their unforgettable adventure. Not only did Ilsley get Mark’s recognition of the memoir, but he also introduced his foreword, describing the "hell-like ride" they carried out together. He wrote that Ilesley "is a good partner for band travel, and he is still a good partner today."'Midnite Vultures': Beck used Cut'N' Paste Hip-Pop to commemorate the millennium listening to Frank Zappa ( An exciting alternative to Frank Zappa's "Magic Finger", the Rolling Stones only spend the night in the chessboard lounge

The continued bond between the two and the deep affection for their more than 15 years of experience in the Strait of Terror radiated from Ilsley's narrative. From loading their own equipment in the beer chute of a London club to playing for 7 million people on the last tour in 1992, he portrayed the ever-expanding madness of their global conquest, in a wild climax full of incredible characters And the inevitable trough in the story. More importantly, he described the relationship generated through all this, which he believes is higher than any platinum record.

"The most important thing for me is to celebrate something, to celebrate my 40-year-old friendship and musical partnership," said Ilsley. "I think [Knopfler] will never write this down. This gives me a chance to say something about him that he wouldn't say. He told this story in the song. Really, he doesn't need to write it down anymore. That did it."

Ilsley was born in Leicester in the central part of England in 1949. In the book, he recalled his music education and early work in a timber company, and then brought him to London in the sociology course at Goldsmiths College. He shared an apartment with David Knopfler and wrote about his first meeting with David Knopfler.

"A man fell asleep lying on the concrete floor of our Dartford apartment... His head rested on the only chair at right angles to his body. There was an electric guitar hanging on his chest... His face is like a piece of white paper, revealing a trace of my roommate David. This must be the brother he is talking about." Terrible Channel Photo: Ebet Roberts/Redferns

Terrible Channel Photo: Ebet Roberts/Redferns

Looking back on today’s inauspicious introduction, Ilsley said: “As soon as I met him, I knew that I would know him in a certain way for a long time. At that time, I didn’t even consider playing together. I just felt this from him. Kind of natural warmth and humor.

"The way he played was very different from anything I've seen, and it is still the case to this day," he said. "As we get older, things become easier, that’s for sure. Some of the early performances, when you look back, are absolutely extraordinary. I take it for granted, because of course I have been with it. Big. Looking back, I thought,'At a certain moment in your life, this is such a wonderful place.'"

Vivid manifestations of the early struggles in the Straits can be heard, including those heavy loads in London shows such as Hope and Anchor in Islington and Rock Garden in Covent Garden. "We tossed a coin to see who would be at the top and who would be at the bottom. It seemed that only Mark and I were doing it," he said with a smile. "I don’t think Pique is involved. David is always doing something elsewhere. So let him and I load the damn subwoofer. I’ll tell you what, it’s one thing to load it, but taking it out is Another matter. The ceiling of Hope & Anchor is only about eight feet high.

"I remember one night when we were playing there and it was crowded with people. It was terribly hot, there was no ventilation, and of course everyone was smoking. Someone knocked over the right hand side of PA and no one noticed. We suddenly realized The voice changed a bit. I looked to the right, and then said "Oh". You can't move. In those days, someone was about two feet away from you."

As a fledgling reporter, one of the writer's earliest tasks was to look back at a Rock Garden performance in late 1977, when the band was already as nervous as their counterparts in their core song "Sultans Of Swing". John said: "I remember sitting down with Pique, and feel like I have been playing with this person my whole life."

Through all these early manifestations of Knopfler's agility as a guitarist and writer, and David's departure after two albums, Dire Straits expanded their vision to film scale and attracted millions of people throughout the 1980s. "From the bulletin to the making of the film, these changes are very noticeable," Illesley mused. That was before Brothers In Arms reset the parameters and roared to 30 million sales. For all the glory, this poses a great threat to the band's physical and mental health.

"He and I think there is not much we can do with it," Illsley said frankly. "Honestly, brothers, after such a breakthrough, I really didn’t expect to make another album. It was a groundbreaking moment in the history of music, let alone for us. There are 234 shows, and one more. Zhang still seems to be able to capture people’s imagination, so I think we are done.

"Then Mandela [70th birthday concert at Wembley Stadium] happened in 1988, and one day Mark had lunch with me and he said,'I have some songs, and I think this is for the horrible Straits team. It would be great. I was taken aback for a moment, and then I thought,'Great, we are here again.'"

The result was the 1991 swan song On Every Street. This album was sometimes underrated in the Dire Straits classic, but Illsley did not. "What a great album," he said. "There are some great performances. Jeff Porcaro, exciting. Play with these people, with Omar Hakim and Terry Williams...talk about all your Christmas."

But after the last tour, it was enough. "Mark is heading in a different direction, and I fully understand that he wants to put that machine away," Ilesley reflected. "He was fed up. So we had a very candid conversation before the end of the tour. I don't want to continue, I want to do something different." John Ilsley (far left) and the band on October 2021 Played at the Sound Lounge in London. Photo: Paul Sexton

John Ilsley (far left) and the band perform at the Sound Lounge in London in October 2021. Photo: Paul Sexton

So he did it, drawing inspiration from his two solo albums ("Never Told A Soul" in 1984 and "Glass" in 1988) produced during the warranty period of Straits, and released a series of them in the 2000s and 2010s The album also developed his accompanying art painter as a skilled technician. For a long time, Ilsley has started his own tour. In recent years, he and former band co-manager Paul Cummins conducted a question-and-answer form entitled "Life and Times in the Terrible Strait" in the form of Q&A. In late October, the first British blockade performance was held in the Sound Lounge in South London. The performance was resumed in a sold-out performance. The band members include the famous guitarist Robbie McIntosh (The Pretenders, Paul McCartney , John Mayer).

Now that his story has been written on paper, Ilsley is back to the future, his next solo episode will land in 2022, and will be on an extensive UK tour in April and May. But he was very happy to use his own words, what a special band's work and even more rare friendships meant to him.

"We never did it for money, we really weren't," he said of his days with Knopfler and the band. "So this is not a question of making bank managers or family members happy. Therefore, our friendship has matured and maintained over time."

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