Mostly sunny and reasonably nice today. And I've got a dozen errands to run and things to do in the yard and shop, things that I can only do when it's nice out. You know how it is, got to get ready for winter - which in Alaska is no joke.
So, I'll leave you with a little Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton, the live version of Sultans of Swing. I love this song, most especially the instrumental that makes up the last 2/3's of this video. Knopfler is a fingerstyle player (he doesn't use a pick) which makes his sound very distinctive, I can pick his music out of any background. I once saw him do this song in London with Dire Straits, and it was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.
Some trivia regarding the man (from the Wikipedia):
* British author and humorist Douglas Adams said about Knopfler, in his book So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish: "Mark Knopfler has an extraordinary ability to make a Schecter Custom Stratocaster hoot and sing like angels on a Saturday night, exhausted from being good all week and needing a stiff beer."
* The dinosaur species Masiakasaurus knopfleri was named after Knopfler. The paleontologists were listening to Dire Straits recordings when they discovered the species.
* On Weird Al Yankovic's parody of "Money for Nothing", "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies", Knopfler played guitar in the song, recreating the memorable guitar riff from the original song. He also appeared in the music video, playing guitar and performing with Yankovic's backing band.
* Knopfler's guitar classic "Going Home" from the soundtrack to Local Hero was until 2007 used before kick-off at Newcastle United's home matches at St James' Park.
* According to director Rob Reiner, Knopfler agreed to write the music for Reiner's The Princess Bride on one condition: Reiner had to put the hat that he wore in This Is Spinal Tap in Princess Bride, "somewhere in evidence", as homage to the rock mockumentary. The hat makes its appearance in Princess Bride in the Grandson's (Fred Savage) bedroom.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
2 comments:
Comments on this blog are moderated. Each will be reviewed before being allowed to post. This may take a while. I don't allow personal attacks, trolling, or obnoxious stupidity. If you post anonymously and hide behind an IP blocker, I'm a lot more likely to consider you a troll. Be sure to read the commenting rules before you start typing. Really.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
We saw Clapton with Robert Cray here in Denver this year. The tickets were monster expensive, but we wanted to see him live before he stopped touring. A most excellent show.
ReplyDeleteOh, and Mark Knopfler is pretty good, too. Hee!
Mark is the man!
ReplyDeleteClapton just tours with him so Knopfler's got somebody to carry his guitars.