John Illsey recently sat down with the Telegraph and reflected on the potential Dire Straits reunion that has been rumored since the band’s break-up in 1995.
The bassist revealed their conversations with their former manager, explaining:
“Every time we have lunch, [he] says to me, ‘I wish people would stop offering me huge amounts of money to put [Dire Straits] back together.’ When you stop a machine like the Dire Straits thing, there’s a massive vacuum. There’s a massive vacuum. And you ask yourself if it was a good idea. And I had to keep telling myself that it was a good idea.”
Post-Band Life And New Pursuits
Detailing how his life was following the disbandment, Illsey continued:
“Because you’re doing something else, completely different – I was in London studying painting, I got some lessons, made a terrible mess for seven or eight years, and then started doing art shows. I thought, ‘Okay, this is fun’. And I stopped playing music for quite a while. I leant the bass against the wall and said, ‘Thank you very much, but I’m doing something different now.'”
Why Dire Straits Ended When It Did
The rocker also shared the reason behind why the timing to end Dire Straits was correct, saying:
“I sort of knew that things were coming to an end. And I was pretty happy about that because we were exhausted. We were exhausted. Mentally, physically, emotionally exhausted. Most of our marriages were falling apart; we weren’t seeing our children very much – it was all wrong, basically. It’s the usual things that can happen to people in bands.”
Mark Knopfler’s Stance On A Reunion
In a 2008 BBC News interview, Illsley admitted that he was open to a band reunion, but Knopfler was hesitant, preferring his solo work over reforming the band. Still, Knopfler once mentioned a specific condition that could potentially persuade him to consider reuniting with the band. He disclosed:
“I would only do that for a charity. I’m glad I’ve experienced it all – I had a lot of fun with it – but I like things the way they are.”
In 2009, Illsley and other former Dire Straits member Alan Clark played some of the band’s hits at an outdoor concert in San Vigilio. After that, with the addition of other musicians, they have performed in different combinations under the names Dire Straits Legends and now Dire Straits Legacy, and they still tour today.
