Dire Straits star Mark Knopfler claims Brexit ‘betrayed’ the music industry: ‘Nightmare trying to operate’
Dire Straits star Mark Knopfler has opened up on his views about Brexit and claimed the decision to leave the EU has come at a price for musicians and their passions.
Knopfler is often cited as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, following his time as the frontman of Dire Straits from 1977 to 1995, before he set off on a new solo artist path.
In total, spanning across his total career, he has sold over 250 million albums, with almost 10 billion streams between his work with the band and his solo work.
Knopfler has always been concerned with young people’s health, and recently brought together more than 60 famous artists – including Sting, Bruce Springsteen, and Ringo Starr – to re-record Going Home in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Unlike his famous colleagues such as Starr and Roger Daltrey, Knopfler is not a supporter of Brexit and claims the move has ruined music and musicians working in Britain.
Speaking to radiotimes.co.uk, he explained: “I think the Government has totally betrayed the musical community with Brexit. It’s just a nightmare trying to operate from Britain now in the music game. They said they’d take care of the music business, but they didn’t.”
Despite making his feelings clear about the future of music, Knopfler recently spoke to Chris Evans on his Breakfast Show and discussed his successful career ahead of his new solo album, One Deep River.
He explained: “I feel fabulous. Life is great. I’m very lucky to be here. And I’m aware of how crowded the dance floor is out there. Nobody knows better than me.
“And so I’m pretty amazed that people still want to be part of it and get into it and know about it and play the songs and learn the songs, or whatever it is they want to do with the songs and live with the songs.”
He added: “I’m delighted by the way it all is. I suppose I’m moving a bit slower and I get overtaken on the pavement by old ladies going down to the post office to get their pensions.”
Knopfler also opened up about his interactions with fans and said: “I love to hear the stories. I hear them every day. And that’s such a joy in my life. I mean, because you realise the songs are signposts for people’s lives.
“And what people want to do is to say, ‘We used to do this,’ and it’s what you used to do as well, that’s important. ‘We used to do this when we were listening to you’. All of life was lived, from birth to death, so it’s humbling, actually.”
He continued: “It’s a life seen in pieces of involvement with music, and to live with the music, to celebrate with it. To be going out to it, to be going on holiday with it, the car trips, falling in love with it.
“And falling out of love as well. But then you can sort of tell people who are falling out of love for the first time, ‘Well. there’ll come a time when you’ll be able to laugh at that.’
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“They’re too young. They’re young. And they’re not there yet. They’re not past it yet. That was the Romeo and Juliet thing.”
Speaking about the music scene these days, the musician told Chris: “Everybody knows the scene is different. And I think though, if you can get a gig, it is still saving bands.
“And so say if you do manage to scrape a gig at a college or something like that, even if it does not pay as much as maybe they used to pay in the old days, it can get you a start.