David Knopfler
David Knopfler
David Knopfleris a British guitarist, pianist, record producer and singer-songwriter. He is also a poet and book writer...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionGuitarist
Date of Birth27 December 1952
David Knopfler quotes about
song jobs writing
Gandhi was only minding his own business when he took a walk to get some salt and ended up overthrowing the British Empire. You can't set out to overthrow an empire, but if you have to get some salt then get some salt. If you have to write some independent songs that are honest, just write them. If you have to do a day job stacking shelves, so be it.
taken way honest
In some ways it's taken me decades to come clean and make honest work - and still to this day, sometimes I find myself wanting to hide behind my work and deny the more biographical aspects.
people tears degrees
I've been getting pretty focused about that recently, and even considered doing a masters degree to polish up the craft. I've been pretty lucky in that I seem to have found people online who are willing to constructively tear it apart for me, and indicate its weaknesses.
fun two ducks
I took the process of doing as much myself as I could like a duck to water. I set up my own label and publishing, etc, and it was a fun learning curve two decades ago.
artist light matter
I don't know to what extent someone can BECOME an artist - you either are or you aren't - and if you are you'll HAVE to make your way to some kind of sickly light, no matter how terrible the soil you were seeded in your nature will out somehow.
college punishment liable
I didn't really escape that gravity until I moved 300 miles south to go to college at 18, where authorship no longer seemed something liable to induce vengeful punishment.
british-musician days early enjoyed freedoms happy home hours offered work
In the early days I really enjoyed the freedoms it offered because I was happy to work the long hours as long as I was working from home a lot.
vacation fancy-cars albums
Now I'm having to live with sales of around 50,000 per album - but I'm pretty content with my place in the general scheme of things, even if it's meant I don't drive a fancy car and can't afford grand vacations.
writing space effort
Now that I'm staring down the barrel of the last act of my life, I'm less excited about control and solo effort, and I resent the way the business aspects interfere with my space for creative writing.
views wonderful week
Oh yeah - for sure - hardly a week doesn't go by when I don't hear something wonderful that someone has made in some low-budget situation, primarily with a view to selling a few hundred copies at their concerts.
done might
There's nothing like doing something wrong to learn how it might be done better.
formal terrible settings
I'd make a terrible practitioner of any religion in any formal setting.
unique doors ice
If you feel driven and compelled to make your work and to be fiercely original and have something unique to say, in a compelling way, then chances are the helpers will be there for you the doors will open some, the ice will crack.
tales
Trust the tale, not the teller.