Mark Knopfler: “I hold the guitar like a plumber holds a hammer”

About a month ago Mark Knopfler released the album “One deep river” (read the review here), now the 74-year-old British musician has given an interview to The Project. Among other questions, he was asked what he thought about being singled out as the best guitarist by his colleagues. Knopfler responded with a certain amount of reluctance: “It doesn't make sense. I kind of took a shortcut, which would be a guitar teacher's bad dream. So you're doing it all wrong. For starters, you're holding it wrong. I just hold it like a plumber holds a hammer.”

Knopfler then went on to explain, “The thing that makes me different from the other guys in the band is that I'm the one who writes the songs.

So I can get away with it.”

Among those who said they were influenced by the talent of Mark Knopfler Also David Gilmour of the Pink Floyd who in 1985, speaking to Guitar Classics said: “I was a blues fan, but I was a fan of all music. From Leadbelly to BB King and then Eric Clapton, Roy Buchanan, Jeff Beck, Eddie Van Halen and anyone you care to mention. Mark Knopfler has a lovely and refreshing guitar style. He brought back to life something that seemed to have been lost in guitar playing.”

Knopfler himself mentioned several names of guitarists who inspired him. Included in his list were the names of Chet Atkins, Hank Marvin and Stevie Ray Vaughan. In 1996 he said of Vaughan: “He was one of the best ever. It was really, really amazing. I thought um… something was going on where the influences of Hendrix and Buddy Guy gave way to something really powerful. He's one of the best I've ever heard, without a doubt.”