Who knew that gifted guitarist Mark Knopfler was in a horrific accident eighteen months ago and nearly crippled? Luckily he's much better and has a new CD coming out. He's also remarkably mellow about the incident.
"If you're a writer, you have to have compassion for people. Maybe being a parent has an effect, too," he says. "What I do know is that because of what happened, I've had the opportunity to spend more time with my family, and the accident helped create my new record."Posted by Alan at August 19, 2004 05:45 AMHis new album, Shangri-La, is due to be released next month. Despite one song entitled Don't Crash the Ambulance, and the lyrics of another - "Got shot off my horse, so what, I'm up again" - it is the title track that he cites as the song that is most closely linked to the aftermath of the crash.
"One thing I've learnt since the accident is how quickly things can change, and so I try to enjoy the present," he says. "I'm not constantly pushing forward and looking to the future the way I used to as a young man. Shangri-La is about getting as much out of the present as you possibly can and treasuring moments of happiness as they happen. For me, they are private moments with your loved ones. I've had lots of highlights through the years, but there's nothing that's sweeter than a child."