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As a young fellow growing up in the 1980s, [[Dire Straits]] was about as uncool as could possibly be. Not only because it was a colossal global dinosaur (“''so'' commercial”, we [[sneered]], and went back to our bootlegged tapes of Joy Division gigs in Belgium),<ref>[https://www.joydiv.org/G3.htm Gruftgesaegne], as I recall.</ref> but because its music was so unapologetically ''middle of the road''; its band-members so ''square''. | As a young fellow growing up in the 1980s, [[Dire Straits]] was about as uncool as could possibly be. Not only because it was a colossal global dinosaur (“''so'' commercial”, we [[sneered]], and went back to our bootlegged tapes of Joy Division gigs in Belgium),<ref>[https://www.joydiv.org/G3.htm Gruftgesaegne], as I recall.</ref> but because its music was so unapologetically ''middle of the road''; its band-members so ''square''. | ||
''Ensuring'' square. ''So'' square that no-one has — yet — managed to get round to redeeming Dire Straits, not even by way of ironic post-modern statement, in the 30 odd years since it ran out of road. A lot of fairly skanky acts ''have'' been redeemed since then. Even Bros. But not Dire Straits. Not to be sure, those who got it, stuck with it: call them — okay; I admit it, ''us'' – | ''Ensuring'' square. ''So'' square that no-one has — yet — managed to get round to redeeming Dire Straits, not even by way of ironic post-modern statement, in the 30 odd years since it ran out of road. A lot of fairly skanky acts ''have'' been redeemed since then. Even Bros. But not Dire Straits. Not to be sure, those who got it, stuck with it: call them — okay; I admit it, ''us'' – “Shy Dire Straits fans”. Mark Knopfler still sells out wherever he goes. Anyhow. | ||
You mellow as you get older. It took me until my twenties: | You mellow as you get older. It took me until my twenties: sometime, I think, in the 1990s. In this case, enlightenment came by way of ''epiphany'' during a documentary about then recently deceased artist [[Brett Whiteley]]. In it, Whiteley was filmed at work in his studio, an enormous canvas on the floor, Jackson Pollock-style (I recall it was of a sea-bird). Before he started work, he cued up ''Telegraph Road'' on his [[gramophone]], and turned it up ''very'' loud. | ||
''Seeing'' the song in this way — seeing how, a troubled, gifted artist like Whiteley heard it, put it in a very different context.<ref>I’ve not been able to find the documentary online — if anyone recognises it, let me know. Whiteley died of a heroin overdose in 1992, so it may well have been some retrospective documentary of his work published around that time.</ref> | ''Seeing'' the song in this way — seeing how, a troubled, gifted artist like Whiteley heard it, put it in a very different context.<ref>I’ve not been able to find the documentary online — if anyone recognises it, let me know. Whiteley died of a heroin overdose in 1992, so it may well have been some retrospective documentary of his work published around that time.</ref> | ||