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jvandoorninck |
"Witness History II" concert, Nashville, Tennessee, June 24 1998 |
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Hello All- I am a new contributor to the forum. I have been reading for a long while, gleaning excellent insights into MK's music from your posts. Thank
you for your comments! Years ago, on June 24, 1998, I was lucky enough to attend the "Witness History II" concert at Nashville's Ryman
Auditorium, June 24, 1998. For those that don't know, this concert was a tribute to Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. It included a star-studded cast of
musicians, and MK had a heavy presence. Among other songs, he performed "The Next Time I'm in Town, "Romeo and Juliet," "Sultans,"
and he also backed up a number of other performers including John Anderson ("When it Comes to You") and Marty Stuart. Memorably, it was also the
concert at which MK debuted "Two Skinny Kids," with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings backing up. Of course, we all know this song from the audio of
the "Master Session" which took place at Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music the following day. I was lucky enough to attend this event
as well, where I met MK and he even signed my Vanderbilt student ID badge! As the years have passed, the "Witness History II" performance has become
one of my most memorable MK concert events, as he was surrounded by his friends from the Nashville scene, and it was the only concert performance (to my
knowledge) of "Two Skinny Kids." I have been looking in vain for a copy of this concert. The MK website had various postings in 1998-1999 stating
that the concert would be aired on American Public television in April 1999; however, it never came to pass. Does anyone know where this fan can get a drink of
water, a drink of wine? Anyone know if a copy of the "Witness History II" concert is available? Again, thanks for all of your posts. They have made
my day many times. Sincerely, John
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IrisRose44 |
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Welcome to the forum, John! Great first post. You now have us all dying to see that program. You were lucky to be there. What a great memory!
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jvandoorninck |
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Thanks IrisRose! Great to be among friends!
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IrisRose44 |
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Here is an excerpt from a review by a lady named Leslie Rawlings.
"Later, Mark Knopfler came out to do his set and Marty backed him with his mandolin. Mark echoed everybody's thoughts when he turned to Marty before they started and said, "How you can play mandolin on this stage like THAT...I don't know." Marty just acknowledged him humbly, but I'll bet he was flipping out inside. I mean, here's Mark Knopfler, a great guitarist in his own right, bragging on "our" Marty! " I found it on: http://www.martystuart.com/WitnessHistoryII-LAR.htm I smiled at "Mark Knopfler, a great guitarist in his own right" A nice thing to say, but is it an understatement, or what? |
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jvandoorninck |
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Definitely an understatement! However, it does qualify as robust compliment coming from a member of the Nashville scene, a tight-knit group rightly proud of
their virtuositic pickers and songwriters gracing all venues from the biggest stages to the smallest clubs.
As an aside, MK's acceptance into this group really added to my appreciation of him. I believe he was embraced by them not only because of his musicianship, but for two other reasons: (1) he respectfully appreciates their musical heritage/contributions (i.e. "Two Skinny Kids" is an easy example, as is his numerous friendships & collaborations with musicians from the South, including their patriarch, Chet Atkins); and (2) his appreciation of the historical nuances of the Southern United States ("Bolonga Again" is a good example). While many musicians of MK's era show appreciation for the sounds of the South, I smile at the person who shows such studied interest in the culture that produced those sounds. Expanding on this idea, isn't it impressive that a Geordie from the coalie Tyne would show such a diverse interest in Americana ranging from the Mason-Dixon line, to Sonny Liston, to Elvis Presley, to the Everly Brothers, to auto racing, to mail-order brides, to founder of McDonalds, to a gospel band touring the pre-civil rights South? It's this combination of his intelligent interest in a broad array of topics, his ability to adopt the mindset of an array of people from varied backgrounds/eras/cultures, and put their stories to beautiful music with phenomenal guitar playing that makes me the fan I am. Not an original idea I know... Many people are fans for the same reasons... But it feels good to put it into writing. As a second aside... May I tell you something that I am cautiously proud of? Do you ever listen to "A Prarie Home Companion"? If so, perhaps you caught MK's two appearances on the show. A few years back, I wrote Garrison Keillor, suggesting he have MK on his show, citing as evidence similar thoughts as outlined above. His assistant wrote back to me, saying that my little letter was interesting, and that she would forward it to Garrison. The next season, MK was on the show! Did my note have anything to do with it? Who knows, but it's fun to think it did. In this pop culture of ours, one of my personal indulgences is to act as a PR agent for MK, reminding people that he is more than what most know him for; namely, the front man of Dire Straits (a history I love, of course). I've had a few converts along the way, but perhaps this was my first major coup! Thanks for writing, IrisRose. Warmest to you and yours. Sincerely, John |
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dustyvalentino |
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Great stuff John. I enjoyed those PHC performances.
As for the show, I would certainly love to hear/see it. You have to guess that if somebody had it, it would be out there by now, but on the other hand there is new material being uploaded all the time to places like Dime that people have been sitting on for years, so who knows, it may surface some day. |
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jvandoorninck |
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Yes, it's occurred to me that it probably would've have surfaced by now. What I do know is that there was a sizable video crew recording the whole
event, so a high quality recording does exist, sitting on a shelf somewhere. Painful to think of it there collecting dust.
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IrisRose44 |
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I enjoyed reading your post, John. Orignal or no, it was eloquently stated. And. . . I think that there is little--or no-doubt that you were instrumental in
MK's appearance on PHC! Now we know who to thank for that. As to that frontman for Dire Straits label, I read it again and again in this year's reviews
of MK's tour. After 12 years solo, screen scores, NHB, and numerous collaborations, Mk needs to be recognized as the individual--and unique--artist that he
is.
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