“I’ve never had six and half million hits on YouTube before – not many people do. So I’m quite pleased about that!”
By Ian Woolley
John Illsley on stage
You could forgive John Illsley if he wanted to rest on his laurels. After all, being in one of the World’s biggest and most well-loved bands, at 74 years of age he could step back from the limelight and retire in the beautiful New Forest countryside where he now resides. Now with the release of his 8th studio album, it seems the former Dire Straits bassist still has a lot to give…
Illsley’s first solo album was in 1984 with ‘Never Told A Soul’, now his 8th album simply called ‘VIII’ has just been released almost 50 years later. I asked him did he still enjoy the writing and recording.
“Yes, I do. I enjoy the solo album even though it’s quite challenging and I think one gets phases when the songs come a little bit easier. Then sometimes you have to pull hard to get the thing out on what you’re trying to say. Sometimes it just seems to drop out of the sky it seems and with a few chords and you’ve got it. I don’t know if it gets more difficult but it gets more interesting I think as you try and write something original. It’s not easy.”
VIII
His new album ‘VIII’ shows John as an 8-year-old on it’s cover. What could he remember at the time it was taken?”
“Oh gosh. That was in 1957 so England was still reeling from the war and life was very simple and people didn’t travel very far in those days. Leicestershire was my home and I grew up in a very traditional middle-class country family. It was simple and at the age of eight, I didn’t think of music at all.”
“For some reason by the age of ten, something inside of me wanted a guitar so my parents bought me a plastic guitar with Elvis on the front of it. It was really only a plaything so yes, England in the ‘50s was pretty low-key really and difficult to imagine now of course.”
Tell us about your hobby of painting. You’ve become quite a talented artist down the years which really became more prolific when you left the band.
“Painting is so much more difficult than music – it really is” admits John.
“It’s very tough to make a good painting I’ve discovered – it really is. It’s not easy but I relish the challenge and I was in the studio yesterday for three or four hours. In fact, I’m going back into the studio after we finish this interview to see if it’s a success or a complete mess. It’s not easy but I kind of enjoy that but it frustrates me. I got a studio full of paintings which I should really put on a bonfire but then I got a few things there that work very well so I think if you get a success rate of one out of ten then you are pretty damn fortunate.”
The second single from the album, ‘It’s A Long Way Back’ to date has had 6 million views on YouTube alone and the sound is pure Dire Straits. Was that intended?
“People say it’s a surprise but if you listen to all the albums there’s an element of Dire Straits in there because that’s really all I know. ‘It’s A Long Way Back’ actually is a reflection on the first time we went to L.A., played at the Roxy, met Bob Dylan and all the rest of it. Just reflecting on those early days of touring in America and what if felt like and trying to get across that idea. So it has that sort of ‘Straity’ kind of feel to it because that made it work. Really songs are just chords that you just rearrange and sometimes it sounds a bit familiar. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well it’s been received so yes, very happy about that.”
“I’ve never had six and half million hits on YouTube before – not many people do, so I’m quite please about that!”
…and on his latest album, a Beatles cover thrown in.
“Well, I tell you where that came from. There was a Warchild charity record being made to celebrate of what would have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday. Several artists were asked to cover a Beatles song for a compilation album. So I literally brought in my band in my little rehearsal studio and someone brought in a simple makeshift recording machine and we just played it live. It sounded OK so we put it on the album. I really love that track because it’s a real Lennon song.”
Dire Straits
“Sometimes you don’t know what to put out as a single even as Dire Straits. As an example of bizarreness, when ‘Sultans of Swing’ first came out in the UK, it didn’t do well at all. Partly because the BBC radio wasn’t going to play it because it had too many words in it. They said it was too ‘wordy’ and it’s too long so we won’t play it. So, of course, it became very successful in America where it went to no.4 just before we were going to tour there.”
“Then it went all around Europe and finally, it got re-released and became a decent hit here. They don’t know anything these people.”
“The thing is we don’t set out to write a single as we’ve always written albums. The idea of putting on a record or CD and playing it from beginning to end rather than picking tracks off it like a bird would pick seed off the ground.”
What’s up next for John Illsley? I know you’re headlining this year’s Milford-On-Sea Music Festival in Hampshire later this month.
“I’ve decided just to do a few festivals and a few private things this year. In March or April time next year I’m trying to get to Australia because I’d love to play over there. Then hopefully a tour around Europe and the UK and I’ll be looking forward to that as that will be my 75th year.”
“A good time to celebrate that don’t you think?”
We agree.
The full interview with John Illsley will be published in the August issue of the Beat magazine. John talks about the making of Brothers In Arms, his friendship with Mark Knopfler and playing at Glastonbury. Order your copy today.
The 8th Studio album from John Illsley ‘VIII’ is out now.
1) It’s A Long Way Back
2) I Love You Still
3) 21st Century
4) Market Town
5) The Mission Song
6) Wondering
7) Which Way Is Up
8) None Of This Was Planned
9) I’m Only Sleeping
For more information on John Illsley, go to www:johnillsley.com
John Illsley will also be headlining the Milford-on-Sea Music Festival 2023 on 23rd July. For more info, go HERE