Rock icons Dire Straits have been offered large sums of money to reunite in recent years, according to founding member John Illsley. In an interview with The Telegraph, the bassist confirmed that the band continue to receive significant offers to get back together, but remain uninterested.
Illsley spoke of meeting with the band’s former manager, Paul Crockford, who echoed the sentiment: “I wish people would stop offering me huge amounts of money to put [Dire Straits] back together.” After a brief break in 1988, the band officially disbanded in 1995 after six studio albums.
The band won four Grammys, three Brit Awards, and their 1985 album Brothers in Arms is the eighth best-selling album of all time in the UK. Illsley has also revealed that he approached frontman Mark Knopfler about the possibility of reforming the band in 2008, but was rejected.
The bassist has said that the absence of the band has left a void in his life, which he has filled by exploring other creative directions. He took up painting, and stopped playing music for a number of years.
Unfortunately, the band recently lost Jack Sonni, who played guitar in Dire Straits between 1984 and 1988. Mark Knopfler is still active in the music industry, recording solo material and composing for films, including Local Hero, The Princess Bride, and Wag the Dog.
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