Dear everyone,

It´s now more than a month since the end of the tour, and it still seems very strange here –somehow when the band are touring there´s a certain urgency about every day, and without that it is quiet hard to be motivated. Hard though it may be to believe, I actually miss being too busy to think straight. Not that there´s a shortage of things to do –when you have a hundred or so people plus a couple of dozen articulated trucks full of stuff arriving back in the UK, there´s an awful lot of sorting out to do. Once the equipment had gone back to the various hire companies, and the musical instruments to the various band members, things were a bit clearer, but then there were all the stage clothes to sort through, plus hundreds of assorted objects that people has acquired along the way –some the had bought, some were presents from friends and fans, some things nobody could even remember where they came from!

THE FINAL PART OF THE TOUR

The Italian shows went virtually without a hitch, which I think surprised everyone because of the mayhem we had experienced there on previous visits. We had a great promoter this time, and the only slight “drama” was at the Salerno show where there was a mega-thunderstorm. Lightning hit the stage just before the band came on, and all except nine (of 96) channels on the front desk were blown out. The band eventually went on an hour late and made the best of it with the remaining channels, although there was no keyboard channel for most of the show. However, damage equipment we can deal with-we are just eternally thankful that the lightning didn´t strike a bit later when they were all on stage… I went to Rome, which won the prize for the loudest audience of the tour. Most of us even managed to fit in some sightseeing there- after all, you can hardly to go Rome and not visit the Vatican and the Coliseum, can you?!

We decided to have a giant end-of-tour-party in Barcelona, because although it wasn´t actually the final city, it was much easier for people to get to than Zaragoza. Originally it was just going to be for band, crew and office, but it kind of snowballed, and we ended up inviting every promoter who had worked on the tour, plus assorted family, friends, publishers, record company bods, etc. I seemed to spend the entire two weeks prior to Barcelona booking flights and hotel rooms for the ever-growing numbers attending. The party was in the venue (The Palau St. Jordi), started at about 1am. And large quantities of paella and drink were consumed! Highlight of the evening was when a group of Spanish Chefs arrived with a massive “end of tour” cake which was a real work of art. On the top was a model of the stage, complete with lighting rig and equipment, and marzipan models of the band members. All round the edge of the cake were miniature replicas of the band´s album covers made of icing, pictures in marzipan and icing of all the crew etc. and a list of every concert on the “On Every Street” tour done in icing. I managed to get a couple of the marzipan album covers and the marzipan picture of me, and was intending to let DSIS members have them, but in the end, I gave them out to fans who had been waiting outside The Meridien Hotel, since I don´t think they would have survived the journey back to the UK intact.

I didn´t attend the Madrid shows (took a couple of days off, hired a car, and drove to peaceful Andorra to recover from the party!), but I made my way down to Zaragoza for the last gig. Torrential rain, hail, thunder and lightning, we had it all that evening in Zaragoza –I think the audience deserved a collective medal for endurance. Luckily it had stopped raining by the time DS took to the stage, and it was a wonderful show, spiced up by a few jokes which the crew played on the band, as is usual for a final gig… It was, of course also rather a sad occasion; the pre-show dinner in catering was exceptionally quiet, whereas it is usually a madhouse, and as I wandered (or rather waded) round the stadium during the show, I really felt quite miserable.

SOUVENIR PASSES

During the last section of the tour, I managed to collect up quite a few more spare and used backstage passes for various shows. As you will see when you read on, we are having a charity sale, so if you want one, there are up for grabs…

WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING, AND WHAT ARE FUTURE PLANS?

This is the question I am being asked constantly at present so here´s a quick run-down:

Mark and Guy - in the studio. John Illsley - nothing in particular, but at time of typing he is looking for his golf clubs which he has lost! Chris White - rebuilding his home studio and writing material for second solo album. He is over the moon today because he has just passed his motorbike test (After a five day course) and is now planning to get a motorbike –anyone thinking of venturing onto the streets in South London should beware! Phil Palmer - has been working in Italy as session player for an artist named Eros Ramazzotti (no, I´d never heard of him either but apparently he is very big in Italy). He is coming back to the UK next month, and is intending to record an album with Steve Ferrone, Tony Levin, Paul Carrack and Rupert Hine. Paul Franklin - working on the forthcoming Dolly Parton album, plus is intending to design and build his own house in Tennessee. Dunny Cummings - house-hunting in London. Alan Clark - nothing in particular, spending time with wife Sandra and twins Holly and Josh. Chris Whitten - doesn´t want to do another tour for quiet a while, wants to spend time with his new wife Jordan.

The second part of the question is impossible for me to answer right now. Everyone is still getting used to being “back” and nobody can really think further ahead than a few days yet. I don´t think I will have any idea what is in the pipeline until the spring the earliest.

DIRE STRAITS –THE VIDEO

Here´s a run down on the worldwide situation:

If you live in any of the following countries, you should by now have managed to get a copy, since it has already been released: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Israel, Japan, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. The following countries are releasing it very within the next couple of months: Brazil, Greece, Korea, Malaysia, South Africa, Mexico and Chile. If you can't find it in your local video store, order it using the catalogue number: 085 544-3 on PolyGram Video International. Some of you have asked if it is being released on Laserdisc - and the answer is yes. It is scheduled for release in the following countries on December: 14th: Austria, France Germany, Holland, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. You will notice there is no mention of the USA above. This is because the American video company want to release it in the spring of next year, at approximately the same time as the live album, so those of you who live there will have to be very patient. I'd offer to let you get them from here, but of course it's a different system...

LIVE ALBUM /CONCERT VIDEO

As you can imagine, there are hours and hours of audio recordings and concert footage to go through. Mark and Guy are working with engineer Chuck Ainlay full-time in Mark´s studio, going through all the audio stuff, deciding what is going to be on the album, and we have a video editor working on all the video footage here at our offices. Both places are full of machines and tapes and how anything resembling order will ever come out of the chaos I have no idea, but I´m assured it will. Tentative release date for both the live album and the live video is April 26th (my birthday). The “Best of” Mark´s soundtracks will be out later next year.

BASEL CONCERT –SCREENING IN UK/GENERAL UPDATE

We´ve got a confirmed slot for the screening of the Basel concert on UK TV. It´s now being transmitted on Channel 4 –10:20pm, Christmas Eve. (I can just picture you all staggering back from the pubs, and fumbling around trying to find blank tapes and get the video to work!!!)

Of course, with two live concert films doing the rounds, I have almost completely lost track of the plot as to which country hs transmitted what. You will find below a list of the countries where we have managed to SELL the footage –so if your country appears on the list, but you have not seen anything on the TV, it will be on shortly (well, I can´t imagine any TV station would buy a programme and not show it!!!).

Basel: Albania, Denmark, Finland, France, Holland, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Malta, Norway, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, Yugoslavia. Nimes: Germany, Italy, Spain, USA. We are currently negotiating with all other major territories.

CHRIS WHITE –“SHADOWDANCE”

I know that this album is available in many countries, but judging by the letters I´ve been receiving, some fans are still finding it really hard to buy, even on import, especially in the UK. Anyway, to solve the problems, Chris and I have managed to get hold of a couple of hundred copies from various other countries, and later in this newsletter you will find an order form if you´d like one by mail order.

ANSWERS/WINNERS OF &MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS" QUIZ

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DIRE STRAITS DAY –ITALY

Italian fans are holding a Dire Straits day on February 11th 1993 at “Bounty” –which I think is a disco on a boat at Via Weber 6, Rimini (but check with the organizers –I might have misunderstood the fax!). For further information, contact ...

USED CONCERT TICKETS

We had a huge demand in response to our offer of used UK concert tickets (August Newsletter). I also have a list of people who have asked for various other tickets from shows around the world, so if you have ANY spares for ANY non-UK show, please send them in so I can distribute them to other DSIS members. From now on, if you are LOOKING for tickets, please send in an ad. For the Buy/sell/Exchange” column.

PRESS CUTTINGS

I have managed to collate a selection of recent UK press-cuttings –approximately 85 pages. You will see that further on in this newsletter there´s an order form if you want a copy of the set –it´s 5 pounds per set for UK fans, 10 pounds for overseas fans (sorry, but I just weighed them, and the potage for outside the UK is horrendous!). In addition, we have seven booklets of cuttings which we are putting into the charity sale since they make nice collector´s items.

MARK/ERIC CLAPTON

At this time of year, I always get asked “is Mark doing the Eric Clapton shows in the New Year at the Albert Hall?” as those of you who have been on our mailing list for a long time will know, I just can´t win when I answer that question. If I say yes, Mark suddenly decides not to, and if I say no, he decides to play at the last minute. So, take it as a definitely “I don´t know”!

FREE PHOTOS

Loads of you wrote in after we did the “free photos” in the March Newsletter –so we´ve decided to do the same again. About half of you will find a free pic in this newsletter (I´ve put them in various envelopes at random). As before, there are photos past and present –some early shots, some Hillbillies ones, and some from the current tour, as well as offstage shots, studio shots, publicity shots, and various signed photos of current or pat band members. Some are good, some not to so good, some really quite dreadful! Some a bit tatty, some you will have seen before, some you won´t…

All that remains is for me to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us. Thanks for a good year. Next newsletter in March, which should give me enough time to recover from the band/office Christmas dinner, and to plough through the bids to work out who has got what!

Best wishes for now,