Dear everyone,

I'm afraid this is the last newsletter you will receive from me. As some of you will already know (word seems to spread exceedingly fast round the world!) I have resigned from Damage Management after 17 years. Since that is almost half my life (literally!), I felt it was time for a change and that I ought to make the break. Obviously it will be quite a step to leave all the people I've known and worked with for so long, and I haven't decided what I'm going to be doing yet (I need to leave and take a couple of months off to have time to think!) but at the moment my intention is to stay in the music business in some capacity - it's what I know best after all. I'm still working Fridays at Elton John's office so I haven't disappeared off the face of the earth!

I had lunch with Mark the other day, and we discussed lots of things including the future of DSIS. Since there is very little likelihood of Dire Straits ever re-forming (although, in this business you can never say 'never'!), the decision was made to close the Information Service down, rather than re-name it MKIS and get someone else to run it. As far as Mark's plans are concerned, this is the latest:

His solo album is now finished and the tentative title is "Golden Heart". It will not now be released this year, but in March 1996, probably with a single just before. Mark is then intending to tour, with a band mainly made up of American musicians, plus Guy Fletcher, for four to five months only (April to August of next year) - and we have spent the last few weeks planning dates in Ireland, the UK and Europe. Unless the album sales are substantial, there are no plans for him to visit the USA/Canada or Australasia.

As far as tickets are concerned, (...) all I can do is advise you to keep a look out in the newspapers at the beginning of 1996, since the first batch of dates will probably be announced around the same time as the single.

The only other bit of news I should mention here is that there is - as many of you will already know - a CD out of various early Dire Straits sessions recorded at the BBC (In Concert series etc.). The title is "Dire Straits Live At The BBC" (highly original, don't you think?). The copyright in these recordings was owned by the BBC, which is why UK fans may be puzzled by the record label. The BBC have a deal with a company called Winsong to release their product, and the Dire Straits CD is just one of a series of issues by various groups. In other countries, the CD is on our usual label (PolyGram) and fans in the USA will be able to get it from August 4th (on Warner Bros.).

So, that's it - the end of an era! Sad, but leaving was something I felt I really needed to do for myself. I'm sure that a lot of you will want to stay in touch with one another, so don't forget the Dire Straits pages on the Internet. ...

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In the meantime, I'd just like to say thanks for your great support over the years. I know some of you have only recently enquired about DSIS, but many of you have been on the mailing list for years and years, and some of you I have got to know quite well, so take care of yourselves, won't you. I'll certainly be at some of Mark's shows next year, so don't forget to come and say hello to me.

Best wishes to you all,