New striking strokes

15 March 2024

Former Dire Straits guitar hero MARK KNOPFLER has his
new, 10th, solo album One Deep River out on 12 April.

But first this.

Knopfler wanted/did a new version of the theme song he wrote
for the 1983 film Local Hero. But not just a reimagined take.

He invited no less than 54 rock guitar stars to play along on GOING HOME: THEME OF
THE LOCAL HERO. Among them celebs such as David Gilmour, Brian May, Eric Clapton, Sting, Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy, Joan Jett, Nile Rodgers, Pete Townshend, Tony Iommi, Duane Eddy, Ronnie Wood, Peter Frampton, Joe Walsh, Joan Armatrading, Steve Vai,, Tom Morello and the last musical performance by Jeff Beck. Also present are Roger Daltrey on harmonica, and Ringo Starr and his son Zak Starkey on drums.

Knopfler: “What I really want to do, more than anything else, is just to thank each and
every one for this sterling response. I really had no idea that it was going to be like this.
It hit Guy (note: Guy Fletcher, his longtime producer) and I quite early on that we had to
extend this piece somehow, to take in the number of people who joined in.”

The song had its premiere at the football stadium of England’s
Premier League team Newcastle United earlier this month.

“That reception for the new version of ‘Going Home’ from the Newcastle fans was something that will live with me forever,. Can’t tell you what it means to me for the song to be so integral to this region. It’s a fantastic thing, it’s something I can be proud of forever. I’ve tried to get people to imagine what it’s like. It’s a tremendous feeling to be in St James Park when it plays.”

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