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The Car Is The One; Old Story Found
Topic Started: Sunday, 8. March 2015, 11:57 (221 Views)
suprlinda
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I couldn't recall if we had discussed the inspiration for The Car Is The One, so thought I should post a blog which surfaced today. I think Mark may have referred to the person, but if so, I sure didn't remember it.

Quote:
 
British recording artist creates latest song in honor of deceased N.J. racecar driver

As a boy, Mark Knopfler spent class time at Gosforth Grammar School in Newcastle, England, drawing race cars, motorcycles and guitars, and dreaming.
At about the same time, Mark Donohue was at Brown University, where his car drawings were more elaborate. He was an engineer, and his dream was to make race cars go infinitely faster, with his foot on the pedal and hands on the wheel.

Mark Donohue died 35 years ago at the height of his career, a few years before Mark Knopfler became a success. The two men never met, but share much. Artistic drive. Technical perfection. All the things that boost talent into the highest strata of accomplishment. A new song by Knopfler captures the essence of Donohue’s life in a way described as "amazingly intuitive" by one of Donohue’s sons.

"For my father, the car was the one," said David Donohue, a race car driver whose Brumos Porsche team won the "24 Hours at Daytona" last year, 40 years after his father won on the same track. "The car was the one, racing was the one, winning meant everything. And that came with a price. In the end, a tragic price. I think an artist like Mark Knopfler must understand that kind of singular focus, and probably has paid some prices of his own."

Mark Knopfler’s guitar drawings came to life with his dreams. Whatever he drew, he mastered. The iconic photographs of Knopfler, show him slinging any number of Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters, or Gibson Les Pauls. Posed or playing, the guitar is always there. When he was leading Dire Straits, when he went "Neck and Neck" with Chet Atkins, and still today as he builds his legend as a songsmith and storyteller, with new releases every bit as good as the last.

The iconic photographs of Mark Donohue show him with winner’s wreaths round his neck and sterling trophies in his hands. At Indianapolis and Daytona, and Watkins-Glen and Talladega and Riverside, and any number of places in between. Whatever he drove, he made faster. The No. 66 Indy Car. The AMC Matador stock car. The Porche 917-30, unbeatable on the Can-Am circuit. On that one, he helped engineer a booster which jumped horsepower from 1,100 to 1,580 instantly.

The song, however, is about none of those images. It is about a young racer trying to get a break, on the outside looking in, his dreams out of reach. It was inspired by a short piece in Donohue’s autobiography "Unfair Advantage."

"That passage jumped out at me, really, because of the frustration he felt," Knopfler said this week before a show in Denver, heading east to our area for a handful of dates in early May.

"He was young and trying to get noticed as a driver, and was so frustrated. And I related it to when I was young, and desperate to play music. And how do I get my hands on a good guitar? And the proper amps? And get a band together? You’re dying to get going, but you just can’t."

The loneliness of such dreams is reflected in the opening notes of "The Car was The One," played on a 1954 Stratocaster. They are powerful and isolated, like a muscle car on a desert highway; hot, stark, and uniquely American.

"The twang’s the thang," Knopfler said referring to a 1959 Duane Eddy record.
They bring an image of a crew-cut Mark Donohue leaning on a Cobra in a fireproof suit splashed with logos.

"Mark Donohue was the catalyst for all that we have achieved at Penske Racing," Roger Penske said "It was Mark who set the standard."

A standard driven by that singular focus.

"He lived above the offices at Newtown Square (the Penske Racing shop)," Penske said. "He was a guy who would work day and night to be certain the car was completely prepared for the race."

Mark Donohue died on Aug. 19, 1975, after a practice run crash for the Austrian Grand Prix. At that time, Mark Knopfler was in a band called Cafe Racers, three years away from "Sultans of Swing" becoming an international hit, and the man who riffed it became rock’s next great guitarist.

Among Knopfler fans are David Donohue and his brother, Michael, who were not aware of the genesis of "The Car was The One" until contacted for this column.

"My son Mark plays guitar, and he grew up on Mark Knopfler’s music," said David, who lives in Pennsylvania. "To know Mark Knopfler found my father’s life inspirational, well, frankly, it’s an honor."

"This is a thrill. My dad would be proud his legacy is remembered like this," said Michael, who lives in Texas.

Mark Donohue is buried in St. Teresa’s Cemetery in Summit. Fans still come. Three Matchbox race cars have been left on the headstone shelf -- one a Porsche 917 replica -- and an Indy 500 souvenir checkered flag sticks out of the flower bed.

"One guy drives up in a red Lamborghini with Pennsylvania plates," said Martin Maulbeck, who maintains the grounds. "He comes around every couple of months."

Source: http://blog.nj.com/njv_mark_diionno/2010/04/post.html


I thought it was interesting that Mark D's sons were fans of MK, but hadn't realized their dad was his inspiration. :)
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Stanko
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I do not know details but where is the Bobby Brown from the song in the whole story?
(I just need some help)
... always at your boots, the mud behind the byre with its clammy hold ;-)
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3Pints
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Thank you so much for this, SuprLinda!
Your research and continued posting of information found elsewhere on the 'net is not only very interesting for the many fans and forum members already here, but will also be a draw to the site, I hope, for other folks searching the web for info about Mark.
:waytogo:
Cheers,
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"It’s a quiet life from here on in,
You’ve dropped your poisoned cup
The telephone is ringing, but you’re not picking up
"
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suprlinda
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Hi, Stanko. As far as Bobbie Brown is concerned, I'm not sure if he was patterned after a real person or not. And it may have been a more than one person that Mark had seen over time, too. Not all of Mark's characters are taken from one person, but sometimes a composite. I don't think I ever saw any discussion about BB as being inspired by a real person. <_<
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Stanko
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Yeah Linda it could be.
I have always thought the car (Cobra) was the point of the song. There is a lot of thrill for someone is successful in the race world but from the point of view of the true car enthusiast the car is that that he wants the most of. He is not in the position to drive or own the car and he craves for it. (and he was a friend of BB). That was my take.
I dont know other ditails but if it possible maybe Mark Donohue is that person - friend of BB from the song...
Sorry if I disturb someone with this... alch
... always at your boots, the mud behind the byre with its clammy hold ;-)
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Hophead
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I hope this article helps Stanko... I'm not completely sure...but I think Mark knew Bobby from the CART circuit...when he raced his vintage McLaren. You can see that in 1963 Bobby was racing a Cobra (not sure if it was a GT or a 500).........http://www.myf5000.com/drivers_bobby_brown.html
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Stanko
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Yeah thank you all.
I have found a lot about them on net.
Mark was younger and surely known Bobby and in the context of song was a kid obsessed with Bobby but even more with the car and its speed...
Among other things they both drove a 289 Cobra...
https://www.ameliaconcours.org/jack-griffith.aspx
... always at your boots, the mud behind the byre with its clammy hold ;-)
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Stanko
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My apologies because I suspected that is this thread that has been vanished...
So, is it this thread you have been looking for Linda?
Anyway, I've been searching for this one...
:lol:
... always at your boots, the mud behind the byre with its clammy hold ;-)
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suprlinda
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Great spotting, Stanko! I'm sure you are correct. I guess I confused the two drivers in the two articles! Oh, well. I think the stories were kind of similar. Anyway, thanks for finding this thread! :waytogo:
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ponysoldier12
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wow this is why i love mark's music sooooo much. there is always a fantastic story to each song. ah just wonderful....i had a mark donahue model car made by amt models when i was a kid about 10 years old. oh man did that bring all kinds of great memories flooding back. damn
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