Why Mark Knopfler Walked Away After Dire Straits Sold 30 Million Albums

It’s a B-side track turned Top 10 hit, Walk of Life by Dire Straits. And it ended the run of the world’s biggest band in 1985 and 1986. But don’t blame the song. It’s a truly infectious piece of ear candy that deserves all the success it got. No, as it turns out, Dire Straits' frontman, Mark Knopfler, was just a reluctant hit-making machine. He loved the music, but not the fame. And after creating the #1 album Brothers in Arms, with sales of over 30 million copies, he realized it was more than he had bargained for. So at the peak of his career, Mark pulled the plug and walked away. Who does that? Well, you’re about to find out. Today, it’s Dire Straits' Walk of Life and the story of how its success helped bring the world’s most popular band to a grinding halt. You’re not going to want to miss this one. It’s all coming up… NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .