David Gilmour on Mark Knopfler: He "brought back something that seemed lost" in guitar playing

David Gilmour has singled out Mark Knopfler as a guitarist who left a mark on him, telling Far Out Magazine that Knopfler has a "lovely, fresh" style of guitar playing and that he "brought back something that seemed to have gone missing in guitar playing." The comment lines up with Gilmour's long-standing preference for feel over flash.

Blues roots and a widening circle of influences

Gilmour said the blues has always been at the core of his playing: "from Leadbelly to B.B. King" were his earliest sources of nourishment — artists he describes as storytellers who happened to use instruments instead of words.

As music moved from R&B into rock, his reference points widened too. In the interview he named Eric Clapton, Roy Buchanan, Jeff Beck and Eddie Van Halen, but it was Knopfler he pulled out on his own, pointing to a shared aesthetic between them — neither relies on speed, both let phrasing and dynamics do the talking.

Dire Straits' self-titled debut album, the band Knopfler fronts, has also appeared on Gilmour's own public list of favorite records.

Balancing technology and soul

Gilmour doesn't shy away from technology: "I'm using the latest technology and I'm enjoying what it can give me." But he warned that leaning on it too heavily can strip a song of "all its soul." His standard stays the same — make listeners feel something before they're impressed by the technique behind it.

On learning from players like Knopfler, he put it plainly: "I don't listen to other people's music these days with the idea of stealing licks — although I wouldn't say no if a good one came along." A line that sums up Gilmour's characteristically light, practical approach to music.