Some FAQ

Hi there.

Thank you everybody for checking my blog out and commenting. Some people comment by email directly to me, some people comment in the blog itself—it’s wonderful, and I’m happy to get your attention.

So right now I’m sitting on a bench by the ocean in Gold Beach, Oregon. I have the time now to go through some of the comments and emails. I think it’s a good time for a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) entry.

So, here we go.

Question: …Why?

I have been asked this question so many times, so it deserves being at the top of the list.

When I first heard about the KTGC tour coming to North America, the decision to follow the tour was instant. There are some things you instantly feel that you just have to do—or at least try—and that feeling kicks in way before the doubts (“how much is it going to cost me”, “what if…”) do. I knew that I just have to follow the tour. I only started asking myself “why?” after buying the last ticket. And I came up with an answer. There are a few reasons:

The first reason is that, even though my business is software development, a large part of my being is that of a musician. Ever since I was 3 years old (at least so my parents are telling me) I had a very strong musical sense. I grew up listening to various types of music, ranging from classical music to rock (excluding heavy metal, to which I was never attracted to). I played the keyboard as I was growing up, and at the age of 13 I started playing a classic guitar. Later in life I made the decision that my career would be in software development, but to keep practicing music as my primary hobby. I figured that if any music was to be created by me, it should not be used as means of earning income but instead for self‐expression only. About two years ago I bought my first electric guitar, a Cherry Sunburst Gibson Les‐Paul Standard. As soon as I’m in Calgary, I will order a Fender Stratocaster (Mark Knopfler’s signature model. Calgary is in Alberta which has no provincial taxes).

Over the years playing guitar (unfortunately, playing much less than I would really like to), it happened many times that I started composing a melody just out of nowhere. I believe that there is at least one melody in my brain, that I can harvest and finish into a full composition. Something, however, is missing. This brings me to the second reason for following the tour: inspiration.

Mark Knopfler’s music signifies, for me, the apex of music. Save for very few songs, each and every of Mark Knopfler’s songs connects to me in some way, while “Brothers in Arms” is, for me, the absolute best piece of music that I had ever come across.

By following Mark Knopfler on tour, I hope to get a glimpse of what inspires him. He had mentioned before that he received significant inspiration from being on the road and seeing places; I have a good reason to believe that his sources of inspiration would have similar impact on me as on him.

Question: Have you ever met with Mark Knopfler?

Unfortunately, no.

Question: Why on earth would you go to so many shows, as the shows’ set list probably doesn’t vary much? Wouldn’t you be sick of listening to the same songs over and over again?

Even if exactly the same songs are played in each and every show, Mark, as well as his band mates, typically do not shy away from improvising and songs do sound differently each time they are played. I experienced this during the Shangri La tour, when the set list did not vary much but songs sounded differently in each show, be it due to the band improvising, or due to the different sound & acoustics in each venue.

Question: Are you that rich?

No.

Question: But it must have cost a fortune!

“Fortune” is a relative term that depends on one’s financial situation and one’s values & dreams. People spend their money on things that bring them happiness—be it short term or long term—and the source of happiness for people can vary so wildly that trying to figure it out is an exercise in futility. Some things you just feel right about, and some don’t. Some people get their kicks by buying iPods and cars; I get mine by following my favourite artist’s tour.

No need to worry about my financial situation; I won’t get into details as it is a little inappropriate, but just so you’re not worried about me—it’s OK, this tour won’t make me broke.

Question: So… How much?

Next question, please.

Question: What do you do for a living, when you’re not busy following Mark Knopfler’s tour?

I own and operate a small software development company based in Waterloo, Ontario.

Question: Oh, so you’re from Canada, eh? You must be a French‐Canadian! Ou la la, oui oui monsieour, (and some more French words)

I get that a lot when people meet me along the way and find out that I live in Canada. Sorry, no. I’m not French Canadian. My accent is a result of not being born in Canada at all. I am Israeli born and raised; left Israel about five years ago. Please don’t try to impress me with French vocabulary. The only words I know in French are “oui”, “non”, “s’il vous plait”, “merci”, “bon apetit”, “nord / sud / est / ouest”, and “merde”. Everything else sounds like gibberish to me.

Question: Wow! So you know how to ride a camel?

Now lets make one point clear here. What qualifies a question as a “Frequently Asked Question” is not exactly how many times the question is asked, but instead how many times it is asked comparing to its obviousness and the number of times it should have been asked.

No, I don’t know how to ride a camel. Israelis don’t ride camels. The Bedouins do. Some Bedouins do physically exist in Israel’s desert‐like spaces, and they ride camels there. But Israeli people don’t typically ride camels.

The main reason behind it is infrastructure. Israel has lots of roads in it, which makes it very inconvenient for camel riding as the “clip‐clop” sound against the asphalt becomes very annoying. Feeling very sorry for not being able to ride camels everywhere, they had no choice but to resort to automobile‐based transportation.

More to come soon (maybe).

--
Isaac