JOHN ILLSLEY My Life in Dire Straits (2021 UK 336-page hardback book - Dire Straits filled giant stadiums around the world and sold hundreds of millions of records. Throughout the eighties they were one of the biggest bands on the planet. Their classic songs formed the soundtrack of a generation and live on today: still racking up sales, still being played on the radio on every continent. In this book, bassist John Illsley evokes the spirit of the times and tells the story of one of the great live acts of rock history. He recounts the band's rise from humble origins in London's spit-and-sawdust pubs to the best-known venues in the world, the working man's clubs to Madison Square Garden, gigging with wild punk bands to the Live Aid stage at Wembley. Until, ultimately, the shattering demands of touring on a global scale and living life in the spotlight took their inevitable toll. Told with searching honesty, soulful reflection and wry humour, this is the first and only account of that incredible story. Complete with the gold-embossed outer dust-jacket which displays reviews by Roger Taylor, Mike Rutherford, Mark Knopfler [who also provides the foreword] and more, the book remains in near 'as new' condition)