he forged a solo career, writing, performing, and working with the likes of tina turner and emmylou harriskey, grounded rock legend — whoever heard of such a thing? mark knopfler, welcome to hardtalk. thank you for having me. you've been writing music for many, many decades now. you are still at it, writing, singing, touring around the world. how different does it feel now from back in your youth, making it big in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s? it feels... i feel older. it gets harder touring. if there are steps that you take, then the touring would be the final one, after writing and after recording. then the touring would probably be the first casualty, i think, with advancing years. i think i will have to put the brakes on there, before too long. i just wonder whether you feel, in a sense, liberated, freer? because now, frankly, having made an awful lot of money over the years, you are not driven by a sort of commercial need, you are not driven by expectations in the same way as a young man would be, and you're not actually trapped in a band the way you used to be. so do you feel free? y