That was the Millennium that was David Knopfler As the longest day of the last year of the Millennium passes, maybe it's a good time for personal reflections about humanity. In my mind's eye, I'm seeing a large, hairy creature staring, with some incomprehension at it's mirrored reflection. In it's forehead sit the great 20th Century minds of science, like Einstein; In it's heart I see the great spiritual giants like Ghandi; But ahoy there - who's that peeking out of that small, dark, anal crevice? Yup, it's a media mogul alright. However, even the anus has it's distinct divisions. In the sphincter division, for example, tempting as it might be to place a rock manager, I think a more worthy figure would have to be the shock-jock DJ of talk radio - the merchants of slash and burn. The sphincter, has only one function, to open for the passing of shit. The lower the ratings the larger the sphincter must be apparently. Further up the passage you'll find a mess of war criminals, bullies and fascist tyrants. But enough of shit - lets look at what for me was sublime about this century. There at the thigh belongs Nelson Mandela - enduring all and functioning with magnificence. Down at the left bare foot of the creature, are the songwriters, best exemplified by Bob Dylan, making shoes for everyone. Though I think Joni Mitchell is there too if you look more thoughtfully. Maybe there's a R&R room here for the selfless musos and technicians who've helped them bring their work to focus. On the right foot are the dedicated film makers who didn't compromise their vision. Those with something to say about hope and redemption and love. Too many greats to name just one. Then there are the angels and saints - the folk who live in the interior world making it all hang together - the people who labour in our public hospitals, might be a good place to start, though anyone blessed with a truly compassionate heart, a modest ego and the facility to make "by their deeds shall yea know them" a living reality in it's positive attributes, deserves a place here. I'm not there yet, but that's the place I'd like to be found. Despite the truly horrifying mess we've made of both our increasingly globalised mono-culture to say nothing of our planet, I'm never the less looking forward with some degree of optimism to the 21st century. Nothing is written in marble and maybe we can still turn it around. Oh, and lets not forget the organ at the end of the spinal column - the one that only works when the other end shuts down for maintenance - the one that gets the male of the species into so much bother and bliss. The straight man's feed line would be "Wonder who belongs there?" - so lets award this area to the comedians - the ones who've managed to make us laugh, where sorrow might otherwise have devoured us. Long may they continue to do so. David Knopfler 24th June 1999 ©David Knopfler June1999