There has been at least one sample taken from the Knopfler pranks for use in popular culture – movies, film, music, etc.

On their second album, Losing Streak (1996), the ska punk band Less Than Jake uses a sample from one of the Knopfler calls. The song “Rock-n-Roll Pizzeria” starts with Amanda White’s husband saying “This is the weirdest fuckin’ thing I ever heard…” This soundbite is from the first prank on the tape, “That’s My Wife (Amanda White)” The clip cuts off abruptly before launching into the fast-paced, two-minute song.

We contacted the band to let them know that the calls have been restored and are now available for download and on our YouTube channel. We received a response fromVinnie Fiorello – drummer, lyricist and founding member. Here is what he had to say about the pranks:

“We played the bootleg scratched up tape in our van for years when it first came out – Its just as funny today as it was a decade and a half ( or more? ) ago! – Thanks for pointing this out – Vinnie/LTJ”

As far as we know, this is the only time the Knopfler Tapes have been sampled and used in music, television or film. If anyone knows of any additional pop culture references to these classic prank calls, please let us know. Enjoy!

a.k.a. Marc Knoffler, Knofler, Knophler, Knophfler, Knopler, Noffler, etc.

(updated January 2012)

North McDonald’s – there are 5 listing for McDonald’s in Dover, DE – the northern-most of these is at 1788 N. Dupont Highway (shown as point “A” in the attached map)

The Putty Division, just north of Odessa – This could be a fictitious location. Odessa is located in New Castle County Delaware, about 25 miles north of Dover. On a side note, this website has an interesting name…

Mellon Bank – In 2007, Mellon Financial Corporation merged with Bank of New York to become BNY Mellon.  This page at phonepagesinc.com still lists 3 locations in Dover, DE. (1399 Forrest Ave, 8 W. Loockerman St, and 1001 N. Dupont Hwy) However, the BNY Mellon website lists just 3 locations in Delaware, none of which are in Dover.

The Store – It is unknown if the store is still open for business. It was right there next to the bank.

In a few of the calls, it is relatively clear who the recipients were. Some of the others required a little detective work and are merely speculation and educated guesses. This is all based upon online data-mining  using  free online search tools. If you have any corrections and/or suggestions, please contact us or leave a comment below.

Mark (the prank caller) – Identity and whereabouts unkown. This is certainly NOT Mark Freuder Knopfler of Dire Straits. In the recent restoration of these calls, the background voices are more discernible. In call #3, after Knopfler yells “Automatic Re-Dial!”, at (0:35) a male voice is heard saying “You alright, Mark?” Mark replies, “Mm Hmm…” The male voice, now even closer, again asks “You alright?” This would lead one to believe that the caller’s real first name is Mark. In call #6, at (0:11) the same male voice can be heard saying what sounds like “Hey Mark, I need to talk to you…” Also, since long-distance was not free (or even cheap) in those days (circa 1986 or 1990), the calls were likely placed from the Dover, Delaware area.  If you have any information regarding the caller’s identity and/or his current whereabouts, please contact us or leave a comment below.

The Calls:

(Updated April 2012)

#1 – That’s My Wife / The Jealous Husband

Amanda White – There are 4 listings at whitepages.com for Amanda White in Delaware. Amanda L. White (age 47) of Milford, DE would have been in her twenties at the time of the call. That sounds about right, but there is not enough information…

#2 – She’s On Heroin / Damned Liar

Bessie Hawkins – Mark never spoke with Bessie directly. He talked her daughter. There are 2 listings at peoplesmart.com for Bessie Hawkins in Delaware. Both are deceased, but only one of them was alive at the time of the calls. Bessie M. Hawkins of Harrington, DE died in 1994 at the age of 74.

Bessie’s Daughter – whereabouts unknown

#3 – Automatic Redial / Where’s Margaret?

No further information. Still unable to locate Margaret.

#4 – Smegma Picnic / Class Play

No further information.

#5 – Carve My Initials

No further information.

# 6 – Sleeping / Man of  the House

Anita Knight – peoplesearch. com has a listing for Anita McDowell Knight (age 66) in Dover, DE.

Other Female Voice – No further information.

Man of the House – Whereabouts unknown.

#7 – Please Try To Pay Attention / Goodwill Games

Charlie Knighton – There is a  listing at whitepages.com for Charlie L. Knighton (age 69) in Dover, DE.  And yes, it’s on Garfield Drive…

Charlie’s Wife – possibly Clementine H. Knighton (age 70) of Dover, DE

#8 – Broiled Lobster Tail / Cindy’s Boyfriend

Cindy Lindenlauf – There is a listing at whitepages.com for Cynthia B. Lindenlauf (age 58) in Felton, DE. She is associated with Joseph R. Lindenlauf, Jr. (i.e. “You both like lobster, don’t you? [long pause] Joe does…”)

Monica Wiscaver (“…yeah, but it’s in the Lindenlauf family yeah, but…”) - No further information. UPDATE: (4/14/2012) There is a Monica Kaye Boyles (née Wiscaver) listed on Facebook. She lists Cindy Lindenlauf as her mother  and graduated (1990) from Lake Forest High School in Felton, DE. Since the 1990 Goodwill Games were held from July 20 through August 5, 1990 – this could be the “smoking gun” that proves that the calls were made in the summer of 1986. In the prank, Monica states that she is “still in high school”… (special thanks to “Chad” for providing this update via email)

Joe (Cindy’s sweetie) – whitepages.com has a listing for Joseph R. Lindenlauf, Jr. (age 60) in Felton, DE .

#9 – Let Me Fill You In… / George & Marie

Marie Lindell - peoplesmart.com has listings for 3 different persons named Marie Lindell in Delaware, two of which are deceased. Marie H. Lindell is the only one with a previous address in Dover, DE. She died in 2001 at the age of 81.

Tom - No further information. His last known residence was in Newark, DE

Nancy - No further information. She was visiting from Newark, DE at the time of this call.

George - No further information. He was last known to be living in California. He may or may not have a marijuana conviction on his criminal record (if he got caught…)

#10 – No Winnie, Don’t Go…

Winifred Williams – white pages.com has a listing for a Winifred E. Williams in Dover, DE

#11 – Mark Who? /

Bea Williamson – in this call, Mark dials the wrong number. Initially, we thought he asked for Bea Williamson (short for Beatrice). After a little research, we have determined that he was likely trying to call Betsy S. Williamson (age 65+) of Dover, DE. She was probably listed as B Williamson in the phone book. He actually calls a different number and speaks to a different woman and her son.

Note: This is pure speculation. The calls are possibly made to the residence of Carl Jackson Wyche (age 62). Carl is currently a Criminal Justice instructor at  Delaware Technical & Community College. There is a listing for a Geraldine J. Wyche (age 56) that is related to Carl.  This is possibly his wife, and could the woman that Mark speaks to before she hands the phone to her son. Although we were unable to find a link to Carl and Geraldine, there is listing at intelius.com for a Lamont A. Wyche (age 37) with a previous address in Dover, DE and Dover Air Force Base. This possibly the person who says “Mark Who?” Again – PURE SPECULATION

#12 – Model Release Forms / Naked Photos

Bertha Webb – There is a listing at peoplesmart.com for a Bertha C. Webb of Milford, DE. She died in 2002 at the age of 87.

Male Voice – ussearch.com has a listing for a relative named Quinton J. Webb (age 91) in Milford, DE. Not sure if it is a brother or husband…

Elsie Rumstich - No further information.

#13 – You Sell It / The Heroin

Perlina Webb – intelius.com has a listing for Perlina Webb of Dover, DE. Charles O. Webb is the only listed relative.

Male Voice – ussearch.com has a listing for a Charles O. Webb (age 102) of Dover, DE. Perlina Webb is the only listed relative.

#14 – Put Pam Back On

Pam White – a search for Pam White in Delaware yields 15 results at peoplefinders.com - The ages vary and include for Dover, Milford, Wilmington and Newark, Delaware. There is not enough information to determine which Pam White was the recipient.

#15 – Retroactive Waste

Don Gretzky (of the DNREC) - No further information. Most likely a fictitious name.

Donald Maloney - intelius.com has 3 listings in Delaware for people name Donald Maloney, ranging in age from 21 to 85. This could just be a made-up name as well…

No further information about the male recipient of this prank or his daughter. Our source cassette tape cut off the name at the beginning.

#16 – Pretty Clever, Eh? / Christmas Lights and Erector Sets

Linwood Willey – ussearch.com has a listing for Linwood E. Willey (age 64) of Maryland with a previous address in Dover, DE.

There also a listing for Ervin L. Willey of Milford, DE, who died in 1993 at the age of 76. He has a listed alias of Linwood Willey. In this case, the woman who answered could be Clara Willey, also of Milford.

So the question on this one is: Does Linwood sound like a 40-year-old or a 70-year-old? We tend to lean toward the latter…

Again, this is all pure speculation. This is all based on data mined from the internet,  using only free online search tools. No claim is made regarding the veracity of this information. If you have any possible theories, corrections and/or suggestions, please contact us or leave a comment below.

 

 

You can now Listen to the pranks on our new YouTube Channel!

Links to the Individual Calls on Youtube:

1. That’s My Wife (Amanda White) – 5:22

2. She’s On Heroin (Bessie Hawkins) – 0:30
3. Automatic Redial (Where’s Margaret?) – 1:01
4. Smegma Picnic (Class Play) – 1:40
5. Carve My Initials – 0:07
6. Sleeping (Anita Knight) –  1:45
7. Please Try to Pay Attention (Charlie Knighton) – 4:01
8. Broiled Lobster Tail (Cindy Lindenlauf) – 5:40
9. Let Me Fill You In… (Marie Lindell) – 4:29
10. No Winnie, Don’t Go… (Winifred Williams) – 0:24
11. Mark Who? (B. Williamson) – 1:25
12. Model Release Forms (Bertha Webb) – 3:10
13. You Sell It (Perlina Webb) – 2:02
14. Put Pam Back On (Pam White) – 2:46
15. Retroactive Waste (as Don Gretzky from the DNREC) – 1:15
16. Pretty Clever, Eh? (Linwood Willey) – 2:18

 

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a.k.a. Marc Knoffler, Knofler, Knophler, Knophfler, Knopler, Noffler, etc.

beforethejerkyboys.com announces their first release of classic prank phonecalls:

Prank Calls by Mark Knopfler - Please Try To Pay Attention – Uncut & Uncensored

Sixteen (16) tracks are included in this free download – in MP3 format - without the backward-masking and censorship that is present in almost all of the versions previously found on the internet. A great deal of time and effort has been spent in restoring these recordings to their original quality or better, without making it sound “too clean” or add any digital processing artifacts. Great attention was paid to ensure that the audio still sounds like it came from an analog cassette tape.  Many background voices and other sounds can now be heard clearly -even a radio playing in a few tracks. It probably sounds better than the first time you heard it!

We could have removed  100% of the background noise, tape hiss and 60-cycle hum, if the goal was to make it sound like it was recorded in a vacuum. However, this was not our intention. The original calls were recorded on cassette tape in some sort of office – and that is the sound that we attempted to maintain – including the room’s ambient sounds. In our opinion, these Knopfler audio files now sound better than most of the tracks released commercially by The Jerky Boys. There is less noise overall – especially when compared to their first album, The Jerky Boys (1993).

This is a FREE download. If you remember these classic pranks, you are probably in your thirties or forties by now.  You have likely been trying to find these uncut, uncensored Knopfler Tapes for at least a decade. You remember a time when you actually had to pay for someone’s time and effort. This concept has largely been lost on the younger generation…

Please download these audio files and listen to them free of charge. If you appreciate the fact that we have made these MP3 files available – uncut and uncensored – on the internet for the first time ever – then please make a small donation. Every little bit helps to support our future efforts. Use the DONATE link seen throughout this website. We do ask that when you share these files, please share ONLY the .zip file that you downloaded – UNCHANGED – so that our text files, MP3 meta-tags, and audio plea for donations will be included so that others may donate too. We think you will agree that this is not too much to ask… Enjoy!

$1 says “I kinda like it.”
$2 says “I like it.”
$5 says “I like it alot. Thanks!”
$10 says “I love it! Thank you!”
$20 + says “I have been looking for this for years! I am so grateful!”

a.k.a. Marc Knoffler, Knofler, Knophler, Knophfler, Knopler, Noffler, Nophler, Knolfler, etc.

In 1993, John G. Brennan (aka Johnny B.) and Kamal Ahmed released an album of prank phone calls, titled The Jerky Boys. The two had already developed an underground following and their bootleg tapes were copied and distributed freely – but this was their first commercial release. It garnered praise from critics and the public alike, eventually selling over two million copies and was followed by The Jerky Boys 2  (1994), The Jerky Boys 3 (1996),  The Jerky Boys 4  (1997) and Stop Staring At Me! (1999). In 2000, Johnny B and Kamal split and went their separate ways. Their final collaboration, The Jerky Tapes, was released in 2001.

Before Caller ID. Before the Jerky Boys, Crank Yankers, the Touchtone Terrorists, Roy D. Mercer, Tom Mabe, Jim Florentine (Terrorizing Telemarketers) and Howard Stern all became famous for their pranks, there were many underground tapes of prank calls circulating. This site is dedicated to all of these classic prank phone calls, with an initial focus on the pranks made under the pseudonym of Mark Knopfler. This tape of pranks was never officially released, but was widely bootlegged on cassette tapes and passed around on college campuses nationwide. Most versions contained several generations of audio-dubbing and the quality was pretty poor. We have gone through considerable time and effort to digitally restore the audio recorded on these tapes and will provide them for free download.

The initial release will contain 16 tracks of classic Mark Knopfler prank calls – UNCUT & UNCENSORED!

Little is known about Mark’s identity. There are many theories as to why he never came forward and claimed his place in history. Perhaps several of his prankees reported the calls to the police and he was keeping a low profile? The calls were definitely made in the Dover, Delaware area. Also, he mentions Ted Turner’s Goodwill Games in one of the calls, so they were likely recorded in the summer of 1986  or 1990 – since we personally received these calls for the first time in the fall of 1990…

However, one thing is certain. These prank calls were NOT made by the “real” Mark Freuder Knopfler – the Scottish-born lead guitar player, vocalist and head songwriter for the band Dire Straits. Why the prankster chose this name is yet unknown, but this is what he calls himself in the majority of the calls. Perhaps he will come forward someday and answer all of our questions.

a.k.a. Marc Knoffler, Knofler, Knophler, Knophfler, Knopler, Noffler, etc.