Rock 'n' Roll Rabbit Hole

’Money For Nothing’: Dire Straits’ Misunderstood MTV Classic

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Hey, we're back! Sorry for the long hiatus, but we had a big show with the band and had to get a new drummer ready. It didn't help that Kevin messed up his back and was laid up for a bit. But Kevin and Butch return for another episode, this time focusing on "Money For Nothing," the memorable Dire Straits hit that ended up being a bit misunderstood and even controversial. A few notes about the episode:

  • This week's beer was Spotted Cow, the much-loved Wisconsin staple brewed by New Glarus Brewing.
  • We also had a Bourbon of the Week as a sidecar, that being Barrell Bourbon Batch 033.
  • The guitar sound was inspired by ZZ Top.
  • The animation was groundbreaking for its time and helped make it an MTV hit -- even though frontman Mark Knopfler wanted nothing to do with making a video.
  • The song became controversial for some of the language used, but Knopfler wrote the song from the point of view of a "stupid" character.
  • Nikki Sixx believes the character on which the narrator is based was watching a Motley Crue video when Knopfler overheard him. Knopfler famously was in an appliance store when he heard two workers making fun of the musicians on a wall of televisions showing MTV.
  • There was a guy who used to make prank calls back in the late 1980s/early 1990s who used the name Mark Knopfler on his "victims." Here's an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8teY54fMsxY (please excuse the language ...)
  • There's even a tribute page to the guy: https://phonelosers.com/mark/comment-page-3/
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    Rock 'n' Roll Rabbit HoleBy Kevin Gibson/Butch Bays