seb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian) (09/17/85)
[Maybe this is common knowlegde. If so, I'm sorry to make you all listen to it again.] A friend of mine just gave me a big insight in the new Dire Straits hit "Making Money for Nothing." It seems that the lead singer for Dire Straits (sorry I don't know his name) was in an appliance store and he overheard two people who worked there commenting on rock stars as they watched all the tv's in the place play MTV. If you listen to the lyrics and see the video you will see how this all fits in. You should really listen closely to the lyrics. They are hilarious. My signature line contains some of them this week, and once you know about the appliance store, they make a lot more sense. Sharon Badian ihnp4!mtgzz!seb ...we got to install some microwave ovens, custom kitchen delivery. we got to move these refrigerators, we got to move these color tv's...
rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (09/17/85)
> A friend of mine just gave me a big insight in the new Dire > Straits hit "Making Money for Nothing." It seems that the lead singer > for Dire Straits (sorry I don't know his name) was in an appliance > store and he overheard two people who worked there commenting on rock > stars as they watched all the tv's in the place play MTV. If you listen > to the lyrics and see the video you will see how this all fits in. > You should really listen closely to the lyrics. They are hilarious. > My signature line contains some of them this week, and once you know > about the appliance store, they make a lot more sense. [Sharon Badian] > > ...we got to install some microwave ovens, custom kitchen delivery. > we got to move these refrigerators, we got to move these color tv's... Mark Knopfler claims the song is not anti-MTV. When I first heard it, though, it sure sounded like it. I interpreted him as saying the purpose of videos was to "move" (i.e., sell) refrigerators and color TV's (referring back to my favorite term for Manilow/Rodgers/Ritchie pap -- refrigerator music). Ironically, it seems that THE way to get your video played on MTV is to start a controversy about their not playing it. Remember when MTV refused to play ANY of Michael Jackson's videos (too "black"), and CBS threatened to withdraw all video product from MTV if they didn't play them? Now, Jackson is a mainstay on MTV and they are "proud" to mention this (especially the world premiere of the all important Thriller video). Remember how MTV refused to play "Smalltown Boy" by Bronski Beat (too "gay")? Now, a clip from it is used in a promo spot to show how much great "new music" MTV plays. -- "Wait a minute. '*WE*' decided??? *MY* best interests????" Rich Rosen ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr
andrew@grkermi.UUCP (Andrew W. Rogers) (09/18/85)
In article <1169@mtgzz.UUCP> seb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian) writes: >...A friend of mine just gave me a big insight in the new Dire >Straits hit "Making Money for Nothing." It seems that the lead singer >for Dire Straits (sorry I don't know his name) [Mark Knopfler] was in >an appliance store and he overheard two people who worked there commenting >on rock stars as they watched all the tv's in the place play MTV... What I wanna know is this: Why would a 'little faggot' care about 'chicks for free'? AWR
ewa@sdcc3.UUCP (Eric Anderson) (09/19/85)
In article <1719@pyuxd.UUCP> rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen) writes: >Mark Knopfler claims the song is not anti-MTV. When I first heard it, >though, it sure sounded like it. I interpreted him as saying the purpose >of videos was to "move" (i.e., sell) refrigerators and color TV's (referring >back to my favorite term for Manilow/Rodgers/Ritchie pap - refrigerator music). > Rich Rosen ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr Mark Knopfler has to make this claim or they would throw him off MTV forever. But in an interview (on MTV, no less) he said that when he wrote the song he did so from the viewpoint of an 'ignoramus'.. implying that only a fool would be duped by the 'I want my MTV' slogan. I guess only fools work at MTV (if the V.J.'s are any indication) and they are all so stary-eyed that they don't realize what fun Knopfler is making of them. Eric Anderson, UC San Diego {elsewhere}!ihnp4!ucbvax!sdcsvax!sdcc3!ewa
mohan@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU (Sunil Mohan) (09/19/85)
> > A friend of mine just gave me a big insight in the new Dire > > Straits hit "Making Money for Nothing." It seems that the lead singer > > for Dire Straits (sorry I don't know his name) was in an appliance > > store and he overheard two people who worked there commenting on rock > > stars as they watched all the tv's in the place play MTV. If you listen This story, and more on Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler, in the last issue of the mag "MUSICIAN". -- _ Sunil UUCP: ...{harvard, seismo, ut-sally, sri-iu, ihnp4!packard}!topaz!mohan ARPA: Mohan@RUTGERS
steph@graffiti.UUCP (stephanie da silva) (09/21/85)
> What I wanna know is this: Why would a 'little faggot' care about 'chicks > for free'? You have to know who the "little faggot" is. There are three references to actual performers in other videos in "Money For Nothing." That one's the most obvious, and I've figured out one other. Has anyone gotten all three?
danb@tesla.UUCP (Dan Blumenthal) (09/23/85)
In article <2999@sdcc3.UUCP> ewa@sdcc3.UUCP (Eric Anderson) writes: >In article <1719@pyuxd.UUCP> rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen) writes: >>Mark Knopfler claims the song is not anti-MTV. When I first heard it, >>though, it sure sounded like it. I interpreted him as saying the purpose >>of videos was to "move" (i.e., sell) refrigerators and color TV's (referring >>back to my favorite term for Manilow/Rodgers/Ritchie pap - refrigerator music). >> Rich Rosen ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr > >Mark Knopfler has to make this claim or they would throw him off MTV forever. >But in an interview (on MTV, no less) he said that when he wrote the song he >did so from the viewpoint of an 'ignoramus'.. implying that only a fool would >be duped by the 'I want my MTV' slogan. I guess only fools work at MTV (if the >V.J.'s are any indication) and they are all so stary-eyed that they don't >realize what fun Knopfler is making of them. > >Eric Anderson, UC San Diego {elsewhere}!ihnp4!ucbvax!sdcsvax!sdcc3!ewa I'm having some trouble with the posting routines here, so I cross my fingers that this gets thru. According to an article in the New York Times, Knofler is quoted as getting the idea for the song in an electronics store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan where he overheard two appliance guys saying something like 'look at them yoyo's'' etc... He said that they thought that all the musicians did was mouth the words and get chicks, and it the pointw was that it wasn't that simple. References upon request... Dan B. ARPA - danb@tesla.ARPA UUCP - {decvax,vax135,allegra}!cornell!tesla!danb BITNET - AK7J@CORNELLA.BITNET
diag@micomvax.UUCP (Hardware Diagnostics Group) (09/24/85)
Yes, the words to this tune ARE great. They sum up many "artists'" prime motivations for making videos, and the 'microwave' references give the song a nice materialistic edge. Also, you can hear Sting singing the verse melody from "Don't Stand So Close To Me" (it's even in the same key!), which can be interpreted as a put-down of the Police. This is the most interesting tune since "Industrial Disease"! Vlad Orlt ...!philabs!micomvax (I can't think of a clever quote just now)