Saturday 9: Money for Nothing

Saturday 9: Money for Nothing (1985)

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) Sweatbands are prominent in this very 1980s video. What's the last thing you wore on your head?

A. I don't know. Probably a baseball cap to keep the sun out of my eyes. I don't generally wear things on my head anymore, unless eyeglasses count. I wear those all the time.

2) The lyrics are from the point of view of a man who delivers and installs appliances. What's the biggest purchase you've made lately? Was it big in size or expense?

A. The biggest purchase we made was the installation of new floors back in the winter. It was big in both size and expense.

3) The delivery man of the song imagines the worst thing that happens to a musician is a blister on his little finger or thumb. Do you have any minor aches or pains bedeviling you as you answer these questions?

A. Actually, I've played the guitar until my fingers bled, so it can be a little worse than a blister. Holding a big ol' heavy guitar makes your back hurt, too. I always have little minor aches or pains. Mostly my left leg is hurting from a blood clot. My right arm is hurting from typing.

4) The term "dire straits" describes a troubling situation that's difficult to extricate oneself from. When's the last time you found yourself in dire straits?

A. Apparently right at this moment. I seem to be in demand for my writing services and I'm having trouble with the "no" word.

5) There's a dinosaur called masiakasaurus knopfleri. It's a prehistoric, predatory lizard, and the paleontologists who discovered it were big Dire Straits fans, so they named it after lead singer/guitarist Mark Knopfler. Do you find dinosaurs fascinating, terrifying, or both?

A. They don't exist anymore, so I am not scared of them. I do find them fascinating. I suppose if one were to suddenly emerge alive from the melting polar ice caps, I might find that a little terrifying for more reasons than one.

6) Prior to his music career, Knopfler was a junior reporter, covering the entertainment beat for the Yorkshire Evening Post. Do you believe you would make a better musician or journalist?

A. I made a better journalist but I probably could have been a good musician, too, if I'd pushed it harder. Maybe in my next life.

7) In 1985, when this song was popular, rib eye steak was $3.89/pound. Today it's more than twice that. Do you have any beef in your freezer right now?

A. I don't think so. I do have a bunch on the hoof out in the field, though. Moo.

8) In 1985, Michael Jordan won the NBA Rookie of the Year award after his first season with the Chicago Bulls. It was the beginning of a career that made him a hero and a household name. Who do you think today's young people look up to?

A. I have no idea. I don't know of anyone who is worthy of looking up to in the younger set.

9) Random question: Friends take you to dinner for your birthday. The menu you're handed doesn't have any prices on it. Do you try to estimate the costs and choose what you guess is the least expensive entree? Or do you figure that since your friends want you to have a good time, you should order whatever you want?
A. I'd probably go for a salad and eat a piece of cake. The salad shouldn't be too expensive.

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