Dire Straits censored in Canada
Posted by Richard on January 18, 2011
Dire Straits was one of the greatest rock bands of the 80s and 90s, and 1985's Grammy-winner "Money for Nothing" was their biggest hit. Mark Knopfler wrote it in an appliance store, capturing in its lyrics some of the phrases he heard an employee there utter while watching MTV. I prefer "Sultans of Swing," "Lady Writer," and "Skateaway," but there's no question that "Money for Nothing" is a great song.
Now, the Canadian government is censoring it for violating Canada's "human rights standards." Because someone complained. Because of this verse:
The little faggot with the earring and the makeup
Yeah buddy, that's his own hair
That little faggot got his own jet airplane
That little faggot he's a millionaire
At least one Canadian radio station has defied the ban, playing the song repeatedly for an hour.
IMHO, anyone who's offended by "Money for Nothing" hasn't really listened to it or understood it. And is either an idiot or one of those "offense thieves" who takes offense where none was given. Here it is. Turn it up and enjoy.
David Bryant said
I’ve been reading through some of James Taranto’s old newspaper columns, and ran across this reference to “Money for Nothing”. I remembered your post about the same song, and decided to link the two.
rgcombs said
Nice column. Thanks, David!
Taranto could have chosen a dozen other examples from Rush songs. Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart, and Geddy Lee — the members of Rush — are Randians/Objectivists, and their music frequently addresses issues like individualism, reason, liberty, etc.