C.J.: Will Dire Straits' F-word be heard again on KQRS?

Something in marketing manager Shelly Malecha Wilkes' tone of voice tells me that the offensive version of "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits has been heard on KQRS-FM for the last time.

The British group dropped the F-slur against gays at least three times, according to lyrics I found of the 1984 hit. The public has matured a great deal since the '80s. Now music with offensive words from a bygone era, or today, get bleeped.

Not so on KQ in recent times. One of my colleagues who is a KQ listener heard it and told me I needed to find out why this version was aired in this day and time. To the everlasting gall of Tom Barnard, host of KQ92's top rated morning show, I seldom (read: never) listen to rock stations.

In April when I interviewed Wilkes about the strain between Barnard and longtime morning sidekick Terri Traen, now on another show, I asked the station's boss about the Dire Straits song.

"That's in that song?" said Wilkes with genuine surprise in her voice. "I'm not familiar with it but I'll check. I will absolutely check into that."

On YouTube I found one version of the song that skipped the lines of lyrics in which the offensive term was spoken. Another version dubbed the word "Queen" over the slur.

I'm guessing that KQ will also hit the delete button on that word, even though Wilkes didn't respond to my Wednesday message asking how the checking was going.

Setting Prince in stone

The magnificent Apotheosis of St. Louis statue of King Louis IX of France outside the Saint Louis Art Museum in Missouri informed what I want in Prince iconography.

Now, where to install it?

How about a huge version in Minneapolis and a smaller one outside Paisley Park in Chanhassen, which is already a distinctive monument to Prince. If Memphis can have more than one Elvis statue, we can have more than one of Prince.

We don't have any bronze statues honoring a Minnesota figure that are as regal as the one for St. Louis' namesake. When I first moved here, I was disappointed by the unremarkable stature of the Hubert H. Humphrey outside of City Hall. I know he was not a tall man, but the HHH statue should have been much bigger. Same goes for the statue of honorary Minnesotan Mary Tyler Moore.

The committee that ultimately decides on Prince's bronze should also check out the rotating Ray Charles Plaza statue in Albany, Ga. If Charles' little hometown can pull off such a stunning piece, Minneapolis should be able to create even more spectacular monuments for Prince.

A few other specs: 1. Please let the sculptor be an artist who can capture the faces of black people. 2. A pose from Prince's Super Bowl performance would be OK by me. 3. Any pose where Prince's tongue is not hanging out will suffice.

Guy Paul's 'dis'-connections

Being married to a Dame will take you lots of places but it can't get you tickets to "Hamilton."

Broadway actor Guy Paul, husband of Dame Harriet Walter, had to wait for tickets to the hottest show on the "Great White Way," his brother Brant Schuessler told me.

"So much for connections," said Schuessler, the soft-spoken Electric Fetus staffer with the dry sense of humor. It took weeks for the noble couple to score their tickets.

Schuessler said his brother was just in Cape Town, South Africa, "filming for 'Black Sails,' a TV drama." According to the show's Twitter page it's "a raw pirate drama on STARZ." I gather that means it's rated Super Arrr.

Schuessler explained that Guy coined a stage name by taking the first name of their dad, the Rev. Paul Schuessler, a longtime Twin Cities Lutheran minister who died in 2003. "He was at Children's [Theater], he was at Guthrie, he was at Chanhassen [Dinner Theatres, before moving to New York]. He and his wife, Harriet Walter, had a play written for them called 'Boa' they performed last winter in London. They split their time between London and New York."

I was at the Fetus picking up the stupendous "Hamilton" soundtrack, which is well worth a Pulitzer and all the Tony Awards to come despite (deep sigh) historical inaccuracies. Lin-Manuel Miranda, we need to tweet.

C.J. can be reached at cj@startribune.com and seen on Fox 9's "Jason Show" and "Buzz." E-mailers, please state a subject; "Hello" does not count. Attachments are not opened.