News Exercise #86

This week I am using another non-news video again, but from BBC News – to commemorate the passing of BB King.

1) What did the interviewer first say about BB’s guitar, “Lucille”, and what did he mean?
He said, “It’s got some heft.” It means that it is heavy.
2) BB describes the difference between him and other guitarists when performing. What is the difference?
BB doesn’t have a guitar tech (technician, a person who sets up the equipment, changes strings, etc.), and he only uses two guitars, when many other guitarists take ten with them.
3) When he was young, what was people’s reaction when he played gospel, and when he played the blues?
When he played gospel, they always said, “That’s nice, son, keep it up, you’re going to be good one day,” but when he played the blues they always put some money in the hat.
4) The interviewer used the expression “people get ripped off,” which means they are deceived by people who want to cheat them out of the money they have a right to. This happens a lot in pop and rock. What was BB’s reply?
“When you come out of the cotton field and you start trying to make records and so on, you don’t have any business sense about the music business. There are a lot of people that do, and they “utilizes” (should be “utilize”) what they have to make the money that they can make, and all that yo don’t know about, you don’t get.
5) How does he feel now?
He said that he was the luckiest man alive.
6) What does he want for the future?
He just wants to prepare for his death: a place to lay him down to rest, and a place for people will know where he is.