Music Trivia Answers

1. On the Byrds' "Eight Miles High", Roger McGuinn's opening guitar licks were inspired by what legendary jazz sax man? John Coltrane from the song "India"

2. In 1977, Elvis Costello made his first appearance as musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Early in the show, Costello and his band, The Attractions, performed a song which went well. However, in his later appearance, Elvis did something that frustrated the NBC censors. What did he do? The band started playing "Less than Zero". After a few bars, Elvis yelled "Stop, stop" and directed the band to play "Radio, Radio". They had been told not to play that song because it was an indictment of the radio industry's practice of only airing a small set of artists' material (which is still in practice today). This sent the censors into a fury, and pissed off Lorne Michaels, SNL's producer. Elvis Costello has never appeared on SNL since.

3. Which is the greater distance: the Highway to Hell or the Stairway to Heaven? (answer in miles and kilometers, show your work) As it's easier to get to Hell than Heaven, I hold that the Stairway to Heaven is longer. Credence must be given, though, to Camille's contention:

"As there are no stop signs nor speed limit (and no mile markers, I checked) on the Highway to Hell, I submit that one can arrive there in a more timely fashion, especially since there are two paths one can go by to the Stairway to Heaven, but in the long run, you still have time to change the road you're on."

4. Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne" was written about a chemist and producer of high quality LSD. What was his name? (last name only is acceptable) Oops, I screwed up. Owsley was his FIRST name. Owsley was what I was looking for, and both contestants answered Owsley Stanley III. Great job, kids.

5. What is the unofficial fight song of the Ohio State Buckeyes? "Hang on Sloopy" by The McCoys

6. Rock and sports are inextricably intertwined. For example, Red Sox Nation's national anthem is the rock & roll classic "Dirty Water". Name the band which recorded the song. Bonus point: Name the band which recorded a 1981 cover of the song, substituting London for Boston as "my home". First version was recorded by The Standells. The cover was done by The Inmates.

7. What was Prince talking about in "Little Red Corvette"? Her vajayjay.

8. This journeyman keyboardist, from MY home town, was already a well-known and well-respected session man when he landed a gig as piano player for Crosby, Stills and Nash. Who is he? Michael Finnigan. And he does, in fact, have whiskers on his chinnigan.

9. Which pioneering rock & roll DJ can be heard at the start of "Cleveland Rocks"? Bonus point for naming the artist who sang it. The old Moondog, Alan Freed

10. What does NRBQ stand for? New Rhythm and Blues Quartet, THE most under-appreciated band in rock and roll history

11. What's the deal with Amy Winehouse? I don't know, but she's still sexy. (I dig trashy chicks, what can I say?)

12. Name the original drummer and bassist for The Beatles. Drummer: Pete Best Bassist: Stu Sutcliffe

13. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2 is about what event? January 30, 1972, Derry, Northern Ireland. 27 civil rights protesters were massacred by a contingent of the British Army.

14. Name the band that recorded "Ride Captain Ride". Blues Image

15. What was the name of the farmer who allowed his land to be used for the original Woodstock Music Festival? Max "I'm a farmer" Yasgur. The coolest old man ever.

16. This pioneering electrical engineer had already secured immortality through his work. Now, sadly, his name will forever be linked with '80's bad hair metal. Who is he? Nikola Tesla

17. The Beach Boys "borrowed" the melody for "Surfin' USA" from an early rock & roll legend. Name the man and the song. Chuck Berry "Sweet Little Sixteen"

18. Who invented the synthesizer? Robert Moog

19. Speaking of synthesizers, Pete Townshend of The Who was experimenting with one when he wrote "Baba O'Riley". What data did he use for input to the synth? This question was difficult to phrase correctly to get the idea across; consequently, I got correct answers, just not the answer I was gunning for. Townshend wanted the song to be a tribute to the philosopher Meher Baba and musician Terry Riley. He fed the life information of Baba into a synthesizer, hoping that the resulting musical output would be the backing track for the song. It didn't work as planned, and Pete eventually played the melody on a Lowry Berkshire Deluxe TBO-1 organ. Because of my inability to phrase the question correctly, all answers were accepted as correct.

20. This funk band had hits with songs like "Cut the Cake" and "Pick Up the Pieces". Who were they? Average White Band

21. "Buster Poindexter" had a hit in 1987 with "Hot, Hot, Hot", which became an embarrassment for Buster's alter ego. Who was he, and what was the name of the glam band he fronted?
David Johansen, The New York Dolls
22. What did Sinead O'Connor do to piss so many people off in 1992? She tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II on SNL, saying "fight the real enemy" as she did. She suffered the same fate as Elvis Costello, being banned from ever appearing on Saturday Night Live. Her action proved to be rather prescient, though, as in the ensuing years, scores of priests have been revealed to be pedophiles and the Catholic Church has been forced to pay out millions of dollars. Sinead O'Connor 1, Catholic Church and SNL 0.

23. An OLD Old School rapper warned "Don't push me 'cause I'm close to the edge." What did he call himself and what did he call his posse? Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

24.Gerry Rafferty is best known for two songs, one he recorded solo, and an earlier one with his former band. Name both songs and the band. Stealers Wheel, "Stuck in the Middle With You", solo "Baker Street"

25. According to Jay and Silent Bob, this is "the greatest band in the land". Bonus point for using the correct adjective. Morris Day and the Motherfucking Time. "Don't you ever say an unkind word about the Time. Me and Silent Bob model our whole lives around Morris Day and Jerome. I'm a smoooooth pimp who looooooves the pussy, and Tubby here is my black manservant. What?"

26. Why is "Dexy's Midnight Runners" an exercise in redundancy, and what was "Come On Eileen" really all about, anyway? Dexys and Midnight Runners were both nicknames for speed, therefore the band name is redundant. "Come on Eileen" as far as I can tell, refers to the narrator pulling out and ruining Eileen's dress.

27. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds......a picture your kid drew? Really? You're sticking with that one, huh? Yeah, we're sticking with that one.

28. In this quiz, as I explained before, everyone's a winner. But "Every 1's a Winner" was a chart-topper for what band? Hot Chocolate

29. Mark Wahlberg the actor or Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch?
I hate to say it, but Wahlberg has proved to be a very good actor. God forgive me.

30. What was Dusty Springfield's biggest hit? Son of a Preacher Man

Extra Credit: Which songwriting duo has had the most influence on modern music: Elton John/Bernie Taupin or John Lennon/Paul McCartney? Use logic and facts to back up your argument. Spelling and grammar count. NOBODY tops the Beatles as far as influencing modern Rock and Roll. And Metallica can kiss my ass. They suck.

I hope you all enjoyed the quiz. Thanks for playing.

BTW: I need addresses to send the CD's. You both have my e-mail address. Thanks.