General Knowledge Quiz

[martinsh]

God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols ?

 

[theageofthetra]

God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols ?

Completely the wrong genre

 

[t_star2001uk]

Le Freak by Chic

 

[theageofthetra]

Le Freak by Chic

Thats it. Nile Rogers used to tell the story on stage and he mentioned it on his excellent new BBC4 series.

Basically despite having had some huge hits by then, come NYE a bouncer at Studio 54 told him and Bernard to eff off. So they wrote one of their biggest hits off the back of it.

Your Hitmaker...

 

[t_star2001uk]

Thats probably where i heard the story.

I declare open floor for the next number 1.....

 

[Calthrop]

List follows, of detectives who are the leading figures in mystery / thriller novel series, all set in the USA.


Sunny Randall

Matt Scudder

V.I. Warshawski

Peter Decker


Which is the odd one out, and why?

 

[krus_aragon]

Hm. That last one had me thinking of Phillip K Dick, but his character (in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) was Rick Deckard. Carry on...

 

[Calthrop]

Hm. That last one had me thinking of Phillip K Dick, but his character (in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) was Rick Deckard. Carry on...

I tried Phillip K. Dick's The Man In The High Castle, but came ruefully to the conclusion that I'm not bright enough for Mr. Dick -- the majority of the time, I couldn't fathom what he was on about in that book.

 

[Calthrop]

Hint: railway enthusiasts tend to like geographical stuff -- the question ("odd one out") is geography-related.

 

[Calthrop]

Taking the hint further: the 'tecs listed, all live and do their detecting in different respective cities of the USA. One of those cities is, in a geography-type aspect, not like the other three.

 

[steevp]

One In the west of the country, three in the east?

 

[Calthrop]

You're thinking along the right lines; but, not quite -- two in the east, two elsewhere, and sea-coasts are involved.

 

[steevp]

Vi Vishawski is set in Chicago and is the odd one out as it is not on the sea

 

[Calthrop]

Vi Vishawski is set in Chicago and is the odd one out as it is not on the sea

Correct ! Your turn to get on the trail of the bad guys. (Randall, Scudder, and Decker, in the coastal cities of Boston, New York, and greater Los Angeles, respectively.)

 

[steevp]

This place is also called the bird and baby by a particular group of locals (amongst other names) - what is its proper name and its claim to fame?

 

[Calthrop]

This place is also called the bird and baby by a particular group of locals (amongst other names) - what is its proper name and its claim to fame?

The "Eagle and Child" pub in St. Giles's Street, Oxford (its sign depicts an eagle carrying off a -- well -- baby). It was, a few generations ago, the favourite getting-together-place of the group of Oxford academics and mutual friends -- with above all else, literary and religious interests -- who included in their number J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, and called themselves the Inklings.

Open floor if correct.

 

[martinsh]

What other TV related claim to fame does The Eagle & Child have ?

 

[theageofthetra]

What other TV related claim to fame does The Eagle & Child have ?

Was it the local of the bloke who wrote Morse?

 

[steevp]

Correct answer Mr Calthrop! (it is also allegedly called the Falcon and Feotus by the students). You can imagine the scene "I've got this wonderful idea for a story about dwarf-like creatures with hairy feet..." - "you've been drinking too much of that cheap beer again Tolkien!"

Theageofthetra is also correct with the answer about it being a favourite haunt of Colin Dexter

 

[martinsh]

What other TV related claim to fame does The Eagle & Child have ?

Was it the local of the bloke who wrote Morse?

Theageofthetra is also correct with the answer about it being a favourite haunt of Colin Dexter

I think MOST pubs in Oxford were haunts of Colin Dextrer / Morse ! This wasn't the answer I was looking for - though it is Morse related.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Is it the pub which features in the most episodes of Morse?

 

[martinsh]

Clue : the event in question occurred in the first episode of "Endeavour"

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Was it that he (Morse) answered to his Christian name "Endeavour", something that he'd never done in "Morse"? (In fact, it took a long time for his actual Christian name to be known)

If correct, I'll declare an open cell door.

 

[martinsh]

Was it that he (Morse) answered to his Christian name "Endeavour", something that he'd never done in "Morse"? (In fact, it took a long time for his actual Christian name to be known)

If correct, I'll declare an open cell door.

No. Much more obvious than that. Bear in mind that this was chronologically the first episode we see of Morse's life ...

 

[steevp]

First time we see him drinking in a pub?

 

[martinsh]

First time we see him drinking in a pub?

Thats close enough. Prior to drinking in the Eagle & Child, he didn't like beer ...

Your round

 

[steevp]

Thanks Martinsh - I don't have one prepared so open bar!

 

[Calthrop]

Which fantasy / speculative-fiction authors (as it happens, all of them transatlantic types) created, respectively, the following fictional lands?


Videssos

Poictesme

The Commonwealth of New Virginia

 

[Calthrop]

Which fantasy / speculative-fiction authors (as it happens, all of them transatlantic types) created, respectively, the following fictional lands?


Videssos

Poictesme

The Commonwealth of New Virginia

Perhaps not the best of question choices -- I somewhat have the impression that while some people are into this particular brand of fiction; for those who aren't, it's totally off their radar.

Attempted hints: taking the listed "venues" 1 -- 3: the creators of (1) and (3) are of the immediately-post-WW2 generation, and still with us. No.2 was a good deal older -- born in the 19th century, lived to a fairly great age, but now -- obviously -- deceased.

Author (1)'s surname, is also the name of a bird.

Author (2)'s three names can be taken -- with a bit of latitude re spelling / pronunciation -- all to have railed-transport relevance.

Author (3) shares his surname with that of a British family renowned in past times, for prominence in the railway / locomotive engineering field.

 

[DaleCooper]

Michael Moorcock
Charles Coleman Finlay
Bruce Sterling