Quick Quiz on Rock Concerts

With the Superbowl this weekend and billions of people watching whoever is playing the halftime show, I thought I'd throw a few all-time classic concert questions at you.

Answers are in white following the questions...Just select the area after the "A:"

Q: Who was the first rock star to perform at a Super Bowl half-time show?

A: Chubby Checker in Super Bowl XXII.

Q: What did Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Cyndi Lauper, Bryan Adams, and Sinéad O'Connor participate in in 1990 that was watched by 200,000 people live, and had a worldwide television audience of over 1 billion?
A: Roger Waters elaborate live staging of The Wall from Berlin, Germany (it was 8 months after the fall of the Berlin Wall)

Q: Who was the headliner at the largest rock concert of all time?
A: On December 31, 1994 Rod Stewart gave a free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. 3.5 million fans attended.

Q: What 1974 outdoor festival attracted over a quarter million attendees and featured such diverse acts as Seals & Croft, Black Sabbath, Emerson Lake & Palmer and Earth Wind & Fire?
A: California Jam

Q: Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, CSN, and Tom Petty performed a series of "No Nukes" concerts for MUSE in 1979. What did MUSE stand for?
A: Musicians United for Safe Energy

Q: Prior to 1992, the Super Bowl half-time show was usually a time killer that featured either a collage marching band, or the Up With People dancers. Who performed in the first big-time, blockbuster half-time show?
A: Michael Jackson at Super Bowl XXVII. It was one of the most watched events ever broadcast. The epic production came about because the year before Gloria Estefan did the show, but over 20 million views tuned out because the FOX network was broadcasting a heavily advertised live episode of In Living Color during halftime. Nobody changed channels when Michael performed and the NFL has tried to top itself ever since.

Q: Led Zeppelin reunited in 2007 for a full length concert for the first time since 1980. The gig was part of a tribute to what music legend?
A: Atlantic Records founder and president Ahmet Ertegun.

Q: What famous 1964 concert event featuring James Brown, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and The Supremes was filmed for a now classic motion picture?
A: The T.A.M.I. Show. The film was eventually deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the U.S. Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry . Producer Rick Rubin once said the James Brown segment "may be the single greatest rock & roll performance ever captured on film." It's on DVD - check it out. (TAMI, by the way, stood for either "Teenage Awards Music International" or "Teen Age Music International" depending on which PR release you read)

Q: During a Lollapalooza show in 1993, what band stood still onstage for thier entire set - completely naked, their mouths taped closed and their chests painted with the letters PMRC?
A: Rage Against The Machine. Ironically, most of the photos available of that censorship protest have a black bar covering the boy’s goodies.

Q: The Band of Gypsies recorded their only album during a 4 show appearance at the Fillmore East in New York. It was a new musical direction for Jimi Hendrix and was praised by many fans and critics. Unfortunately, the group only had 1 other live performance - where?
A: They played Madison Square Garden as part of a 12 act anti-war show. Band of Gypsies went on at 3am, played 2 obscure songs, Hendrix cursed the audience, and walked off the stage. The band never played together again.

Is any publicity really good publicity?

There's nothing trivial about death, but when it involves a celebrity the circumstances will eventually find their way into a trivia question in one form or another - and that's what I'm here for.

Here's a list of 30 celebrities that have been involved in the death of someone else - some are cold blooded killers, others were simply involved in tragic accidents with no wrong-doing on their part, and some we'll never know what really happened.

Phil Spector

6 years after being accused of shooting a woman in the face, Spector was finally found guilty and is currently serving 19 years to life.

Pat Hare

Influential rockabilly and blues guitarist released the single "I'm Gonna Murder My Baby" and then murdered his girlfriend. Really. He died in prison.

Keith Moon

Accidentally ran over and killed his driver and bodyguard when he was trying to get away from a mob after leaving a pub. Ruled an accident and Keith was cleared of all charges.

Matthew Broderick

He was driving with actress Jennifer Grey when their car drifted into the opposing lane of traffic and struck an oncoming car, killing the 2 women passengers. Broderick was charged with "causing death by dangerous driving" but was only found guilty of careless driving and fined $175.

Sid Vicious

Sex Pistols bassist was charged with murdering his girlfriend by stabbing her. He was never brought to trial because he died a few months later of a drug overdose while out on bail.

Rebecca Gayheart

TV and film star ran over and killed a 9 year old boy.  Gayheart pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter and got 3 years probation and a $2,800 fine.

Brandy Norwood
She was involved in a multiple car accident in which a woman died after being struck by the car Brandy was driving. Brandy was not charged with any crime.

Snoop Dogg

Snoop was accused of driving the car while his bodyguard shot and killed a gang member. Both were charged with murder, but Johnnie Cochran got them acquitted.

O.J. Simpson

Charged with murdering his wife and her friend. Found innocent in a court of law. The verdict was one of the most watched events in the history of television.

John Landis

Movie Director was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of actor Vic Morrow and 2 children while filming the movie The Twilight Zone. Acquitted after 9 month trial.

John Huston

The famous director ran over a woman and killed her. He was not charged with any crime.

Vince Neil

Motley Crue singer had a blood alcohol level of 0.17 when he drove into oncoming traffic and killed a passenger in his car, the drummer for the rock band Hanoi Rocks. Charged with vehicular manslaughter, Neil served 15 days in jail.

Howard Hughes

He ran over a guy and killed him. A witness said Hughes was driving fast and erratic. A couple days later the witness changed his story and the billionaire was not charged with any wrong doing.

Robert Blake

The Baretta star's wife was shot and Blake was charged with murder, solicitation of murder, and conspiracy to commit murder. He was found not guilty.

Felicia Pearson

The Wire actress was convicted of second degree murder and served 6.5 years in prison.

Lead Belly

The legendary blues singer served 7 years after murdering a relative in a fight over a woman.

Charles S. Dutton

Convicted of manslaughter when he was 17, he spend 7 years in prison.

Gig Young

The Academy Award winning actor was found dead with his new wife. It is assumed he shot her and then killed himself.

Lane Garrison

The Prison Break actor was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving in the death of a 17 year old boy. He served about 3 years in prison.

Johnny Lewis

The Sons of Anarchy actor was found dead along with an elderly woman in a home in L.A. It was assumed that Lewis killed the woman and then died accidentally in a fall.

Amy Locane

The TV and film actress killed a 60 year old woman as she was turning into her driveway. Locanes' blood alcohol level was 3 times the legal limit at the time of the accident. She was convicted of  vehicular homicide and assault by auto and sentenced to 3 years.

Fatty Arbuckle

In one of the greatest scandals in Hollywood history, the silent film star and comedian was accused of raping an aspiring actress at a party which caused injuries that ultimately lead to her death. He was finally found innocent after 3 trials, but his life and career were ruined.

Fay DeWitt

The television actress and comedienne killed her recently divorced husband with a letter opener in 1965, allegedly in self-defense. I was unable to find additional info on whether or not there was a trial.

Lillo Brancato Jr.

The Bronx Tale actor was charged with 2nd degree murder in the killing of a police officer during a burglary. His partner was found guilty of the murder and given life for the shooting, and Lillo was found guilty of burglary and sentenced to 10 years.

Jim Gordon

One of the most important sessions drummers in the 60's and 70's, and member of the super group Derek & The Dominos, Jim was a diagnosed schizophrenic who killed his mother because of the voices in his head. He was sentenced to 16 years to life and is still incarcerated.

Varg Vikernes

Norwegian rock musician who was found guilty of murdering another musician and burning down several churches. He served 15 years in prison.

Joe Meek

He produced The Tornedos "Telstar" - the first single by a British group to reach No. 1 on the U.S. charts and then 5 years later killed his landlady and himself with a shotgun (a shotgun he stole from the Tornedos' bass player).

Spade Cooley

Spade was a popular band leader and swing musician who beat his wife to death and then claimed she died when she slipped in the shower. He was sentenced to life and died in prison.

Don Drummond

He was a founding member of The Skatallites and a household name in Jamaica. He was convicted of killing his girlfriend and was sentenced to life in an asylum for the criminally insane.

Rick Stevens

Tower of Power singer convicted of a double murder in a drug deal gone bad. I think he's still in prison.

Additionally, if you dig deep into Sports, Politics and Rap Music you'll find plenty more stories including (but certainly not limited to)...

Big Lurch

Jayson Williams

John Wilkes Booth

Don King

William S. Burroughs

J.R. Smith

Ted Kennedy

Aaron Burr
Laura Bush
C-Murder

QuizUp - Free Trivia Game App

I usually don't pay much attention to iPhone games or the latest apps, which is why I only recently discovered the wonderful trivia game QuizUp. 250 categories...150,000 questions...millions of players...and best of all - it's free.

Available only for Apple devices at the moment (I play on a 2nd Gen iPad and it looks and plays great), but an Android version is in the works. Simply download the app, sign-up for free with just an email address (you can link your FaceBook or Twitter accounts if you want to challenge friends), choose a category and start playing.

QuizUp is kind of the speed dating of trivia challenges. The game finds an opponent close to your experience level almost instantly and then you play a super fast round of trivia in the category of your choice - 7 questions with a maximum of 10 seconds each. You get points for correct answers, answering quickly, and the last question is double points for that come from behind win. So each match is under a minute after which you get a fast recap of the points (you get an extra hundred points if you won) and then you can challenge your opponent to a rematch or move on to another player. It's easy, it's fast, and it's super addictive.

The only problems I could find with the game are minor (and common to any trivia game). You get to a certain point within a category and you start getting duplicate questions. New questions can be added to the game by players once they reach level 15 (1 - 2 hours of play, depending on how well you're doing) so as the game takes off and more players start adding questions that problem should take care of itself. As far as the quality of the questions go it was a mixed bag. My go-to category was Horror Movies and it seemed about a third of the questions were "what year was this movie released" - not very imaginative, but I'm sure the quality and variety of questions will greatly improve the longer the game is around. The other issue I had was accuracy - there was at least one question I know was wrong, so it makes me wonder about some of the others I wasn't sure about.

I'm Chinarider on QuizUp, and I just started a twitter account (@MrTriviaMan) for the sole purpose of linking up with friends to play quizup - feel free to challenge me anytime!

Six Degrees: Davy Jones and The Sex Pistols?

On Dec. 17, 1977 Elvis Costello (Declan Patrick MacManus) & The Attractions (not The Clovers) started to play "Less Than Zero" on live TV on NBC's Saturday Night Live. EC stoppped the band a few notes into it and declared “I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but there’s no reason to do this song here.” He then led the band into "Radio, Radio" - a song NBC did not want him to play. Reportedly SNL producer Lorne Michaels gave Elvis the finger throughout the whole song. Lorne was pissed, and EC was banned from SNL for a dozen years.

If you watch the video, you'll notice drummer Pete Thomas is wearing a tee-shirt that reads "Thanks, Malc". The Malc referred to is Malcolm McLaren, the manager of the Sex Pistols. EC & The Attractions only got the SNL gig because The Sex Pistols were booked for the spot, but Malcolm didn't get the boys exit visas on time so they had to cancel at the last minute. Even though My Aim Is True wasn't released in the US yet (it was only available as an import LP at that point), Elvis was touring the states and got the prestigious job.

But Elvis admits that his rebellious act wasn't exactly original - he was inspired by Jimi Hendrix doing the same thing on the BBC when Jimi appeared on the Lulu show in 1969. Lulu (who was married to Maurice Gibb of The Bee Gees at the time) was supposed to sing a duet of "Hey Joe" with Jimi. Jimi and the band were mortified at the thought, so they started the number but bailed before Lulu had a chance to join them on stage... “We’d like to stop playing this rubbish,” Jimi said, “and dedicate a song to the Cream, regardless of what kind of group they may be in. We dedicate this to Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce.” Cream had just broken up. The band then played an instrumental version of "Sunshine Of Your Love" leaving no time for Lulu to join them, or even talk to them when it was done. Jimi told his girlfriend at the time "I'm not going to sing with Lulu. I'd look ridiculous." Here's the video of the event (including Hendrix's first number "Voodoo Child")

Related trivia:

19 year old Lulu briefly toured with The Monkeys in 1967 and dated Davy Jones. Her massive #1 hit in the US, "To Sir, With Love" was only released as a B-side in the U.K  (Let's Pretend b/w To Sir, With Love - peaked at #11).

The Sex Pistols broke up a few months after they were scheduled to be on SNL. Only Steve Jones (guitar) ever appeared on the show (in a skit last year).

The 1977 SNL that Costello was on was hosted by Miskel Spillman, an 80 year old grandmother from New Orleans, who won the show's "Anybody Can Host" write-in contest.

Elvis Costello was still working at his day job as a data entry clerk when he recorded that classic first album. He called in sick to record the LP - it was completed in less than 2 days. He was still working that day job even as the first 2 singles ("Less Than Zero" and "Alison") were pre-released and bombed. It wasn't until the LP was released that he took up being a rock and roller full-time (Stiff Records promised to match his day job's wages).

The album was recorded with The Clovers as his back-up band. After EC got together with the Attractions as his permanent band, Costello rerecorded the complete LP with The Attractions in mid 1977, although that 2nd version of My Aim Is True has never been released.

Elvis got together one more time with The Clovers for the 30th anniversary of the album for 2 live gigs in 2007 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. That marks the only time Elvis and The Clovers played the album live. [Bootleg recordings exist - search around and you should easily find them - they're great shows]

On SNL’s 25th anniversary show, Costello appeared and parodied his infamous 1977 appearance by bursting onstage while the Beastie Boys were in the middle of a song and getting them to play a wild version of "Radio, Radio".

Other performers banned from SNL include...

• Louise Lasser (for being completely incoherent)
• Charles Grodin 
• Frank Zappa 
• Milton Berle 
• Fear
• Robert Blake
• Andy Kaufman (the audience voted him off for life)
• The Replacements
• Steven Seagal 
• Sinéad O'Connor (for ripping up a photo of the Pope)
• Cypress Hill (for smoking a joint on-air)
• Martin Lawrence (for talking about vaginas)
• Chevy Chase 
• Adrien Brody

And here's the answers to the horror movie tagline quiz from Sunday:

1. Whoever wins…we lose. Alien Vs. Predator (2004)
2. Eight legs, two fangs, and an attitude. Arachnophobia (1990)
3. Trapped in time. Surrounded by evil. Low on gas. Army of Darkness (1992)
4. The monster demands a mate. Bride of Frankenstein, The (1935)
5. Take me to your teacher. Faculty, The (1998) 
6. He'll tear your soul apart. Hellraiser (1987)
7. Death doesn’t take no for an answer. Final Destination (2000) 
8. A monster science created but could not destroy. Frankenstein (1931) 
9. It never forgives. It never forgets. Grudge, The (2004) 
10. Sometimes dead is better. Pet Sematary (1989)
11. Ding dong. You’re dead. House (1986) 
12. You’ve never been scared until you’ve been scared in 3-D. House of Wax (1953)
13. What’s eating you? Jeepers Creepers (2001)
14. Part mystery. Part thriller. Parts missing. Lake Placid (1999) 
15. Be afraid. Be very afraid. The Fly (1986)
16. If this one doesn’t scare you, you’re already dead. Phantasm (1979)
17. They’re here. Poltergeist (1982)
18. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. Shining, The (1980) 
19. Men cannot resist her. Mankind may not survive her. Species (1995)
20. There's only one thing wrong with the Davis baby: it's alive. It's Alive (1974)
21. Man is the warmest place to hide. Thing, The (1982) 
22. When there's no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the earth. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
23. To avoid fainting, keep repeating "It's only a movie...It's only a movie..." The Last House on the Left (1972)
24. You have the right to remain silent. Forever. Maniac Cop (1988)
25. There were actually at least 13 taglines for the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre if you include video releases...

• The idyllic summer's day that became a nightmare of fear and blood.
• It Really Happened. It's Terrifying. It's Here.
• For them, an Idyllic summer afternoon became their worst nightmare!
• Nothing Cuts Like the Original!
• Banned for over 7 years! Now finally released INTACT! UNCUT!
• America's most bizarre crime! Brutal beyond description! Grisley beyond comprehension!
• Who will survive and what will be left of them?
• can you survive ...it happened
• For five young friends, a typical summer afternoon drive becomes a terrifying nightmare.
• What happened is true. Now the motion picture that's just as real.
• Once you stop screaming, then you'll start talking about it.
• America's Most Bizarre and Brutal Crimes!...
• Before Halloween.... Before Friday The 13th.... Before Scream.... There Was The Saw.

Movie Tagline Quiz 2 (Horror Movies)

Here are 25 more movie taglines - this time, all horror movies.

1. Whoever wins…we lose.
2. Eight legs, two fangs, and an attitude.
3. Trapped in time. Surrounded by evil. Low on gas.
4. The monster demands a mate.
5. Take me to your teacher.
6. He'll tear your soul apart.
7. Death doesn’t take no for an answer.
8. A monster science created but could not destroy.
9. It never forgives. It never forgets.
10. Sometimes dead is better.
11. Ding dong. You’re dead.
12. You’ve never been scared until you’ve been scared in 3-D.
13. What’s eating you?
14. Part mystery. Part thriller. Parts missing.
15. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
16. If this one doesn’t scare you, you’re already dead.
17. They’re here.
18. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.
19. Men cannot resist her. Mankind may not survive her.
20. There's only one thing wrong with the Davis baby: it's alive.
21. Man is the warmest place to hide.
22. When there's no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the earth.
23. To avoid fainting, keep repeating "It's only a movie...It's only a movie..."
24. You have the right to remain silent. Forever.
25. Bonus Question - Including Video Releases, how many taglines from the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" can you name?

And here are yesterdays answers...

1. The story of the strangest passion the world has ever known! Dracula (1931) 
2. All it takes is a little Confidence. Sting, The (1973) 
3. The nearer they get to their treasure, the farther they get from the law. Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948)
4. Once you stop screaming, then you’ll start talking about it. Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The (1974)*
5. Not every gift is a blessing. Sixth Sense, The (1999)
6. A man went looking for America and couldn’t find it. Easy Rider (1969) 
7. He loved the American dream. With a vengeance. Scarface (1983)
8. His whole life was a million-to-one shot. Rocky (1976)
9. The classic story about a boy and his mother. Psycho (1998)
10. The strangest story ever conceived by man. King Kong (1933)
11. The story of a man who was too proud to run. High Noon (1952)
12. Man has made his match…now it’s his problem. Blade Runner (1982) 
13. For three men the Civil War wasn’t hell. It was practice. Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The (1966)
14. This is Benjamin. He’s a little worried about his future. Graduate, The (1967)
15. A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere. Fargo (1996)
16. They’re young…they’re in love…and they kill people. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
17. What we do in life echoes in eternity. Gladiator (2000) 
18. You don’t assign him to murder cases. You just turn him loose. Dirty Harry (1971)
19. On every street in every city, there’s a nobody who dreams of being a somebody. Taxi Driver (1976) 
20. This is the weekend they didn’t play golf. Deliverance (1972)
21. The man with the barbed-wire soul. Hud (1963) 
22. Not that it matters, but most of it is true. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
23. Reality is a thing of the past. Matrix, The (1999)
24. You won’t know the facts until you’ve seen the fiction. Pulp Fiction (1994)
25. Look closer. American Beauty (1999) 

Movie Tagline Quiz 1 (Classic Movies)

Movie taglines have been around almost as long as movie posters. From "The Fiery Cross of the Ku Klux Klan" (Birth of a Nation - 1915) to "A Long Time Ago, In A Galaxy Far, Far Away", movie taglines have been enticing us into theaters with 15 words or less since the beginning.

Below are 25 taglines from some of the all-time classic films -  Award Winners, Box Office Blockbusters, and just plain important movies. See how many you know without looking them up.

Answers tomorrow, along with 25 more taglines from my favorite genre - horror movies.

1. The story of the strangest passion the world has ever known!
2. All it takes is a little Confidence.
3. The nearer they get to their treasure, the farther they get from the law.
4. Once you stop screaming, then you’ll start talking about it.
5. Not every gift is a blessing.
6. A man went looking for America and couldn’t find it.
7. He loved the American dream. With a vengeance.
8. His whole life was a million-to-one shot.
9. The classic story about a boy and his mother.
10. The strangest story ever conceived by man.
11. The story of a man who was too proud to run.
12. Man has made his match…now it’s his problem.
13. For three men the Civil War wasn’t hell. It was practice.
14. This is Benjamin. He’s a little worried about his future.
15. A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere.
16. They’re young…they’re in love…and they kill people.
17. What we do in life echoes in eternity.
18. You don’t assign him to murder cases. You just turn him loose.
19. On every street in every city, there’s a nobody who dreams of being a somebody. 
20. This is the weekend they didn’t play golf.
21. The man with the barbed-wire soul.
22. Not that it matters, but most of it is true.
23. Reality is a thing of the past.
24. You won’t know the facts until you’ve seen the fiction.
25. Look closer.