The Evening’s Gig

If you’ll excuse me for saying so, I have had a baaaaaad evening.

It started off, tonight, when I thought I’d lost a couple of basic bits of kit: – like the pens, and my mic.

For those of you who’ve seen me in action, you’ll realise that my mic is integral to the whole thing, as are the pens.   People can’t write down answer without one, or hear the questions without the other.   And, as you can see, vital.

So I’ve a big and heartfelt thank you, to Adrian, an old friend and neighbour, for buying in some pens for me, to Sharon, 

the landlady at the Essex, for loaning me a mic, and to the divine Kelly, for suggesting phoning Sharon in the first place.

What makes the whole thing bloody embarrassing, is getting back home, after picking up the mic, from Sharon.

The first thing I saw … ?   Was my mic.   And pens.   Sitting on the armchair, behind a cushion; – where I’d put it, and immediately forgotten about.   As you can imagine, I was just a touch Hacked Off.

What sort of made things worse, was getting out of my front door, and half way to Brentwood station, when I realised I’d left my amp indoors …

Like I say, a TOUCH Hacked Off.

What didn’t help was tonight’s relatively small number of teams.

As a plus, though, Ian and his group – The ‘I Came From Chorley’s’,  – were new tonight, having found my net listing.   Part way down this page.

The other two teams were the AKA 47’s, and Beck and Matt’s team; – calling themselves the BDSM’s, tonight, which put a smile on my face, certainly!

Just as a quick round up, here, the AKA’s came in first, with sixty-one points, the Chorleys, second, with fifty-five, and the BDSM’s with forty-eight.   Which is one of the Bex squad’s better scores.

Before I print up the main questions, by the way little bit of news; – next week’s bonus is worth £17•50.   Unsurprising, with THIS question: – “Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm is the real name of whom?”.   The answer’s snooker player James Wattana, so you know!

And, now, that oh-so-sudden Australia round.

Q1) In what year of the fifties did the Blue Ensign become Australia’s official National Flag?

A1) 1951

Q2) Which state allows the commercial cultivation of opium poppies?

A2) Tasmania

Q3) Which edible Australian icon was created in 1923?

A3) Vegemite

Q4) Which Nicole Kidman/Hugh Jackman movie is proving successful, this year?

A4) “Australia.”

Q5) Professor Arthur Farnswirth invented what, in 1957; re-usable condoms, the beer can widget, or permanent crease trousers?

A5) Permanent crease trousers

Q6) Qantas is the Worlds 2nd oldest airline; – which European one is the oldest?

A6) KLM

Q7) How long is the Great Barrier Reef; – 1000 km, 2000 km, or 3000 km?

A7) 2000 KM

Q8) Who were the first Europeans to find Australia?

A8) The Dutch, in 1606

Q9) Which Australian singer has a huge gay audience?

A9) Kylie Minogue

Q10) Which Australian object is twice as long as the Great Wall of China?

A10) The Dingo Fence

And finally, the main question set; – number five in a series of 19, and functionally identical to King Harold 55, in case it’s looking familiar.

ROUND ONE.   GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.

Q1) Which product is ‘… soft, strong and very long’?

A1) Andrex toilet tissue

Q2) In 1935, C. C. McGee invented what kind of meter?

Q2) The Parking meter.

Q3) Where’s the sweat gland of a cow, in it’s nose, it’s tongue, or it’s bottom?

A3) In it’s nose.

Q4) How many pocket does a snooker table have?

A4) Six

Q5) How many milligrams in a gram?

A5) 1000

Q6) Who did Margaret Thatcher follow as Conservative Party Leader?

A6) Edward Heath.

Q7) What’s the only English anagram of the word, ”MADDENING”?

A7) “DEMANDING”.

Q8) Which American mammal is known as the ‘Washing Bear’, the grizzly bear, the brown bear, or the Raccoon?

A8) The Raccoon.

Q9) Who was shot, on live TV, on the 24th November 1963?

A9) Lee Harvey Oswald.  (By Jack Ruby.)

Q10) Name the 2nd country to put a man in space.

A10) The USA.

ROUND TWO.   AT THE CLASSIC MOVIES.

Q11) Where was Gene Kelly Singin’ in 1952?

A11) In The Rain

Q12) In which film did Vivien Leigh play Scarlett O’Hara?

A12) Gone with the Wind

Q13) Which Alfred directed the thrillers “Rebecca” and “Notorious”?

A13) Hitchcock

Q14) What was the name of the car that involved Kenneth More and Dinah Sheridan in the London to Brighton road run?

A14) Genevieve

Q15) Who starred in the Road films with Dorothy Lamour and Bing Crosby?

A15) Bob Hope

Q16) Which film set in Rick’s Cafe starred Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman?

A16) Casablanca

Q17) How did Some Like It in the film with Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe?

A17) Hot

Q18) Which distinguished actor and Lord, played the lead in “Henry V”?

A18) Laurence Olivier

Q19) Which actor Orson starred in “Citizen Kane” and “The Third Man”?

A19) Orson Welles

Q20) What was the series of comedies made in West London studios called?

A20) Ealing

ROUND THREE.   FOOD AND DRINK.

Q21) Marmalade stems from the Portugese word ‘Marmelo’; – but does Marmelo mean mango, citrus, orange or quince?

A21) Quince

Q22) Which brothers starred in the film “Duck Soup”?

A22) The Marx Brothers

Q23) What is a lift for food in a restaurant known as?

A23) A Dumb waiter

Q24) Which is “…probably the best lager in the world”?

A24) Carlsberg.

Q25) In which year did Rowntree’s Fruit Gums first go on sale -1893, 1903 or 1913?

A25) 1893

Q26) What’s the world’s most widely planted red wine grape; – shiraz, pinot noir, or grenache?

A26) Grenache.

Q27) Which republic is Europe’s biggest exporter of bananas?

A27) Ireland.

Q28) Shirley Conran once said that “Life’s too short to stuff a …” what; – chicken, mushroom, or aubergine?

A28) Mushroom

Q29) Cinnamon comes from which part of the tree?

A29) The Bark.

Q30) In the term ‘costermonger,’ what fruit does the word coster refer to?

A30) An apple.

ROUND FOUR.   ALL THROUGH HISTORY

Q31) Which British archaeologist located the tomb ofTutankhamun?

A31) Howard Carter

Q32) In which English county is Stonehenge?

A32) Wiltshire

Q33) What were the scroll-shaped tablets called in which the names of ancient Egyptian pharaohs were inscribed; – cartouches, carborettors, or carbuncles?

A33) Cartouches

Q34) Who, according to tradition, was the first Christian emperor of Rome?

A34) Constantine

Q35) Which style of classical column was decorated with carvings representing acanthus leaves; – corinthian, ionic, or doric?

A35) Corinthian

Q36) Which Mediterranean island was the scene of a volcanic explosion that destroyed the Minoan civilisation around 1450 BC; – Santorini, Minos, or Crete?

A36) Santorini (otherwise known as Thira)

Q37) What is the English name for the Roman town of Camulodunum?

A37) Colchester

Q38) In French history, who was the Dauphin?

A38) The Crown Prince.

Q39) In which year of the 60’s was the Berlin Wall constructed?

A39) 1961

Q40) Jumping Badger was the real name of which Native American leader?

A40) Sitting Bull.

ROUND FIVE.   SPORTING CHANCES.

Q41) Which country won 17 of the 29 available Track & Field gold medals, in the 1972 Olympics?

A41) The USA.

Q42) Prince Charles, and Camilla Parker Bowles 1st met during the 70’s, at what sort of sporting event?

A42) A polo match

Q43) Soccer’s offside rule was 1st introduced in which century?

A43) The Nineteenth.  (In 1866, to be picky.)

Q44) Which golfer was also known as the Golden Bear?

A44) Jack Nicklaus.

Q45) Which Frankie had seven wins in 1 day?

A45) Frankie Dettori.

Q46) Teofilo Stevenson represented which country at the 1972 Olympics?

A46) Cuba.

Q47) In which year was Anna Kournikova’s 1st professional tennis tournament?

A47) 1998

Q48) The ‘Golden Gloves’ championship features in which sport?

A48) Boxing.

Q49) Which London side was the 1st to be relegated twice from the Premiership League?

A49) Crystal Palace.

Q50) Soccer’s offside rule was 1st introduced in which century?

A50) The Nineteenth.  (In 1866, to be picky.)

ROUND SIX.   GENERAL KNOWLE IGNORANCE.

Q51) What is the capital city of Barbados?

A51) Bridgetown.

Q52) CFC’s famously damage the ozone layer.   But which component chemical does the most damage, chlorine, fluorine, or the carbon?

A52) Chlorine

Q53) Which member of the Monty Python team wrote the stage musical, “Spamalot”?

A53) Eric Idle.

Q54) Parpardelle, and Stracci, are types of what food?

A54) Pasta.

Q55) In the Old Testament, the wife of whom was turned into a pillar of salt?

A55) Lot

Q56) What is the longest word, in English, that contains no vowels?

A56) Rhythms.

Q57) Which novelist wrote “The Mayor of Casterbridge”?

A57) Thomas Hardy.

Q58) What metal is used as the filament of a standard lightbulb?

A58) Tungsten.

Q59) What cartoon strip replaced “Striker,” in The Sun?

A59) The Premier.

Q60) On what date does Bastille Day fall?

A60) July 14th.

Now just in case you’re wondering why that is, well … I’ll do a quick explanation, in the morning.

I’m dog tired, and I’ve had a baaaad night.