Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
When I told some of my friends in a meeting that I was finishing three books this summer, one of them pointed out that he has an even longer reading list planned for his vacation months. Then I corrected myself, clarifying that I was going to finish writing three books this summer. I was immediately greeted by incredulous silence. When I recently revealed my summer plan to my friend Gena, she asked, “Three books? Why not five?”
Why is the newsletter a bit late today? Well, this morning I finished the first draft of one of the three books, the one with this working title: Your Quizmaster’s Book of (Pub) Quizzes: Trivia for Smart People. If you have been joining me for a while, and some of you have been joining me weekly for more than five years, then some of the content will be familiar to you, for I have been writing this book in weekly installments, without fail, with you in mind.
Some of the questions I ask made perfect sense at the time, but would be much more difficult to answer years later.
Here’s an example: What 6’4” tall action star, not Clint Eastwood, is missing from this news headline from yesterday? “Marked for Governor? Actor BLANKY BLANKY says he’s weighing bid for Arizona’s highest office.”
If you had just heard about this unlikely run at political office on NPR or in the Huffington Post that morning, you would know the answer right away, but 18 months in our busy lives can remind us how “trivial” some topical trivia questions can be.
I really enjoy the ephemeral nature of the thinking-person’s entertainment that I offer on Monday nights, but now that this book is scheduled to be published later this year, I have become more mindful of what hardy questions are “evergreen,” and which have especially short shelf lives. I’ve had to reword many questions, such as by mentioning someone’s year of birth, rather than her age.
Writing this book also reminds me of patterns of questions and topics that come up on the Quiz. Via Twitter, someone accused me today of writing only periodic table science questions. Then the quiz participant offered some alternative topics. I challenged the premise of the original objection, but I welcome the additional question topic categories. I love to have multiple perspectives represented in the Pub Quiz. I also love to remember your feedback on past quizzes as I improve, even further, on carefully composed questions. The two-person team Albatross, for example, has taught me important lessons about Admiral Ackbar (who was voiced by a veteran Berkeley actor who has never seen the first two Star Wars films).
If I remember, next week I will tell you about my second book – a Guide to Davis Culture – and let you know how you can participate in its composition, should you be interested, and should you feel that you could do justice to a favorite Davis haunt, or a favorite Davis hero.
Speaking of favorite Davisites, the great poet Julia Levine is reading at the Natsoulas Gallery this coming Thursday night at 8. Her most recent book, Small Disasters Seen in Sunlight, won the Northern California Book Award. The name Julia B. Levine is less well known in Northern California and in poetry circles than at least four of her five competitors, but Julia won. It’s a testament both to the highest quality of her verse, and to the perspicacity of the judges. I hope you will join us for that reading Thursday night.
Tonight’s Pub Quiz may feature questions on some of the topics I have raised above, as well as questions on monkeys, Silicon Valley, The White House, choices, kale and coriander, people who can’t stop (but really should), what Social Security teaches us about names, seafood, rising sands, stone, UC Davis apiculturist Eric Mussen, troublesome triangles, father figures, Muhammad Ali, French performers, Apartheid, fancy winter coats, undergraduates, when animals attack, coy volunteers, unpleasant climates, movie taglines, candidates, missed ice, impressive stadia, multi-decade hiatuses, the City of Davis, and Shakespeare.
I hope you can join us this evening.
Your Quizmaster
https://www.yourquizmaster.com
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Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:
- Mottos and Slogans. Is the word “Pixar” in the famous Pixar logo with the bouncing desk lamp serif or non-serif?
- Newspaper Headlines. It was announced today that The Alamo and four Spanish colonial Catholic missions in Texas are being designated U.S. World Heritage sites by the United Nations. In what Texas city does one find The Alamo?
- Beds. What model of bed is the signature bed of the Select Comfort bed company?
- Pop Culture – Music. What hugely successful American vocal group consists of A. J., Howie, Nick, Kevin, and Brian?
- Sports. What NFL football player became the NFL’s all-time rushing leader, breaking the record formerly held by Walter Payton?
P.S. How much would you / someone pay for a book containing 1,500 top-notch pub quiz questions?