Philip Seymour Hoffman
Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
The title of this week’s newsletter, surprisingly, does not refer to yesterday’s Super Bowl, though I suppose all of us lost who expected an exciting game. So many of you viewed the game yesterday that I feel compelled to include some relevant questions on tonight’s quiz. I hope the time with friends and family rewarded your investment of time and attention.
One striking Loss from yesterday was the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman at age 46. James Lipton, the host of the TV show Inside the Actors Studio, called Hoffman the “greatest actor of his generation,” comparing him to Brando, Nicholson, and de Niro. My wife Kate recognized Hoffman’s talent in his earliest films, and would set aside time to see each new film as he became more recognized and event more talented. I have mentioned him dozens of times on the Pub Quiz, and he will reappear this evening as we celebrate his life and work.
One Win, for me, was a reunion of sorts with my favorite teacher from high school, Will Layman. He and two of his colleagues from that small private school, The Field School in Washington DC, were in San Francisco over the weekend, so yesterday my son Jukie and I woke as early as we would on a school day and drove out to the Café de la Presse for some breakfast. I was pleased to see that the maitre d’ was just as snooty as the Yelp reviews had lead to me expect, asking us twice, with some incredulity, if indeed we had no reservation for our 9 AM meal. The food was delicious, and the conversation even better. Now a musician and a jazz critic as well as a beloved teacher, Will Layman (with others) inspired me to jump into the literature racket, to invest deeply in learning and reading, and to consider ways to inspire others’ discoveries. We might say, then, that Will Layman is indirectly responsible for all my brash and public artistic pursuits, including the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz.
The final Loss, for me, is my loss of respect for Woody Allen. I should wait to see if the allegations against him are corroborated, but to imagine an aesthetic hero of mine acting in such a way fills me with grief almost as much as reading of the death of Hoffman. Perhaps this is how the Chris Christie partisans feel as more revelations are revealed.
In addition to what is mentioned above, expect questions tonight on insurance, diminutive stars, introductions to a boyfriend, heroes, impoverished tropical paradises, wings, solar politics, the imagination, POTUS, American rappers, monsters, unusual words with Fs and Ps, more candy from Jay Leno’s doo-to-be-vacated desk, living American authors, surf instrumentals, rock journalism, wars, flowers and dancing, books of maps, houses of worship, the roots of American music, ethnic groups, countries in Europe, loud noises, Canadian menaces, nothing, ketchup, and Shakespeare.
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Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:
- Mottos and Slogans. What US company founded in 1903 has used these two commercial slogans? “American by Birth, Rebel by Choice” and “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”
- Newspaper Headlines. The front-man of Nine Inch Nails tweeted his pique over being cut off towards the end of yesterday’s Grammy Awards ceremony. Name this musician who won an Oscar for scoring the film The Social Network and who Spin magazine described as “the most vital artist in music.”
- Know Your Historical Events. Using letters only, tell me the order of these three historical events: A) The Founding of the French First Republic (with the resulting end of the French Monarchy), B) The Founding of San Francisco by Spanish colonists, and C) The Founding of the United States of America.
- Four for Four. Which of the following Davis parks have a play structure or any kind of apparatus that includes a slide? Central Park, Community Park, Oxford Circle Park, Slide Hill Park.
- Kid Culture. What’s the name of the human handler and adoptive father of Alvin & the Chipmunks?
P.S. This coming Thursday the Poetry Night Reading Series will feature a reading and book-signing by highly acclaimed Nevada City poet Molly Fisk. Fisk will be reading from her most recent book: Blow-Drying a Chicken: Observations from a Working Poet. I hope you can join us Thursday night at 8 for this event at the John Natsoulas Gallery.