Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
I hope you can join us this evening, for we have a number of tables unclaimed for the Quiz.
Often as a Quizmaster I’ve reflected on ways to make the Pub Quiz fair, that is, equally challenging for all the different segments of our Pub Quiz audience, without regard to age, geographic region, and socio-cultural background. This is difficult, of course, because although I read widely, I am still somewhat limited by my own background. Luckily I know and appreciate friends and mentors who are older than me, and surround myself as part of my profession with students who are half my age. As a result, I often find myself engaged with inquisitive conversations with people who are equally curious about the world and with knowledge that is relevant to their lives, their classes, the books they read and the news that they follow.
Some of my Facebook friends and I have been discussing the phenomenon of The Brady Bunch, of all things, lines of which were quoted in conversations I enjoyed from my childhood, but which I had assumed were largely irrelevant today. It turns out that my family invested in cable TV only about five years ago, so I also wasn’t aware of the great wasteland of television repeats that young viewers have been exposed to for many years. Although I regret the hours and potential lost to television, I have on occasion enjoyed encountering there actors I knew as a child, such as John Hillerman and John Putch on One Day at a Time, and Georgia Engel and Jean Stapleton on CBS hits from the 1970s, repeating witty lines with their young 1970s voices. I know and remember all these actors and these shows well, but is it fair for me to ask questions about programs that had ceased production a decade or more before the births of your typical UC Davis sophomore? After all, the Pub Quiz is an all-ages show (which means that we have alternate prizes ready for young teams who win wine), and I always wish to be fair to everyone.
Speaking of fair (?), here are some hints. Tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions about drummers, potentials and passions, Australians, divisions, Wyoming, television mothers, baseballs, recent music, baseball teams that made it to the post-season, rodents (we liberated another mouse last week, releasing him into a field teeming with jackrabbits!), Yeats quotations, beloved Presidents, cynicism, Eminem, Friday television, famous lovers of antiquity, late-night television, Muppets (because they are so popular with the tables that have requested easier questions), time travel, the inimitable Dom DeLuise, the US Navy, poets who were born before your great-great-great grandparents, Las Vegas, Latino culture, UC Davis sports, unsympathetic characters in Shakespeare and really big sharks.
Thanks for reading this far, and of your support of the Pub Quiz. Have you been telling your friends about what you do, or wish you could do, on Monday nights? You should invite them along. What sort of referral bonus do you think would be appropriate for regulars who inspire new teams?
See you soon,
Your Quizmaster
Find out about following Your Quizmaster on Facebook and Twitter at https://www.yourquizmaster.com.
Five Questions from last week’s Pub Quiz:
25.Actresses and Pop Singers. What American actress and pop singer began her foray into film by providing the voice of “Penny” in the animated film Bolt, and earned a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for her performance of Bolt’s theme song, “I Thought I Lost You”?
26.Science – Apples.The country that produced the largest percentage of the 55 million tonnes of apples that were grown worldwide in 2005 is found on the continent where apple trees first originated. Name the continent.
27.Books and Authors.The 19th best-selling book in English, Angels and Demons, sold 39 million copies. Name its author.
28.Current Events – Names in the News.Who is Nicky Diaz’s lawyer?
29.Sports.During most of his playing career, what was Michael Jordan’s jersey number?
P.S. The Second Annual Confluence College Poetry Tour is coming to the John Natsoulas Gallery in Davis Thursday night at 8pm. See http://www.poetryindavis.com for details.
P.P.S. Have you seen the one-woman show Tilly No-Body at the Mondavi Center? Tickets are still available, but the run lasts only until October 24.
Friends of the Pub Quiz, and those curious about all the fun and fuss associated with the Pub Quiz, should come to de Vere’s Irish Pub in Davis (217 E Street), the highly esteemed pub and restaurant that fills up every night because of the superb quality of food, drink and company that can be found there. The de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz takes place every Monday at 7pm, though players are encouraged to arrive early to claim a table. As always, find out more about the Pub Quiz by visiting https://www.yourquizmaster.com. For more on de Vere’s Irish Pub, visit http://deverespub.com/.