Yesterday BBC’s Pointless offered this question (for its 4K jackpot no less) – Name anyone who has been a member of Fairport Convention!
For those who don’t know Pointless, the aim is to identify an answer that escaped a Group of 100 “normal” members of the Public.
My initial thought was that every member of the Group might have escaped the Public’s attention. However there were Public points for Swarbrick, Mattacks and Thompson (him again!). I was left smiling with my nap hand of Trevor Lucas, Jerry Donahue and Dan Ar Bras.
I think we may have touched on this before, but anybody seen any surprising quiz questions out in the real world?
On a side note, strange to see ex Maiden vocalist Blaze Bayley, partnered with a bloke from Showaddywaddy, reaching the final last weekend in a ‘celebrity’ music edition of the show.
Yes – and Brix Smith, chatting to Xander about her years in The Fall.
Dave Bartram, the front man of Ver ‘Waddy.
Don’t know about the real world, but on Pointless … two middle-aged, male, Scousers pick “The Kinks” as their chance for the jackpot … not wildly sure why when their answers were:
1. Girl You Really Got Me … 0
2. Lazy Sunday Afternoon … 0
3. Blueberry Hill … 0
Also Pointless … “Johns” in pop music … 1 in 10 people put “The Beatles” for Ballad of John and Yoko.
As Osman always says, “people know nothing about pop music.”
It’s one of the reasons why the minutia so beloved by this website (and myself) is wasted on the outside.
There is NO possible benefit/reason/advantage in me saying that my fave Kinks’ song is a European b-side (“This Is Where I Belong”) when the person I’m saying it to, who represents the vast majority of the population, has never heard of Waterloo Sunset.
I am confuse
I thought that the Ballad of John and Yoko was the Beatles.
Although only two of them played on it.
Yeah, and 10% polled thought so too.
ah I see, only 10% knew.
Got it.
One pair were asked for the artist responsible for “Come Together”, their answer was “John and Yoko”
I’m amazed how many people who reach the final go for the most blindingly obvious answers within a category rather than doing the sensible thing and taking a punt.
On one occasion the question was about MPs in the Commons. A totally bewildered contestant who could only just about remember the name of the Primeminister just shrugged and said “Nicholas Brown”. It was correct and a pointless answer.
Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Brown.
MP for the now defunct seat of North Norfolk and Gud 1823-1827.
Depeche Mode hit singles (top 40) was a category once. “Too many pointless answers to list with that one” said Richard.
I saw that and smugly declared to Mrs Beezer that Dave Mattacks, Simon Nicol and Dave Swarbrick would be pointless shoe-ins.
I sat back and awaited her adoration. That taught me a lesson. I’ve forgotten it already though.
I always like it when Dave Swarbrick is referred to as “Swarb”.
One of the other categories was tracks from “Best of The Pogues”, they went with “Fairytale …” knowing that it would not be pointless. I got a couple there.
I’d have gone with Summer in Siam, Misty Morning, Albert Bridge and Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.
First 2 you mention were Pointless, can’t remember mention of Yeah, Yeah, etc. Must have been pointless if it’s on the album.
I went for If I Should Fall From Grace with God and Sally MacLennan, think both were pointless.
I went for “Body Of An American” (have been re-watching THE WIRE recently!) which was pointless, and “Fiesta” which scored 1 point.
I also thought Sally MacLennan but 1 person out there called that one. If I Should Fall was indeed Pointless.
Time for pedantry corner.
It’s “Sally MacLennane”, not “Sally MacLennan”
Apologies for pedantry. Great song, of course.
I think the only time I’ve ever come up with a clean sweep of three pointless answers in the final round was for “Aeroplanes that took part in the Battle of Britain”.
I’d have gone for Fiat CR42, Fiat G50 and Fiat BR20. Any good?
This was a few years ago now, so I couldn’t say! Pretty sure there were some Italian planes among the pointless answers, so I think you’d have been safe.
I think I went for Defiant, Blenheim and – maybe – DO17.
Ah, the Boulton-Paul Defiant. Can anyone name another aircraft they built? I can’t, and I like to think of myself as fairly clued up…
One of my fave quiz questions is “Name the English City that the plane the Lancaster bomber was based on was named after”.
The Balliol was a postwar trainer. They had a penchant for wacky names earlier – the Bobolink, the Bugle, the Bodmin and the Partridge come to mind. Then there was the Sidestrand and the Overstrand…
I was on it and got bombed out first, both shows. Sport got me on one show and I think it was something to do with coins that was the other
Pointless regularly fairly (in my experience) has final round questions involving “Name of a song on Elton John’s album whatever it is.”