It’s Australia Day. This is a music quiz. There is no prize, but I’ll give scores* if anyone wants.
The questions are fairly hard, although who can tell. Australians who like popular music won’t find it all trivial. Non-Australians will find it harder, but most questions involve acts who are known to some degree outside Australia.
The questions are written to resist Google a bit. “Spoiler” your answers if you want to. Give more detail if you think “title and artist” isn’t enough. I’ll post answers when interest in answering (if there is any) starts to wane. Drink beer, singe meat and aveagoodweekend.
**1.(a)** Name two Australian punkish bands that pre-date UK punk.
...**(b) **The guitarist of one of these bands had his nickname appropriated for a character played by Tom Cruise. Make the connection.
**2.(a)** Coke slogan featured early use of phasing and house piano.
...** (b)** What is the connection with (a) and the breakup of the Beatles?
**3.** What plant would set fire to this town?
**4.** "Wake up, She's the One" refers to which two bands with common members?
**5.** Which album by a Sydney 3-piece named after a Mad Magazine comic was named after a now defunct television rating?
**6.** Two members of this Australian band came from the last line up of a great NZ band.
**7.** Should this band reminisce, it will recall that it got its name on the road to a gig in Geelong.
**8.** Which Perth band named after a fictional plant had a song that about a woman who thought she was a mode of transport?
**9.** Name two songs with bagpipe solos and one with a pretend bagpipe solo. (non-Australians will probably miss one of these, for which they should be thankful.)
**10.(a)** Who paints the walls in San Tropez?
... ** (b)** And what would an Australian prepare to chant on hearing that opening line?
**11.** What temperature does the clock read?
**12.** Which current Australian politician was formerly a successful musician?
13.(a) This singer springs to mind when the Batmobile is mentioned.
…(b) What has he in common with the person in question 12?
**14.(a) A reformation of this Brisbane band ended with the death of one of its members in 2006.
…(b) **“Dah duh dum” should be enough to identify a song of theirs.
**15. **The guitarist, not the Star Wars bloke.
*Question 9 asks for three songs/ artists = 3 points. Q 7 asks for one = 1 point. More detail if anyone cares.
Which album by a Sydney 3-piece named after a Mad Magazine comic was named after a now defunct television rating?
Spy vs Spy Mod TV Version
Great band I had forgotten all about. They would probably do better today than then. The band I managed played with them a bit (well most of the people you mention actually) and I used to stay back to watch the black and white boys.
8. Which Perth band named after a fictional plant had a song that about a woman who thought she was a mode of transport?
Gotta be The Triffids but I’m not familiar enough with them to get this one.
9. Name two songs with bagpipe solos and one with a pretend bagpipe solo. (non-Australians will probably miss one of these, for which they should be thankful.)
[spoiler]AC/DC - “It’s a Long Way To the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n Roll)”
And (the one I’m ashamed to say came to me first) “You’re The Voice” by John Farnham. Geez, thanks ever so much for that reminder.
Not sure if either of them are real or pretend.[/spoiler]
10.(a) Who paints the walls in San Tropez?
The Angels - “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?”
** (b)** And what would an Australian prepare to chant on hearing that opening line?
No way, get fucked, fuck off!
11. What temperature does the clock read?
11 degrees - Paul Kelly, “Leaps and Bounds”
**14.(a) **A reformation of this Brisbane band ended with the death of one of its members in 2006.
[spoiler]The Go-Betweens
I met Lindy Morrison at the Big Day Out the other day. She’s so cool.[/spoiler]
Not right, Barrington - but funny and a logical guess.
Answers:
1.(a) Name two Australian punkish bands that pre-date UK punk. The Saints, Radio Birdman. FWIW, the existence of these two bands establishes that punk comes from Michigan.
…(b) The guitarist of one of these bands had his nickname appropriated for a character played by Val Kilmer. Make the connection. Denis Tek of Radio Birdman was from Detroit. He was a military pilot and medico and his call sign was Iceman as used in the film Top Gun.
2.(a) Coke slogan featured early use of phasing and house piano. The Real Thing by Russell Morris.
… (b) What is the connection with (a) and the breakup of the Beatles? The song’s advanced arrangement and production was due to Ian “Molly” Meldrum - a legendary figure in Australian music. It was in a Meldrum interview with Lennon and Yoko Ono that news the Beatles were breaking up became public.
3. What plant would set fire to this town? Flame Trees by Cold Chisel
4. “Wake up, She’s the One” refers to which two bands with common members? Wake up Jeff is by popular children’s band The Wiggles, which features former members of The Cockroaches.
5. Which album by a Sydney 3-piece named after a Mad Magazine comic was named after a now defunct television rating? A. O. Mod TV Vers - ie adults only modified for television version - by Spy v Spy
6. Two members of this Australian band came from the last line up of a great NZ band. Crowded House - Neil Finn and the much lamented Paul Hester were in Split Enz. Hester and Nick Seymour make the band Australian by majority.
7. Should this band reminisce, it will recall that it got its name on the road to a gig in Geelong. The Little River Band.
8. Which Perth band named after a fictional plant had a song that about a woman who thought she was a mode of transport? My Baby Thinks She’s a Train by The Triffids.
9. Name two songs with bagpipe solos and one with a pretend bagpipe solo. (non-Australians will probably miss one of these, for which they should be thankful.) It’s a Long Way to the Top (If you Wanna Rock and Roll) by AC/DC, You’re the Voice by John Farnham, Under the Milky Way by The Church.
10.(a) Who paints the walls in Santa Fe? Renoir, according to The Angels in Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again. (The Angels apparently were released under the name Angel City in the US)
… (b) And what would an Australian prepare to chant on hearing that opening line? A strange crowd response to the chorus: No way, get fucked, fuck off.
11. What temperature does the clock read? 11 degrees - Paul Kelly’s Leaps and Bounds.
12. Which current Australian politician was formerly a successful musician? Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil.
13.(a) This singer springs to mind when the Batmobile is mentioned. Angry Anderson of Rose Tattoo - due to a memorably risible half-time entertainment at a sporting event.
…(b) What has he in common with the person in question 12? Baldness
14.(a) A reformation of this Brisbane band ended with the death of one of its members in 2006.**Grant MacLennan of The Go-Betweens. **
…(b) “Dah duh dum” should be enough to identify a song of theirs. Cattle and Cane.
15. The guitarist, not the Star Wars bloke. **John Williams. Token classical player in this list. **
Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t a very very bad Men at Work video clip feature someone one pretending ham-ishly to be playing the bagpipes or did I just make that up?
