In addition to being my secret best friend, Jeopardy champ Ken Jennings is also the author of two excellent trivia-themed books: one a history/memoir (Braniac: Adventures In The Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World Of A Trivia Buffs), and the other a compendium (Ken Jennings's Trivia Almanac: 8,888 Questions In 365 Days). The latter book offers anywhere from two to four quizzes a day, with factoids sprinkled in between. Attempting to answer those quizzes has become a routine part of the day in our household. When my wife and I got to this tough-but-fun music quiz on June 1st, I knew I had to share:
What Do These Sets Of Bands Have In Common?
1. The Bee Gees, The Breeders, Nelson, The Proclaimers
2. Alphaville, Bad Company, Fine Young Cannibals, 10,000 Maniacs
3. a-ha, Duran Duran, Garbage, Paul McCartney & Wings
4. Badfinger, The Band, Joy Division, Nirvana
5. Blind Faith, Cream, Derek & The Dominoes, The Yardbirds
6. The Carpenters, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Genesis, Rare Earth
7. Belle & Sebastian, Franz Ferdinand, Simple Minds, Travis
8. Bad Company, Iron Maiden, Kool & the Gang, New Kids On The Block, Train
9. The Charlatans, Dinosaur Jr., Green Jelly, Suede
10. Air Supply, Steely Dan, T-Rex, The White Stripes
11. The Byrds, Destiny's Child, 'N Sync, The Ohio Express
12. Death Cab For Cutie, Judas Priest, Radiohead, Shakespear's Sister
13. Five For Fighting, The Flaming Lips, The Kinks, R.E.M.
14. Frankie Goes To Hollywood, It's A Beautiful Day, They Might Be Giants, Yo La Tengo
15. INXS, Jethro Tull, Magnetic Fields, My Morning Jacket
Through intuition, desperate guessing and actual knowledge, my wife and I managed to get about ten of these right (and once we read the answers, we kicked ourselves for not getting the other five). Some should be obvious to most music buffs; other will take some pondering.
I'm not going to post the answers, but I'll confirm correct answers in the comments. If you own a copy of the almanac, please don't spoil the quiz by posting the answers. And if you don't have a copy of the book, please buy it immediately.
Happy quizzing!