Birthday Party, Cheesecake, Jelly Bean, Boom!

Since pretty much everyone made reference to our fave R.E.M. song, "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)," in their blogs this week, I feel compelled to compile some trivia about that anthem of the apocalypse (and some of the topics mentioned in the song too).  It's pretty much the extent of my interest in anything involving the world ending.  Seriously, I can't even watch those movies without freaking out.  Also, while writing this blog I think you should all know that I watched an O.C. episode where they mentioned the apocalypse (um, who else knew that show was ending next week?) and the Colbert Report where he obviously mentioned the rapture.  So maybe everyone knows I'm blogging about the end of the world.  As we know it.  Or I'm the only one who watches the O.C. still.  Ok, here comes some trivia!

1. Which of these following movies featured the aforementioned song?
A. Independence Day
B. Chicken Little
C. Tommy Boy
D. Armageddon

2. True or false, when George Bush won his second presidential election, NPR played "ITEOTWAWKI (AIFF)."

3. Leonard Bernstein was in which fraternity?
A. Sammy
B. ZBT
C. Alpha Sig
D. None of the above.

4. In December 1979, Leonid Brezhnev intervend in Afghanistan in opposition to Muslim radicals sponsored by which country?
A. China
B. Iran
C. The U.S.
D. Iraq

5. Lester Bangs was credited with inventing the term defining which music genre?
A. Ska
B. Grunge
C. Salsa
D. Punk

6. Lenny Bruce was controversial because...
A. He said bad words.
B. He had frequent wardrobe malfunctions.
C. He used steroids.
D. He was having a relationship with a much younger woman.

7. True or false, when the Red Sox won the World Series, Fox Sports played "ITEOTWAWKI (AIFF)."

8. Michael Stipe apparently wrote "ITEOTWAWKI (AIFF)" after having a dream in which he was at a ______________ and everybody there had the initials L.B.
A. Basketball game
B. Birthday party
C. Bris
D. Book club meeting

9. Which of the following are lyrics in the song?
A.  "Wire in a fire, represent the seven games in a government for hire and a combat site."
B. "Left her, wasn't coming in a hurry with the furies breathing down your neck."
C. "Look at that low plane!  Fine then.  Uh oh, overflow, population, common group, but it'll do."
D. "Ladder structure clatter with fear of height, down height."

Answers!
1. Independence Day, Chicken Little, and Tommy Boy all featured ITEOTWAWKI(AIFF).  As far as I know, Armageddon did not. (A, B, C)
2. False.  Although I totally made that up, and maybe they did.
3. He was Jewish AND gay, and was in ZBT!  (B)
4. THE UNITED STATES.  (C)  Whoops, we screwed up.
5. Punk (D).  Also, his real first name was Leslie.  Whatta punk.
6. He said bad words. (A)  Oh, how times have changed.
7. True!  HAHA!
8. Birthday party (B).   
9. All of them are in the song.  And no, I can't explain any of them to you.

Also, here's some interesting trivia that I couldn't figure out how to put in question form.  (You've got to wonder if I'm qualified to write this column). 

• It was the first song played on MTV in the year 2000.
• OMG there are SOO many songs that mention Lenny Bruce, you should just look it up on Wikipedia.
• The song was included on the list of songs deemed inappropriate by Clear Channel following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
• Also, note that Billy Graham presented Lenny Bruce's concert.  Yes, THAT Billy Graham. 

Comments

[Lauren]

Yo EM, I thoroughly enjoyed this quiz, even though I knew like NONE of the answers. I totally learned a lot. And I have two pieces of trivia to add:

1. (I'm surprised she hasn't commented to say this already) In middle school KELLYq learned ALL the words to ITEOTWAWKI (AIFF) by repeatedly replaying the cassette tape of it, stopping it, scribbling down the words on a piece of paper, then hitting play again, THEN memorizing it. And kids today can get the lyrics just by Googling! How will they develop any life skills???

2. Boyf's mom has a table that used to belong to Leonard Bernstein. Rando.

[D.C.]

When driving home from school on Sept. 11, "ITEOTWAWKI" came up on a mix CD I had. Awkwaaaarrrd.

[the mayor]

it took me a minute to realize that "ITEOFTHWAWKI (AIFF)" wasn't a Russian word. I remember that Kelly knew all the words and that I was impressed. Now that I know so many of the words myself (care of Q #9) I'm even more awed -- those things don't make any kind of sense.

[KELLYq]

Finding the lyrics w/ a cassette player was bad bc i ended up getting them all wrong. Then my uncle (who knew how to use the internet) found them online and he said it took him lke, 3 minutes. whereas I has spent the ENTIRE evening rewinding/pausing/playing/writing down lyrics.

Plus I also think it was bad bc it made me look like a total loser. Mayor? Back me up on this?

[Phylan]

I can back up the total loser part.

[Inactive account]

Does this mean next week's theme be Rockville?

[the mayor]

no kellyq it didn't make you look like a loser. but what did I know -- I was too busy mixing white-out with nail polish.

[Caitlar]

OMG kellyq i did the SAME THING. in fact, i did that with a lot of songs, including "hook" from blues traveler and "one week" from barenaked ladies. and even though when i sing it it sounds like gibberish (because pausing and writing down what you think you heard is not the most accurate), people are still amazed that i can even kind of sing it.

[Tori]

Once, while in high school, I tried to impress super-stud Paul Novick with my knowledge of ALL the words to "One Week." And he made some comment about how cool people have better things to do with their time than memorize all the words to crazy songs. And I felt so dissed. But now I'm learning that cool people DO spend their time memorizing all the words to crazy songs and I feel so validated.

[EmGusk]

I'm glad my posting is letting everyone feel our inner coolness

[confused]

Tori, so maybe your lesbianism stems from being dissed by paul and then comforted by a wily lesbian recruiter?

[Tori]

The hotness that was Paul Novick circa 1999 transcends sexual orientation.

[yuminator]

"Birthday Party, Cheesecake, Jelly Bean, Boom" --> I don't get it.

[EmGusk]

it's a line in the song, right after the one mentioning all those famous guys with the initials L.B.