Pat Benatar had a string of hits back in the 80's, along with several multi-platinum album releases and a slew of Grammy awards. Her debut album, "In The Heat Of The Night" was released shortly after signing to Chrysalis records in 1979. She was signed as a result of getting the attention of record executives through a regular gig at "Catch A Rising Star" in the late 70's. 

 

Unlike other female rock vocalists, Benatar had not been part of a band before getting signed as a solo artist. Linda Ronstadt had Stone Poneys, Cyndi Lauper had Blue Angel, Gwen Stefani had No Doubt, even Madonna had the Breakfast Club. 

Now it's true that Benatar subsequently formed a band with guitarist/producer/eventual husband Neil Giraldo after getting signed, and that band pretty much kept a consistent line-up throughout her career. But there was no band-she-fronted-before-going-solo for Pat Benatar. What she did have was a classically trained voice that could run circles around most of her contemporaries. She also has the distinction of having the second video ever played on MTV back when it debuted in the 80's (it came on right after The Buggles' "Video Killed The Radio Star.") Which video was it?

Last week the sky was falling over in Russia, in the form of a meteor that fell to earth. Fortunately nobody overreacted in the fashion predicted by at least a few apocalyptic films from the 80's - no counterstrike, no accidental armageddon. And anyways, WWIII is SUPPOSED to be initiated by the release of a red balloon, not by a meteorite.

Comedian, Steven Colbert got the opportunity to make jokes about the 80's arcade game "Asteroids" before The I had the chance (Grrr), but we can still use the occasion to offer some "Asteroids" related trivia. Atari's "Asteroids" was the most successful arcade game the company ever released, and it has long since earned an exalted status among video games.

Shortly after its release in 1979, the game inspired sequels, home versions, imitators, and bootlegs, some of which are still showing up today. Rumor has it there's supposed to be a Hollywood film inspired by the game. I remembers how, intentionally or not, the game's appearance coincided with the release of the first Star Wars sequel "The Empire Strikes Back." The asteroid chase was one of the best parts of the film, and upon exiting the Mall theater after watching it for the 27th time, one could head over to the arcade for several rounds of Atari's "Asteroids." 

Several films from the 80's featured shots of "Asteroids" arcade game, either in the background, or being played by the characters. These included "Fast Times At Ridgemont High," "War Games," and "Terms Of Endearment." But perhaps the most ironic, given last weeks dashcam images of the Russian meteor streaking through the sky, was a 1984 film starring Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney, and Robert Beltran. It featured teenagers left to fend for themselves in a post apocalyptic wasteland populated by zombies, only this time thermonuclear war was not actually to blame. What was the name of the film?

Scanning through the endless newsfeeds, I've noted that an online friend has posted a video by Kid Creole and The Coconuts. Hearing Kid Creole takes me back to my college days. Kid Creole's third album "Tropical Gangsters" was in regular rotation at the time, and understandably so. Probably the standout album in the band's catalog, it featured the U.K. hits "Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy" and "Stool Pigeon." 

Ol' Kid Creole was ahead of the curve, too. The record had swing before the swing craze, "gangsters" before the gangstas, and an homage to Cab Calloway (in the form of the Kid himself) years before Janet Jackson's "Alright" (to be fair, Ms. Jackson did get the genuine article for her vid.) Kid Creole's Cab Calloway inspired persona was all part of his schtick, the invention of frontman August Darnell. Darnell an eager and energetic performer from the Bronx who started his first band in the 60's, and spent time in Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band during the 70's. 

Putting together a latin swing ensemble and releasing a cycle of theme albums about a mystery woman, all the while appearing in a yellow zoot suit and fedora, might not have seemed like an obvious move in 1980. But Kid Creole's catchy tunes caught a break on the U.K. charts, and the band has managed to persist in one form or another to this day. Not only that, they've had several appearances in major films, they produced stage shows, they had their own T.V. movie, and they even collaborated with Prince and Sheila E. Perhaps we'll save their six degrees of separation with the New Wave Blitz crowd for next week, but for now: 

The band's breakthrough 1982 album "Tropical Gangsters" was released in the U.S., but the American record label changed the title. Perhaps they were nervous about the notion of "gangsters" as a theme for a record (an anxiety they've clearly overcome since), but they decided to call it something else. So what was the U.S. title of Kid Creole & The Coconuts' third album?

Earlier this week we bid adieu to 2012, and I gotta say, it was a pretty good year. Not my favorite, but a good year none the less. Thirty years ago last October, MGM released a movie called "My Favorite Year." Charmingly innocent and replete with plenty of 80's era sentimentality, it basically fictionalized the youthful experiences of one of the filmmakers, the legendary Mel Brooks. 

Early in his career, Brooks had worked on Sid Caesar's "Your Show Of Shows." One of the guests on the show back then was matinee idol Erol Flynn, and although the actual appearance of Flynn on the show was uneventful, the idea of a forgotten movie star resurfacing for a TV appearance led to the concept for "My Favorite Year." 

The film embellishes the plot by having its hero reemerge as a washed up drunk, along with subplots involving the criminal underworld and a romantic interest for the narrator. But it's a Peter O'Toole film, and he is unforgettable as the aging matinee idol. O'Toole's character sits alongside Clint Eastwood's William Money and Willem Defoe's Max Schreck, although O'Toole's is a much more comedic interpretation. In deference to perhaps the greatest swashbuckler of cinema's golden age, the screenwriters gave O'Toole's character a name which sounds awful close to Erol Flynn, but not quite. What was the name of Peter O'Toole's character in "My Favorite Year?"

With the Mayan Apocalypse come and gone, there are many appropriate doomsday songs from the 80's to play. Prince's "1999" is an obvious choice, also Love & Rockets' recording of "Ball of Confusion," The Cure's "Grinding Halt," Depeche Mode's "Told You So," Time Zone's "World Destruction," . . . this list could go on forever! But what about R.E.M.'s "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)?" It's a great tune, following the form of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and Reunion's "Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)." (The song later inspired Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire," but let's not hold that against R.E.M.) 

Michael Stipe said that part of the stream of consciousness lyrics for "It's The End Of The World . . . " were inspired by a dream he had that was filled with well known people with the same initials. Four such well known people are mentioned in the song, what are the names?

Sadly, musician Ravi Shankar passed away this week. It may seem like an odd acknowledgement to mention Shankar in a forum dedicated to 80's Trivia. After all, Ravi Shankar might be more readily associated with the 60's, George Harrison, Monterey Pop, and (of course) Woodstock. But such was Shankar's relevance and influence. At one point he was considered to be the most internationally recognizable person from the whole of India. He was considered to be one of, if not the pre-eminint, masters of the Sitar. His international success paved the way artists like Monsoon, Sheila Chandra, and Ofra Haza to score hits on the western pop culture charts, not to mention encouraging the "world beat" phenomenon of the mid 80's (with a little help from globalization, of course). And anyone who is a fan of music in general could not be unmoved by the expressiveness, artistry, and complexity of Ravi Shankar's music. Shankar's catalog of recordings spans the past five decades. In 1982, he got an Academy Award nomination for the soundtrack he recorded for one of the great epic bio-pics of the 80's. Shankar was the obvious choice for the gig, too. What was the name of the film?

Speaking of car commercials that use songs from the 80's, KIA is airing a commercial right now that uses the song "Maniac." The song originally became a hit when it was included in the 1983 film "Flashdance." The video for the song was a montage of scenes from the film, and the images of dancers being doused with water and chased by strobe lights are about as 80's as it gets. The fact that the video barely showed any shots of the artist responsible for the song didn't stop him from becoming one of the great one hit wonders of the decade.

The artist who co-wrote and recorded "Maniac" was a seasoned session musician, who collaborated with stars like Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, New Edition, and George Benson. So what was his name?

Bonus Question: It's a fairly well known fact that "Flashdance" star Jennifer Beals didn't do any of the dance routines in the film herself, instead they were performed by body doubles. But the breakdancers were real. In fact, one of the breakers featured prominently in the film and the music video was New York native 'Crazy Legs' (a.k.a. Richard Colon).

Crazy Legs had come up through the earliest incarnations of the New York b-boy scene, when battling other breakers with dance moves was the pathway to glory and street cred. He would eventually become president of one of the best known breakdance outfits, a group that brought breakdance performances from the Roxy Nightclub in NYC to stages in London and Paris, and even to an appearance at the Royal Variety Performance for Elizabeth the second, Queen of England, in 1983. So what was the name of the famous 80's breakdance group that Richard "Crazy Legs" Colon presides over to this day?

The 80th Annual Academy Awards Ceremony was broadcast this past Sunday, and although much has been made about the low ratings, the Oscars are still the pinnacle of the entertainment industry's awards shows. Of course, we're only to eager to scan the nominations/winners list for anything 80's related that can inspire some trivia.

This year its easy: the Oscar for Best Picture went to "No Country For Old Men," along with the Oscars for Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor. "No Country For Old Men" is a film by Joel and Ethan Coen, and is the latest inclusion in an influential and acclaimed body of work that the brothers have been responsible for both writing and directing over the last 24 years. Some of their best works include "Fargo" (which also won an Oscar for Best Screenplay), "The Big Lebowski," "Barton Fink," and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

Here's where the 80's connection comes in: The Coen Brothers debut feature film came out in 1984. What was the title?

Bonus Question: The 50th Annual Grammy Awards hit the airwaves a couple of weeks ago, and there's a few names from the 80's on their nominations/winners list as well. Some of the artists on the Grammies list who got their start in the 80's include Bon Jovi, The Beastie Boys, Sly & Robbie, Suzanne Vega, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Brave Combo, Metallica, King Diamond, Slayer, and Bjork. It's almost a foregone conclusion that U2 will show up on the list somewhere (this year was no exception), and both Prince and Madonna scored Grammies (Madonna's was way down the list, "Best Longform Video," but its there). And then there was the numerous artists who were around before the 80's, but had their biggest hits in the 80's. This group includes Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Patti Austin, and the winner for Album Of The Year, Herbie Hancock.

Hancock has had a long history in the jazz world, but has also received recognition (as well as some criticism) for lending his considerable talent to other genres. The song "Rockit" is probably the best example, a synth heavy dance track that became the signature tune of the break dance scene. The video was all over MTV, and won Best Video at the first MTV awards. And the song won Herbie Hancock his first Grammy Award. Hancock performed a synth medly that included "Rockit" at the 1985 Grammy awards ceremony with three other noted keyboardists. Who were they?

Happy Chinese New Year! That's right, Thursday February 7th is the beginning of the first lunar month on the Chinese calendar. So how about some 80's Trivia related to China: Back in 1983, a post punk band from New Orleans released an irresistibly catchy song called "China" that made it to 53 on the Billboard Pop Charts. What was the name of this band?

Bonus Question: Those who follow Chines astrology know that 2008 will be the year of the rat. So how about some 80's Trivia related to Ratt: What was the name of the model and well known video vixen who appeared on the cover of Ratt's first album "Out Of The Cellar?"

As 2007 winds down to a close, our 80's Trivia Challenge takes a look back at some of the famous people who left this world during the past year. Many famous people who passed away in 2007 had no particular connection to the 80's other than having lived through it, folks like Norman Mailer, Kurt Vonnegut, Ingmar Bergman, Jane Wyman, Merv Griffin, Evil Knievel, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Robert Goulet had already made their mark before the 80's began.

Others, like Anna Nicole Smith, Frankie Abernathy, David "Disco D" Shayman, and Pimp C became famous after the 1980's had ended. As for famous (or infamous) names like Tony Wilson, Luciano Pavarotti, Jerry Falwell, Boris Yeltsin, Kevin Dubrow, and Tami Faye will always elicit thoughts of the 80's. When it comes to infamous figures from the 80's, billionaire hotel operator Leona Helmsley deserves mention. Dubbed the "Queen of Mean," this well known business tycoon went from a seamstress to become one of the wealthiest real estate moguls in New York City. But anyone who worked for her would likely remember her as the tyrannical boss who was prone to stiffing contractors and firing employees for the slightest transgressions.

When she stood trial for tax evasion in 1989, a former housekeeper testified that Mrs. Helmsley once said "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes." Leona Helmsley's denials notwithstanding, the recounting of this oh-so-80's incident no doubt helped the jury convict her. So what was the name of the United States Attorney who prosecuted Leona Helmsley and her husband for tax evasion back in 1988?

Bonus Question: Contrast the life of Leona Helmsley with that of actor Calvert Deforest, who also passed away in 2007. The two had a very similar set of eyebrows, but while Helmsley was first getting recognized in the real estate world for forcing many New York apartment buildings to go condo, it's well known that Deforest managed to live in the same rent controlled Manhattan apartment for 47 years in a row. And while Helmsley was largely perceived as wicked and demanding, Calvert Deforest, (Larry 'Bud' Melman on NBC's Late Night with David Letterman) could only be described as (in Letterman's words) "a genuine, modest, and nice man." Calvert Deforest got many an acting gig outside of "Late Night" as a result of the popularity of his character. He even got a part in a music video by a well known 80's rap group. What was the name of the group, and what was the name of the song?

Fans of Heavy Metal music are mourning the death of the lead singer of the group that was arguably the first of the genre to put a record at the top of the Billboard pop charts. On Sunday, November 25th, the body of Quiet Riot lead singer Kevin DuBrow was found in his home outside of Las Vegas.

DuBrow had been a member of the band during their L.A. club days in mid 70's, and got to see the band become the vanguard of the burgeoning hard rock sound in the early 80's. Their 1983 release "Metal Health" (often incorrectly credited as their debut, although it was the first of their albums to be released in the U.S.) rode to the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, largely on the success of the second single.

Now, it does depend on how one defines the genre, but the number one spot for the album and the number five spot for the single were firsts for a Metal band in the U.S. But it was the first and last major hit for the band. When their success started to fade with their next release, DuBrow made something of a pariah of himself by accusing other successful Metal acts of riding his coat tails (his own band eventually fired him after getting fed up with his posturing). But even Metalheads have a heart, and although he never made it to the top again, he is being honored for his contributions to the scene.

Quiet Riot's biggest hit was actually a cover of a Slade tune, but it became the bands signature. What was the name of the song?

Bonus Question: What was the name of the album that "Metal Health knocked out of the number one slot on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1983?

Madonna's "Holiday" is the perfect theme for our Thanksgiving 80's style. Thursday's a holiday, a time to celebrate, and 80's Night brings back all of those happy days! "Holiday" wasn't Madonna's first song, but it was her first chart topper. The song "Lucky Star" was released earlier, but only became a hit after being re-released following the success of "Holiday."

Holiday is the only one of her songs that Madonna's included on all of her world tours, it's been on the U.K. charts on three separate occasions, and there was even a rap version back in 1986. And, according to the liner notes of Madonna's self titled debut album, Madonna does more than singing on this tune - she plays a musical instrument. It's something that no self respecting disco tune should be without, what instrument is Madonna credited with playing on "Holiday?"

Bonus Question: Perusing the liner notes of Madonna's first album further reveals that "Holiday" is one of three songs on the album that Madonna didn't write herself. The authors of the song had a group of their own, and later had a few of their songs make it to the club charts. They originally submitted a demo of "Holiday" to the legendary John "Jellybean" Benitez, and he played it for Madonna. There's no mention of whether the authors ever recorded their own version of their song, but Madonna's version became a club classic. So what was the name of the 80's disco group who's members were responsible for writing the song "Holiday?"

To celebrate the fall of the Berlin wall yet again (see the first Berlin wall trivia question) try your hand at this week's cold war trivia.

The end of the Cold War presented a problem for Hollywood. For over forty years, the Soviet Union were the de facto bad guys for spy flicks and action films. Not willing to give up on a proven formula, some films in the 90's continued to use evil Russkies to menace the hero (Air force One comes to mind). Most movies today seem to have moved on to terrorists, of course.

If ever there was a movie hero that was vexed by sinister Soviets, it was James Bond. The Bond franchise goes all the way back to the 60's, but the 80's provided several installments in the 007 saga. One Bond films starts out at the Berlin wall, and sees Bond sneaking across Checkpoint Charlie in order to foil the plot of a scheming Russian general. What was the name of this film?

Bonus Question: Speaking of Checkpoint Charlie, what's the name of the Elvis Costello song that mentions the phrase?

World renowned operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti passed away recently. Pavarotti was beloved all over the world for his amazing vocal talents, his charisma as an entertainer, and his work as a humanitarian. He was a top selling artist who appeared on scores of recordings, both popular and classical. He was a member of The Three Tenors, a group that was responsible for the top selling classical album of all time. And, his work for charitable causes brought in record funds that went to relieve suffering in troubled spots around the world.

But he drew his share of criticism as well, much of which came from purists who felt his forays into pop culture diminished the stature of opera as an art form. He also drew fire from film critics for his starring role in a 1982 movie that is considered to be on the verge of unwatchable.

Whereas Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley managed the transition between the music and film worlds, it wasn't in the cards for Pavarotti. Oh well, may God rest his soul all the same. So what was the name of the film?

Bonus Question: Luciano Pavarotti set numerous records during his career. In 1988, he set a record at the Berlin Opera House that made it to the Guinness Book of World Records. What was the record setting achievement?

Morrissey came to town earlier this week, as part of his current tour. Morrissey was, of course, the singer and lyricist for The Smiths, considered by many to be the most important band of the 80's. And Morrissey continues to be a prolific songwriter and performer, with a catalog of solo releases that carry on many of the themes he developed as a member of The Smiths.

Morrissey disbanded The Smiths and went solo back in 1987, shortly after guitarist Johnny Marr announced that he was leaving the band. This turn of events occurred just before the release of "Strangeways, Here We Come," the album that would end up being the band's last. If one checks out the videos made for the singles released from "Strangeways, Here We Come," it's notable that Morrissey is the only Smiths member who appears in them. One of these videos features Morrissey and an entourage of protégés riding around Manchester on bicycles. What's the name of the song?

Bonus Question: Some of the locations in the above mentioned video pop up several times in The Smiths' lexicon, and several have become destinations for Smiths fans visiting Manchester. In fact, the Strangeways prison (since renamed) provided inspiration for the title of the last Smiths album, and if you check out the back cover, there's a road sign pointing out the way to Strangeways. Word has it the sign is no longer there (probably nicked by a fan) but it has been immortalized on the back of this album. Underneath 'Strangeways' is another location some distance further on, what is it?

This Thursday is the True Colors tour at Merriweather Post Pavilion. The headliner for the show is legendary 80's pop-star Cyndi Lauper. Cyndi Lauper was responsible for the central female anthem of the decade, the song "Girls Just Want To Have Fun." As timeless as that song has become, it only made it to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Lauper's first #1 was actually "Time After Time," but those two hits plus two others put Cyndi Lauper in the record books as the first female artist to have four Top Five singles from a debut album. Among her many other achievements, she was the #1 Singles Artist and #1 Female artist of the year for 1984, and she won awards from the MTV Video Music Awards, the American Music Awards, and Rolling Stone Magazine. Cyndi Lauper also won a Grammy Award, what was the category?

Bonus Question: Cyndi Lauper's second album "True Colors" featured lots of guests, including The Bangles, Aimme Mann, and Billy Joel. One of the guests on the album provided a voice over segment at the end of the song "911," playing the role of an emergency operator. Who was it?

This Thursday is June 7th, and there are a number of famous people who have a birthday on this date. Actor Liam Neeson was born on June 7th, along with tennis star Anna Kournikova. One of the best known pop stars of the 80's was born on June 7th, 1958.

The artist in question was and is one of the most prolific songwriters and recording artists of his generation, with several platinum albums, no less than twenty top ten singles, chart topping songs written for other artists, a stable of his own protégés, and a hit movie. So who is the birthday boy in question?

Bonus Question: There's another popular singer who will be celebrating a birthday this Thursday, only this one was born in 1940, and experienced most of his success in the 60's. He did make it back into the charts in 1988, though, when he teamed up with the Art Of Noise to record a cover version of a song that was previously a #1 hit for the very same artist mentioned in the first part of our trivia challenge. So what's the name of our other birthday boy?

Last week pop star Britney Spears earned some fresh demerits from critics and fans when her performance at the House of Blues in Florida went awry in a most undignified fashion. It seems the prerecorded track that she was lip syncing to began to skip. Now, I feel for Ms. Spears. Anyone who relies on CD's (or DVD's) has probably had them skip or jam at the worst possible times, so I would figure the controversy would focus on more reliable discs. Actually, no. The controversy is over the revelation that Britney lip syncs. I didn't realize this was news, but I digress. Of course Britney is not the first popstar to suffer from such a scandal. Ashlee Simpson got burned back in 2004 during a Saturday Night Live appearance. And every time something like this happens, people will no doubt recall the most infamous example of rock and roll swindles from back in the late 80's.

In July of 1989, a popular dance duo had their 'live' performance on MTV ruined by a skipping playback machine, fueling speculation that their live shows were faked. But by the following year, their careers were over when their manager officially revealed that they didn't actually sing on their studio recordings either. They even had to give back their Grammy. What was the name of the group?

Bonus Question: Maybe all these discredited pop stars could turn their lemons into lemonade by pointing out that decent lip syncing is itself a tricky skill to master. Not convinced? Well, back in 1984 there was a T.V. show that rated contestants for their originality, appearance, and lip sync ability as they mimed along to popular songs of the day. What was the name of the show?

The English Beat will be appearing at The Birchmere this week. The English Beat were part of the late 70's/early 80's ska revival, along with other 2-Tone recording artists like The Specials, The Selecter, and Madness. They inspired a legion of dedicated fans despite having a relatively short run of three album releases during their time together.

Ironically, (but not unusual for U.K. bands in the 80's), their early recordings made it to the British charts while without charting in the states, and later records that charted in the U.S. barely got noticed in England. The Beat (as they were known overseas) had their first U.K. hit with a cover of "Tears Of A Clown" in 1979. The highest U.K. chart position The English Beat achieved with an original tune came in 1980. Interestingly, the song made it to the U.K. charts again in 1996, and it's a tune they are well remembered for. What's the name of this song?

Bonus Question: The Reverend Jerry Falwell passed away recently in his office at Liberty University. Falwell was a controversial figure back in the 80's, and remained so right up until his final days. He became a public icon during the 80's for his work furthering Evangelical Christian causes, and for the role he played in helping Ronald Reagan and the Rupublican Party rise to power during that decade. He founded the Moral Majority in 1979, an organization that became a lightning rod for scorn and animosity from the alternative scene almost immediately.

Punk rock bands like the Dead Kennedys, The Circle Jerks, Youth Brigade and Green Day all took shots at the group in their lyrics. Industrial bands like Ministry, KMFDM, Pop Will Eat Itself, and Cabaret Voltaire used the rhetoric of the religious right in dada-ist sample collages. One of the best send ups of the Evangelical movement was a B-side that became a dancefloor hit back in the 80's. The song didn't even bother with lyrics, it was all samples, and it started out with the line "Hey poor! You don't have to be poor anymore!" The band was Front 242, what was the name of the song?

This weekend is prom night! Proms are a big part of teen movies, and teen movies were, like, a MAJOR part of the 80's! Much in the same way that Prom Night is the big climax at the end of high school, the Prom provides the setting for the big climax in films like "Pretty In Pink," "Dance 'Til Dawn," and the 80's classic "Valley Girl."

In the film "Valley Girl," punk rocker Randy is vying for the affections of Julie, who is trying to choose between him and her more straight laced boyfriend Tommy. When Julie rejects Randy, he is heartbroken, and spends the night drinking at a club at the edge of town. The band playing in the club is an actual band from the 80's, and in the scene they play a little of their hit song "A Million Miles Away." What is the name of this band?

Bonus Question: Earlier in the film, Randy is going out on a limb to get Julie's attention. He camps out on her lawn, he's the ticket taker at the movie theater, the server at the drive in, he even dedicates a song to her on the radio. What's the name of the song and what's the name of the band who recorded it?