Great news! You have a 50 percent chance of getting all of the answers to Quiz Guy John Chaneski’s “Band or Short Story?” puzzle. For example, is “My Life with The Thrill Kill Kult” an electronic industrial rock band or the title of a short story? This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Band or Short Story? A Word Game”
You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it.
I’m Grant Barrett.
And I’m Martha Barnette.
And joining us on the line from New York City is our quiz guy, John Chaneski.
Hi, John.
Hey, John.
Hey, Martha.
Hi, Grant.
Hi.
This week, I have an interesting little puzzle for you.
I got to say, I don’t think it’s very hard.
I think it’s really more of a celebration of how words are used, which we like to do.
But it’s still a little bit of a quiz.
Okay.
Okay.
When you’ve got to name something, anything, you want to make it memorable, of course.
Well, I hope you’ve been paying attention to band names and short stories.
As I read the following list, you must tell me if each item is either a band or the title of a famous short story.
Oh, my.
Relatively famous short story.
Now, by the way, every band on this list merits their own Wikipedia page and garners a substantial number of search engine hits.
Now, I’ve also not chosen any bands that took their name from the titles of short stories because that would be cruel.
Okay.
All right, here we go.
This is band or short story.
Here’s the first one.
My Life with the Thrill Kill Cult.
Band.
That sounds like a band.
Yeah, I know that band.
They are an electronic industrial rock band from Chicago.
They’re really good.
All right, how about shadowy men on a shadowy planet?
Band.
Story.
Band?
Do you know those?
No, it’s a band.
It’s a band?
Yes, they are.
Okay.
Do you know anything about shadowy men on a shadowy planet?
No, I don’t, but I think there are a couple albums from other bands named after that band.
It’s five women.
No.
They are a Canadian instrumental rock band.
They perform the theme to the sketch comedy show The Kids in the Hall.
Oh, that’s probably how I know that.
You’ve probably seen those words on your TV screen.
Okay.
How about The Number 12 Looks Like You?
Short story.
Short story.
No, that’s a hardcore punk band from Bergen County, New Jersey.
What?
Yeah, yeah.
The Number 12 Looks Like You.
They took their name from an episode of The Twilight Zone, which you might remember.
Okay.
No.
Okay.
Let’s try Hills Like White Elephants.
I think that’s a short story as well.
I’m going with a short story.
Is that a Hemingway story or something?
It is a short story by Ernest Hemingway.
Yes.
Good knowing.
Good knowing.
How about when people were shorter and lived near the water?
That’s a short story.
I’m going with this story.
They are an experimental psychedelic band from New York City.
No, they’re not.
Yes, they are.
When people were shorter and lived near the water?
Exactly right.
How about Young Zaphad Plays It Safe?
That’s a short story.
Douglas Adams.
It is a short story about Douglas Adams, yes.
How about The Dinner Is Ruined?
Oh, The Dinner Is Ruined.
I think that’s a short story.
I think I read it in The New Yorker.
I wouldn’t be surprised something like that would be in The New Yorker.
It sounds like a New Yorker short story, but I’m going with a band.
It’s a Canadian indie blues rock band.
Yes, the dinner is ruined.
Isn’t there a story about somebody who brought the wrong wine and the whole evening went to heck because of…
I think there are a lot of stories like that in The New Yorker.
Right.
How about The Diamond As Big As the Ritz?
Story.
Yeah, I guess that’s a story.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, maybe?
It is an F. Scott Fitzgerald story.
Well done.
Yes.
How about this one?
The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower.
Experimental French bands from Algeria.
I don’t know.
They are a four-piece punk noise band from San Diego.
Oh.
What?
Really?
I’ve never heard of them.
Get out there.
Look for flyers and get out there.
All right.
Next time they play the Cazba, I’ll go see them.
Okay.
The plot to blow up the Eiffel Tower.
Just the band name, not a plan.
That’s right.
John, thank you.
That was a very different kind of quiz than usual.
Yeah, sure.
I look forward to more like that.
Well, thanks for playing, guys.
Bye, John.
Yeah, thanks, John.
Give our best to your family.
Take care.
You too.
Bye-bye.
All right.
We put this out all the time.
We say, you’ve got a quiz for us.
You’ve got a puzzle.
There’s a thing that you want to stump us with.
Now’s your time.
Email words@waywordradio.org.
See if you can stump us.
Talk to us on Twitter @wayword.
