what would your specialist subject be on Mastermind?

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the 'hard bastard' Magnusson era, not the new dumbed down nonsense, where even the chair is 17% more comfy

i think i'd go for something like 'UK Singles Chart Statistics 1984-present day' if legitimate. could you get away with something that populist on the old show though? another even 'dumber' choice (as already predicted will come up on the show in future) would be 'The Simpsons' i guess (sample question 'What was the main advantage of Barney's omelettes?').

not sure i could do anything outside the pop culture realm - could you?

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 19:21 (twenty-two years ago)

"What have you listened to so far today?"

― Cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 19:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Cozen you have 60 seconds on 'what stevem listened to today', starting....now

what was stevem listening to at 2:37 this afternoon?

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 19:30 (twenty-two years ago)

"Lady in Red", Chris de Burgh.

Score.

― Cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 19:32 (twenty-two years ago)

David Hume's essay 'On Miracles' or 'Who Made That Shoe' (one of his lesser published works).

― Lara (Lara), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 19:34 (twenty-two years ago)

"Lady in Red", Chris de Burgh.
Score.

well its been on repeat all day so well done - hmph

PS - welcome back laura, from wherever it was you went...

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 19:54 (twenty-two years ago)

who's laura? i have no idea lara, how embarassing eh?

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 19:55 (twenty-two years ago)

"Hey, It's that Guy! Special Law and Order Edition" or the Kennedys

― rosemary (rosemary), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 19:58 (twenty-two years ago)

He makes them with two kinds of cheese. Obv stevem and I would make an unbeatable Simpsons team, what with my family connection to Matt Groening.

I'm pretty good at the sirens chapter in ulysses, too. so that.

― Leee (Leee), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 21:00 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd be able to claim authority on Duran Duran, however sad that makes me. And maybe even Japan (the band, not the country -- although if I knew a ton of stuff about the country maybe that'd make me seem more intelligent). That's about it, though. If you were talking to me as a recent high school graduate, I could've said chemistry and macroeconomics as well. Those were my two favorite subjects back then.

― Innocent Dreamer (Dee the Lurker), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 22:02 (twenty-two years ago)

ilxor

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 10:49 (twenty-two years ago)

i would love to watch mark s answer questions on ilxor.

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Now, mark s, what's the most unacceptable thing to come out of your ass?

― Sam (chirombo), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:17 (twenty-two years ago)

How many threads about Ally's ass have there been?

How many times has Marcello retired from the board?

How many posts are there on the Vice Magazine thread?

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:17 (twenty-two years ago)

It used to be the case that there were certain topics that nobody was allowed to pick because they were too popular. "The Novels of Terry Pratchett" was one and I fear that D*ct*r Wh* was another - can anyone remember any more, or indeed confirm that I'm not just imagining this...

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Belle and Sebastian, I'm afraid. Possibly "Orlando Furioso" if I swotted up.

― Mark C (Mark C), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:27 (twenty-two years ago)

There are lots of things I could do if I swotted up a bit. My knowledge is broad but shallow.

― caitlin (caitlin), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:29 (twenty-two years ago)

hmm, Dr Who rings a bell actually - didn't someone choose that once?

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Once thy have done a subject, they never do it again.

Films of Spike Lee or Steven Soderbergh would cover me okay and seem to be the right size info-wise. Some subjects are just too big after all (books of PG Wodehouse!)

You need another one for the next round anyway.

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I fear the format is not friendly to dilettantes like me. I once might have been able to do The Poems of H.D., but it's amazing how quickly you forget things.

― Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Dilettantes have the best chance tho cos a lot of the maniac obsessives then collapse in the general round.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:39 (twenty-two years ago)

You must need three or four subjects if you get all the way to the final.

― caitlin (caitlin), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:40 (twenty-two years ago)

OK, but knowing ONE fact about 500 subjects is not going to get me very far.

― Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I wonder if any famous writers have applied with the specialist subject "My own works"

― caitlin (caitlin), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:44 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought The Smiths round the other night was pretty superficial; I can't claim any great wealth of obscuro Smiths knowledge and I scored more than the contestant did (but I wasn't in a squeaky black chair looking at Humphreys). "Madison Square Garden", indeed. He did better in gen knoj and won the show.

I scanned the credits at the end, hoping to spot the specialist question setters (it was always experts in the field, wasn't it? I half-expected Johnny Rogan or Michael Bracewell or...the Nipper) but only saw some company name. Pah, it's like they're all out of a book or something. By Jimmy Greaves.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Richard D. James would be my pick.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:54 (twenty-two years ago)

jel stevem and chip fite over transformers

― Chip Morningstar (bob), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:55 (twenty-two years ago)

jel would win on the contemporary era i feel but does he have the edge on the history!

(by iacon's golden spires etc)

― Chip Morningstar (bob), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 11:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Knightmare!

Any excuse to watch old episodes. Mmm Treguard. And Pickle the Pixie. I'm sure that Pickle wasn't in EVERY Knightmare episode.

― Sarah (starry), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 15:21 (twenty-two years ago)

i'd be good at Generation#1 Transformers - better than jel? who knows...

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 15:33 (twenty-two years ago)

words that start with an X

― Snowy Mann (rdmanston), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 16:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm struggling to think of something - I'm clearly a dilettante too. The onlt thing I can think of that I probably know more about than anyone else here is Japanese Zen Buddhist monochrome ink landscape painting of the 15th Century, but I don't know much about that compared to, say, Japanese art historians. I'd probably go for the works of George Herriman.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 19:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I guess I'm not so up on my transformers gen1, but I certainly would feel confident about RID, Armada, and Japanese Transformers. I guess I would have to know about Beast Wars too :(

I think I would choose Global Transformers 1990 - present.

At the moment, I'm quite annoyed that Wheeljack is being re-introduced as a decepticon. But, am eagerly awaiting the Unicron toy!!!

My other subjects would be the career of Poison, and Knut Hamsun books.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 19:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Wheeljack a Decepticon? thats fucking heresy - but if he still has the light-up earmuff type things thats cool

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 19:57 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.transformers.com/pl/page.viewproduct/product_id.13227/dn/default.cfm

Doesn't have the ears! :( But, i do kinda like the crossed out autobot logo, he's got issues.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 20:01 (twenty-two years ago)

ah he defected! he's Jetfire in reverse...

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 20:02 (twenty-two years ago)

or even skyfire hem hem

― Chip Morningstar (bob), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 20:27 (twenty-two years ago)

the crossed out autobot logo issues are clearly a conflation with mirage who was always on the fence from issue #2!

― Chip Morningstar (bob), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 20:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Jazz, all horror films, cats that have lived w/ me 1978-2003

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 20:31 (twenty-two years ago)

The writing of Roger Ebert. (Isn't that sad?)

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Doctor Who verboten? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Obviously I would pick The Cure or the X-Men.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 20:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Sunset Beach, Coronation Street, Celtic FC, 80s chart pop, Belle and Sebastian or the Manics. Or the works of Christopher Brookmyre (but I don't think he's written enough books to be allowed).

Christopher Brookmyre once called me an anorak at a book signing for asking him a question about his books :(

Don't really think I could do anything outside of pop culture.

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 20:40 (twenty-two years ago)

two months pass...

Ha! Having said that, someone has just done the Manics. I got more right than she did, and her general knowledge was appalling. When doing the little chat bit before, she was such a "they made me read books and be interested in so much more politics than I ever would have been if I didn't listen to them" saddo Manics fan.

Shame she didn't actually know anything then, eh. Or even know what "If You Tolerate This..." was about.

― ailsa (ailsa), Monday, 15 September 2003 18:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Shame she didn't actually know anything then, eh. Or even know what "If You Tolerate This..." was about.

You'd think that you'd know oodles about your "favorite" band....unless you were cheating on them.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Monday, 15 September 2003 21:12 (twenty-two years ago)

that's a disgrace. the BBC is a wonderful thing but goddamit they're making it harder to appreciate that all the time...

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 15 September 2003 21:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Er, what's a disgrace, steve?

Is this the first non-canon band to be picked as a specialised subject? How have we avoided having Belle & Sebastian chosen?

Question man, where shall he strike again?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 08:55 (twenty-two years ago)

hmm, not sure about manics being non-canon, or them being the first non-canon if they are (it was fairport convention t'other week and humphries actually said "who are they?", which he didn't about the manics).

i got as many as her and i was pissed (meg had taped it as she was watching 'stenders, so we watched it when i got in).

and she passed on the tolerate question, rather than getting it wrong...

also it was immediately apparent that the bloke who couldn't see or walk was going to win, he had the look of HARDENED QUIZZER about him

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 09:08 (twenty-two years ago)

I was thinking about applying for the new series, with a specialist subject as "American Professional Wrestling in the 1990s". Hmmm.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 09:08 (twenty-two years ago)

mad magazine (specfically 1980-1999)
"the critic" (excepting the last few episodes of the cancelled season)

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 09:23 (twenty-two years ago)

I was thinking that canon = "you can buy a serious book about them". Er, except now I'm thinking that there's probably a book or two on the Manics.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 09:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Skipping 14 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

It would. We could have done with you in the pub quiz last week where we had to name all the winners and venues of all the World Cups. Actually we did OK without you, but some reassurance would have been nice as none of my lot had a scooby.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 12 September 2004 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

My memory is terrible, these days. All I can barely recall....

Uruguay - Uruguay
Italy? - Italy
France? - Italy
Brazil - Uruguay
Switzerland? (I may have totally lost it here) - West Germany
Sweden - Brazil
Chile - Brazil
England - England
Mexico - Brazil
West Germany - West Germany
Argentina - Argentina
Spain - Italy
Mexico - Argentina
West Germany - West Germany
United States - Brazil
France - France
Korea/Japan - Brazil

― Ally C (Ally C), Sunday, 12 September 2004 17:27 (twenty-one years ago)

I just consulted the modern interweb. Incredibly, those are all correct. My brain still works! Hurrah!

― Ally C (Ally C), Sunday, 12 September 2004 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

West Germany - West Germany (the one before USA) was Italia 90, mate.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 12 September 2004 17:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha, modern interweb is rubbish.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 12 September 2004 17:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha, we'll put that down to a typo. I didn't even check.

― Ally C (Ally C), Sunday, 12 September 2004 17:41 (twenty-one years ago)

The modern interweb is correct, I am rubbish.

― Ally C (Ally C), Sunday, 12 September 2004 17:41 (twenty-one years ago)

...which means that only 35% of World Cups have been won by the host nation, rather than 41%. Still pays to host tho.

― MarkH (MarkH), Monday, 13 September 2004 07:33 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

Well, my specialist subjects are good enough to get onto the show, because somehow (I'm guessing administrative error), my application to the show has been accepted and I go for an interview later this month.

No, I don't understand it either.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I beat the guy who had The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy a few weeks back, and I hadn't read it for ages.

So i'm wondering exactly how hard it actually is.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I keep missing the rounds like "XTC 1973-1980" that was on quite recently.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:46 (twenty-one years ago)

That's really cool Dom. Did you go for the wrestling?

― beanz (beanz), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Yep. American Pro-Wrestling 1992 to the present day.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 15:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Good luck. Make sure you post about the interview!

― beanz (beanz), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

eight months pass...

I've just been informed that my dad was an answer on this week's Mastermind. But he was the WRONG answer!

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 15 July 2005 14:32 (twenty years ago)

What was the right one, then?

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Friday, 15 July 2005 17:35 (twenty years ago)

I don't know! Someone else in I, Claudius.

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 15 July 2005 18:11 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

Tomorrow, someone's specialist subject is The Go-Betweens.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 1 August 2005 10:01 (twenty years ago)

and it's not alext. which surprises me.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 1 August 2005 10:11 (twenty years ago)

Last week somebody did "The Manchester music scene 1976-1991". Which would've been my subject. I think he got 13, and I got about 10 or 11. So neither of us did great. I didn't know who was on the front cover of Heaaven Knows I'm Miserable Now, but he didn't know which track was first on the Stone Roses debut.

― JimD (JimD), Monday, 1 August 2005 10:24 (twenty years ago)

I'd probably pick dEUS but I'd fail miserably. I haven't kept up and I'm going senile.

― nathalie sans denouement (stevie nixed), Monday, 1 August 2005 10:33 (twenty years ago)

Clifford the Dog, wasn't it?

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Monday, 1 August 2005 10:35 (twenty years ago)

It was ~~Myra Hindley~~ Viv Nicholson.

― Alba (Alba), Monday, 1 August 2005 10:39 (twenty years ago)

I'd probably do well answering questions on all the Harry Potter books.

― C J (C J), Monday, 1 August 2005 12:58 (twenty years ago)

That's what David Blunkett did, isn't it? Except for the "doing well" part.

― JimD (JimD), Monday, 1 August 2005 15:04 (twenty years ago)

My topics of "American Professional Wrestling Since 1992" and "The Life and Career of Courtney Love" were accepted, but I didn't get enough in the final test to make it onto the show :(

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 1 August 2005 15:32 (twenty years ago)

ten months pass...

"The lyrics of Half Man Half Biscuit".

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Friday, 23 June 2006 08:55 (nineteen years ago)

Thirteen seconds on "The lyrics of Half Man Half Biscuit" go.

In "Rod Hull is alive, why", there is a reference to a relationship "Sarah" had with Jaques Lafitte. Why?

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 23 June 2006 09:08 (nineteen years ago)

(beep beep beep)

I've started so you may answer...

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 23 June 2006 09:14 (nineteen years ago)

Sorry, I was having lunch:

Sarah is Ferguson, who once lived with racing driver Paddy McNally but, as Nigel put it, "that doesn't rhyme with sleet".

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Friday, 23 June 2006 10:58 (nineteen years ago)

Correct.

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 23 June 2006 11:08 (nineteen years ago)

What happens in Act 1 Scene 1 of the cricketing farce in We Built This Village on a Trad. Arr. Tune?

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Friday, 23 June 2006 11:10 (nineteen years ago)

Brenda Bletyhn gets shot.

Name three of the four dance music magazines mentioned in "Nove On The Sly"

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 23 June 2006 11:12 (nineteen years ago)

Mixmag, Jockey Slut and oooh....

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Friday, 23 June 2006 11:13 (nineteen years ago)

Wax and Update, who wanna do features.

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Friday, 23 June 2006 11:14 (nineteen years ago)

Name the two German Shepherd dogs in the original version of Paintball's Coming Home.

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Friday, 23 June 2006 11:18 (nineteen years ago)

four years pass...

Q: Marx said of Hegel's view of history that it repeats itself, but that Hegel forgot to say the first time as tragedy, the second time as... ?

A: Pass.

― Neil S, Friday, 15 October 2010 19:28 (fifteen years ago)

Marx tonight? Aw I coulda done well there. I must iplay.

the chances of having an ILXor Mastermind have been decimated by having someone do Belle and Sebastian a wee while back. Thinking about this has made me realise how much of a dilettante I am too. I guess that even though I'm no enormous fan I could make a decent job of The Life and Works of Ludwig Wittgenstein if given a couple of weeks.

― Antoine Bugleboy (Merdeyeux), Friday, 15 October 2010 19:45 (fifteen years ago)

Try not to threaten John Humphreys with a poker!

― Neil S, Friday, 15 October 2010 20:01 (fifteen years ago)

15 years ago I would have ruled on "The Life & Music of Kurt Cobain", nowadays it would be Keiji Haino.

― krakow, Friday, 15 October 2010 20:04 (fifteen years ago)

I might be able to give Dance to the Music of Time or Factory Records a go, I think.

― Neil S, Friday, 15 October 2010 20:08 (fifteen years ago)

would have been the lord of the rings at one stage, i guess.

― cant believe you sb'd me for that (darraghmac), Friday, 15 October 2010 20:15 (fifteen years ago)

Tolkein must have been done already? I regularly spot on my bus in to work the guy who won it just by picking various football tournaments and reciting winning teams, top goalscorers etc. Seems to be the way to go IMO- pick one largish subject and stick with it.

― Neil S, Friday, 15 October 2010 20:22 (fifteen years ago)

Circa 1980 I could have said the works of Xenophon (in translation), there being a manageably small number of them, all of which I had read with great interest and attention. Too rusty on most subjects these days to cite one.

― Aimless, Saturday, 16 October 2010 00:51 (fifteen years ago)

"Other People's Failings 1995-Present Day"

― Ain't Too Proud to Neg (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 16 October 2010 00:58 (fifteen years ago)

imagine the abuse if you did shit though

― cant believe you sb'd me for that (darraghmac), Saturday, 16 October 2010 15:06 (fifteen years ago)

six years pass...

OK, specialist subject = Creation Records, let go...

― Mark G, Friday, 17 February 2017 20:03 (eight years ago)

all but three there..

Didn't know the new address, and guessed "Elevation" as the record label.

I did know "China" but thought n"One little Indian" was also bidding..

― Mark G, Friday, 17 February 2017 20:11 (eight years ago)

one of my best pals used to work on mastermind. when they did their open auditions in glasgow the most popular specialist subjects were of the ilk of "the easter rising", "eamon devalera", "the irish civil war" etc. one of the guys they chose had celtic as his specialist subject and he ended up winning

― Islamic State of Mind (jim in vancouver), Friday, 17 February 2017 22:59 (eight years ago)

so fenians are nerds basically

― Islamic State of Mind (jim in vancouver), Friday, 17 February 2017 22:59 (eight years ago)

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