Strange Musical Inspirations Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Rolling Stones.

The song was 'Too Much Blood' released by the Rolling Stones in 1983. The inspiration for the song is so bizarre as to seem unbelievable. Hartevelt was killed by fellow student, and Japanese national, Issei Sagawa. The French found him insane and did not try him for his crime.

Instead, he was deported to Japan in 1985 where he was institutionalized for 15 months and then, on August 12, 1986 was released. Most reports claim that his father, a wealthy industrialist, was instrumental in both his deportation and release. Sagawa lives as a free man in Japan today where he enjoys status as a minor celebrity.

He freely admits to and discusses his crime and has even written a book about it entitled 'In The Fog.'

Answer: False

The policeman in the song was Police Chief William J. Obanhein. He was a real enough person, but he played no part in Guthrie's induction into the US armed forces. Obanhein did have another claim to fame, however. He was depicted in Norman Rockwell's painting 'The Runaway.' In it Obanhein is seated at the counter in a diner where he and the diner's cook are talking a young boy out of running away from home. And yes, Guthrie did evade being drafted into the military due to his arrest and conviction on the littering charge referred to in the song. Guthrie bought the church where these events played out (Trinity Church on Division Street in Stockbridge, Mass.,) in 1991 and turned it into the 'Guthrie Center' which runs programs for abused children.

Answer: Lynchings in the southern US.

'Strange Fruit' was written as a song of protest in 1938 by Lewis Alen. It refers to the still (at the time) not uncommon crime of the lynching of black people in the southern US.

Answer: Albert DeSalvo.

The inspiration for 'Midnight Rambler' was Albert DeSalvo, the self-confessed Boston Strangler. DeSalvo is alleged to have killed 13 women in the Boston area between June 1962 and January 1964. However, DeSalvo was never actually charged with being the Boston Strangler.

He was, however, given a life sentence in 1967 for sex offences and robberies he had committed before the Boston Strangler murders. DeSalvo was found dead in his cell at Walpole State Prison, Mass., on November 26, 1973. He had been stabbed through the heart.

Many forensic investigators are of the opinion that DeSalvo was not the Strangler.

Answer: None of these.

In fact the song Mack The Knife was written by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht in 1929 for the German presentation of 'The Three Penny Opera,' whose main character was a criminal named MacHeath. So far as is known, no real person provided inspiration for this song, though it may have been inspired by Jack Sheppard, an 18th century English thief.

While the airy melody gives this song a distinct upbeat feeling, the lyrics are quite the opposite.

Answer: Charles Manson.

Apparently Neil Young actually met Charles Manson on more than one occasion early in his career. Young released this song after Manson's 'family' carried out the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders under Manson's direction. The line in Young's song '10 million dune buggies' is referring to Manson's Helter Skelter race war. Manson has served as inspiration for several songs including 'Bloodbath In Paradise' by Ozzy Osborne. Manson also apparently wrote the song 'Look At Your Game Girl' recorded by Guns N Roses.

The song appeared as the thirteenth track on the 1993 album "The Spaghetti Incident". The group has received harsh criticism for serving as Manson's platform.

Answer: The attempted assassination of George Wallace.

The song was inspired by Arthur Bremer's attempted assassination of Alabama Governor George Wallace on May 15, 1972 in Laurel, Maryland. Bremer wanted to make himself infamous by assassinating either then President Nixon or Governor Wallace. Prior to shooting Wallace, Bremer had followed Nixon to Canada where he had intended to shoot him, but security around Nixon foiled his plans. Bremer was convicted of attempting to murder Wallace and wounding three other people, and sentenced to 63 years in prison.

This was reduced to 53 years after an appeal. Bremer was released on parole after serving 35 years on November 9, 2007.

Answer: The murder of a medical doctor.

The inspiration for the song was the murder of Dr David Gunn, who among other things provided abortions. Gunn was gunned down on March 10, 1993 in Pensacola, Florida by the pro-life radical Michael Griffin. Gunn's murder was, unfortunately, only one in a series of such murders carried out by pro-life radicals.

Answer: None of these.

This song was written by Shel Silverstein who in addition to being a noted song writer, was also a poet and children's author. So far as is known, no one in particular provided the inspiration for the song. The song has been attributed to Silverstein's off-beat sense of humor.

Answer: Ed Gein.

This song was inspired by Ed Gein, of Plainfield, Wisconsin. Gein had a macabre career in the early and mid 1950's which included both murder and grave robbing. After his arrest, an inventory of his property included bowls made from human skulls, lampshades, waste baskets and chair upholstery made of human skin, and a belt of human nipples. Also included was a partial 'woman suit' also made of human skin, which Gein liked to wear on occasion. Gein's bizarre crimes also served as inspiration for a number of films including 'Psycho' and 'The Silence Of The Lambs.' Gein was tried and convicted of murder, but was also found to be criminally insane.

He was confined to mental institutions for the rest of his life. He died in the Mendota Mental Health Institute's geriatric ward in 1984.