Urban Legends: Music Trivia Quiz

Answer: Manson threw an adorable puppy in the crowd and announced he would not start the show until they stomped it to death

According to the legend, Manson would throw a puppy or a bag of kittens into the audience and demand they be killed. This goes along with his 'evil incarnate' image, but it never happened. The ASPCA wouldn't stand for it. This legend is sometimes told about Ozzy Osbourne or Alice Cooper.

Other Marilyn Manson rumors are that he used to play the nerdy character Paul on TV's "The Wonder Years"; that he was a nice Christian boy until he was shunned by a church youth group; and that he's had several ribs removed so he can perform unnatural physical acts.

Answer: Yes

At a 1982 concert, someone threw what appeared to be a rubber toy bat on stage. Ozzy grabbed it and bit the head off, only to realize it was real. He had to endure a series of rabies shots. The incident also gained him a reputation for eating live animals...not a bad image for a shock rocker.

Answer: True

True. Why? The band was tired of promoters not reading the rider carefully, and therefore not providing the correct electrical outlets, stage specs, etc. The M&M clause was inserted, so that if brown candies were found, the band would know the promoter had not read the contract.

At a concert in Pueblo, Colorado, David Lee Roth trashed a dressing room upon finding the candy contract had been breached. His antics cost twelve thousand dollars. However, because the promoters had ignored the stage specs as well, the stage sank through the arena's floor, causing eighty thousand dollars worth of damage. The story tellers often credit Van Halen's backstage fit with causing the entire bill.

Answer: She choked to death on a ham sandwich

When "Mama" Cass (of The Mamas and the Papas) died, both the 'New York Times' and 'Rolling Stone' listed the cause of death as choking on a sandwich. In reality, the overweight Cass died of heart failure. This rumor was mentioned in the 1997 film, "Austin Powers".

Another untrue rumor was that Cass was pregnant by John Lennon at the time of her death.

Answer: Paul McCartney

According to the rumor, Paul had died in a 1966 auto accident and was replaced with a double. The 'clues' are too numerous to list here, but some of the more famous ones include:

On the cover of "Sergeant Pepper" we see a grave in the shape of a left-handed guitar...Paul was left handed. On the back of the album, Paul is wearing a badge that says 'OPD': Officially Pronounced Dead (It really said 'OPP', Ontario Provencial Police). If you hold a mirror across the drum, it says 'HE DIE'.

On the cover of "Abbey Road", the Beatles are in symbolic funeral dress: John is the minister, Ringo is the undertaker, George is the gravedigger, and Paul is the corpse. Paul is walking out of step with the other Beatles. The license on the VW says '28 IF'...Paul would have been 28, if he'd not died.

At the end of "Strawberry Fields Forever", you supposedly can hear John say "I buried Paul."

Entire books have been written about this, but as of 2006 Paul is alive and well.

Answer: Thriller

Fans thought that if they dialed the seven digit number on the UPC code, they'd reach the Gloved One (they had to guess the area code). Though the rumor was not true, the believers were persistent, as people who happened to have that phone number soon learned.

Answer: Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight"

The rumor tells us that Collins witnessed a close friend drown, as he stood on a cliff, too far away to help. There was, however, another man nearby, someone who could have saved the friend but didn't. Collins tracked the man down, anonymously sent him front row tickets to his concert, then played "In the Air Tonight" while the spotlight shone on the guilty man. The story ends with the man either breaking down crying, being arrested, or killing himself.

In some versions, the man has committed a crime, such as the rape or murder of Collins' wife. Eminem's song "Stan" mentions this rumor.

Answer: The Monkees

It's funny, but not true. The Monkees auditions were in 1965, when Manson was in prison for parole violation. He was not released until 1967, when the band had already formed.

Manson did live with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys for a bit, but was not part of the band.

Answer: Mariah Carey

She never actually said this. Another untrue Mariah Carey rumor has her being informed of the death of King Hussein of Jordan. She responds by mourning the loss of one of the greatest basketball players of all times, obviously thinking of Michael Jordan.

Answer: Eric Clapton

This never happened; it's doubtful Clapton would have been that rude at any rate. This story is sometimes told about a terrible stand up comic; when he challenges the heckler to do better, he's upstaged by Robin Williams or Eddie Murphy.

Thanks for playing. I got most of my info from www.snopes.com/music/, the books "Rumor" and "More Rumor" by Hal Morgan and Kerry Tucker, "Urban Legends" by Richard Roeper, the works of Jan Harold Brumvand, and the brother of my wife's sister's best friend's landlord.