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Warren Zevon's Music Trivia Quiz

On 2/18/03 Warren Zevon was awarded TWO Grammys. On 8/7/03 he died peacefully at home about a year after learning he had lung cancer. I miss him. If you love his musings, this is for you.

A multiple-choice quiz by doubls. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
doubls

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
118,506

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
25

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
13 / 25

Plays
593

Last 3 plays: Guest 174 (10/25), Guest 98 (6/25), Monoprion (8/25).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 25

1. Which of these languages has Warren Zevon NOT used in a song? Hint

Spanish

German

Russian

Hawaiian

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Question 2 of 25

2. Who was NOT in "Looking for the Next Best Thing"? Hint

Ponce de Leon

Don Quixote

Ghengis Khan

Sinbad

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Question 3 of 25

3. "The dog ate the part we didn't like" is credited "From Panama by Thomas McGuane" in the liner notes of which album? Hint

"Exciteable Boy"

"Learning to Flinch"

"Mutineer"

"Stand in the Fire"

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Question 4 of 25

4. Which well-known artist did NOT appear on "Exciteable Boy"? Hint

Jennifer Warnes

Bruce Hornsby

Linda Ronstadt

Mick Fleetwood

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Question 5 of 25

5. Which Academy Award-winning movie's soundtrack included "She Quit Me" from "Wanted Dead or Alive"? Hint

"Annie Hall"

"Kramer vs. Kramer"

"The Deerhunter"

"Midnight Cowboy"

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Question 6 of 25

6. Who co-wrote "You're a Whole Different Person When You're Scared"? Hint

Geraldo Rivera

Waddy Watchel

Jackson Browne

Hunter Thompson

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Question 7 of 25

7. "Splendid Isolation, I don't need no one..." Who is NOT mentioned? Hint

Michael Jackson

Howard Hughes

Georgia O'Keefe

Goofy

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Question 8 of 25

8. From "Lawyers, Guns and Money"- where was I gambling? Hint

Havana

Las Vegas

Honduras

in casinos

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Question 9 of 25

9. Who does NOT appear on "Transverse City"? Hint

David Crosby

Chick Corea

Don Henley

Neil Young

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Question 10 of 25

10. What very famous singer plays harmonica on "The Factory"? Hint

Neil Young

Neil Diamond

Louis Armstrong

Bob Dylan

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Question 11 of 25

11. From "Seminole Bingo": "I cashed in the last of my triple-B bonds,
Bought a double-wide on the Tamiami Trail, parked it right outside the reservation fifteen minutes from the..." Hint

Carter County Jail

Okala County Jail

Carroll County Jail

Collier County Jail

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Question 12 of 25

12. Also from "Seminole Bingo": "And the __________ is far behind." Hint

FCC

SEC

IRS

FBI

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Question 13 of 25

13. From 1982's "The Envoy": "Nuclear arms in the Middle East,
Israels attacking the Iraqis, Syria's mad at the Lebanese,
And..." Hint

Baghdad does whatever she please

Tehran waits for global disease

the Saudis just won't ever have peace

Yemen loves the global unease

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Question 14 of 25

14. Which is NOT mentioned in "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner"? Hint

Ireland

Israel

Norway

Lebanon

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Question 15 of 25

15. "Roland searched the continent for the man who'd done him in.
He found him in Mombassa in a barroom drinking gin."
Where is Mombassa? Hint

Lesotho

Kenya

South Africa

Tanzania

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Question 16 of 25

16. Where did Boom Boom Mancini come from? Hint

Akron, Ohio

Winston, Ohio

Cleveland, Ohio

Youngstown, Ohio

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Question 17 of 25

17. From "Rottweiler Blues": "Slackers in the market, Bangers in the mall"- Where were the skinheads? Hint

in the alley

climbing walls

at the rally

on the golfcourse

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Question 18 of 25

18. What are we makin' in "The Factory"? Hint

polyvinyl chloride

synthetic baby oil

Chevrolets

stuff we'll never buy

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Question 19 of 25

19. Who sings harmony on "The Heartache"? Hint

Emmylou Harris

Linda Ronstadt

Jennifer Warnes

Karla Bonoff

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Question 20 of 25

20. On "My Ride's Here" there is a song called "Macgillicuddy's Reeks". This term refers to: Hint

The drink, which the songwriter hates

The highest mountain range in Ireland

A child's misinterpretation of MacGillicuddy's Creek

A bar in Ireland

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Question 21 of 25

21. From the song "Mama Couldn't Be Persuaded": "I said my Mama couldn't be persuaded when they pleaded with her..." Hint

Daughter don't marry that gamblin' man

Honey don't marry that Alabam' man

Sugar don't marry that ramblin' man

Darlin' don't marry that amblin' man

NEXT>

Question 22 of 25

22. From "Jeannie Needs a Shooter": "When I leaned down to kiss her ..." Hint

she turned her head away

she did not turn away

she heard her father say

she said all she had to say

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Question 23 of 25

23. The Gorilla at the L.A. Zoo did not fare well on the outside. I heard he's: Hint

getting divorced and she's keeping his name

getting a job and in Freudian analysis

getting divorced and in Transactional Analysis

getting married and playing that game

NEXT>

Question 24 of 25

24. Mr. Bad Example's many occupations did NOT include: Hint

altar boy

hair replacer

lawyer

workman's comp agent

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Question 25 of 25

25. "Heartache Spoken Here" is a duet with this country star. Hint

Dwight Yoakam

Lyle Lovett

Garth Brooks

George Strait

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 13 2024 : Guest 174: 10/25
Nov 30 2024 : Guest 98: 6/25
Oct 24 2024 : Monoprion: 8/25

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of these languages has Warren Zevon NOT used in a song?

Answer: German

There are Spanish lyrics in "Veracruz" from "Exciteable Boy":
"Aquel dia yo jure, Hacia el puerto volvere...".
Hawaiian in "The Hula Hula Boys" from "The Envoy":
"Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana".
Russian in "Turbulence" from "Transverse City" (sorry, can't reproduce the Cyrillic characters here.)
Although Warren speaks German (you can hear him addressing his fans on "Learning to Flinch"), I can find no songs in which German lyrics were used.

2. Who was NOT in "Looking for the Next Best Thing"?

Answer: Ghengis Khan

"Don Quixote had his windmills, Ponce de Leon took his cruise, took Sinbad seven voyages to see that it was all a ruse. (That's why I'm) Looking for the next best thing."

3. "The dog ate the part we didn't like" is credited "From Panama by Thomas McGuane" in the liner notes of which album?

Answer: "Stand in the Fire"

Just created an interesting image in my mind of people half-heartedly searching for something and then sighing in relief when it's discovered that the dog ate it.

4. Which well-known artist did NOT appear on "Exciteable Boy"?

Answer: Bruce Hornsby

Jennifer Warnes, Linda Ronstadt, and Mick Fleetwood all appeared on "Exciteable Boy". Bruce Hornsby appeared on "Mutineer".

5. Which Academy Award-winning movie's soundtrack included "She Quit Me" from "Wanted Dead or Alive"?

Answer: "Midnight Cowboy"

"Wanted Dead or Alive" was Zevon's first effort, released in 1970. It is definitely Warren, but pretty raw. If you play "Wanted..." and follow it with "Exciteable Boy", you can really hear the difference that Jackson Browne made in Warren Zevon's sound.

6. Who co-wrote "You're a Whole Different Person When You're Scared"?

Answer: Hunter Thompson

Yes, the late Gonzo journalist collaborated on this one!

7. "Splendid Isolation, I don't need no one..." Who is NOT mentioned?

Answer: Howard Hughes

"I want to live all alone in the desert, I want to be like Georgia O'Keefe...."
"Michael Jackson in Disneyland, don't have to share it with nobody else. Lock the gates, Goofy, take my hand and lead me to the World of Self."

8. From "Lawyers, Guns and Money"- where was I gambling?

Answer: Havana

"I was gambling in Havana, I took a little risk.
Send lawyers, guns and money. Dad, get me out of this!"

9. Who does NOT appear on "Transverse City"?

Answer: David Crosby

Every time that I get stuck in traffic "Gridlock" starts playing in my mind. "Gridlock, up ahead. There's a line of cars as far as I can see. Gridlock, goin' nowhere. Roll down the window, let me scream."

10. What very famous singer plays harmonica on "The Factory"?

Answer: Bob Dylan

From what I understand, Bob Dylan has been covering some of Zevon's songs on recent his concert dates.

11. From "Seminole Bingo": "I cashed in the last of my triple-B bonds, Bought a double-wide on the Tamiami Trail, parked it right outside the reservation fifteen minutes from the..."

Answer: Collier County Jail

"I'm a junk bond king playing Seminole Bingo."

12. Also from "Seminole Bingo": "And the __________ is far behind."

Answer: SEC

SEC stands for Securities and Exchange Commission, which would probably be very interested in those triple-E bonds.
FCC is the Federal Communications Commission.
IRS is the Internal Revenue Service.
The FBI is the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

13. From 1982's "The Envoy": "Nuclear arms in the Middle East, Israels attacking the Iraqis, Syria's mad at the Lebanese, And..."

Answer: Baghdad does whatever she please

Yup, it's been more than 20 years now that Baghdad has been a source of problems. Maybe if we sent Warren in...

14. Which is NOT mentioned in "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner"?

Answer: Israel

Roland is "Norway's bravest son." Later in the song are the lyrics:
"In Ireland, in Lebanon, in Palestine and Berkeley."
Other places mentioned in this one are Denmark, Biafra, the Congo, Mombassa, Johannesburg. Ten places in one song. Hmmmm...

15. "Roland searched the continent for the man who'd done him in. He found him in Mombassa in a barroom drinking gin." Where is Mombassa?

Answer: Kenya

"Roland searched the continent for the man who'd done him in.
He found him in Mombassa, in a barroom drinking gin.
Roland aimed his Thompson gun, he didn't say a word
But he blew Van Owen's body from there to Johannesburg."
Mombassa is more than 1600 miles from Johannesburg, according to my trusty atlas and ruler. I guess that Roland was pretty ticked off about the whole thing.
Which is scarier, a headless gunner that doesn't say a word, or one that does?

16. Where did Boom Boom Mancini come from?

Answer: Youngstown, Ohio

"From Youngstown, Ohio, Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini; a lightweight contender, like father like son." For your amusement - I was sitting around with some boxing fans one evening, not really participating in the conversation because I don't really know anything about boxing, when the talk turned to "Boom Boom" Mancini.

They were all trying to remember who it was that had beaten him. I was able to say "Oh, that would be Alexis Arguello. But seven weeks later he was back in the ring." I am now asked to every "Pay Per View" match that the group decides to watch! Thanks for your historical accuracy, Warren!

17. From "Rottweiler Blues": "Slackers in the market, Bangers in the mall"- Where were the skinheads?

Answer: on the golfcourse

"Skinheads on the golfcourse
Hunting for their balls.
If you come calling he'll be mauling with intent to maim.
Don't knock on my door if you don't know my Rottweiler's name."

18. What are we makin' in "The Factory"?

Answer: polyvinyl chloride

Who would ever have thought of using "polyvinyl chloride" in a song?

19. Who sings harmony on "The Heartache"?

Answer: Jennifer Warnes

Jennifer has also done duets with Joe Cocker ("Up Where We Belong"); Chris Thompson ("All the Right Moves") and of course "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" with Bill Medley.

20. On "My Ride's Here" there is a song called "Macgillicuddy's Reeks". This term refers to:

Answer: The highest mountain range in Ireland

"She stook beside my narrow bed to check my E.K.G.
She shook her pretty little head at what's become of me
I thought I glimpsed a path that led through rhododendron days
And fuschia nights to the boatshed in which we two once lay.
But she gazed only at my chart, the valleys and the peaks.
Brought back the time she broke my heart in Macgillicuddy's Reeks."
Several of the peaks of this range in Ireland are more than 3,000 feet high.

21. From the song "Mama Couldn't Be Persuaded": "I said my Mama couldn't be persuaded when they pleaded with her..."

Answer: Daughter don't marry that gamblin' man

In REAL life, Warren's father was a gambler and his mother was a Mormon. Love is blind.

22. From "Jeannie Needs a Shooter": "When I leaned down to kiss her ..."

Answer: she did not turn away

This one was co-written with Bruce Springsteen.

23. The Gorilla at the L.A. Zoo did not fare well on the outside. I heard he's:

Answer: getting divorced and in Transactional Analysis

"Big gorilla at the L.A. Zoo
Snatched the glasses right off my face
Took the keys to my BMW
Left me here to take his place
He built a house on an acre of land
He called it Villa Gorilla
Now I hear he's getting divorced
Laying low at L'Ermitage, of course
Then the ape grew very depressed
Went through Transactional Analysis
He plays racquetball and runs in the rain
Still he's shackled to a platinum chain"

24. Mr. Bad Example's many occupations did NOT include:

Answer: workman's comp agent

"I started as an altar boy, working for the church..."
"Of course I went to law school and took a law degree..."
"I worked in hair replacement, swindlin the bald..."
"I opened up an agency somewhere down the line to hire aboriginals to work the opal mines. But I attached their wages and took a whopping cut and whisked away their workman's comp and pauperized the lot."
He TOOK their workman's comp, but didn't WORK for workman's comp.

25. "Heartache Spoken Here" is a duet with this country star.

Answer: Dwight Yoakam

It seems that everyone wants to play with Warren.

Source: Author doubls

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bullymom before going online.
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