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Zappa Characters Trivia Quiz

Frank Zappa wrote songs about many real and fictional characters in many strange situations. This quiz is based on ten of them. Good luck!

A multiple-choice quiz by mtarkey. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
mtarkey

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
206,915

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
1818

Last 3 plays: Guest 111 (9/10), Guest 136 (5/10), Guest 76 (8/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Who "messes up" Joe's mind? Hint

Lucille

Mary

Father Riley

Sy Borg

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Question 2 of 10

2. About what did Dinah-Moe Humm bet her sister? Hint

That no man could satisfy her

That she could prove men were scum

That she could satisfy any man

All of these

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Question 3 of 10

3. What despicable character had the catch-phrase "Where's my waitress"? Hint

Disco Boy

Willie the Pimp

Lonesome Cowboy Burt

Bobby Brown

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Question 4 of 10

4. Who tries to convince Madge that "it's not merely physical"? Hint

Harry

Ronnie

Kenny

A Hippy

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Question 5 of 10

5. Who was... um, physically altered by a woman named Freddie? Hint

Bobby Brown

Dancin' Fool

Thing-Fish

Andy

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Question 6 of 10

6. Who complains of a "man in a suit with a bow-tie neck" who wants to "buy a grunt with a third party check"? Hint

Thing-Fish

Debra Kadabra

A Pony

Willie the Pimp

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which of these is the best description of Ms. Pinky? Hint

A man with a very odd fetish

A groupie

A blow-up doll

A singer

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Question 8 of 10

8. Don't be too disappointed that you can't touch this person's hair. He may be gracious enough to let you kiss his comb. Hint

Dancin' Fool

Joe

Potato-Headed Bobby

Disco Boy

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Question 9 of 10

9. Whose name do girls write all over the restroom of the Whiskey A-Go-Go? Hint

Bwana Dik

Freddie

Bobby Brown

The Man From Utopia

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Question 10 of 10

10. What was the name of the Valley Girl according to the liner notes of "Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch"? Hint

Ondrya Wolfson

Andrea Wolfson

Andrea Wilson

Ondrya Wilson

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Most Recent Scores

Nov 17 2024 : Guest 111: 9/10
Nov 10 2024 : Guest 136: 5/10
Oct 08 2024 : Guest 76: 8/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Who "messes up" Joe's mind?

Answer: Lucille

All from "Joe's Garage": Lucille messed up Joe's mind and furthermore passed on a disease to Joe that, well, made his visits to the bathroom somewhat uncomfortable for him. Sy was the robotic love interest of Joe. Father Riley was the Catholic priest. Mary was Joe's more conventional love-interest at the start of the album.

2. About what did Dinah-Moe Humm bet her sister?

Answer: That she could prove men were scum

"She made a bet with her sister, who's a little bit dumb, she could prove it any time all men was scum." Dinah-Moe made a bet with the NARRATOR (not her sister) that he could not satisfy her... and she bet a forty-dollar bill no less! At no time did she speak of satisfying any man.

3. What despicable character had the catch-phrase "Where's my waitress"?

Answer: Lonesome Cowboy Burt

Zappa does a hilarious and irreverent improvised version of this song on "The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life" substituting Jimmy Swaggert (whose scandel had just broken in the media) for the main character.

4. Who tries to convince Madge that "it's not merely physical"?

Answer: Harry

Not to be confused with the Harry of "Thing-Fish", this comes from the song "Harry, You're a Beast" from the album "We're Only In It For The Money". This song contains a "secret" backwards lyric.

5. Who was... um, physically altered by a woman named Freddie?

Answer: Bobby Brown

After his encounter with the feminist Freddie, he didn't know whether he was "a boy or a lady". As the Thing-Fish might say, "You figguh it out!" This is one of Zappa's classics.

6. Who complains of a "man in a suit with a bow-tie neck" who wants to "buy a grunt with a third party check"?

Answer: Willie the Pimp

The only track on "Hot Rats" that contains lyrics, this is certainly a memorable one. It's sung by Captain Beefheart, so don't expect to understand all the words!

7. Which of these is the best description of Ms. Pinky?

Answer: A blow-up doll

Ms. Pinky is most definitely a blow-up doll. The song idea allegedly came to Zappa after an airport worker gave him an adult magazine with just such a device advertised in the back pages. In "Thing-Fish", this song is changed around a bit to reflect Rhonda when she meets Harry.

Thanks to LesW for pointing out that Ms. Pinky was not a full blow-up doll, but simply a head with no body.

8. Don't be too disappointed that you can't touch this person's hair. He may be gracious enough to let you kiss his comb.

Answer: Disco Boy

"Disco Boy" and "Dancin' Fool" are both send-ups of the disco "culture". Potato-Headed Bobby comes from "San Berdino", although he's mentioned in other songs as well. Joe of course comes from "Joe's Garage".

9. Whose name do girls write all over the restroom of the Whiskey A-Go-Go?

Answer: Bwana Dik

This is one of Zappa's songs that got him in trouble with the law.

10. What was the name of the Valley Girl according to the liner notes of "Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch"?

Answer: Ondrya Wolfson

Sorry if this one was tough on you (I always thought it was Andrea Wilson until I checked up on it for this quiz!). Ondrya Wolfson is the name of the Valley Girl in Zappa's highest-selling single. One story goes that her name was really Andrea, but that the spelling on the liner notes was changed to avoid a royalty lawsuit.

Source: Author mtarkey

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