Monday, 17 June 2013

Trivia and the Trivial

I said to my friend, when she lamented that her son didn't know who James Brown* was (when she watched the Blues Brothers with him), "Did you know that the boy who tried to steal the guitar from Ray's Music Exchange, that Ray Charles shoots at, grows up to be the limo driver, Argyll,  in Die Hard....That's my best bit of trivia." She responded "You can't have a best bit of trivia. It's all trivia."

I arguably do have trivia ranking. There is good trivia, and stupid trivia. And if there is good trivia and not so good trivia, there has to be a best. Good, better, best!

In order - the Blues Bros/Die hard trivia is number one. (Interestingly, when I get to tell that trivia, guys always think it's great trivia, women don't seem to care. Could trivia interest be gender based?)

Following closely, my second best bit of trivia, is that Bruce Willis is German-born, and his mother is German. (I love this bit of trivia, and I have no idea why it makes me like him more, but clearly I have some Eurocentric racism ranking going on too.)

All my other trivia is hardly worth mentioning.

So, what's your best bit of trivia? Or do you believe there can't be a trivia scale, ranking some trivia higher on the scale than others?



*She also mentioned her son didn't know who Princess Leia was - I told her that was just bad parenting and she ought to be ashamed of herself. She agreed and has begun the musical and film education of said child.
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37 comments:

  1. One Mother Hen17 June 2013 at 14:56

    All trivia is cool. Trivia nights are cool. Winning a trivia night would be cool, don't know anything about that though..ahem. Doesn't know who princess Leia is?! Outrageous :)

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    1. Lydia C. Lee18 June 2013 at 02:59

      I like trivia nights too, and also expect to come last...but that's still good :)

      Delete
  2. Cloverfeet17 June 2013 at 17:30

    My husband is the King of triva(l?) information. I do think it is a boy thing though.

    I know the guys always kick our butts at any kind of game where you need to actually know useless bits of random information.

    I think girls only retain the important things :)

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    1. Lydia C. Lee18 June 2013 at 02:59

      I retain so very little of any information, I'm not sure what that makes me....

      Delete
  3. circleoftoast17 June 2013 at 17:31

    I'm a big fan of useless triva, and my alltime favourite is that the name for a person who collects trivia is 'spermatologist' - it's true!

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    1. Lydia C. Lee18 June 2013 at 03:01

      Oooooooo, that is good trivia! That could even be better than my Bruce willis one....cos I'd rank that highly.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous17 June 2013 at 17:44

    Lover of all trivia here - I am not sure there is a scale as such, just an interest in said topic.
    I am glad your friend is refocusing her education of said child. These things must be held in the brain bank for future use. You just never know when it will be required.
    Oh and thank you to circleoftoast, i did not know that :)
    Becc @ Take Charge Now

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    1. Lydia C. Lee18 June 2013 at 03:02

      And because who doesn't watch Star Wars and how would you play "who's light sabre is that"

      Delete
  5. Unknown17 June 2013 at 18:11

    Lol, Lydia.I think all trivia is good. It means different things to different people. For example, the other day a friend of mine asked if I knew the actress who played Blossom in Blossom was the nerdy chick on The Big Bang Theory. I did indeed know this and rattled off for her a whole raft of trivia tidbits about said actress including that she has a PhD in Neuroscience. Boring to some, fascinating to others :)

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    1. Lydia C. Lee18 June 2013 at 03:04

      I don't watch either of those but I'd still rank it as pretty good trivia because the actress has a phd in neuroscience - yet chooses to be an actress....

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    2. Lydia C. Lee18 June 2013 at 03:36

      What's your blog? I can't follow the link back?

      Delete
  6. Anonymous17 June 2013 at 20:33

    i am terrible with trivia. i have none, i'm fairly certain. :( i've always envied people who can remember all kinds of random unimportant crap! ha ha -Aroha (#teamIBOT)

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    1. Lydia C. Lee18 June 2013 at 03:05

      I actually love people that can bring out the awesome trivia at the right time - waiting for the right conversation for the tidbit...

      Delete
  7. Anonymous17 June 2013 at 20:44

    Ha ha I agree that is bad parenting! And I didn't know Bruce had German parents, interesting. Trivia - ummm I don't have any up sleeve, except that you can tell what side your petrol cap is on by looking at the fuel guage in your car, there is an arrow - I never knew this until now - decades after I started driving! Em x

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    1. Lydia C. Lee18 June 2013 at 03:07

      Omg! I have to go an look! I didn't know that - I do have an electronic fuel gauge so I'm not sure that will work for me, but that is great trivia!,,

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    2. Anonymous22 June 2013 at 23:24

      Still works as I also have electronic gauge!

      Delete
  8. Me17 June 2013 at 21:36

    Is it trivia or is it just useless information ???????
    I definitely think it is a gender thing - A is a wealth of useless information that K and I have absolutely no interest in but he is very quick, at any given occasion, to pull out some useless bit of information (or trivia as you can it) - and it annoys the bejesus out of both of us !!!!
    Have the best day !
    Me
    PS - I know that this is just another point of difference but we can still be friends can't we ??????????????????

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    1. Lydia C. Lee18 June 2013 at 03:12

      That is actually the correct use of trivia - bring it out in the right conversation! How can you not love that? Makes any otherwise boring conversation suddenly interesting. I of course just have to blab it out irrelevantly, because I get too excited by what I've just learnt,

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    2. Lydia C. Lee18 June 2013 at 03:13

      Ps you are lucky you like AFL and Bruce Willis - those 2 things will take you far in my book ;)

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    3. Me18 June 2013 at 05:12

      Whew - thank goodness for AFL and Bruce Willis !! LOL

      Delete
  9. Anonymous17 June 2013 at 21:54

    I love trivia soooooooo much!!! I'm always spouting off some info to John, and he just nods to humour me. Every now and then he appreciates all that info I have swimming around in my head. :)

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  10. Unknown18 June 2013 at 01:57

    I know random facts like: 86% of all statistics are made up on the spot! I think trivia is more of a guy thing...

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    1. Lydia C. Lee18 June 2013 at 03:17

      I actually do that - make up statistics and then when my brain catches up with my mouth I say " actually, I think I just made that up" or the classic, "actually, I may e just got that from Law & order" I've watched that for so long I think my brain thinks it's factual...

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    2. Me18 June 2013 at 05:13

      This I can relate to - making up stuff as I talk - I do that all the time (and hope nobody actually calls me on most of what I say !!!)

      Delete
  11. Rhianna 18 June 2013 at 04:22

    I love your best trivia, I am a huge Die Hard fan, I am also rather partial to a bit of Bruce so the German thing caught my eye as well. I may be partial to him but till now had no idea of his heritage!
    Thanks for sharing.

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  12. Lydia C. Lee18 June 2013 at 04:45

    I was told the German bit by a German and at first I didn't believe her (but checked it out & it's true). I don't really get why I like this fact do much, but I do. Leo apparently is fluent in German or something but I didn't care for that one so don't remember it....

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  13. Seana Smith18 June 2013 at 05:21

    Oh dear, I'm going to a trivia night soon and am the world's worst trivia expert... and am joining a table of people I don't know, except one. I shall have to pull myself together and be scintillatingly witty to make up for my trivia uselessness. And it's not even that I don't enjoy it!

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    1. Lydia C. Lee18 June 2013 at 15:23

      Fingers crossed they ask you for a German born action hero...

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  14. Unknown19 June 2013 at 00:04

    I think trivia is super cool, but hang my head in shame and admit that I am very bad at it myself. Always avoided those work trivia nights....

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  15. Unknown20 June 2013 at 14:08

    I am terrible at Trivia and dread a trivia night, but luckily I always make yummy snacks so still get invited! I like the social side, but I am not a very good team member!

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  16. Kathy - yinyangmother20 June 2013 at 16:30

    Trivia and me are like jokes - in one ear and out the other. I hope that doesn't make me too serious!

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  17. Unknown20 June 2013 at 17:57

    Nup, got nothing. I love the idea of trivia but for me it's in one ear and out the other. How do you remember this stuff? Now my husband, on the other hand can remember endless Trivia but not the date of our wedding anniversary. What the??

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  18. Lara at Charming Language20 June 2013 at 18:22

    Ha ha! I own a copy of Trivial Pursuit 1980s edition and I always blitz everyone on the music trivia but I suck at just about every other category. Clearly I paid no attention whatsoever to world news in the '80s. Can't say I have a favourite piece of trivia, but I'm very open to the notion of a scale!

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  19. lisasdream22 June 2013 at 00:06

    I am really bad at remembering names so all trivia would be wasted on me!!!
    And yep I am bad at remembering movies ;)
    I like the idea of Trivia Nights. I went to one many years ago and it was so much fun to see how serious they all get with who is winning!

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  20. Arleen23 June 2013 at 11:50

    I have never been a fan of trivia but you can really learn alot from it. I usually can't remember any trivia to pass along but do enjoy hearing it.

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  21. Bloggers and Bacon25 March 2017 at 19:28

    I'm good at more obscure trivia but awful at mainstream trivia.

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