By Bill Russo
Name That Star!
N.T.S. is a little
word game where you are given ten clues to guess the identity of a famous
person. He or she may be a movie star, singer, politician, or anyone else in
the public eye.
Success in the first guess yields a score of
100. Each successive clue is worth ten
points less, going from 90 all the way down to zero points if you fail to Name That Star!
Segment One:
Here are the clues, in
the form of statements by the celebrity:
(Your Free Clue: This star is a man. He’s semi-retired but does make frequent
public appearances.)
1 1.
“In
July 1957, I listened to Elvis on the radio singing “Teddy Bear” by day; while
at night I sang on stage with the new group I had just joined - (The Quarrymen).”
2 2.
“My
father gave me a trumpet, but I wanted to play guitar. Being left handed, I
couldn’t figure it out until I saw a Slim Whitman poster and realized I could
reverse the strings! The people who influenced me included Chuck Berry and
Little Richard.”
3 3.
“In
1966 after enjoying great success, I wanted to write a song for a string
quartet. I ended up writing it for a
string ‘octet’ and it surprised me when it became a huge hit. A noted critic
said the song is "a neoclassical tour de
force ... a true hybrid, conforming to no recognizable style or genre of song"
I used a woman’s name for the title.”
4 4.
“In
1969 a rumour spread around the world that I had been killed in a car accident
and yet I was still seen in my singing group.
People said that I had been replaced by a look-alike.”
5 5.
“The
following year, 1970; with bittersweet feelings I left my old group and started
a new band. It was then that my music
really ‘flew’ to new heights and directions.”
6 6.
“I
can write songs about anything. I penned
some about eggs, pie, and strawberries.
I even wrote one about submarines.”
7 7.
“I
am not Ringo Starr and I am not Pete Best, although like those two men, I did
play drums on some Beatles songs, including Back in the USSR and the Ballad of
John and Yoko.
8 8.
“Like
most of the Americans my age, I was highly influenced by Buddy Holly, Carl
Perkins, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Elvis.”
9 9.
“I
was deeply involved in the Real Buddy Holly Story, a 1985 documentary film.”
1 10. “I composed and sang ‘Yesterday’, perhaps my
favourite of all the work I have done.”
Well that’s
it for this installment of Name That Star!
How did you do? If you guessed the correct answer on the first clue you score
100 per cent and are a genius.
If it took
two guesses, you get a straight ‘A’, and are pretty, pretty smart at the game.
Three
guesses is an 80. This would be a “B”, if we were giving letter grades. It’s okay – but don’t be bragging about it.
Try a little harder next time.
If you
guessed the Celebrity on the fourth statement, you get a grade of 70. You passed but just barely. It’s recommended that you download and listen
to Rubber Soul, Revolver, and the White Album for starters.
If it took
you five or more clues to figure out that today’s guest celebrity is Paul
McCartney of the Beatles and Wings: Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.
But do try again in
another edition of Name That Star.
Here in
brief are the explanations to the statements ascribed to Sir Paul McCartney:
1. The Quarrymen, fronted by John Lennon, invited fifteen
year old Paul to join them in 1957. The
following year George Harrison became part of the band.
2. Mostly
self taught, Paul plays surprisingly well and has been considered a top bass
guitarist. At the start however, he was confused how he, as a southpaw, could
ever learn how to play a guitar. After
he saw that the strings of Slim Whitman’s guitar were reversed, he switched his
and soon began making sweet music.
3. Paul’s
octet for strings is the quirky and perky, “Eleanor Rigby”.
4. In 1969,
it was indeed thought by many people that Paul had succumbed to injuries suffered
in the crash of his ‘Aston Martin’ and was secretly replaced by a look-alike.
On rapidly growing legs, the false report ran all around the world, only slowing
down months later after many ‘live’ appearances and Paul’s personal interview,
published in Life Magazine.
5. In 1970, McCartney left the Beatles and his
music soared in new directions with his latest group, “Wings”
6. Among
many other things, Paul wrote about Strawberry Fields Forever and a Yellow
Submarine.
7. Statement
7 was designed as a curve ball to throw you off the track. Ringo and Pete Best were drummers in the
Beatles and so was Paul! He actually did
the drum work on at least four of the Beatles releases. He also played piano in
some, including Lady Madonna in which he tried to emulate one of his early
heroes, Fats Domino of New Orleans, USA.
8. We also
tried to fool you in Statement 8, saying: “Like most Americans my age, I was
highly influenced by Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and
Elvis.” The idea was to get you to think that the mystery celebrity was
American. The statement is true – most
American teenaged musicians were influenced by those artists; as were many
young people from the UK, including Paul and the rest of the Beatles.
9. Paul was
both the producer and the host of the Real Buddy Holly Story.
10. We threw you a softball for clue 10 because even if you
didn’t figure it out before then, it’s safe to say that everybody in the world
knows that Paul McCartney was the singer of Yesterday – the most ‘covered’ song
on the planet. To date more than 3,000
established musicians have recorded the tune, widely regarded as one of the
best ballads ever written.
Thanks for playing.
Play early and play often.
Full Listing of the ingredients in NTS:
Trivia: 100 per cent
Corn: considerable, but not from ears
Sugar: None
There are zero calories in Name That Star!
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Segment Two: is a Segment To be posted at a future date. Send e-mails to Billrrrrr@yahoo.com. Write early and often and especially if you have something good to say.
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