The Quarter Game

While my brother-in-law was here we played “the quarter game” a few times. This is the car radio game where you try to name the artist of the song first. I suspected that I would be no match for him. I wasn’t. Not only am I chronically bad at this game but he is really, really good. We hopped between different XM stations covering the 60s to the 90s and he knew almost every single one. He’d say “Foreigner” after two measures or “Otis Redding” after just a few notes. Boz Skaggs, Spice Girls, The Cranberries, Def Leppard, New Shoes, the genre did not matter. It was amazing. The Carpenters, Spandau Ballet, Blue Oyster Cult, REO Speedwagon, Atlantic Star, Culture Club, UB40. He knew everything!

Several times he would not say the answer immediately and just say, “David, c’mon. you HAVE to know this one.” I’d need just a minute and then I would realize it was Madonna or Rod Stewart or someone so obvious that it was painful. He was modest though, and kept assuring me that soon we’d hear songs that were in my “wheelhouse.” I think I proved to him that my wheelhouse is more like a wheel-studio-apartment and there are precious few artists there. Ironically, I think they all start with B (Beach Boys, Beatles, Billy Joel, and Blondie.) I guessed Pat Benetar about four times but it was always wrong.

At one point he started prompting me with hints. The Pretenders were singing one of their bigger hits but I had no idea. He hinted, “Fakers.” I guessed “Milli Vanilli.” How bad am I? Has anyone in the history of humankind ever mistaken these groups? I don’t think so.

Hats off to the King of the Quarter game. Good thing we weren’t really playing for money!