Music ~ Quiz
After being bullied out of a job I really enjoyed (and was damned good at) by two perverted senior staff members ~ and persecuted following time off for a knee operation ~ I sank back into another spiral of depression and ended up spending some time out of work. The dole isn't a good place to be, especially when you're a beer hound, as I was still at that time.
I was allowed to work a number of hours a week without prejudicing my benefits ~ it being seen as a way back to full-time employment, so found a job in a local pub working behind the bar on afternoons and quiet nights. It was enough to help keep my head above water and afford me a little money for leisure.
During this time I befriended the chap who did the music quiz in the pub on a Thursday night and, although I loathe feeling like I'm taking charity off people, let him buy me a few beers when I couldn't afford them. He was a fairly aloof character, not overly liked locally, but generally accepted. (I saw him as a little like myself, as I had been at some times in my past.) I managed to repay his charity as best I could by helping him with his quiz, some dj-ing, and other works.
The one thing about him that really got on my wick though was his continual bragging about how much money he had. Relatives had passed on and left him their properties to either rent or sell on ... and he just didn't stop going on about it. Eventually I just couldn't take it any more and stopped seeing him, or helping him. He, obviously, couldn't figure out what the problem was and I couldn't articulate well enough to explain properly. So, he stopped doing his weekly quiz and then stopped going into the pub completely. I felt really bad about it after he had helped me out, but still feel it was as much for his benefit as it was mine. (Other locals did say he used to do this often ~ spend time in a pub until such a time as he'd pissed enough people off, then disappear, so hopefully it wasn't all down to me.)
The Thursday night quizzers were most upset though, so the pub landlords asked if I could take over. With some help with equipment and electrical rigging of the pub's music systems from another local (and friend), they got something set-up that I could use through my old laptop. I had enough music to use initially and obtained more as I went along. The format I changed to suit what I thought would be more interesting and away we went. At that time, some of the quizzers encompassed local councillors, plus one local celebrity ~ a real gentleman called Alan Mills ~ former lead singer with a chart-topping band Coast To Coast ("Do The Hucklebuck").
It took a lot of research and time to produce a weekly quiz, but I managed it ~ and even became quite expert at some elements, including my picture rounds, music clips and anagrams* ... with a twist. Some nights I'd have up to around 50 people attending, though generally I could count on around 35, which also made it very popular with the landlords, as most of those were drinkers.
I also started doing discos at the pub on special occasions, such as Halloween and New Year's Eve, though I would never consider myself to be a dj ~ I just didn't have the experience. It lasted around eight years at this pub before it became time for a change, after which I moved to another pub, which unfortunately closed down, then to a final one, but it was never the same. So eventually, I knocked it on the head.
While it lasted it was immense fun. The people who turned up mostly became friends, whose ages spanned from late teens to pensioners.
(*) Here are some anagrams ~ see if you can figure them out. They are all artist or band names (I'll put the answers on another page).
ROB WARY LAG // BREAST STEAM // NOB GOES GREEN // OY CUSTER, BULLET // KNOBS A TRIBE // BINS LACE PANTIES // CLAIR IS A BELL END // PLECTRA ICON // SAM CRUSHED ME TITS // CHER HUGS BIRD // MOIST FONDA // RODE HOBBIT SORE // ELF RODE DOG // CORKABLE FART // FAT LAGER DUDE // GOAT IN A MINI // COCK HEALS IN JAM // BRAWNY RAM OIL // BLOODY EMUS // RAISE AS MELON TITS // ME NAIL SOOTY // WARMED NANNY // BAP MELT ERROR // I RAM SEX TIP // BULLIED GIMP CAT // MUSHY BREAST // SUDDEN GROAN // REST IN YER BAPS // BURPING TEEN CRESS // WORST DATER // GUSSET TRIO WINS // RUB MEATY WAY // ENEMA, YOU WISH