Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport, Its Quiz Day!

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

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For those of you who find the title a little obscure Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport is one of the best-known and most successful songs from Australia, inspired by Harry Belafonte’s calypsos, it is about an Australian stockman on his deathbed.

It also provides a handy link to question one.

As for this and the rest of the questions, if you get stuck you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating.

Enjoy and good luck.

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quiz 06

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Q.  1.  What is a young kangaroo called?

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Q.  2. The temple complex of Angkor Wat is situated in which country?

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Q.  3.  What is commonly used in a rectifier to convert alternating current to direct current?

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Q.  4.  Which creature gives birth to the largest young?

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Q.  5.  What do you call the peninsular leisure/entertainment destination found  in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, New York?

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Q.  6.  What is a bathometer?

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Q.  7.  Cobnuts and filberts come from what species of tree?

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Q.  8.  What country is surrounded by Kzahkstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China?

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Q.  9.  About which bird did Percy Bysshe Shelley write ‘Hail to Thee, blithe spirit!’?

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Q. 10.  Who wrote the play ‘Blithe Spirit’ which took its title from Shelley’s poem?

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Q. 11.  What is a ‘cattle grid’ (UK/Ireland), a ‘stock grid’ (Australia), or a ‘cattle guard’ (America) used for?

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Q. 12.  What recently deceased actor was ‘Doctor Zhivago’ in the 1965 movie?

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Q. 13.  What nationality was ‘Doctor Zhivago’?

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Q. 14.  ‘Old Man’s Beard’ and ‘Traveller’s Joy’ are names for a variety of which flower?

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Q. 15.  What is manufactured by the Haber process?

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Q. 16.  Which novel opens: “It was 348 years, six months and 19 days ago today that the citizens of Paris were awakened by the pealing of all the bells in the triple precincts of the City, the University and the Town”; and who wrote it? (A point for each correct answer.)

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Q. 17.  What are the names of the first and the fifth planets in our solar system?

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Q. 18.  No battle was fought here, yet, it was the turning point of the American Revolutionary War and is now commemorated as a National Park. What is its name and in which state is it located? (A point for each correct answer.)

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Q. 19.  Who won the Ladies Singles Championship at Wimbledon 2015?

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Q. 20.  This word can mean the name of a beverage made from fruit juice and soda water, part of the name of a well-known vegetable, a sport, or the act of silencing or suppressing – what is it?

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ANSWERS

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Q.  1.  What is a young kangaroo called?

A.  1.  Joey.

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Q.  2. The temple complex of Angkor Wat is situated in which country?

A.  2. Cambodia.

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Q.  3.  What is commonly used in a rectifier to convert alternating current to direct current?

A.  3.  A ‘Diode’.

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Q.  4.  Which creature gives birth to the largest young?

A.  4.  Blue Whale – 8 metres and 2,700 kg at birth. In the first 7 to 8 months they reach 16 metres and weigh about 21,000 kg.

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Q.  5.  What do you call the peninsular leisure/entertainment destination found  in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, New York?

A.  5.  It is called ‘Coney Island’.

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Q.  6.  What is a bathometer?

A.  6.  It is an instrument for indicating the depth of the sea beneath a moving vessel. You can have the point if you said depth gage or something to measure depth of water.

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Q.  7.  Cobnuts and filberts come from what species of tree?

A.  7.  From the Hazel tree.

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Q.  8.  What country is surrounded by Kzahkstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China?

A.  8.  Kyrgzstan.

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Q.  9.  About which bird did Percy Bysshe Shelley write ‘Hail to Thee, blithe spirit!’?

A.  9.  A skylark (in To a Skylark).

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Q. 10.  Who wrote the play ‘Blithe Spirit’ which took its title from Shelley’s poem?

A. 10.  Noël Coward.

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Q. 11.  What is a ‘cattle grid’ (UK/Ireland), a ‘stock grid’ (Australia), or a ‘cattle guard’ (America) used for?

A. 11.  It is used as a barrier that allows vehicles to pass, but not cattle.

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Q. 12.  What recently deceased actor was ‘Doctor Zhivago’ in the 1965 movie?

A. 12.  Omar Sharif.

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Q. 13.  What nationality was ‘Doctor Zhivago’?

A. 13.  Russian.

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Q. 14.  ‘Old Man’s Beard’ and ‘Traveller’s Joy’ are names for a variety of which flower?

A. 14.  The Clematis.

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Q. 15.  What is manufactured by the Haber process?

A. 15.  Ammonia.

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Q. 16.  Which novel opens: “It was 348 years, six months and 19 days ago today that the citizens of Paris were awakened by the pealing of all the bells in the triple precincts of the City, the University and the Town”; and who wrote it? (A point for each correct answer.)

A. 16.  Notre Dame de Paris (also known as The Hunchback of Notre Dame) by Victor Hugo

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Q. 17.  What are the names of the first and the fifth planets in our solar system?

A. 17.  The first is Mercury (the smallest, now Pluto has been demoted) and the fifth is Jupiter (the largest).

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Q. 18.  No battle was fought here, yet, it was the turning point of the American Revolutionary War and is now commemorated as a National Park. What is its name and in which state is it located? (A point for each correct answer.)

A. 18.  It is Valley Forge located approximately 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania.

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Q. 19.  Who won the Ladies Singles Championship at Wimbledon 2015?

A. 19.  Serena Williams.

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Q. 20.  This word can mean the name of a beverage made from fruit juice and soda water, part of the name of a well-known vegetable, a sport, or the act of silencing or suppressing – what is it?

A. 20.  Squash.

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Last Quiz For This April.

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

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Welcome to the last quiz for this April.

A good mixture of questions this week, some very easy and few that should sort out the serious quizzers from the casual players.

As usual if you get stuck the answers can be found waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!

Enjoy and good luck.

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quiz 10

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Q.  1:  What does the ‘Q’ in ‘Q-tips’ stand for?

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Q.  2:  How many curves are in a standard paper clip?

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Q.  3:  In which river are the 1000 islands?

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Q.  4:  The scene of a famous battle, the city of Montevideo is located at the mouth of which river?

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Q.  5:  During World War II, the largest Japanese spy ring was located where?

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Q.  6:  In which country was the “angel of the north” erected in 1998?

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Q.  7:  What 6 colors are on the classic Campbell’s soup label? (A point for each.)

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Q.  8:  She was the leader of the British movement for  female suffrage and in 1903 founded the Women’s Political Union which agitated for votes for women, but died in 1928 just before full voting rights were granted. Who was she?

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Q.  9:  On the United States “Stars and Stripes” flag, is the top stripe red or white?

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Q. 10:  Which German leader was known as the ‘Iron Chancellor’?

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Q. 11:  Name the character who said, “I do wish we could chat longer but I’m having an old friend for dinner” and the movie from which it comes? (A point for each correct answer.)

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Q. 12:  Which way do fans rotate?

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Q. 13:  England’s King Henry VIII is infamous for having six wives and for having some of them executed by beheading. But how many of the six wives lost their heads?

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Q. 14:  If ‘Lady’ is a pedigree spaniel what is the name of the mongrel?

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Q. 15:  Whose face is on a dime? 

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Q. 16:  The now famous line “Show me the money” comes from what well known movie?

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Q. 17:  Which country did Xerxes rule?

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Q. 18:  Who is missing from this list?

Sleepy,   Happy,   Sneezy,   Grumpy,   Dopey,   Doc.

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Q. 19:  Which actor in 1962 was the first to say the immortal line “The name is Bond – James Bond”  and in which movie? (A point for each correct answer.)

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Q. 20:  Who sang about the ‘Witchita line man’?

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ANSWERS

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Q.  1:  What does the ‘Q’ in ‘Q-tips’ stand for?

A.  1:  The ‘Q’ in ‘Q-tips’ stands for ‘quality’.

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Q.  2:  How many curves are in a standard paper clip?

A.  2:  There are 3 curves on a standard paper clip. (Did you have to look?)

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Q.  3:  In which river are the 1000 islands?

A.  3:  In the St Lawrence River.

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Q.  4:  The scene of a famous battle, the city of Montevideo is located at the mouth of which river?

A.  4:  The River Plate  (Rio de la Plate).

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Q.  5:  During World War II, the largest Japanese spy ring was located where?

A.  5:  The largest Japanese spy ring during WWII was not in the U.S. but in Mexico, where it spied on the U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

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Q.  6:  In which country was the “angel of the north” erected in 1998?

A.  6:  In England.

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Q.  7:  What 6 colors are on the classic Campbell’s soup label? (A point for each.)

A.  7:  Blue, red, white, yellow, black, and gold.

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Q.  8:  She was the leader of the British movement for  female suffrage and in 1903 founded the Women’s Political Union which agitated for votes for women, but died in 1928 just before full voting rights were granted. Who was she?

A.  8:  Emmeline Pankhurst.

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Q.  9:  On the United States “Stars and Stripes” flag, is the top stripe red or white?

A.  9:  It is Red. (Again I hope you didn’t have to look!)

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Q. 10:  Which German leader was known as the ‘Iron Chancellor’?

A. 10:  Bismarck.

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Q. 11:  Name the character who said, “I do wish we could chat longer but I’m having an old friend for dinner” and the movie from which it comes? (A point for each correct answer.)

A. 11:  Hannibal Lecter said it in the Silence of the Lambs.

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Q. 12:  Which way do fans rotate?

A. 12:  Clockwise as you look at it

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Q. 13:  England’s King Henry VIII is infamous for having six wives and for having some of them executed by beheading. But how many of the six wives lost their heads?

A. 13:  Only two, people usually think it is more.

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Q. 14:  If ‘Lady’ is a pedigree spaniel what is the name of the mongrel?

A. 14:  His name is ‘Tramp’, from the animated feature ‘Lady and the Tramp’.

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Q. 15:  Whose face is on a dime?

A. 15:  US President Franklin D Roosevelt.

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Q. 16:  The now famous line “Show me the money” comes from what well known movie?

A. 16:  The movie was ‘Jerry Maguire’, starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr.

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Q. 17:  Which country did Xerxes rule?

A. 17:  Persia.

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Q. 18:  Who is missing from this list?

Sleepy,   Happy,   Sneezy,   Grumpy,   Dopey,   Doc. 

A. 18:  Bashful is missing, he was afraid to appear.

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Q. 19:  Which actor in 1962 was the first to say the immortal line “The name is Bond – James Bond”  and in which movie? (A point for each correct answer.)

A. 19:  Sean Connery in Dr No.

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Q. 20:  Who sang about the ‘Witchita line man’?

A. 20:  Glen Campbell.

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A Musical Merry Christmas Extravaganza!

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy” .

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Hi everyone.

Thanks for dropping by my blog this Christmas week.

If you are a regular visitor thank you for you continued support throughout the year.

A bit of a change from the usual offerings this week.

A musical treat in fact.

Here are a few Christmas Classics from bygone years. I hope you have time to listen to and enjoy them all, but even if you just want to try a few I think there will be something in this selection that you’ll like no matter what your musical tastes may be.

A Very Merry Christmas to everyone.

And, of course, enjoy the music!

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. Dean Martin – Jingle Bells

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Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You

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B. B. King – Merry Christmas Baby

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Wizzard – I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day

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The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale Of New York

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John Lennon – Happy Christmas (War Is Over)

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Boney M – Mary’s Boy

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Wham! – Last Christmas

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Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas

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Michael Buble – It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

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Eartha Kitt – Santa Baby

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Gunter Kallmann Choir – Winter Wonderland

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Jim Reeves – Silent Night

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Andrea Bocelli – Adeste Fideles

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Sheryl Crowe And Eric Clapton – Merry Christmas Baby

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Lady Gaga – Christmas Tree

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U2 – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

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Iron Maiden – Another Rock And Roll Christmas

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Lynyrd Skynyrd – Christmas Time Again

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Coldplay – Christmas Lights

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The Darkness – Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)

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Slade – Merry Christmas Everybody

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Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Christmas Canon Rock

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The Missouri Mass Murderer

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

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I’m sure not many of you will have heard of the Missouri Mass Murderer, but that’s probably because I just made it up to get a catchy title for this blog post.

Nevertheless there was such a person and she could even be described as a serial killer such was the number of her victims.

Born in Joplin, Missouri, her name was Elva Ruby Connes Miller and she murdered some of the best songs ever written. In fact she tortured some of them to death in the most horrific manner.

Despite having studied music, voice, and composition at Pomona College, the woman could not sing. She had not a note in her body. Tone deaf does not even begin to describe it. Shrill, out of key, horrendous vibrato when completely uncalled for. You name a wrong way of doing it and she did it. It was carnage.

Curiously, sometimes when someone does something particularly badly it turns out to be something you have to look at, or in this case listen to. And when you hear one song, you need to hear another just to make sure she was as bad as you thought.

Not surprisingly Mrs Miller had to self finance her first recordings but was eventually featured by KMPC disc jockey (and later Laugh-In announcer) Gary Owens on his radio program. Around the same time, 1960, she also appeared on a limited-run album of his comedy routines. Owens can therefore be blamed – sorry, credited – as the person who first discovered her.

Astonishingly Miller was signed to Capitol Records by Lex de Azevedo, a young up-and-coming producer at the label, although nowadays he apparently does not care to discuss his involvement with Miller!

Equally astonishingly, her first LP, ironically titled “Mrs. Miller’s Greatest Hits”, appeared in 1966 and sold over 250,000 copies in its first three weeks! She sang for US servicemen in Vietnam (they should probably have got her to sing to the Viet Cong), performed at the Hollywood Bowl, guest starred on numerous television shows, and appeared in Roddy McDowall’s film The Cool Ones.

But her fame was short-lived. Interest in Miller soon waned. She was dropped by Capitol and, in 1968, and released her final album, “Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing”, on the Amaret label. She later issued several singles on her own Vibrato Records label, then retired from singing in the early 1970s. She died in 1997 in Garden Terrace Retirement Center, in Vista, California.

A friend of mine introduced me to Mrs Miller’s noise (I won’t dignify it by calling it music) a few years ago when he gave me a CD of her greatest hits. 

But bad as it certainly is, I have put it to good use over the years. I like to take it to other people’s houses, or when we are in the car. I “big” up this great singer I have discovered, pop the CD into the player and then watch the utter confusion and dismay on their faces as they listen to what Mrs Miller has to offer.

Below are a few examples of her crimes. Tunes you may be familiar with “A Groovy Kind Of Love”, The Girl From Ipanema”, “Let’s Hang On”, Strangers In The Night”, “A Hard Days Night”, “Downtown”, and “These Boots Are Made For Walkin”. There are others on youtube.com if you get hooked, just do a search for Mrs Miller.

I usually say “Enjoy” at this point in my posts. However, today I do not think it is appropriate. Although I should perhaps add the disclaimer that, if you are of a sensitive nature you may find the following upsetting.

 

 

A Groovy Kind Of Love

 

 

The Girl From Ipanema


 
 

Let’s Hang On


 

 

Strangers In The Night


 

 

A Hard Days Night


 

 

Downtown


 

 

These Boots Are Made For Walkin