wiki-illiam q13!

[dubdobdee]

i: who had a Lonely Hearts Club Band?
ii: who was hoodwinked by Sir Percy at Laragne?
iii: who liked gramophone records to be played at speed 61?
iv: whose Concert Party duet with Lofty Sugden got to No. 1?
v: who had bestowed upon him the high-sounding title of Governor of La Merced?
vi: who shot tiny field mice every night with huge bullets from the .45 he had stolen from the dead man?
vii: who could quote historical fights between 490 BC and 1815 AD?
viii: whose favourite game would end with the command ‘Change at Löhne!’?
ix: which lepidopterist claimed to have taken Lungtungpen?
x: who related how he lost his ear in Venice?


the rules:
a: give nice full answers and anecdotes where possible!
b: say if googled or not, and leave a bit of a while for people to answer non-googlingly
c: you're obviously allowed to look ahead at future questions
d: other fora in = (unpoliceably) Out of Bounds till next set is up

ok i don't think it is pop despite the music-related elements: i is sgt pepper obv, ii sir percy = scarlet pimpernel maybe, is iv from it ain't half hot mum? so theme = military?

Comments

[marnameow.livejournal.com]

viii - from All Quiet On The Western Front.
vi - this is also from a book! I think it is someone in Catch 22.

A handful of others feel fictional and familiar. I am ruminating.

[friedslice.livejournal.com]

vii - The Major General from Pirates of Penzance?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

iii sounds kind of Pynchonish!

iv is Windsor Davis, who got to #1 with "Whispering Grass", the prospect of a long conversation about which is one of many things contributing to my current Popular blogger's block.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Oh though I don't know what the 'military' element wd be there. Aside from it debuting in IAHHM I guess.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

i think the theme is that the person in question -- we need names foax! -- has a military rank at the start of their name: ie the character windsor davis plays is "sgt major so-and-so" (or whatever his rank was)

iii DOES sound pynchonish tho i don't recall it directly fromn GravRain

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

ix: lepidopterist = butterfly collector? Madame Butterfly?

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

"Whispering Grass" is a 10 surely! ;-)

It's the character name we're after, including rank - so that's Battery Sergeant Major... whatever (I'll look it up)

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

I wonder if they are ALL "sergeants"????

e.g. could iii. be Sir Malcolm Sargent dys? I have no idea what 61 is a ref to though - could be a tempo (crotchet = 61?) rather than rpm I suppose.

[anatol-merklich.livejournal.com]

vi: Catch 22 sounds right, there was a dead man in a tent there. Main char = Captain Yossarian, might be him? (The best-named officer in the book is obv Major Major Major Major though.)

SHUT UP!!!!

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Battery Sergeant Major Tudor Brynne Williams

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Or is it one of the dudes from Papillon?

[anatol-merklich.livejournal.com]

Dunno, but I like the Mme Butterfly suggestion better since Lungtungpen sounds (mock-?)Asian. Also, was not protagonist an LIEUTENANT or am I misremembering?

Googlio-assisted

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

x. is a Brigadier!

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

yes he's called something really exotic (if yr italian as puccini was) like "lieut.TAYLOR"

[anatol-merklich.livejournal.com]

oh wait PINKERTON?

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

i took 61 to be rpm -- either a joke abt 16prm played 4 x as fast, or 78 played slow -- for some reason related to his character

(the possible character in GravRain would be poor old Brigadier Pudding, still fighting the last war but one: maybe he playes 78s at 61?)

(though i don't *think* 16rpm arrived as speed till after ww2)
(cylinders played at all kinds of wacky rpms of course; as did pre-78 discs iirc)

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

PINKETRON!

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Yep. In his song he says "I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical/ From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical" etc

Did he have a name?

Googled

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

confirmation on ii.

The officer's name was Lieutenant Godet. He was deceived by the League of the SP who were dressed in the uniforms of a French army captain and his company into believing they were the real thing - and duly took orders to march with them out of the town.
(from Sir Percy Strikes Back)

[anatol-merklich.livejournal.com]

teamwerk hurrah!

Re: Googled

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

v. (I don't think anyone will know this, so may as well post it now)

Major Jonquier, a Dutchman in charge of "a mass of French conscripts in the sun-soaked plains of Spain..." responsible for holding Spaniards in subjection to Napolean.
(from Chapter X of The Gun by C.S.Forester)

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

...though sadly this is the wrong answer. Instead an old friend (of the quiz) is back Back BACK!