Welcome!
Welcome to the very first issue of Know Shit! I’m so happy you’re here, this project has been quite a while in the making and keeping me somewhat sane over the winter months of long covid isolation. It’s been a lot of work and a lot of fun so I hope you enjoy the first issue.
Your first mission (should you choose to accept it) is to complete this quiz! Grab some quiz mates or go it alone. Settle in and good luck!
Take a break! Check your answers! Have a cuppa tea!
On with the quiz…
The theme song that never was…
When I was four, I was given a mp3 player for my birthday, pre-loaded with all the James Bond theme songs. I could never figure out how to add anything else onto it, so it became a dedicated James Bond theme machine. I had no other musical options so due to what some may describe as Stockholm syndrome, these themes now hold a special place in my heart.
In 2015, while deep into recording A Moon Shaped Pool, Radiohead were approached by producers to make the theme song for the newest James Bond film “Spectre”. They first submitted their unreleased song “Man of War”, which was originally recorded as a part of their third album, OK Computer in 1995. The song was described by front man Thom Yorke as a homage to James Bond themes. Naturally, director Sam Mendes agreed that it would fit perfectly in “Spectre” however, it was ultimately rejected as it hadn’t been written specifically for the film. Man of War eventually saw the light of day when it was released in 2017’s OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017.
Radiohead asked for another shot at the theme song, this time halting production of A Moon Shaped Pool to work on an original track. The result was the hauntingly beautiful song “Spectre”. Yet again it was rejected, this time for being too “dark”. Instead, the filmmakers chose to use the Sam Smith’s theme “Writing’s on the Wall”. Luckily, Radiohead released their version for free and fans were able to see what could have been. While it didn’t make it into the film, it stacks up very well against the other James Bond themes as what could have been an all-time classic.
Below, I’ve put together a playlist of my favourite James Bond themes with “Spectre”included. :)
Click HERE for the playlist on Apple Music.
Click HERE for the playlist on Spotify
Answers! (pt. i)
DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU’VE COMPLETED PART ONE OF THE QUIZ!!!
Or do. See if I care.
1. Double agent.
2. A. C4 cigarette.
3. Meghan Trainor.
4. I Spy.
Here’s a fun little video about the guy who makes the I Spy photos:
5. True
Yes they really did this AND spent twenty million US dollars doing so.
6. B. Eraser dust.
7. MK-ULTRA
If you’re interested in learning more about this, there’s fantastic documentary series called “Wormwood” by Errol Morris on Netflix. I would highly recommend checking it out!
8. Romeo.
9. Spyware.
10. One million dollars!
11. D. Lollapalooza
here’s a proper definition of the word shibboleth, I’d never heard of it before writing this question.
Click here for the definition.
12. The Doughnut.
Answers! (pt. ii)
DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU’VE COMPLETED PART TWO OF THE QUIZ!!!
This time i’m serious.
13. C. Set fire to a pair of tigers.
This is Sean Connery donning yellow face in “You Only Live Twice”. Yeesh. 😬
14. (From left to right): Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan in “I’m Not There”, Tilda Swinton as Dr. Klemperer in the “Suspiria” remake and Mia Goth as Pearl in “X”
Mia Goth getting her prosthetics on for “X”:
15. The enigma code.
This inspired the film “The Imitation Game” with the role of Alan Turing played by Benedict Cumberbatch.
Some more info on Alan Turing and the enigma code.
16. The atom bomb.
17. 204.
18. D. National Security Agency.
19. False. I made this one up.
20. Spyro.
21. Military intelligence (not mission impossible, sorry).
22. A. Agatha Christie.
Roald Dahl however, as a spy, seduced American woman for Britain. Somewhat of a Romeo agent. If you want a laugh, look into his espionage career. It’s quite fascinating. He also wrote the screenplay for the Bond film “You Only Live Twice”. Yes the one with the yellow face in it. Tsk tsk tsk not on Roald. Not on.
23. Kingsman (from the Kingman movies).
24. The United States and the Soviet Union (USSR).
The code translates to: How many James Bond films has Daniel Craig starred in? The answer being: 5. “Casino Royale”, “Quantum of Solace”, “Skyfall”, “Spectre'“ and “No Time To Die”.
The code can be deciphered by finding the symbols throughout the quiz and translating them to the letter that they are replacing.
