Swizzle! :: EW’s Nightlife Guide

Swizzle!

THE FORM OF A QUESTION
And then there were two: Trivia nights in Eugene are breeding like bunnies! OK, maybe not quite that quickly. But you can now test your wits twice a week. Both nights — Friday at Eugene City Brewery and Tuesday at Max’s — have their charms, but they’ve got distinct personalities and crowds. We went, we answered, we didn’t exactly conquer — but we did make a handy little chart for your edification! — Molly Templeton

MR. BILL’S TRIVIA
at Eugene City Brewery
8 pm Fridays, 844 Olive St. (345-4155)
www.mrbillstrivia.com
Minors welcome until 10 pm

TUESDAY TRIVIA NIGHT
at New Max’s Tavern
8 pm Tuesdays, 550 E. 13th Avenue
(349-8986)
21 and over

YOUR HOST Genial, low-key, tuxedo-clad Mr. Bill, trivia master since 1984. Mr. E. Geek, decked out in a white lab coat and taped glasses, trivia master since 2006.
THE BAR Bright, spacious, cafeteria-like. Dark, cozy, boisterous, loud.
LIBATION
SELECTIONS
More than 30 microbrew taps and a full — though small — bar. Eight or 10 taps: Deschutes, Bud, Guinness and Widmer Hef; dozen or so bottles; wine.
ADDITIONAL INGESTIBLES Delicious fish and chips, burgers, addictive buffalo chips. Hypnotically spinning hot dogs and endless, buttery, delicious bowls of popcorn.
THE CROWD Wildly eclectic: College kids, grown-ups, hipsters, children, parents, hippies, guys in suits (well, maybe not) … Mostly college-age and twentysomething participants with large lung capacity and a liking for punny team names.
QUESTION
SYSTEM
Generally three rounds of 18 questions each, broken into three-question clumps. Three rounds of three sets of six questions; bonus question at the end of the last round.
ABOUT THOSE QUESTIONS General knowledge: geography, sports, history, entertainment. Seem to get harder as the night goes on. Occasional name-that-tune questions. Feels a little tailored to the audience: late ’70s/early ’80s name-that-tune, sports, geography, movies, music and, inexplicably, algebra. Math is trivia?
SAMPLE
QUESTION
Name the three presidents who were governors of states west of the Mississippi. What 1995 movie had the working title I Was a Teenage Teenager?
PRIZES Random raffle-ticket numbers are chosen for prizes, which are mostly $1 off coupons; end-of-night prizes include T-shirts and gift certificates for various establishments at which Mr. Bill plies his trivia trade. Round-winning teams earn cash; top three teams pick from the overflowing table of prizes: toys, Bud gear, candy, snacks, keychains …
KNOW THIS The Trivial Pursuit of trivia night: Solid, established, general and accessible. You might not win anything even if your team wins, though, which competitive types can find frustrating. Winning goofy prizes = fun. But sometimes the best questions are softened: close guesses count, or Mr. E. gives too much information (like, say, the entire plot of Macbeth). Still, the madcap enthusiasm of regular teams is unbeatable.

 

 

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