You People Are Animals

Transcript

OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST:

Our next contestant is on the line. Hello, you're on ASK ME ANOTHER.

TOM RICHARD: Hello, my name is Tom Richard, and I'm calling from Oakland, Calif.

(APPLAUSE)

RICHARD: Hi.

EISENBERG: So the game we're going to play with you is called You People Are Animals. Do you have a spirit animal, Tom?

RICHARD: Sure. I guess the Tasmanian devil.

EISENBERG: Oh.

RICHARD: But not the real one, the one from Bugs Bunny.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: All right, Tom Richard. I like what you're saying about yourself. OK, so we're going to give you clues to historical figures who have animal-related nicknames, and you just have to give us the nickname. For example, if I said this pro golfer's divorce papers in 2010 used his real first name, Eldrick, instead of his feline nickname, you would say Tiger Woods.

RICHARD: OK.

EISENBERG: How do you feel about that?

RICHARD: OK.

EISENBERG: Good.

RICHARD: Great.

EISENBERG: Are you ready?

RICHARD: I am.

EISENBERG: Here we go. William Cody supposedly won this nickname from another hunter in an eight-hour shooting match.

RICHARD: Is that Wild Bill?

EISENBERG: It's very close, but not Wild Bill.

JONATHAN COULTON, BYLINE: No, I'm sorry. There's no animal in there. Do you know any...

RICHARD: Oh, Buffalo Bill.

COULTON: There you go.

EISENBERG: Yes, Buffalo Bill is correct. That is right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: This first lady was born Claudia Taylor, but when she was little a nursemaid said she was as purdy as a female chick.

RICHARD: Lady Bird Johnson.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Lady Bird Johnson - got it. Very cute - not as flattering on a grown woman, by the way - that nickname.

All right, during World War II, one of our favorites - during World War II, Gen. Erwin...

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: It's one of our favorite wars.

EISENBERG: Yes.

COULTON: It really is.

EISENBERG: Just keep coming back to it. During World War II, Gen. Erwin Rommel's crafty leadership in North Africa led to this sandy nickname.

RICHARD: I think it's The Desert Fox.

EISENBERG: I think you're right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: The Doors' royalty checks were made out to Jim Morrison, but music fans hailed him as the male ruler of reptiles. Jim Morrison, male ruler of reptiles.

RICHARD: The Lizard King?

EISENBERG: Yeah, exactly. You know, he was - he would fit in well at ASK ME ANOTHER because Mojo Risin was an anagram of his name. Did you know that?

RICHARD: I did not.

EISENBERG: Are you into the anagrams?

RICHARD: I am. I actually did a few anagrams in preparation for this show.

EISENBERG: You did?

RICHARD: I did.

EISENBERG: Of your name, of course. OK, what do you got?

RICHARD: If I'm feeling manly, in the kitchen especially, would anagram to macho hard stirrer.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: It took me a minute to figure what - what does that have to do with the kitchen, but I get what you're saying now. You're stirring.

RICHARD: It could involve the bedroom, I guess.

EISENBERG: You're stirring it. Ah, yeah, OK, you're stirring.

RICHARD: If I'm feeling less manly and gossipy, then I could be Mrs. hairdo chat. That's only slightly less manly.

EISENBERG: Tom, that's amazing. I can't believe...

COULTON: How many of these do you have, Tom?

EISENBERG: Exactly.

(LAUGHTER)

RICHARD: That's it.

COULTON: OK.

EISENBERG: That's pretty amazing. Nice job. Nice job. I appreciated that.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: All right, this is your final question. The subject of a Martin Scorsese movie, boxer Jake LaMotta fought in the ring like a fiercely angry male cow.

RICHARD: "Raging Bull."

EISENBERG: That is correct.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: All right, Tom, you got every single one of those questions right so you just won your very own ASK ME ANOTHER anagram T-shirt.

(APPLAUSE)

RICHARD: Awesome, thank you.

EISENBERG: Well done.

If you know your Cat Stevens from your Crocodile Dundees, you should probably be on ASK ME ANOTHER. So just email us at askmeanother@npr.org. We will send you a contestant quiz, and who knows? You could be the king of the trivia jungle. Coming up, indie pop star Ingrid Michaelson joins Jonathan Coulton in a music game about movies we just can't forget, so stick around. I'm Ophira Eisenberg, and this is ASK ME ANOTHER from NPR.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU AND I")

INGRID MICHAELSON: (Singing) Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France. Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance, you and I, you and I. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.