Well folks, I’ve got some bad news to share: Fastball Bob Gutierrez passed away last night from a severe groin pull he suffered while sliding into third base alone at a neighborhood park. Well technically the groin pull didn’t kill him, but it rendered him immobile, and since he was wearing short-shorts in the dead of winter, he froze to death. The only bright spot is that we now know that there are a few more meaty fastballs being blasted over the clouds in heaven right now.
We’re going to press forward at Quizzo Bowl, of course. He’d have wanted the overpriced, fairly monotonous trivia contest to move forward without him. But we will be honoring his legacy early on in the performance. I’m just glad we’ll have a chance to mourn together. See you tomorrow at Quizzo Bowl XVI. (A few more tickets on sale here).
Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s big event!
PARKING: Street parking. Best way to get there is definitely Uber or Lyft.
SEATING: Doors open at 7 p.m. First come first serve when it comes to tables. It is going to be quite a bit different than previous years…way more casual seating. There will be several tables for teams of 8 only. There will be some couches. There will be some areas where teams will all get seats and a clipboard.
SHOWTIME: Show starts at 8 p.m.
SHOW LENGTH? This isn’t your typical pub quiz: live music, video rounds, comedy, etc. It’s really as much of a show as it is a quiz. So sit back, relax, and enjoy. The show typically ends at around 11:15.
FOOD AND DRINK: Yes! There is a bar that serves not only beer, cocktails and wine but also food. And the food is provided by legendary chef Jann Zavala, who once received death threats for making vegan meatballs (her tamales are as amazing as her stories.)
SHOULD I BRING CASH? Yes! We’re going to have raffle tickets on sale to raise money for a Friere Charter Field Trip to Spain. I’ve got a bunch of cool giveaways: gift cards to Milkboy, The GOAT, the Vous, Good Dog, Shibe, Helium comedy club, and Simpatico Theatre. We’ll also do a grand prize 50/50 drawing.
WHAT IF WE WIN? You become a nerd immortal and walk forever in the pantheon of greatness. You also win big prizes.
WHAT’S THE THEME? Quizzo Goes Underground.
WHO ELSE GETS PRIZES? 2nd place, 3rd place, 12th place, and Last Place. Oh and we’ll do a bunch of raffles too, as we raise money for the kids at Friere Charter School to take a field trip to Spain!
WHO IS THE BAND? Pat Finnerty Karaoke Band, named Philly’s Best Karaoke by Philly Mag.
SHOULD WE TAKE PHOTOS? Yes! Please take as many photos as you want…between rounds. Don’t do it while sheets are still out. And please hashtag anything you post online with #QuizzoBowl. I will also have a pro photog there, Marissa the Photolady, to take photos of all the teams!
IS THERE AN AFTERPARTY? Yes! We’re headed right next door into the lounge for the afterparty.
THIS SOUNDS LIKE A FUN NIGHT. It is!
CAN I STILL GET TICKETS? Yes! I have room for about 2-3 more teams! If you want to order them, you can do so here.
Hey gang, it’s a damn big week at quizzo: the 16th Quizzo Bowl is Saturday night (Be sure to follow developments on the event’s Facebook page). But before that we’ve got a regular week of quizzo. I will have tickets on me this week (until I run out). I’ll keep you updated throughout the week. Also, please note that Carl is hosting at O’Neals on Tuesday but will NOT be at Birra the next two weeks due to Restaurant Week.
Yeah, OK, maybe I need to give up the ghost. I just can’t find the time on Fridays to do this jawn. So maybe it’s best I move it to Saturday. Regardless, some good stuff in here.
Where I’m Eating: I did a pizza contest in 2006, and concluded that Tony’s Pizza was top 3 in the city. It had probably been a decade since I had been there last, so when I was in the neighborhood last weekend, I thought it would be a good move to swing by and grab a pie. I gotta say that the pizza is just as terrific as I remembered. Sauce on top of the cheese, perfect crust, crispy pepperoni. Only drawback was a picture of Trump on the wall. Ugh. But that’s just how good Tony’s is; most places I would just write off after seeing Trump on the wall, but at Tony’s I really have to consider my options.
Where I Hate But My Kid Loves: Ok, so I don’t hate it, but I wasn’t exactly thrilled to hit up the Insectarium last weekend. My kid is a die hard fan of snakes, spiders, and scorpions and I gotta say they’re pretty much my three least favorite things on earth. So being in a room surrounded by them all was his version of heaven and my version of hell. But if you like that kind of thing, then the Insectarium is great. And the butterfly sanctuary was more my speed. Really cool, and they occasionally have a beer garden in there, which sounds cool.
What I’m listening to: I’m a fan of Philly rapper Vinnie Paz, so needless to say, I’m listening to his new album. It’s pretty solid. I especially loved the song Spilled Milk, which is about how his father didn’t stop smoking when the doctors told him to, and ended up dying when Vinnie was young. This is when he’s at his best, when he’s talking about the heartbreak he’s been through.
10 years old they told me my father dead
What the f**k was going through my father’s head
He ain’t think his youngins need his father
Had 10 million chances to change but didn’t bother
It’s like he didn’t love me enough to live
Or too selfish to make an adjustment for his kids
And you ain’t think you dyin’ would divide us
And you ain’t think a 10 year old boy needed guidance
Ain’t nobody talkin’ just bottle it up inside us
And shit can turn ugly when there’s no-one there to guide us
It’s all good, I still love you, I forgive you
But that ain’t gonna be something my son is gonna live through
He ain’t gonna lose me the way that I lost you
Because doing that to him is just something I couldn’t do
What Legend I got to Meet This Week: On Monday, the Philly Blunt crew sat down with Cornbread the Legend. For those who don’t know, Cornbread is credited as the first graffiti artist of the modern era. We talked about him tagging an elephant, how hip hop culture started in Philly, and how he was able to end his drug addiction after over 15 years. Great interview…drops on Monday.
What Ridiculous Project I Worked on this Week: Put together this ridiculous video with Reef the Lost Cauze for Shibe Sports. Pretty funny.
WHY: Because you want to have an awesome time on the ONLY Saturday the 29th you’ll see until 2024, answering trivia questions, performing on stage, and engaging in general inanity.
WHAT’S THE ENTERTAINMENT? Pat Finnerty Live Band Karaoke.
HOW’S THAT GOING TO WORK? Simple. You’re going to drop three songs you want to sing in a bucket. They’ll draw out requests. They know so many songs that they’ll certainly know one of three. If they draw your song, you’ll get on stage to sing…but don’t blow it! Fastball Bob will be in charge of the gong.
HOW MUCH ARE TICKETS? $25, same as they’ve been for the past 15 years.
WILL THERE BE A CHARITY COMPONENT: Yes and it’s one I’m excited about. We’ll be doing a 50/50 during the quiz, so be sure to bring some cash. Juliette is a Vous regular and a teacher at Freire Charter School, and they have a field trip coming up…TO SPAIN! Most of these kids have never left Philadelphia, much less gone to another country, and I think it would be awesome if our community could help raise a few hundred bucks to help make sure this is a terrific trip.
WHAT’S THAT MEAN? Quizzo has gone too corporate, too mainstream. We need to return it to its roots!
WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I don’t know. I’m just making this up as I go.
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT THAN A TYPICAL QUIZ GAME? It’s completely different. Video rounds, live music, special guests, guests who aren’t special, huge trophies, ETERNAL GLORY. It is a distillation of everything great about quizzo rolled up into one magical night.
ARE YOU HIGH? I wish.
IS THERE AN AFTERPARTY? Yup! For those of you who haven’t been to Underground Arts before, there’s a main area (the stage) and a “lounge”. The afterparty will be right next door in the lounge.
WILL THERE BE FOOD AND DRINK SPECIALS? Yup, and Underground Arts has legendary tamales maker Jenn Zavala (if you have never heard her Philly BLunt interview, YOU ARE IN FOR A TREAT) running their kitchen, so the food is going to be awesome.
WILL THERE BE A PRO PHOTOG? Yep! Photo Lady Marissa will be on hand to take pro pictures of all participants.
WILL THERE BE PRIZES? Plenty.
WHAT AM I WAITING FOR? I have no idea. Buy your tickets. We’re at about 50 sold, 150 left. Let’s goooooooo!
It’s official, folks. Quizzo Bowl XVI on the rarest of days, February 29th. We’re taking it underground this year, as this year’s quiz will be held at Underground Arts. And the between round entertainment will be…YOU! More details about the event coming later today, but for now just so you now, you can purchase tickets online by going here. Gonna be a great event, look forward to seeing you there.
