I host for Last Call Trivia in Akron Ohio. I got into hosting because I genuinely love performing, showing off, and I have always been skilled at recalling odd facts.
Sometimes it pays off.
Sometimes it’s just good for annoying friends and family.
I often get asked “How do you remember all this stuff?.” (Well, it’s usually phrased as “Why do know all this random crap?!”)
There are a ton of web pages that offer advice and insights into this.
People who are good at trivia have a wide range of interests. They vary, but if you speak with any of them, or read through the articles I linked above, you can see one common thread: to “know random crap” and be able to recall it, you must stay curious – have a genuine interest in the world, and don’t be afraid to find out more.
In the past two months, three individuals died who clearly fit into this ideal. All of them used their interests and passions affect the world, and generated more than their fair share of trivia questions to boot.
Sam Simon helped shape comedy for a generation as one of the driving creative forces behind The Simpsons. He had been living with terminal cancer for the past few years. He left his fortune to charity.
Leonard Nimoy was Spock. Also a gem of a human being. Read this interview with George Takei for just one example.
Most recent was Sir Terry Pratchett, author of a ton of wonderful books. If you have read him, you know how hilarious, biting, gentle, empathic, caring, humane, and wise he was. And genuinely pants-wettingly funny. If you have not read him yet, you are in for a treat.
Next time I host, I am going to have a toast to these folks, because of how much they have meant to me.
Who is your hero?