Have a question related to pop culture, comics, movies, or music, to trivia that you need a second opinion on? Heck, even a first-rate opinion? Ask Trivia Club’s host Russel Harder anything! With a new column posted every SATURDAY! Ask Trivia Club on twitter @trivia_club or send us a message on the facebook page /TriviaClub!

  

Q: “What is the great lost sequel?” -- @raygun_factory of Sam Rockwell

A: Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League.

With the short answer out of the way, here is the longer one. If you’ve seen The Adventures of Buck Banzai Across the 8^th Dimension then you know what you’re missing. The first of, I’m sure many, planned films of the like was a heady science fiction plot in a comic book world starring the coolest rock and roller you might ever meet against ridiculous aliens. Suffice to say it was too weird to survive, even in the 80’s. Yes, EVEN the 1980s.

Oh, and Jeff Goldblum plays a cowboy, while still being unquestionably at his Goldblumiest.

I... uh... I'm thinking... um...

As the titular character, Peter “Robocop” Weller rocks oh so hard. And not just on a guitar. Though he also does that. He’s the smartest, coolest, bravest dude in the room with parts Doc Savage, Indiana Jones, that guy from Duran Duran, and Doctor Emmit Brown all rolled into the 80’s version of a pulp hero. Meaning his band of motley sidekicks, ala Doc Savage, is in fact a kick-ass rock band. And speaking of Doc Brown, Buckaroo invents a DeLorian looking dimension spanning supercar a good YEAR before Brown did so and forced Marty into test-driving the sucker 30 years in the past.

And we haven’t even started talking about John Lithgow’s character and we really SHOULD talk about it, because honestly look at this. Look at this!

We really should talk about John Lithgow's Lord John Whorfin...

Which does not begin to describe this movie mind you. Or the highly comedic, incredibly meta aspects of the film. Director W.D. Richter had a strong vision, and he brought it to the studios at the perfect time that they would bankroll such a crazy plan, and seemingly not ask a lot of questions. You can see the money at play, on the film, and cheer at the entertaining audacity. Unsurprisingly, this weird-ass movie (see above image) was NOT a hit, not only that but it is only because of the continued cult interest, and the fact that those who starred in it went on to make bigger movies, that we’re even talking about it now in this sense.

That doesn’t take away form the fact that Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League is not the single biggest lost sequel. Usually when you call your shots like that, at the START of the end credits, it’s hard to miss. Hell, Richter and his fellow filmmakers are still trying to make the sequel happen. Except maybe it’s better that it’s lost, that such a wild and crazy film added such a strange tough to end things off, is almost perfect. Sure, a world in which Lithgow and Lloyd play some bad-ass bad guys the World Crime League would TOTALLY work… but it doesn’t have to.

Just play that end credit music, go for a walk and remember one thing.

Q: “3,720 to 1?I like those odds.” – Peter M. of SPARTACUS

A: You know what, so do I!

I mean, the odds of an adult having to visit the ER due to an injury from a drinking straw are a little wider at 100,600 to 1, sure sure, but say a bar of soap? 11,380 to 1! That means only 8,500 fewer people unsuccessfully navigate an astroid field then a bar of soap. Not too shabby, in my books.

Q: “What is Russel's favorite Trivia Club moment so far?” -- Michelle C. of SPARTACUS

A: That’s a tough one let me ask him, er—me, let me ask me? Excuse me for stalling, pay no attention to the man behind the use of the “royal we”. But this isn’t a question that I can give a single answer to.  There’s a lot of stuff that I’m really proud of, whether it’s the first Trivia Club ever, which debuted at Cardinal Rule (5 Roncesvalles Ave) in April of 2012, and began as a monthly. Or when I started doing Trivia Club twice a month, or weekly (every Wednesday at Cardinal Rule, natch), or HECK, when I started a new location for Trivia Club. I mean, honestly, the first Trivia Club at The Gladstone was a HUGE moment for me as a trivia night host, producer, and promoter.

Still, there are proud moments and there are FAVORITE moments. Some of the most fun I have had are with the questions that not only make people proud that they know the answer, but angry with themselves or with me that the answer wasn’t the one they expected or wanted. It’s a perfect encapsulation of the fact that participants are invested, and that they care about the results at the end of the night. In that vein, no moment caused as much Trivia Club chaos as the reveal of the author to the Holografik Dancer.

The Holografik Dancer was the sci-fi story set in post-Cold War America, supposing that the Ruskies had won. It involved, love, desperation, and yes a holograph of a dancing girl. This question took place during Jeopardo, at a time when 100s of points could possibly be wagered, and the same question could be attempted multiple times, each time with not only your points but the points of others on the line. Every single Cold War-era sci-fi luminary was tossed forward as a possibility. They were all wrong.

The answer?

Noted science fiction author and friend to wizards.

Beautiful chaos ensued. It was one of my favorite moments, no doubt.

Q: “Hey Russel! One of my favorite parts of Trivia Club is the Mash-Up Madness question! Is there a mash-up that doesn’t exist that you want to hear?” – Krissy R. of All The King’s Women

A: Glad you enjoy it; it’s got to be one of my favorite questions to curate as well! Of any of the questions, it is by far the one I get asked about more often in terms of sources and whether or not I’m responsible for the mash-ups. Sadly I don’t have the musical talents to make some of the more all-time mash-ups, like most recently “Nothing Compares To Wrecking Ball”.

STILL that doesn’t stop me from dreaming, and one of the mash-ups I anticipate hearing the most, one day?

ANNA KENDRICK vs. KENDRICK LAMAR.

Courtesy of the Anna Kendrick Lamar tumblr.

Tell me Anna Kendrick Lamar wouldn’t be an amazing mash-up! I’ve gone as far as cutting together what I could from Anna Kendrick’s “Cups (When I’m Gone)” song to be honest, but I can never find the right Kendrick Lamar song to bridge the gap. YES, I’ve heard the mash-up of that Drake song featuring Kendrick Lamar mashed-up with “Cups”, and no that isn’t good enough. So I put out the call to YOU the readers, MASH these two UP and you will have Trivia Club's eternal gratitude.

And yes, this is the second of two Ask Trivia Clubs with Anna Kendrick in it.

Seriously, Rule #1.

And I’m right, because you asked me.

If you’ve got a question you’d like to see Russel tackle in a future column, just send it to @trivia_club on Twitter with the hashtag #AskTriviaClub.