How different is it performing now than it was 10 years ago?
Not much at all. I had a different band 10 years ago. This band I have right now is probably the best band I ever had. Musically it’s just tighter than tight, which is great for me because it gives me all the freedom to move around, do all the things I want to do.

What's one of the most bizarre things to happen to you onstage?
Occasionally, we bring a snake into our show. One time, the organizers wouldn’t let me bring my boa constrictor into Brazil. They said, “We’ll get you a snake!” and just went out there and found a wild snake! Well all the snakes I ever used were in captivity all their lives, so they’re used to being around us. But they went into the jungle, took the snake off the tree, put it in a bag, and when I wanted to take it out, it almost took my hand off. It’d never been held by a human before.

Are there songs you ever get sick of playing?
You’d think that we would get tired, especially when you get songs like “I’m Eighteen” and “School’s Out,” that we’ve been doing for 40 years. But once you get in front of the audience with your makeup on, you become Alice Cooper, the villain. You've also got this great band behind you so it's really impossible to get bored. We do those songs every night, but you have to keep in your mind that the audience is seeing us perform them for the first time in maybe five, 10 years. It’s new to them, so that’s why you have to keep energy up on it and make sure that everybody knows that you’re having fun playing that song. If we look bored, the audience would be bored. So we make sure that that song we play is like the first time we ever played. The energy, every bit of it, your body language speaks very loudly. You have to be projecting it as much as anything.

Let’s talk about tight leather pants. You still perform in them. Doesn’t it get old?
I still have the body for it! Doesn’t get old. Never.

Is there a line between you and Alice?
During the day, I’m me. I’m running around going to the movies and going for dinner. I’m just me. At night, I get to be him; I get to be that Alice character. He’s like very…grrrr, you know. His body language is different from my body language. His posture’s different, his voice is different. We have the same sense of humor – that’s about the same thing that we have. But the rest of being Alice is really taking on the character of a villain. So when I go on stage everybody knows I’m not going to be the same guy they were talking to that afternoon.

If you were to die tomorrow, what would you want to be remembered for?
A really good dad and a really good husband. Thirty-five years and I’ve never cheated on my wife; I’m a bit of a romantic. But I think in music I would go down as being the guy who brought theatrics to rock. That’s fine with me. I don’t mind that. I was before Kiss, before Bowie, before anybody. So we literally did bring the whole theatrical experience to rock ‘n’ roll. Nobody had ever done it before us. And I think that’s what we’ll probably be known as. That’s fine with me, I’ll be the Ziegfeld of rock ‘n’ roll.

Get tickets to see the man himself at his concert, No More Mr Nice Guy.

11 Aug 2011. It’s always odd having seats near the stage at an indie rock gig (or any rock gig), where you would expect standing room only. Well such was the case on this night, but as soon as local support act Cheating Sons finished their commendable set, people from the back of the hall started crowding the side aisles at the front. We waited about another half an hour for Two Door Cinema Club to come on, and when the lads finally stepped on stage, everyone at their seats got up, the ones behind front row climbing over chairs to get as many rows ahead as they could. Some stood on the chairs. Bassist Kevin Baird was pleased. “We’re glad you’re standing,” he said.

The boys kicked off with “Cigarettes in the Theatre” to much screaming from the audience. Indeed, there was a lot of screaming and singing along throughout the gig. They played every single song on Tourist History, their one and only album so far, as well as a few new songs. Nevermind that the set lasted just over an hour (with just that much material to work with, that’s all one can expect, really), but we do find it interesting that young band with just one full-length album released can command $148 ticket prices.

That said, we’ve got to say—on top of sounding better than they do on record (as all live performances should be), all of them looked a treat in their Teddy Boy-rockabilly-nerd get ups. Girls at the front were very happy indeed.

Lead singer Alex Trimble said that after the tour they would “disappear for a while,” for they’d been on the road for a long time and it was time they focused on writing material for their next album. Well we’re looking forward to a new release from these guys, and hopefully a longer set if they do play in Singapore again.

It’s here to taunt us for the 7th time, with an arsenal of five class comics: 2011 Melbourne Comedy Festival Best Newcomer Michael Workman; Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation star Josh Thomas; Edinburgh Spirit of the Fringe Award winner Felicity Ward; The Librarians star Bob Franklin; and best of all, Melbourne International Comedy Festival veteran Dave Williams, who threatened to outshine all the others with his own riotously smooth and theatrical 15-minute stand-up routines before introducing each comedian. We dare say the naughty superhero Tree Man jingle will stay with you after the show.

That’s not to say the four he introduced did not hold their own during their 30-minute slots. Michael Workman was brilliant as the snarky, surrealist Goth, from whom you can expect to hear about crack-dealing monkeys, penguins, deaf people and why smokers should just keep smoking. Josh Thomas’s musings on his life experiences were brilliantly bitchy. Felicity Ward’s impressions were just hilarious—her mom, dad and her own hometown of origin are not spared. Bob Franklin played up the weathered, sometimes sleazy, old guy image, delivering his routine quietly with long pauses in between. All this elicited thunderous laughs, even the part where he read poetry sounding like a creepy serial killer.

The topics these comics covered weren’t necessarily “safe”—there were dirty jokes aplenty, mixed with animal rights issues and a hilarious critique on one of our laws affecting homosexuals. However none were Russell Brand-crude or offensive; that may be a good or bad thing, depending on whether you like his, erm, brand of comedy or not. Still, all were side-splittingly funny throughout—well worth the $46 ticket.

The band needs no introduction. Since forming in Australia in 1977, INXS has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. The band’s most successful releases include 1987’s Kick, 1990’s X and 1992’s Welcome To Wherever You Are.

Lately, although quiet on the recording front since 2010’s Original Sin—an album of re-imaginings of some of their most notable songs—the band has been far from inert. Lead guitarist Tim Farriss tells us from somewhere in Charing Cross, London, just what he and the band have been up to: “You won’t believe it. Lot’s of touring, lots of media, and a lot of jet lag. It’s like watching an episode of Jet Trash.”

And here is one piece of news the men of INXS would like to share with their fans: The band is back with INXS Remastered, a 10-CD boxed set of all the band’s records right up to 1997’s Elegantly Wasted. Available in both digital and physical formats, the collection is on sale now. Of the decision to come up with the anthology, Tim, candid as ever, said, “It’s great for me to have, you know; over the years I used to give out signed records—people want signed albums—you’ve only got so many and end up giving your own albums away. I then realized I don’t own copies of my own records!”

The remastering process was naturally a nostalgic trip for the band, working through all the albums that had the presence of now-deceased Michael Hutchence. Asked about how he felt going through the band’s past material, Tim says, “Well it feels great! When you look back it’s an amazing amount of work and now it’s all just us looking at it. A lot of it is really interesting to hear. When I look at the boxed set, it’s got stuff from the time we were kids; it is also a best of what the band used to be called, The Farriss Brothers. At that time we were starting to take things more seriously—we were still playing in pubs, then going into the studio to record at midnight, recording from midnight to dawn. So it was an interesting period in our lives.”

He also mentions favorites. “Kick is obviously a very special record for us, in the way of success, and it debuted at number one (in Australia). It’s an album we’re very proud of from a musical point of view. Then I look at Elegantly Wasted, which I think is one of our most underrated records. And it’s soaked in sorrow because it’s the last we did with Michael (Hutchence) and we were touring that record when we lost Michael. And a lot of the direct content on that record was very personal to him.”

Previously on hiatus from touring except for a handful of shows, mostly in Australia, since 2007, the band is now back on the road beyond Down Under. But we notice Asia’s not on the band’s world tour schedule. When we quiz Tim about it, he tries to assure us, “Yet. It may well be. We’re only in phase one of the world tour. We’re still putting together dates, and we would dearly love to come back. We love playing there and I have great memories of being there; in fact I’ve had holidays there. It’s definitely on our radar. We look forward to going to Singapore, and Singapore Airlines is still one of my favorite airlines to fly; and believe me we’ve flown on a lot of airlines. But yeah basically, we look forward to touring Southeast Asia as soon as possible.”

Here’s hoping that Singapore will be added to the band’s tour calendar this year.

Classical music concerts are supposed to be stuffy, high-brow, sit-down affairs where no body part moves except upper limbs and, sometimes, lips. If you’re into that, don’t go see Pluck! Musical Arson. For what you’ll get from this Edinburgh Fringe Festival favorite of a comedy string trio will fall flat of that expectation.

Arrogant violin and awkward viola jostle for center stage while the cello holds her own against the schoolboy antics of the two. What ensues is a lot of knocking about, running around and general bitchiness, but despite being so severely distracted (like having trousers ripped off mid-song and playing viola while ensnared in a curtain) all three play beautifully, keeping perfect timing and missing not a single note.

If you think you know nothing about classical music, you might be well surprised that you’ll recognize every tune played in this performance (we certainly were). And who would’ve thought The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix could sound so good on violin, viola and cello.

And while classical musicians typically don’t bother interacting with the audience while they play, you can expect something completely different from this trio. You can expect to be teased, taunted, seduced and possibly kissed. And made to play instruments.

Classical music need not be boring, and Pluck! proves it so. Go see it already.

Boomarang Bar & Bistro

Tuesdays, 7:30pm.
If your store of knowledge is as good as your capacity for alcohol, get all the answers right and have the house pick up your tab from the first question of the quiz to the last. Book at least a day in advance for a table of maximum six people.
#01-15 The Quayside, 60 Robertson Quay, 6738-1077.

Brewerkz

Tuesdays, 7pm.
Pub quizzes here add even more punch to the already lively microbrewery. Challenge your knowledge of everything from geography to history, sports and science and stand to win cash vouchers or booze, or both. Book at least two days in advance.
#01-05/06 Riverside Point, 30 Merchant Rd., 6438 7438.

Krish

Wednesdays, 7pm.
Hosted by Perfect Ten 98.7FM DJ Shan Wee, round up five of your smartest friends and attempt to walk away with a prize or two. There are monthly prizes too. Call at least a day in advance to book.
9 Rochester Park, 6779-4644.

Turnstyles Sports Bar

Tuesdays, 8pm.
A boozy home of armchair sports, this bar hosts quiz nights with a chance to win assorted prizes. Hopefully you won’t be distracted by the sporting action happening on the plasma TVs and large screen projector here. Book at least one day in advance.
45A Circular Rd., 6536-1524.

PART 1: Be Logical

Fiendishly difficult brain-twisters.

1. Muthu is grilling steaks for Yam Ah Mee. His little grill can broil two steaks at a time, but Ah Mee is hungry and wants three.
That’s a problem: It takes four minutes to grill each side of a steak, so he’ll spend eight minutes grilling the first two steaks, then another eight grilling the third. Sixteen minutes is a long time to keep a Returning Officer waiting.
How can Muthu improve his time while still cooking the steaks thoroughly? Ah Mee really likes his well done.

2. Ah Seng challenges Ah Boon to a 100-meter race. Ah Boon crosses the finish line when Ah Seng has covered only 97 meters.
The two agree to a second race, and this time Ah Boon starts three meters behind the starting line.
If both run at the same speed as in the first race, who will win?

3. Ali says Ahmad lies. Ahmad says Siti lies. Siti says Ali and Ahmad lie.
Who lies and who tells the truth?

4. You arrive in the Fifth Court of Hell to find it’s just a typewriter on a desk. As you take your seat, you notice that the C key is glowing faintly. Yen Lo Wang, the God of Death says, “All you have to do is type the integers, in order: ONE, TWO, and so on. The first time you strike the C key, you’ll be released into paradise.”
That doesn’t sound too bad. Assuming it takes 10 seconds on average to type each number (and that you spell each correctly, in English), how much time will pass before you first type the letter C?

PART 2: Spot the Difference

Ten things are not quite the same in the photo below. What are they?

PART 3: A Tasty Crossword

How well do you know your local food?

Across

05. Roasted or fried nuts or beans usually sold in a paper cone. (7, 5)
06. A type of meal that involves small individual portions of food served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. (3, 3)
07. Which household brand was the first in the world to package its drinks in Tetra Brik Aseptic containers? (4)
10. Besides gin, Heering cherry liqueur, lime juice, Cointreau orange liqueur, Benedictine herbal liqueur, grenadine syrup and a dash of Angostura bitters, what else is required to make a Singapore Sling? (9, 5)
12. What chain of air-conditioned kopitiams in Singapore was founded in 1944 by Loi Ah Koon? (2, 3, 4, 5)
13. What seed from a poisonous fruit is eaten as a delicacy in Peranakan cuisine? (4, 6)
16. What stir fried noodle dish is cooked with lard, shrimps, squid and slices of pork? (7, 3)
17. A convenience store selling miscellaneous sundry goods, often run by Indian shopkeepers. (4, 4)
19. What product was traditionally made using leftover meats from festivals and banquets and preserved with salt and sugar before being smoked? (3, 3)
20. What drink is poured repeatedly back and forth from one cup to another to give it a thick frothy top? (3, 5)

Down

01. A soup consisting of meaty pork ribs simmered in a broth of herbs and spices. (3, 3, 3)
02. What is the name of Singapore’s first market? (5, 4, 6)
03. What drink contains edible pearls? (6, 3)
04. What drink is topped with an extra spoonful of powder that is rich in protein and made from malted Barley? (4, 8)
08. What local chain of bakeries has transparent glass panes separating the kitchen from the retail space? (9)
09. Small and roundish, this food item was rumored to be soaked in horse urine during preparation. (7, 3)
11. A spicy dipping sauce made with chili peppers, garlic, shallot, fermented ground shrimp and sugar. (6, 7)
14. The method used by your grandma to determine the amount of salt for her famous Itek Tim. (4, 4)
15. A salad, the name of which is also used to describe something as being a jumbled mix. (5)
18. A curried noodle dish with a reputation in Katong, usually cut up into smaller pieces and can be eaten with just a spoon. (5)

PART 4: Photo Zoom

Do you have an eye for detail? Try and guess these everyday Singaporean objects up close.

PART 5: Local Trivia

How well do you know Singapore, really?

01. What do the five stars on the national flag symbolize?
02. Before the government started reclaiming land, which temple used to face the sea?
03. What is the maximum height that buildings can be built to here?
04. In what year did the government ban the manufacture, import and sale of chewing gum?
05. How many floors did the tallest building in 1924 have?
06. What animal can be found on the right side of the National Coat of Arms?
07. Which is the only other country with a Merlion statue recognized by the Singapore Tourism Board?
08. Which country has taken over Singapore as the world’s busiest container port?
09. Who was the first non-Chinese to take up the post of army chief of Singapore?
10. How many opposition political parties have held seats in our Parliament post-Independence?
11. Who scored the last ever goal at the National Stadium?
12. How many public stadiums do we have?
13. What is the name of the 11th expressway to be constructed?
14. What were the predecessors of the ERP?
15. Which popular US reality television series did Phua Chu Kang appear on?
16. What was the lowest temperature recorded in Singapore?
17. Who became the first person to fly an airplane here on Mar 16, 1911?
18. Which was the first hotel to offer a swimming pool in its premises?
19. How many capsules does the Singapore Flyer have?
20. What upgrade to the cable car system cost $30,000 per cabin in 1999?
21. What was the name of the oceanarium that stood on River Valley Road near Fort Canning from 1955 to 1998?
22. How many pedestrian and vehicular bridges go over the Singapore River?
23. Name the first market that opened here in 1825.
24. What is the name of the oldest Roman Catholic church?
25. Where is the tallest slide found?
26. In which estate, where British soldiers were once housed, will you find roads with names like Portchester, Crowhurst, Brockhampton and Braemar?
27. Name the country’s tallest mall.
28. When and where was the Institute of Mental Health first built?
29. How much prize money was on offer during the first race at the Singapore Turf Club?
30. What is the name of the building that now houses the Peranakan Museum?
31. What is the maximum amount of water Singapore is allowed to draw from the Johor River per day?
32. What are the names of Ah Meng the orangutan’s two sons?
33. What is the name of the first polar bear to be born in the tropics at the Singapore Zoo?
34. In what century did Sang Nila Utama found Singapura?
35. What is the name of the systematic massacre of Chinese by the Japanese military in Singapore during World War II?
36. Where did the British surrender to the Japanese on Feb 15, 1942?
37. Workers from what company were involved in the riots on Black Thursday in 1955?
38. What is the minimum age to run for the office of President?
39. Who was the first (and so far only) directly elected President of Singapore?
40. Who founded the Workers’ Party?
41. In what year did the government transfer Christmas Island to Australia?
42. Singapore was known as Temasek once. What does “Temasek” mean?
43. Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of Singapore. When did he die?
44. What office used to occupy the premises of Dempsey Hill?
45. What is the name of the country’s first international airport?
46. When did Singapore become a member of the United Nations?
47. Which year did the government introduce a Goods and Service tax?
48. Which part of Singapore is sometimes called the “Muslim Quarter” due to its history?
49. What was the name of the organization responsible for mass housing programs before the Housing and Development Board?
50. Name the four operational lighthouses administered by Singapore.

TURN TO PAGE 2 FOR ANSWERS

PART 1: Be Logical

1. Grilling steaks
Put two steaks on the grill. After four minutes, flip one and replace the other with an uncooked steak. At the eight-minute mark Muthu’ll have one well-done steak and can finish cooking the two half-done ones that remain. Total cooking time: 12 minutes.

2. 100-meter race
Ah Boon will win again. We know that Ah Boon covers 100 meters in the time it takes Ah Seng to cover 97. If Ah Boon starts three meters behind the starting line, the two will be neck and neck at the 97-meter mark, and Ah Boon will pull ahead.

3. Truth and lies
Only one answer is free from contradiction: Ali and Siti lie and Ahmad tells the truth.

4. Arrived in Hell
It’s a bit worse than you thought. You’ll type for 300 quintillion years before reaching ONE OCTILLION.

PART 2: Spot the Difference

PART 3: A Tasty Crossword

Across
05. KACHANG PUTEH
06. DIM SUM
07. YEO’S
10. PINEAPPLE JUICE
12. YA KUN KAYA TOAST
13. BUAH KELUAK
16. HOKKIEN MEE
17. MAMA SHOP
19. BAK KWA
20. TEH TARIK

Down
01. BAK KUT TEH
02. TELOK AYER MARKET
03. BUBBLE TEA
04. MILO DINOSAUR
08. BREADTALK
09. CENTURY EGG
11. SAMBAL BELACAN
14. AGAK AGAK
15. ROJAK
18. LAKSA

PART 4: Photo Zoom

Supreme Court

Red Dot Traffic Building

Hokkien Mee

The Art Science Museum

Merlion

PART 5: Local Trivia

01. Democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality
02. Thian Hock Keng Temple
03. 280 meters
04. 1992
05. Two. Ellison Building, corner of Selegie and Bukit Timah Road
06. Tiger
07. USA, California
08. Shanghai
09. Colonel Mancharan Singh Gill, in 1982
10. Four: Workers’ Party, Singapore Democratic Party, Singapore People’s Party and Singapore Democratic Alliance.
11. Noh Alam Shah, Jan 6, 2010
12. 19
13. North-South Expressway
14. The RPS (Road Pricing Scheme) and ALS (Area Licensing Scheme)
15. The Amazing Race, Season 3
16. 19.4 degrees Celsius, Jan 31, 1934
17. Joseph Christiaens, a Belgian engineer and racecar driver, in a Bristol Boxkite
18. Goodwood Park Hotel, 1947
19. 28
20. Glass-bottomed cabin
21. Van Kleef Aquarium
22. 15
23. Lau Pa Sat
24. Cathedral of the Good Shepherd
25. Changi Airport, Terminal 3, 12 meters
26. Serangoon Gardens
27. Orchard Central, 12 floors above ground and two levels of basement
28. 1841, corner of Bras Basah Road and Bencoolen Street
29. $150
30. Old Tao Nan School
31. 250 million gallons
32. Hsing Hsing and Satria
33. Inuka
34. 14th century
35. Sook Ching massacre
36. Old Ford Factory, Bukit Timah
37. Hock Lee Amalgamated Bus Company
38. 45 years old
39. Ong Teng Cheong
40. David Marshall
41. 1957
42. Sea Town
43. 44 years old
44. Central Manpower Base of Singapore
45. Seletar Airport
46. September 21, 1965
47. 1994
48. Kampong Glam
49. Singapore Improvement Trust
50. Bedok, Horsburgh, Raffles, Sultan Shoal

Gather your friends and try out at any of these trivia nights at these bars in Singapore.