The line-ups of popular beat combos with which Wife likes to test me

From time to time a musical act comes along that takes Wife’s fancy for one reason or another. Sometimes they are excellent and sometimes perhaps a little less so.

Of these acts, the ones of particular relevance to this posting are those with at least five band members. These are the ones with which I am to be tested.


The most recent of these acts is the really rather good Avenged Sevenfold (above). I say they're rather good, but my exposure has thus far been limited to just the latest album, which I bought for Wife for Christmas, having seen her drooling over guitarist Synyster Gates (or "Synnie-Poos", as I believe she calls him) for some time.

The game goes something like this:

Red: Name the members of Avenged Sevenfold then?
Me: Uh okay. That Shadows chap who sings. Mmmm, what's his name? Oh yeah, "M". M Shadows. Um, Synyster Gates, obviously... Jesus, something Jesus. Jesus Smythe?
Red: No! Johnny Christ.
Me: Of course! Who else... Jimmy something? Ooh ooh, I know. The Rev.
Red: Yeah, that's the short version, but what's his full name?
Me: Um, the Reverend Thelonius Monk?
Red: No, silly, it's the Reverend Tholomew Plague. I can't believe you keep forgetting that!
Me: Yeah, me neither. So, who am I missing?
Red: It's Ichabod's dad. [Ichabod, dear reader, is a dog, who has his own MySpace page.]
Me: Yes! Ichabod Vengeance, and his dad's name is...
Red: Like your nephew...
Me: Zachy! Zachy Vengeance. Phew!
Red: Well done.

See how much fun that is?

We used to play the same game with the Backstreet Boys (Nick, Kevin, Howie, AJ, and I've forgotten the other), and before them S Club Seven (Jo, Hannah, Tina [?]. How come I remember only the girls? Oh yeah, Paul Catermole, how could I forget him? I can't remember the rest, though).

See, there really is never a dull moment at Casa AsteRed. I'm headed straight to the cellar now to burn all our board games. I mean, who needs 'em?!

As an aside, this'll be my last post for a few days. Back on the 17th. "Be good," as an old colleague used to say. "And if you can't be good, be good at it."