[MUSIC]
Brian Lehrer: Every day during the membership drive, we're doing a 10-question quiz in the middle of the show to break things up, have a little fun, and hopefully give away some WNYC swag today. I called it a pop music in the news quiz. It's not just pop as you may think of pop. These questions are going to be about big music icons for the most part, whose names almost all of you know. Our lines are full with people who want to play, but you can get in as people finish up at 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692.
Questions about pop music stars or music stars who've been in the news this year for one reason or another. Get two in a right, and like the other days in the quiz, you can choose between a Brian Lehrer Show baseball cap and the new WNYC tote bag that says You Can't Defund the Truth. I see Sophia in Brooklyn, who looks ready to play. Hi, Sophia. Ready to play?
Sophia: I am ready.
Brian Lehrer: Okay, here we go. Question 1. This pop superstar released a new album earlier this month called The Life of a Showgirl. You have it yet? You need more?
Sophia: That's Taylor Swift.
Brian Lehrer: That's Taylor Swift. That's right. The question was going to be it broke a record previously held by Adele for first week sales numbers to become the album with the biggest first week sales numbers ever, more than 4 million copies. Yes, the answer was Taylor Swift. Okay. Question 2 for the hat or the tote. This R&B star from the '90s and 2000s was also somewhat reclusive. Sadly, he passed away last week at just 51. His hits included Untitled (How Does It Feel) and Brown Sugar. Do we have this clip? We have a clip? There we go.
[MUSIC - D'Angelo: Untitled (How Does It Feel)]
Brian Lehrer: All right, Sophia, do you know who that was?
Sophia: I think, sadly, it's D'Angelo.
Brian Lehrer: It is. It was D'Angelo. Happily, you win the prize. Do you want a WNYC You Can't Defund the Truth tote bag or a Brian Lehrer Show baseball cap?
Sophia: I will take the baseball cap.
Brian Lehrer: You will get it as we take your mailing address off the air. All right, Julia in Manhattan, ready to play?
Julia: Hi, I'm ready.
Brian Lehrer: Okay. Question 3 in this 10-question quiz. This Puerto Rican superstar, do you need any more than that, will be performing at the Super Bowl. Do you need any more than that?
Julia: Bad Bunny.
Brian Lehrer: Bad Bunny is right. We were going to note that the announcement set off a week of hand-wringing by right-wing media figures and outlets, who didn't like the idea of a performer singing in Spanish on the football field. Question 4, and in your case, for the hat or the tote, the Bear star Jeremy Allen White plays Bruce Springsteen in the new film Deliver Me From Nowhere, which is about the making of which iconic Bruce Springsteen album. Need to know the name of the album. In three-
Julia: I don't know.
Brian Lehrer: -two-- Sorry, it was his album Nebraska. That is the source of the story in that film. Thanks for trying. Kevin in Sunnyside, ready to play?
Kevin: Yes.
Brian Lehrer: All right. Question 5. This legendary singer, songwriter, performer, and reality TV star was the founder of the band Black Sabbath, and he died in July. Can you name the artist?
Kevin: It's Ozzy Osbourne.
Brian Lehrer: Absolutely. Ozzy Osbourne. Question 6 for the hat or the tote. Here's a clip of a musical icon performing with a younger star at Governor's Ball, that festival that they do in the city in the summer. Take a listen. You can name either the older artist or the younger artist here. Can you do it, Kevin?
[MUSIC - David Byrne and Olivia Rodrigo: Burning Down the House]
Kevin: I think that's David Byrne of the Talking Heads.
Brian Lehrer: That absolutely would be David Byrne, along with Olivia Rodrigo. Would you like the Brian Lehrer Show baseball cap or the You Can't Defund the Truth tote?
Kevin: Got the hat. I'll take the tote.
Brian Lehrer: Hang on, Kevin. We will take your address off the air. Let's see, here is Allie in East Harlem. You're on WNYC. Hi, Allie. Ready to play?
Allie: Hi, Brian. Yes, I am.
Brian Lehrer: Okay. Question 7. These famously feuding brothers set aside their differences to reunite for a wildly popular tour this year, about 30 years after their debut album that helped define '90s Britpop. Can you name the artist or that first album?
Allie: Oh, yes, Oasis.
Brian Lehrer: Absolutely Oasis. Definitely, maybe the name of the album. Liam and Noel Gallagher. Question 8, for the hat or the tote. This country superstar, think Jolene, 9 to 5. Do you need any more? Had to postpone a residence--
Allie: No.
Brian Lehrer: Go ahead.
Allie: That's Dolly Parton.
Brian Lehrer: That would be Dolly Parton. The hint was going to be that she had to postpone a residency in Las Vegas due to some health issues, though we're told they're not that serious. Of course, a hint, if you needed it, would have been that Radiolab did a whole series about her. Would you like the Brian there shell baseball cap or the You Can't Defund the Truth tote?
Allie: I'm definitely going to take the baseball cap, Brian.
Brian Lehrer: Allie, hang on. We're going to take your address off the air. Jason in Windsor Terrace, ready to play?
Jason: Yes.
Brian Lehrer: Okay. Question 9 in this 10-question quiz. This album, which was the band's 10th, released in 1975, was re-released this summer for its 50th anniversary. It was a huge album at the time, including the hit single Rhiannon, another one, Landslide. This is an eponymous album. You can name either the band or the album. They are the same. Do you know?
Jason: The Fleetwood Mac?
Brian Lehrer: It would be Fleetwood Mac. Question 10 for the hat or the tote. There have been several big music documentaries released this year about the late Jeff Buckley, about Billy Joel. This one about an iconic women-centric music festival from the '90s called Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery. That's the name of the film. Name the artist who organized the tour and is the main character in the film.
Jason: Sarah McLachlan.
Brian Lehrer: It is Sarah McLachlan. Congratulations. Would you like the Brian Lehrer Show baseball hat or the You Can't Defund the Truth tote?
Jason: The tote, please.
Brian Lehrer: Jason, we are sending a tote your way. Hang on. We'll take your mailing address off the air. That, folks, is our music superstars who have been in the news this year, 10-question quiz. We'll have another one around this time tomorrow as we continue to do a quiz every day in the membership drive. A lot more to come today. Stay with us.
Copyright © 2025 New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use at www.wnyc.org for further information.
New York Public Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline, often by contractors. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of New York Public Radio’s programming is the audio record.