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Lyrics Quiz 2

Ding, ding. Seconds out, seconds out, round two, round two.

Now then, mostly easy, though number 6 might be trickier than the others.


1. Till I found myself in Mobile, Alabama

2. Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota, Buffalo, Toronto,

3. With so much drama in the L-B-C
(L-B-C = Long Beach California)

4. Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River

5. Catching an all-night station, somewhere in Louisiana

6. They went on for ever and they... when I... we lived in Arizona

Answers will be published in April at the end of the trip. Winners will be notified much later.

56 Days

When we decided to do this thing we figured we'd have upto 3 months to do it in, 90 days being the term of a visitors visa to America. Back in August we booked a flight (a one way flight!) to Toronto (I know it's in Canada) and started planning. A week with friends in Toronto and a week with friends in Buffalo meant the trip could start on the 1st of February. Or, if you're an American, February 1st. It seemed like a nice date to start. The end would come sometime in mid April as Carol is due to start teachig English at an unspecified Japanese University at the end of that month. So all in all, we were looking at being on the road for up to 75 days. Or maybe 70, as 10 weeks seemed such a nice round number

Now being a romantic fool I really liked the idea of buying a car and selling it at the end of the trip. But after doing the math/s it was obvious that the practical realities of hiring a new car that came with breakdown cover and insurance was simply too good a deal and so the foolishly romantic notion of buying a somewhat older car with a little character was left on the shelf. The attraction of a new car is especially strong as we plan to head west from Buffalo through the midwest and then northwest up towards Seattle. Friends who've done America in a cheap old beat up mini-bus didn't head north in the winter months. And they still had plenty of repair bills.

So after sighing and moving on from that minor dissapointment I looked into hiring a car for 10 weeks and hit another problem. Here's a fact to bore people with down the pub tonight... hire cars get serviced every 56 days. I don't know if this is a world wide rule or just an American one, but in the USA after 56 days on the road you have to return the car to the hire office. Of course you could just hire another one, but the problem is you have to take the car back to the hire office you picked it up from or face a one way charge (which could easily have been $1000.) So if we had to be back in Buffalo 56 days after pick-up then that seemed like it would be the end of the trip. And though 8 weeks isn't as nice and as round a number as 10 weeks, it's still fairly nice. It's two months after all. If both those months is February, and it isn't a leap year.

So we're limited to 56 days. Which means we'll visit less places. Then again, we'll spend less on motels. It also means we can spend a little longer in Toronto and Buffalo before we embark and that means we can watch the Superbowl with friends before heading out on Monday 8th February. Or February 8th if you prefer.

Stop one will be this place

All American Songs (...a start.)

So you don't think America is self obsessed?

America - Simon & Garfunkel
America - Neil Diamond
America - Tracy Chapman
America - Jewel
America - Prince & the Revolution
America - Nas
America - Spinal Tap
America Drinks And Goes Home - Frank Zappa
America Snoring - Grant Lee Buffalo
America's Sweethearts - Fall Out Boys
American Baby - Dave Matthews Band
American Bad Ass - Kid Rock
American Fool - John Mellencamp
American Gangster - Jay-Z
American Girl - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
American Girls - Counting Crows
American Idiot - Green Day
American Life - Madonna
American Man - Velvet Revolver
American Nights - The Runaways
American Pie - Don McLean
American Psycho - D12
American Ride - Toby Keith
American Saturday Night - Brad Paisley
American Soldier - Toby Keith
American Superstar - Flo Rida
American's Abroad - Against Me
American X - BRMC
America's Greatest National Pastime - The Byrds
America's Most Blunted - Mad Villain & Quasimoto
America's Next Freak - FM Static
America's Suitehearts - Fall Out Boy
2 Of America's Most Wanted - Snoop Doggy Dog
An American Dream - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
An American Tune - Paul Simon
Ashes Of American Flags - Wilco
Bleed American - Jimmy Eat World
Coming To America - Neil Diamond
French Kissing In The USA - Debbie Harry
I'm Proud To Be An American - The Tubes
In America - Charlie Daniel's Band
Jesus Children Of America - Stevie Wonder
Last Great American Whale - Lou Reed
Last Of The American Girls - Green Day
Little America - R.E.M.
Living In America - James Brown
Miss America - Styx
North American Scum - LCD Sound System
R.O.C.K. In The USA - John Mellencamp
Spirit Of America - Beachboys
The American Ruse - MC5
The Americans - John Mellencamp
The New American Way - Dropkick Murphys
We're An American Band - Grand Funk Railroad
White America - Eminem

...and not forgetting...

America, Fuck Yeah - Team America World Police

Now that list doesn't include tracks by Canadians such as The Guess Who who sang about an American Woman, or Brits like the Clash who claimed I'm So Bored With the U.S.A. (I think they were lying) but even leaving out the foreigners I'm sure there are many, many more songs than this. However the point stands... America is obsessed with itself. (And I with it.)