h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's 1977, a little after 9am . A young, rookie cop visits a hardware store then, pounding the paved boulevards of down-town Boulder City, Colorado he makes his way into the cultural district and bounds up the steps of the opera house.

Inside, he interrupts a performance of Mozart's operatic aria "Popolli de Tessaglia" by the visiting Boston Philharmonic Orchestra.

By chance, he is informed, their Steinway Grand Piano was acting up!

He thanks them for their help and then asks if there is a telephone nearby, luckily there was a payphone in the foyer.


What mistake had the young cop made and what quiet interesting thing is about the happen?



Google and Wikipedia are forbidden.

Points are awarded for being correct, more points for being quiet interesting. Points are deducted for tripping any klaxons. And there are klaxons - so be bold, preferably interesting but never obvious.


Good luck.

I guess someone is going to arrest a Grand Piano.

Deducts several million for that not even making sense!

I'm guessing he misunderstands some piano terminology for underworld slang.

Policemen not being well-known for their love of high art, of course.

B

I doubt that there is a grand piano in that particular aria.

Would they be performing or only rehearsing at 9 am?

I feel the date may be significant too.

I'm going to be quiet interesting by staying enigmatically silent.

In your case, that would certainly be novel if not interesting...

B

Nice pun.

There's a few interesting little puzzles in there.

What do the cop do at the hardware store?

Why then go to the Opera House? What did he expect to find there? What exactly was wrong with the piano? In what way were the performers 'helpful'?

And why did he then need a phone?

And does the visit to the hardware store make sense of the other questions?


Geggs

Right, taking those one at a time:

A hammer, surely. No-one goes to a hardware store for any reason but to buy a hammer. I believe there is a mathematical theory proving this.

Why did he go to the opera house? Well, if it was 9pm, he didn't go to WATCH the opera. Presumably it would have started at 8pm, or earlier. So a crime must have been reported.

What did he expect to find there? An opera? Or something else? Intriguing possibility...

What was wrong with the piano? This is a very interesting point. As has been pointed out, you don't normally get pianos in operas. Was it a prop maybe? Was a 'dead body' hidden inside it? I don't know the plot, but it's the sort of dippy thing that comes up in operas.

If it WAS a genuine piano, you'd expect it to have been tuned and maintenanced before the performance. So unless Victor Borge had been dicking with it...

Opera performers are rarely deliberately helpful. It's my guess that didn't break into hysterics or get in his way too much. That's the most you can expect of many artistes.

He needed a phone because it was 1977 and quite possibly the only way of ringing the station.

So, yeah, my guess is that there was a pretend dead body on stage, hiding inside a grand piano, which the policeman then broke open on stage (with some help from the cast?).

If that's right I want an instant QI Badge Of Merit.

B

Right I am back from my swim (750m tonight ) ' glass of in hand ready to peruse answers. I intend to sleep tonight (see aforementioned glass of ) so let's get to it, shall we?

//I'm guessing he misunderstands some piano terminology for underworld slang.//

Nope.

//Policemen not being well-known for their love of high art, of course.//

Let's just say our rookie had a good ear.

//Would they be performing or only rehearsing at 9 am?//

Rehearsing. And for a reason.

//I'm going to be quiet interesting by staying enigmatically silent.//

You're like the anti-Taff. Not tripping through all my klaxons.

//There's a few interesting little puzzles in there.//

Why thank you. One does try. This one has been pickling my noodle for the last week.


//What do the cop do at the hardware store?//

What, indeed?

//Why then go to the Opera House?//

Also.

//What did he expect to find there?//

"A little help from my friends."

What exactly was wrong with the piano?

Intriguing isn't it?

//In what way were the performers 'helpful'?//

- that would be telling.

//And why did he then need a phone?//

Why indeed? Mystery wrapped up in riddles then dunked in chocolate and sprinkled with intrigue....


//And does the visit to the hardware store make sense of the other questions?//


More necessary than explicative.

//A hammer//

Surely they go to a hardware store for things other than hammers. A fine guess but wrong.


//if it was 9pm, he didn't go to WATCH the opera.//

Correct, they were rehearsing.


//a crime must have been reported.//

Not necessarily.

//What did he expect to find there? An opera? Or something else? Intriguing possibility...//


I'm glad you think so.


//What was wrong with the piano? This is a very interesting point.//

I ain;t sayin'.


//As has been pointed out, you don't normally get pianos in operas.//

This was the rehearsal.

//Was it a prop maybe?//
Nope.


//Was a 'dead body' hidden inside it?//
Well that would certainly cause the thing to misbehave! - No.


//If it WAS a genuine piano//


So suspicious. What have I ever done to earn your mistrust?


//you'd expect it to have been tuned and maintained before the performance.//

DGI +1



//Opera performers are rarely deliberately helpful.//

So it is said, but these are musicians not divas - struggling artists - the recognising a fellow striver down on his luck.


//It's my guess that didn't break into hysterics or get in his way too much. That's the most you can expect of many artistes.//


This is sensible bunch.

//He needed a phone because it was 1977 and quite possibly the only way of ringing the station.//

The fact it is 1977 is significant, the first cellular phone was invented in 1973, however so if your thoughts are turning that way, spin then right back around and come back in the direction of the right answer.



//my guess is that there was a pretend dead body on stage, hiding inside a grand piano, which the policeman then broke open on stage (with some help from the cast?).//

Not even close.

//If that's right I want an instant QI Badge Of Merit.//

It isn't so the merit badges will stay locked in the art cupboard in the headmaster's Study. Must Try Harder - see me after class!

Mckay, might not do clues, but I do. Raise your gaze upward for to the title, if you tire of hardware and arias taxing your little grey cells.

And if that is everything from everybody, I bid you a fond farewell and a very good night.

See you all again tomorrow.

Maybe this will help... or not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMR96G8gxm4