Q: I was very interested that you considered studying opera.
David: Unless you count time spent in the shower, I first began singing with my high school’s chamber chorus. In college, I was a music major (doubled with anthropology) studying classical composition and a member of the Amherst College Glee Club (no, it was NOT like the show). While there, I became friends with some very good vocalists and became interested in developing my own voice. I started taking classical voice lessons at the end of my junior year. As their gift to me upon my graduation, my parents offered to pay for private lessons. My private teacher encouraged me to go professional and for a time it was something I was seriously considering. Ultimately, I decided that the lifestyle and tunnel-vision focus it demanded weren’t for me, but I always intend to have music be a part of my life. Plus, if I ever decide to rethink this law thing, 40ish is a perfectly acceptable age for an operatic bass to begin his career.
Q: I thought these were some of your better gets: Local Hero?
David: I remember watching this movie on TV with my family when I was a kid and thinking it was a strange little film. I hadn’t thought about it in years, but the plot summary in the clue fortunately triggered my memory. I’d like to see this one again. I’d probably appreciate it more now than when I was young.
Q:Eurydice?
David: I was familiar with this one not only from classical mythology, but also my musical education. Orfeo ed Euridice is one of the more influential German operas.
Q: Marathon Man? Dog Day Afternoon?
David: I’m a fan of films and these are two of best thrillers of the 70’s.
Q: Metaphysical poets?
David: No idea where this came from. When I watched that episode on TV, not only did I not remember answering this question, I couldn’t have answered it if you’d asked me. I suspect that I must have encountered something about the metaphysical poets shortly before the taping and it just happened to be in my head at the time.
Q: Gray Mare?
David: This is from an old folk song I learned as a child.
Q: Do you still live in Long Beach?
David: No, but I grew up there and attended Long Beach Poly High School. I also lived in Long Beach for about three years following undergrad, but I’m now living in Massachusetts while attending Boston College Law School.
Q: Are you thinking about the Tournament of Champions?
David: Absolutely. After watching myself on TV for a week, I was ready to take a break from Jeopardy!, but I know I need to stay on my game, so I’ve kept watching. (Also, I was interested to see how Margaret Swanson, who defeated me in my sixth game, wound up doing.) I am very curious to hear when the next TOC will be taping. I can’t wait to meet all the other champions from this year and have another go at that board! I’m going to have to study up.
Finally, since it has been the topic of much consternation on the internet, I’d like to explain my last FJ wager. At that point, I had already achieved every goal I had set. I had won, most importantly. I had also crossed the 100K mark and was pretty sure I was set to return for the TOC. Since the taping was happening in the middle of the school year, I was in danger of missing more class than I was comfortable with from continued wins. I was also running out of “interesting” stories to tell and changes of clothes. So I decided to go big or go home. I was pretty confident on the category or I might have been a bit more hesitant to make such a wager. The way I saw it, if I won, I’d win big, and if not, I had no regrets and if I couldn’t give Alex the correct answer to the question, I could at least give him the answer to life, the universe, and everything.
Thanks David, and congratulations! On to the ToC!