The Hard-rocking Quiz on Hair Bands

Estimated Completion Time
2 min
The Hard-rocking Quiz on Hair Bands
Image: George Rose/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Think you're a sweet child o' the '80s with a fever for Aqua Net that only Dr. Feelgood could handle? Open up and say ... ahh while we test your '80s hair-band trivia.
Let's start off easy. What '80s hairstyle wouldn't fit an '80s hair band?
permed hair
long locks
side ponytails
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Listen, we're not talking Valley girls here. The '80s hair band liked it big, moussed and out of control.

What band's bass player had a side job writing Meat Loaf songs?
Ratt
Motley Crue
Poison
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Nikki Sixx wrote several songs for Meat Loaf, along with a handful of other musicians (like the Backstreet Boys, who didn't wind up doing the track). Of course, he also penned Motley Crue tunes as well.

What megahit boasts an opening riff that was actually just the guitar player warming up?
"Round and Round"
"Sweet Child O' Mine"
"Wanted Dead or Alive"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Slash thought the riff was nothing but a joke, but Axl Rose convinced him to keep it. You know you're good when your practice scales become iconic.

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What's Jon Bon Jovi's real name?
Jon Bon Jovi
Jonn Kapowski
John Bongiovi
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Everyone knows that a last name with two words is twice as awesome as plain ol' Bongiovi.

What band was NOT formed in Los Angeles?
Ratt
Cinderella
Guns N' Roses
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Cinderella was from a decidedly not glam corner of Philadelphia. No offense to the more glam corners of Philadelphia.

Who is Bill Bailey?
Ozzy Osbourne
your accountant
Axl Rose
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Axl Rose took his first band's name -- Axl -- for a first name, and he later changed his surname (back) to Rose.

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What frontman asked Paul Ryan to please stop using one of the band's hits on campaign stops for the 2012 U.S. presidential election?
Bon Jovi
Twisted Sister
Van Halen
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dee Snider "emphatically denounced" Ryan's use of the song "We're Not Gonna Take It" to pump up crowds.

What was Sebastian Bach's real name?
Sebastian Bierk
Sebastian Bark
Donald Andover
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Close enough, right? No one can fault Bach for trying his best to get some classic cred, but no one actually confused him for the maestro's descendant, either.

What over-the-top performer says he actually suffers from stage fright?
Alice Cooper
Klaus Meine
Ozzy Osbourne
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He may scare bats, but getting up onstage still gives Osbourne the willies.

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Where did Bret Michaels sustain a split lip and broken nose, in true hard-living fashion?
the roulette table in Vegas
in an LA fight with Axl Rose
in a fabulous revue at the Tony Awards
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 2009, Michaels was performing with Poison during a "Rock of Ages" performance at the Tony Awards, where he was hit by falling scenery.

What '80s hair band was playing a 2003 show when a fire broke out, killing 100 people in the Rhode Island club?
Great White
Def Leppard
Whitesnake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Station nightclub fire began during a pyrotechnics display at a Great White show.

What band formed after its founding member left Deep Purple?
Whitesnake
Motley Crue
Warrant
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

David Coverdale left the band Deep Purple in 1978 and went on to have hits like "Here I Go Again" with Whitesnake.

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What quote is NOT attributed to David Lee Roth?
"I used to have a drug problem, now I make enough money."
"I used to jog, but the ice cubes kept falling out of my glass."
"I used to be cool."
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Diamond David is still cool. And we're pretty sure he said the first two things, but the legend has always been bigger than the man.

What do some derisively call hair bands?
poodle bands
fam bands
damn bands
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Poodle bands -- but not because they're more clever than other breeds of bands. It's all about the fluffy, puffy, Aqua Netted hair.

What musical act did NOT exert a strong influence on '80s hair bands?
Kiss
Alice Cooper
Bob Dylan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's possible that Dylan's moves crept in, but most see Kiss and Alice Cooper as strong godfathers to hair band style.

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What inspired Nikki Sixx's song "Kickstart My Heart"?
taking so much heroin his heart stopped
Lita Ford
his grandmother's death
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Back in 1987, Sixx did so much heroin that his heart stopped for two minutes. That incident (and probably a few others) inspired the song "Kickstart My Heart."

What famous '80s rock song was actually a cover of a '70s release?
"Is This Love"
"Every Rose Has Its Thorn"
"Cum on Feel the Noize"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Quiet Riot hated the idea of doing a cover of the original Slade song "Cum on Feel the Noize" and tried to make it sound horrible. Instead, it sounded like the anthem for '80s rock. So, you know, think about that.

Perhaps you remember Bobbie Brown, the blonde woman in Warrant's "Cherry Pie" video. What role did she later take on?
Lady Macbeth in the Royal Shakespeare Company's "Macbeth"
the wife of Warrant's lead singer
mother of Zac Efron
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Brown met lead singer Jani Lane on the set of "Cherry Pie" and became Lane's wife months later.

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What '80s hair band only managed one album before record execs pulled the plug?
Bon Jovi
White Tiger
Dokken
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Although they may have written songs like "Rock Warriors" and "Live to Rock," White Tiger didn't seem to rock hard enough for their label.

What '80s hair band plays one louder than 10?
Spinal Tap
Van Halen
Poison
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

These go to 11 -- when Spinal Tap is involved.

You Got:
/20
George Rose/Getty Images