Robert Geretschläger's X-treme Trivia Page

Beware all those who would rather not know too much trivia about Robert Geretschläger!

You probably shouldn't read this.

Really.

--- In the academic year 1978/79 I held a half position at the Graz University of Technology at the "Institut für Erdmessung und physikalische Geodäsie". Much of my work there had to do with the production of the book "Advanced Physical Geodesy" (ISBN 3-87907-106-3) by the head of the institute, Helmut Moritz. I drew all of the diagrams, did some proofreading, and some other incidental work. I have no deep knowledge whatsoever on physical geodesy, advanced or otherwise.

--- From the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s I played quite a bit of competitive chess. I played for the Grazer Schachgesellschaft, the oldest chess club in Austria (and was actually Club President, i.e. "Obmann", for one year). At my best, I had a local Elo-rating slightly above 1900. To this day, I do not know how my rating got to be so high, since I do not actually play that well.

--- For years, I was the union representative at my school. Very few of the teachers at my school are union members.

--- Together with two good friends, I was thrown out of Foxy's Casino in Las Vegas in 1982 for using all the coupons in their Fun Book but not gambling. Foxy's went bankrupt a few years later. I do not know whether the two incidents are in any way related.

--- My golf handicap is currently 27.

--- My highest snooker break (so far) was 37 (I think). Highest score at bowling: 178 (Once again, this is the result of a vague memory; the actual number may differ slightly.)

--- The first thing I ever wrote that was published and for which I got paid was a short piece I wrote in 1979 on Nina Hagen for the British New Musical Express.

--- I own a large number of musical instruments, none of which I can play properly, although I would like to. Among other things, I have spent time in the course of my life trying to pry music out of a piano, a guitar, a trombone, a banjo, a baglama, a recorder, a tin whistle, a kazoo, an electronic keyboard, a minisax and drums. I have also spent a great deal of time singing in various choirs, although not for many years now. My most recent musical venture involved gigs with Johnny K’s Moving Stars. Our last public appearance pre-Covid was in July 2019 (yes, there are videos if you know where to look…), while our World Tour 2020 (2 gigs planned!) had to be cancelled due to Covid-19. We had one more ill-rehearsed gig after that, and it appears that the days of Johnny K have now passed into fond memory. Keep a look out for the inevitable nostalgic reunion gig in a few years.

--- I am quite tall (about 1,93 m), and no furniture is ever big enough for me to be truly comfortable. And don't get me started on airplane seating.

--- In 1993 I won DM 4625.- on the German television version of Trivial Pursuit. It was broadcast on Vox. The taping was in Munich. I have also auditioned for other television game shows (the German version of Jeopardy! and the European version of Going For Gold), but was not chosen for these.

--- My first appearance on television was in 1961, when I appeared on the Randy Andy Show on CHCH-TV, channel 11 in Hamilton, Ontario. I asked the character with the balloon nose why his nose exploded on every show, but he was unable or unwilling to give me a reasonably coherent answer.

--- Since then, my movie career has bloomed. I played Villain 4 in the Film "Take Two", a Popeye remake filmed in the Popeye Village in Malta in 2004. Furthermore, I played the demanding role of “Teacher reading tv-guide” in the seminal “Out of the Dark” (2010), which was a continuation of the role of “Klassenvorstand” I had previously filled with life in “Reifeprüfung” (2008). I also play the recurring character of the "Kleinodiensammler" in the Laura Baci-Bacetti series (currently in hiatus).

--- I have been in the middle of some potentially catastrophic events, but in no case was I seriously hurt. Most notable: Earthquake in Chiba, Japan, 2000; Hurricane Emily in Mérida, Mexico, 2005; Hail Storm (tennis ball sized hail) in Parschlug, Austria, 1982; extreme Hail Storm in Lake Tahoe, USA, 1997

--- Because of my involvement with the kangaroo mathematics competition, I am sometimes asked, whether I have ever eaten kangaroo meat. The answer is yes, in fact, several times (both in Australia and elsewhere). I have also fed kangaroos (and wallabies), which some may consider ironic.

--- A related topic, due to my involvement with the mathematical olympiad: I have been to Olympia, but I did not do any mathematics there (it was much too hot, anyway).

--- Since November, 2020, some information about me (less detail than here) can be found on Wikipedia (just the german version) under Robert Geretschläger – Wikipedia

--- The following is an (incomplete) alphabetical list of celebrities that I have seen in person. I saw most of them on stage, although I spoke personally with some of them. All of these are/were legitimate celebrities from the fields of music, acting, mathematics, sports or politics. Some are dead, but this is not my fault.

Bryan Adams, Ben Affleck, Tim Allen, Princess Anne, Joan Baez, George Benson, Chuck Berry, Jack Black, Karl-Heinz Böhm, Ellen Burstyn, Erhard Busek, Haystacks Calhoun, Carol Cane, Josef Cap, James Carville, Stompin' Tom Connors, John Conway, David Copperfield, Bill Cosby, Elvis Costello, Matt Damon, Sammy Davis Jr., Steve Davis, Fats Domino, Tony Drago, Patrick Duffy, Héctor Elizondo, Paul Erdös, Kevin Eubanks, Fredl Fesl, Glenn Frey, Zsa-Zsa Gabor, Peter Gabriel, Art Garfunkel, Kyle Gass, Elisabeth Gehrer, Graham Greene, Arlo Guthrie, Albert Hammond, Chelsea Handler, Hans-Peter Heinzl, Don Henley, Dave Hill, Noddy Holder, Paul Hörbiger, Anton Innauer, Mick Jagger, Al Jarreau, Elton John, Tom Jones, Guy King, Waltraud Klasnic, Keira Knightly, Mark Knopfler, Bruno Kreisky, Kris Kristofferson, Jay Leno, Jona Lewie, John Lithgow, Andy Liu, Corb Lund, Benoit Mandelbrot, Manfred Mann, Mark McGuire, Elisabeth Moss, Lasse Münstermann, Crown Prince Naruhito, Randy Newman, Peter Pilz, Charles Nelson Reilly, Lukas Resetarits, Keith Richards, Leo Sayer, Claudia Schmied, Timothy B. Schmit, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vonda Shepard, Frank Sinatra, Tiger Jeet Singh, Simon Singh, Sting, Michaela Tabb, Jeffrey Tambor, Nancy Travis, Alex Trebek, Shania Twain, Franz Voves, Otto Waalkes, Joe Walsh, Otto Wanz, Charlie Watts, Andrew Wiles, Georgie Winchester, Stevie Wonder, Ron Wood

Also, a probably incomplete list of musical (group) acts I have had the fortune to witness live:

Björn Again, The Chieftains, Clannad, Dire Straits, The Eagles, Eskimo Joe, The Flying Saucers, The Flying Pickets, The Kinks, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Rast, Rolling Stones, Slade, Tenacious D