The 100 List, 60-79 … and how to use the memory list
What will you be using your 100 memory list for? That’s an open question. There are as many answers as there are possibilities. If you’re a student, you’ll find endless uses for your memory list. You’ll be able to link facts and dates and all kind of information in mind movies of your own production. Each one will be unique and far easier to recall than a long, dry-as-dust list that somehow seems meaningless after a while.
Mind movies are quicker to produce, easy (once you get the hang of it), cost nothing, and exercise your brain. The very act of making little mind movies makes you think about your subject in quite some detail. And that’s part of what makes them so effective – you’re paying close attention, instead of what usually happens (not really focusing – go on, admit it, you know it’s true)!
Mind movies
If your job means you have to memorise lists, dates, clients, products, product numbers, etc, then this memory list will prove itself invaluable in no time. If you just want to keep track of your day-to-day to-do lists and other mundane stuff, then why not do it in an organised fashion – use your 100 List. As Donald Trump said, “If you’re going to think anyway, think big!”
Bruce Lee can be counted on to add some real action to any mind movie!
And it’s fun to play around with these memory characters and make private little mind movies. They can be full of action, or funny, or surprising (specially when you recall them later!), and when they result in you having a suprisingly good memory, you don’t have to tell anyone you’re just watching some ‘home movies’!
A memory list mind movie can go from featuring Spartacus one moment, to Elvis Presley the next, with a sudden, explosive, appearance by Bruce Lee thrown in. And the action never stops, and is always memorable. As long as you’re paying close attention to detail – that’s where the effectiveness comes from, the attention to detail.
Can you begin to imagine some of the dramatic scenes, like when Bruce Lee meets the Hulk? Or when James Bond meets Elly May? Oh boy, anything could happen!
| THE 100 LIST, 60-69 | |||
| No. | CHARACTER | UNIQUE ACTION | MEMORY NOTES |
| 60 | Nicholas Parsons | winding a clock | "Just A Minute" (radio) |
| 61 | Pavarotti | wiping sweat from face | or singing opera |
| 62 | Ringo Starr | drumming | The Beatles, bigtime, '62 |
| 63 | J.F.K. | making a phone call | (red phone) JFK '63 |
| 64 | Odd-job | skimming bowler hat | "Goldfinger", '64 |
| 65 | Bash Brannigan | using BIG remote | "How to Murder Your Wife", '65 |
| 66 | Steve Irwin | with wriggling snake | '66' looks like 2 little snakes |
| 67 | Mungo Jerry | blowing into the jug | Summer of Love, '67 |
| 68 | Reg Varney | clicking ticket machine | on the 68 bus |
| 69 | Butch Cassidy | riding bike, bowler hat | "Butch Cassidy" '69 |
It only matters if it matters to me!
Reg Varney clicking a ticket machine? Surely he was the bus driver, not the conductor! Guess what … it doesn’t matter in the slightest … not to me, and it’s my List! If you look at the List critically, you’ll find a few things you could take issue with, but, like I said, that would be a waste of time because none of it matters. All that does matter is that I have these things clearly in mind, and they help me remember certain things.
The same should go for you; when you’re making your memory list, allow yourself plenty of slack. As long as it makes sense to you and helps you remember things, that’s good enough. Nobody can take issue with you over the little details, because this is your memory list, and these are your own private mind movies. In the end, only you have the final casting decision!
| THE 100 LIST, 70-79 | |||
| No. | CHARACTER | UNIQUE ACTION | MEMORY NOTES |
| 70 | The Fonz | combing hair | trying to look cool |
| 71 | Terry-Thomas | cigarette holder, cravat | diagnosed Parkinsons, '71 |
| 72 | Mark Spitz | swimming or diving | '72 Olympics, 7 golds |
| 73 | Bruce Lee | wielding nunchaku | "Enter The Dragon" '73, died '73 |
| 74 | Jerry Springer | bouncing, pogo stick | Springer springing! |
| 75 | John Cleese | doing a 'funny walk' | as in Monty Python |
| 76 | Nigella Lawson | licks cream off fingers | suggestively (or even cooking!) |
| 77 | Elvis Presley | guitar, shaking hips | died '77 |
| 78 | Incredible Hulk | tearing shirt off | see his chest growing to 78" |
| 79 | Maggie Thatcher | mixing chemicals | PM '79 (ex- chemist) |
Why the gaps?
You’ll see a few gaps here and there in the ‘Notes’ column. That’s because some of the characters don’t have anything specific to tie them to their particular number. And the reason for that is simple: I just couldn’t find anything meaningful for some of them. However, most of them do have some sort of link to the number, and the fact that I tried hard to find meaning for the others means I’ve somehow, in the process, managed to make them memorable to me in spite of the linking problem (although, because I have a serious memory problem, a few of them still give me trouble). 🙁
Some characters might be difficult to remember, while some, strangely, are quite easy to call to mind!
Why do I have such trouble remembering these characters? Because they’ve all got names! It’s the names that give me trouble, much more than the characters. Sometimes when I can see a character clearly in my mind, I still can’t remember the name. Hopefully, you won’t have that problem. I think it’s unusual, and due to a medical condition that causes me such difficulties.
Sometimes though, even if I can’t recall the name, there’s something that makes a particular character quite memorable … it’s a strange phenomenon, can’t quite work it out. 🙂
Try to find something relevant to link every single character to its assigned number, but in the end the only thing that matters is that you somehow manage to link one to the other in your mind (even if it seems to make little or no sense). So don’t sweat it, just do your best. And if you have a few that are rattling around ‘loose’ in your memory list, just make something up to link them to their numbers, even if it’s complete nonsense.
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