Justice Breyer goes 0-3 on NPR news quiz

Here's what Justice Stephen Breyer revealed about the Supreme Court in his appearance on a radio quiz show: His judicial robe gathers no lint because it's synthetic.

When it came to cracking wise, Breyer held his own with a panel of people who are paid to be funny on National Public Radio's "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me."

Being the funniest Supreme Court justice, he said, "is like being one of the shortest tall people."

On why he even agreed to answer questions outside his area of expertise in the humbling, and often embarrassing, "Not My Job" segment: "Well, it was my sister-in-law who wanted me to do it, and I wanted peace in the family."

The show was taped Thursday and will air this weekend on NPR stations. NPR provided a transcript on Friday.

Breyer spent a half-hour or so chatting with host Peter Sagal and panelists Luke Burbank, Paula Poundstone and Mo Rocca.

In response to questions from Poundstone, Breyer let listeners in on the secret of his lint-free robe, purchased 25 years ago after he became an appeals court judge in Boston.

But Breyer struck out when it came to the "Not My Job" questions, failing to answer any correctly about strange moments in the lives of rock stars David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne and Iggy Pop.

In the end, the NPR regulars confessed they were relieved that Breyer didn't know Bowie once tried to exorcise Satan from his swimming pool, Iggy Pop spent a year eating nothing but German sausages or Osbourne once asked for directions to the bar immediately after checking in to rehab.

"I feel more and more confident about your ability to protect our Constitution knowing that you didn't know the answers to any of those three questions," Poundstone said.

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