I’ve interviewed others, and I’m guilty of using that technique.
I love taking an engineer and asking him who composed the 4 seasons? Basic knowledge questions in a field diametrically opposite to his own.
And yes, I get all the maths questions because my diploma actually reads a BA in History. :)
A mathematician (or an engineer) can answer "everybody, or nobody - this is equally probable, as long as I don't listen to that music. It's a division by zero, or an infinitely thin layer of probabilities that integrates to unity. You can also view it as an event that occurred outside of our light cone. Yet another way to put it is 'if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it...' (linky)"
It's far more informative this way, instead of just saying "Vivaldi" if you properly dislike Baroque :-) Even most of Mozart's works are "too old" for my taste. The Romantic period is far more lively, and is well represented.
When I interview potential programmers I always ask them what their favorite book about programming is and why they like it.
I know that if somebody reads those books, that they are really interested in what they do. If they can’t come up with one, then I know they don’t take their craft seriously.