worst band name or record label name change of the social justice & social media era

And yeah, Women, I’m pretty sure it’s Matt Flegel (brother of Cindy Lee) who keeps coming up with these.

Fuck, VC were SO GOOD for a while. “Death” (written for Women guitarist Chris Reiner who just up and died .. for literally no reason, not drugs or anything, just .. whatever the adult version of SIDS is …) makes Tonight’s the Night sound like Gilbert O’Sullivan.

“something something American imperialism something something the struggle”). Instead they were your bog-standard clueless white guys about it: “duuuuh…. We just thought it sounded cool”

the latter is the better excuse

Well, the former is more a 'justification'

If I remember correctly, VC were starting to get protests from the Hmong communities in the Midwest and they decided to change the name because it meant nothing to them.

But I always thought it was cute that Gang of Four publicly defended their band name.

Well, there was four of them, so there was that.

(Plus, there was only ever one Viet Cong)

when did the band form / name themselves? all I can find is 1976 but mao died in september and the gang were arrested / denounced in october and the name takes on whole new connotations after that - I'd always assumed it was a possibly tongue in cheek "anti-revisionist" response to the rise of deng but it seems too early for that and maybe I'm thinking about it more than they did in any case

Can’t tell if my syntax was poor or if Mark G is making a joke, but here’s what I was referring to.

https://pitchfork.com/news/58779-gang-of-four-on-viet-cong-name-controversy-ridiculous-undemocratic-anti-progressive/

oh I thought you meant defending *their* bandname

those capitalist roaders at p4k seem to think it's a loaded bandname but I don't recall reading about any Go4 controversy, it's not like their lyrics were about chucking teachers out of upper storey windows. I'm of that age when I first saw that term on the tv news, it was in reference to the fookin' SDP.

I've never heard of any controversy about Go4's name

“something something American imperialism something something the struggle”

i once chatted with a member of the soft pack/muslims where he was on some bullshit like that, complaining about "having" to change the name because no one understood the complex multivalent political/religious/historical commentary they were making maaan, iirc the holocaust was somehow involved even? it was truly moronic and embarrassing

most artists are dumb

MC Hamas is probably thinking twice right now

same with Vanilla ISIS

BBQ, I don't follow but when the SDP party formed in the UK, the originators were called "The Gang Of Four". That's what I was referring to.

"Gang of (Number)" is also a common name for a group of legislators from different parties collaborating on a bill

Also, Gang of Four was an explicitly political band

Mick Lynch spotted at a recent Gang of Four gig, so that all checks out

Gang Of Four definitely took the name from the Maoist political faction but I can't see why that would casue any offence.

some people are really really offended by communism

Wait till they hear my band Gay Chuevara

vg+

xp
And chucking teachers out of windows.

a few more I found...

Eskimo Callboy changed to Electric Callboy in 2022
Spirit Animal changed to Record Heat in 2020
there was another, Florida-based band named Slaves who changed their name to Rain City Drive in 2021