Bands named after movie characters?

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I was sitting around the other day and the thought popped into my head, "I wonder how many bands there are named after characters in movies?"
So far, I've come up with three bands that fit that criteria:
Duran Duran from Barbarella
Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
The Boo Radleys from To Kill a Mockingbird

Can anyone think of any other bands named after movie characters?
Is this to trivial a question even for this forum?

― Zagatto, Wednesday, 9 July 2003 23:02 (twenty-two years ago)

travis

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 23:09 (twenty-two years ago)

(after Taxi Driver)

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 23:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Veruca salt and boo radley are more characters from novels than films, really. I would offer Holly Golightly, but again she was a book character first. However, the filmed version of Breakfast at Tiffany's features a poster in (i think) Holly's room that says "Jets to Brazil".

In a reversal of the question, there's a character in Mod Fuck Explosion called X-Ray Spex.

― Dr. Annabel Lies (Michael Kelly), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 23:21 (twenty-two years ago)

pussy galore?

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 23:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Cornelius

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 23:31 (twenty-two years ago)

o well -- Klaatu

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Thursday, 10 July 2003 00:07 (twenty-two years ago)

pussy galore?

I had this hunch about villains from a certain action franchise, and sure enough:

Goldfinger
Odd Job
Blofeld
Dr. No

(Dr. No, apparently, are prog ... I'm sure there're others.)

― brian nemtusak (sanlazaro), Thursday, 10 July 2003 01:27 (twenty-two years ago)

The Hanson Brothers

― Bruce Urquhart (Bruce Urquhart), Thursday, 10 July 2003 01:28 (twenty-two years ago)

King Kong

― Bruce Urquhart (Bruce Urquhart), Thursday, 10 July 2003 01:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Kenickie

― Fergal Cussen (Burger), Thursday, 10 July 2003 01:34 (twenty-two years ago)

oooh good one

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 10 July 2003 01:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Harper Lee

― svend, Thursday, 10 July 2003 02:20 (twenty-two years ago)

aren't they a writer?

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 10 July 2003 02:27 (twenty-two years ago)

heatmiser

― ron (ron), Thursday, 10 July 2003 03:41 (twenty-two years ago)

kinski was a character, and in movies

― ron (ron), Thursday, 10 July 2003 03:48 (twenty-two years ago)

mighty joe young (both the blues guy from the original movie and the '90s band from the re-make)

― bflaska, Thursday, 10 July 2003 04:28 (twenty-two years ago)

theres probably lots of reggae artists who copped tough guy movie names. dirty harry is the only one i can think of though

― ron (ron), Thursday, 10 July 2003 04:49 (twenty-two years ago)

what movie is Kenickie from?

― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Thursday, 10 July 2003 05:30 (twenty-two years ago)

grease

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 10 July 2003 05:32 (twenty-two years ago)

ergo, tuscadero

― ron (ron), Thursday, 10 July 2003 05:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Tummler is a great name - if anyone has ever seen the movie "Gummo"

― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Thursday, 10 July 2003 06:07 (twenty-two years ago)

there's a hardcore-emo band called yaphet kotto.

http://www.ebullition.com/catalog43.html

― giulio from genova, Thursday, 10 July 2003 06:14 (twenty-two years ago)

t'pau but that's tv i guess

― ron (ron), Thursday, 10 July 2003 06:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Scarface.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 10 July 2003 08:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Travis are actually named after Dave Lee Travis, the "Hairy Cornflake".

Shitty punk rock act Keyser Soze.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 10 July 2003 10:05 (twenty-two years ago)

the doris days - not a character but at least in movies

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Thursday, 10 July 2003 10:26 (twenty-two years ago)

kobayashi - oirish triphoppers / usual suspect

the unbelievable truth (bad) named themselves after an entire film (good)

and didn't travis come from malcom mcdowel's character in if?

― dbini, Thursday, 10 July 2003 10:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Cosmo Vitelli

― Sami (Sami), Thursday, 10 July 2003 10:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe Heaven 17 (etc) would count?

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 10 July 2003 11:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Bright Eyes ("Planet of the Apes")

Heaven 17 ("Clockwork Orange")

There was a hardcore band here in NYC called The Turbo A.C.'s who thought they were naming themselves after one of the gangs in "the Warrriors," but they got it a bit wrong -- the gang in the film is called the Turnball A.C.'s. I have no idea why.

Redd Kross initially took their name from the bloody-crucifix-masturbation scene in "The Exorcist," and not from the beneficial organization.

The Misfits puportedly took their name from Marilyn Monroe's final film.

The BRMC (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) took their name from Marlon Brando's gang in "The Wild One," and the Beatles' Anthology video implies that the inspiration for their name was Lee Marvin's rival motorcycle gang in the same film.

The Tyrell Corporation take their name from the replicant-manufacturing company in "Blade Runner."

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 10 July 2003 12:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Didn't that creep out of 2 Live Crew call himself Luke Skyywalker?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 10 July 2003 12:51 (twenty-two years ago)

How many of these band names from movies could very well have been from the books the movies were based on?

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Thursday, 10 July 2003 12:55 (twenty-two years ago)

I was in a punk band called the Turnball AC's for about ten seconds in high school (they're the skinhead gang in the Warriors). I have a hunch that the Turbo AC's are named after a mishearing of that name.

Also, Charli Baltimore.

― Tom Breihan (Tom Breihan), Thursday, 10 July 2003 13:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Yer right of course, Tom, but what exactly does "Turnball" mean? And AC's? Are they air-conditioners?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 10 July 2003 13:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Luther Campbell (aka Luke Skyywalker) says he was called that before the movie. From his b-ball days.

Roy Harper (not from a movie, but that was Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy's alter ego in the comics.)

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 10 July 2003 13:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Chewbacca (shitty punk band)
Paul Newman
Don Juan DeMakeOut

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 10 July 2003 13:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Dom, what's your reference on Travis? because i've read differently in an interview..

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 10 July 2003 13:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Nerf Herder
Dianogah
Grand Moff Tarkin
Red 5

the number of bandnames referencing Star Wars alone is staggering.

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Thursday, 10 July 2003 14:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Has anyone read Harry (media assassin) Allen's essay on Star Wars in A Galaxy Not So Far Away?

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 10 July 2003 14:02 (twenty-two years ago)

The Orb.

― Alan Connor, Jnr, Thursday, 10 July 2003 14:07 (twenty-two years ago)

no i haven't, Horace--how is it?

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Thursday, 10 July 2003 14:33 (twenty-two years ago)

The indie band Eisely was supposedly originally called Moss Eisely, named after the Tatooine space port in "Star Wars." Apparently Lucasfilm didn't dig that too much.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 10 July 2003 14:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Kingfish,

The books itself is pretty cool, a bunch of, y'know, hipsters ruminating on various aspects of SW culture, a great piece on Boba Fett (the book came out just after AOTC, and so was entirely (except maybe the introduction) written beforehand, a piece that argues that the Rebel Forces are a bunch of spoilsport jerks who will surely send the galaxy to ruin. There's even a piece by Kevin Smith. The Allen piece was sort of less than satisfying. I mean, hip hop and Star Wars are essentially the same age, and I don't know, he really only hits on the surface. Somebody should write a whole damn book about all the connections (which surely went one way only, although at a party at Spielberg's last winter, I did espy Lucas doing the Smurf).

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 10 July 2003 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

i don't know where "Shai Hulud" got their name but it's the name of the sandworms in "Dune"

― Felcher (Felcher), Thursday, 10 July 2003 15:06 (twenty-two years ago)

"the smurf"?

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Thursday, 10 July 2003 15:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Doing the Smurfette, actually.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 10 July 2003 15:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Ned and I are highrollers. We go to better parties than the rest of you.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 10 July 2003 15:28 (twenty-two years ago)

the unbelievable truth (bad) named themselves after an entire film (good)

So did Three Colours Red. Jerks.

― Leee (Leee), Thursday, 10 July 2003 19:49 (twenty-two years ago)

If we're going to get into bands named after movies, you can't forget They Might be Giants.

I'm really surprised at how many bands are turning up named after characters from movies (even from movies adapted from books).

Someone mentioned The Orb was named after a movie, does anyone know which one or was that just a name being thrown out there?

― Zagatto, Thursday, 10 July 2003 20:20 (twenty-two years ago)

(all very debatable)
Public Enemy
The Stooges
Atticus Finch

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Thursday, 10 July 2003 20:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Wasn't Klaus Kinski an actor who did a lot of films with Werner Herzog, rather than a character?

― Mike Taylor (mjt), Thursday, 10 July 2003 21:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Save Ferris?

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Thursday, 10 July 2003 21:35 (twenty-two years ago)

There's some new band called Damone who, I'm guessing, are alluding to the ticket-scalpin' guy in "Fast Time at Ridgemont High".

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 10 July 2003 21:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Matmos

― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 10 July 2003 21:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Mogwai

― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 10 July 2003 21:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Faster Pussycat from "Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill"
Mudhoney from "Mudhoney"

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 10 July 2003 22:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Rooney

― Mike Taylor (mjt), Thursday, 10 July 2003 22:59 (twenty-two years ago)

i thought matmos stood for 'mothers against the music of satan'?

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 11 July 2003 00:31 (twenty-two years ago)

There is (or was) a group called the Baseball Furies. Another gang from "The Warriors."

― T. Weiss (Timmy), Friday, 11 July 2003 00:33 (twenty-two years ago)

mike t, that's why i put a little disclaimer/jokey on the kinski mention.

i would guess that the orb might come from sleeper?

― ron (ron), Friday, 11 July 2003 00:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Bright Eyes ("Planet of the Apes")

I thought that was from Watership Down -- which was a book first.

― Andrew Frye (paul cox), Friday, 11 July 2003 00:48 (twenty-two years ago)

bright eyes is from the soundtrack and had nothing whatsoever to do with the Watership Down book. thank god.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 11 July 2003 00:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Whoops. It's been many years since I've seen the movie, and I've never read the book. I once lambasted Conor Oberst for naming his band after a Garfunkel song, but some BE fanboy said it was actually a character's name. Apparently, nobody in that conversation knew what they were talking about.

― Andrew Frye (paul cox), Friday, 11 July 2003 00:59 (twenty-two years ago)

actually there is one band named after a Watership Down character - Fiver.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 11 July 2003 01:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Named after movie: Alphaville, 400 Blows.
Named after TV show: Electric Company.

― nickn (nickn), Friday, 11 July 2003 06:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Dr Phibes & the house of wax equations

or maybe travis were named after the dr/evil clone in Psyclone??

(as in 'Spencer Travis' by bogshed)

― dbini, Friday, 11 July 2003 09:21 (twenty-two years ago)

"Watership Down" is one of the Great Traumatic Things to show to a kid. Not only is it REALLY fuckin' bloody & Violent, but that ghost rabbit-spirit thing scared the FUCK Out of me at age 6-8.

here's a link to a .mid of the Bright Eyes song.

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Friday, 11 July 2003 14:56 (twenty-two years ago)

erics trip. not after the sonic youth song, but an andy warhol short of the same name.

― kephm, Friday, 11 July 2003 15:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Heaven 17 ("Clockwork Orange")

But that's actually after a band (or some such) from a movie, right?

― brian nemtusak (sanlazaro), Friday, 11 July 2003 20:26 (twenty-two years ago)

There's a San Diego band called Rochelle, Rochelle - named after a character/fake movie of the same name, from Seinfeld.

― Sam J. (samjeff), Friday, 11 July 2003 20:46 (twenty-two years ago)

three weeks pass...

haha, i always thought BRIGHT EYES was named after the shirly temple movie.

― reo fordecor, Saturday, 2 August 2003 08:01 (twenty-two years ago)

five months pass...

Scarface (The Rapper) - From The Movie Scarface With Al Pacino

― Brendan Webb, Saturday, 10 January 2004 05:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe, but Al Capone was also "Scarface," and the movie Scarface was itself a remake of a movie about Capone of the same name, so it's hard to trace that directly back to Pacino.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 10 January 2004 06:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Bright Eyes is actually named after the Garfunkel song of the same name.

*shoots self in head*

― roxymuzak, Sunday, 11 January 2004 02:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Obscure Vancouver bands: The Riff Randells, Terror of Tiny Town

― sym (shmuel), Sunday, 11 January 2004 03:11 (twenty-two years ago)

'10,000 Maniacs' is a play on Herschel Gordon Lewis' "2000 Maniacs".
'Guadalcanal Diary' is from the war movie/book of the same name.
'Racebannon' comes from the cartoon Johnny Quest.
'Black Sabbath' is also an old horror movie with Boris Karlov.

The story about 'Captain Beefheart' was that it was supposed to be a character that Don Van Vliet was going to play in some ultra cheapy horror movie that Zappa was going to make before he got busted and lost his equipment/studio. (There is a chapter in Zappa's bio about it.)

― earlnash, Sunday, 11 January 2004 04:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Xiu Xiu (from Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl)

― st.joan, Sunday, 11 January 2004 07:34 (twenty-two years ago)

twenty years pass...

Vader.

this one used to piss me off because so many metalheads I knew denied this, saying it was clearly based on one of many languages' words for "father", and thus was pronounced "VAH-dur", and mocked me for saying it "vay-durr", and then the frontman basically does an interview in Polish where in the first two questions two times confirms "yeah we like Star Wars a lot and we came up with it in 1983".

#vindicated
#nobodycares
#onethread
#fukku

― CEO Greedwagon (Neanderthal), Friday, 1 March 2024 21:57 (one year ago)

If The Corpse Grinders (1971) are just anonymous corpse grinders without names, then the Corpse Grinders.

― clemenza, Friday, 1 March 2024 22:31 (one year ago)

Having just watched/endured that very film I think the title characters are the ones doing the grinding? The victims I suppose would be the Corpse Ground, which would itself be a good band name.

― doleful lundgren (Matt #2), Friday, 1 March 2024 22:56 (one year ago)

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