Band name origins

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Tell me how some bands came up with their names.

― Chris B. Sure (Chris V), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 17:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Blur - their record label zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 17:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Boston - uh.

― Chris B. Sure (Chris V), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 17:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Malevolent Creation - One of the guys in the band used to have a pet-panda, and, well, I can't really tell the story as funnily as the band themselves, so look up some interviews.

― Øystein H-O (Øystein H-O), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 17:24 (twenty-two years ago)

mooney suzuki: from the two founding members of Can maybe?
radiohead: a talking heads song
my bloddy valentine was an 80's slasher flic, but i have no idea if thre is any connection

― ke[hm, Wednesday, 19 November 2003 17:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Hole- something to do with Greek mythology or something.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 17:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Green Day- they really love darts commentary.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 17:26 (twenty-two years ago)

My Morning Jacket - There was a poster on the wall of a girl. It was there but it wasn't there. It was all torn up and looked like an apparition, and the robe the girl was wearing was monogrammed with the initials 'MMJ.'

― Chris B. Sure (Chris V), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 17:28 (twenty-two years ago)

A Perfect Circle - they were looking for a way to combine their love of indefinite articles and geometry and Some Pythagora was taken

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 17:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Toad The Wet Sprocket - A Python Monologue

― Chris B. Sure (Chris V), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 17:30 (twenty-two years ago)

i read about how the mountain goats got their name. j0hn, did you watch las hurdas (land without bread)?

― youn, Wednesday, 19 November 2003 17:36 (twenty-two years ago)

"A Perfect Circle - they were looking for a way to combine their love of indefinite articles and geometry and Some Pythagora was taken"

that just made my day. thank you.

― Al (sitcom), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 17:44 (twenty-two years ago)

The Straglers - Named after the Guilford Strangler
Motorhead - Supposedly "American slang" for a speed freak.
Sisters of Mercy - Not named after the order of nuns, but rather a Leaonard Cohen song about prostitues.
Cop Shoot Cop - Contrary to mythology about it being a screaming headline from the New York Post, the name defines the heroin junkie's lifestyle: cop dope, shoot dope, go cop more dope.
The Misfits - Named after Marilyn Monroe's final film.
JFA - Jodie Foster's Army, named after John Hinkley's motive to kill President Reagan (to impress actress Jodie Foster)
The Wonder Stuff - Supposedly a comment made by John Lennon to Miles Hunt's father in reaction to little Miles' hyperactive nature. "That kid's got the wonder stuff!"
The Soft Boys - Hybrid of two William S. Burroughs novels, "The Soft Machine" and "the Wild Boys"
Duran Duran - Named for a character in "Barbarella, Queen of the Galaxy", starring a nubile Jane Fonda
The Wedding Present - Dave Gedge was allegedly a big fan of The Birthday Party and chose a simillar moniker.
Buzzcocks - Supposedly taken from a catchphrase on a British sit-com, the full question being: "What's the buzz, Cocks?"
Iron Maiden - A medieval torture device
Cocteau Twins - Supposedly a lyrical allusion to a Simple Minds (!!!!) song.
Killing Joke - Think I'm going to give that one away? Hahahahahahahahahaha

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 18:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Pere Ubu - The Dad in Alfred Jarry's "Ubu Roi"
The Fall - (Named for the Camus novel? or not?)
The Cure - (Named for a response to the Plague? or not?) I'm probably forgetting something I once knew ...
Joy Division - look it up
Dream Syndicate - (Steve Wynn) - was it named for the Cale/Maclise band?

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 18:35 (twenty-two years ago)

The Band: Because they were a band

― peepee (peepee), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 18:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Revolting Cocks - an insult hurled at Al Jourgensen and Luc van Acker by the owner of the pool hall, that they were being thrown out of.

Re: Buzzcocks - I always thought that it was slang for a vibrator.

Heaven 17, Moloko and a thousand other bands - ripped from the pages of 'A Clockwork Orange.'

Mogwai - Cute beastie in 'Gremlins.'

Husker Du - Swedish for "do you remember?"

― Ben Dot (1977), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 18:53 (twenty-two years ago)

My Dad is Dead - Named for the response Edwards would give when people pretended to care about the condition of his ailing father.

Black Flag - The opposite of surrender

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 18:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Dave Matthews Band - Swedish for "hackey sack"

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 19:03 (twenty-two years ago)

swedish for Fagtog

― Chris B. Sure (Chris V), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 19:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Dream Syndicate was actually named after Faust's third album

― Maxwell von Bismarck (maxwell von bismarck), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 20:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Dream Syndicate: I always heard they were named after the mid-'60s avant combo featuring LaMonte Young, John Cale, and others. Perhaps those guys were referencing something earlier, but Faust was presumably nodding to Young and Cale.

― dylan (dylan), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 20:51 (twenty-two years ago)

um if you're referring to the album Outside the Dream Syndicate it was by Tony Conrad with Faust.

I have no idea if that's where the L.A. band got their name.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 19 November 2003 20:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, that's where they got their name. Drummer Dennis Duck was a member of the LAFMS and more of a avantist than a rock guy.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 20:59 (twenty-two years ago)

It's really hard to find LaMonte Young stuff here in Minneapolis. Kinda pisses me off.

― dylan (dylan), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 21:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Velvet Underground- taken from an S&M book... given to him by Tony Conrad who was a member of the Dream Syndicate - based on Young's conception of the Dream House(?)

ah I dont know

― nothingleft (nothingleft), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 21:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Mogwai - Cute beastie in 'Gremlins.'

"mo gwai" means "monster" or "demon" in cantonese.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 21:32 (twenty-two years ago)

The Bible: Named after the sacred book of Christianity, which also includes the Hebrew Scriptures.

― dylan (dylan), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 21:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Led Zeppelin---after hearing the idea for the band someone remarked that it would go over like a lead zeppelin.
Daft Punk---phrase used in a review of those guys' previous band
Jurassic 5---one of the members' sister (or girlfriend) said "y'all think you're the Furious Five but you're more like the Jurassic 5"

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 21:40 (twenty-two years ago)

smashing pumpkins-the punchline to a really bad joke that's long been forgotten
the digital whales-the sound made when moaning through a microphone whose signal is running through a DD-5 while someone is twiddling with the knobs
the Beatles- Jesus fucked a donkey
Explosions in the Sky-one of their early practices was on July 4th and they were trying to think up a band name when they went outside and saw fireworks.

― Felcher (Felcher), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 21:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Re: The Cure - weren't they originally called The Easy Cure?

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Steely Dan - Dildo in Naked Lunch.

― nickn (nickn), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Foghat = NONEXISTENT SCRABBLE WORD

― ethereal cereal (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Led Zeppelin---after hearing the idea for the band someone remarked that it would go over like a lead zeppelin.

Keith Moon remarked that they'd go over like a lead balloon.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:14 (twenty-two years ago)

The Who - Pete Townshend came up with this in an attempt to pre-empt the reaction ppl would have on hearing them on the radio

― Pete S, Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Siouxsie & the Banshees - Siouxsie took her name not only from the Native American tribe (the Sioux), but enjoyed the idea of having a silent "x" in her name (after misreading a letter from her friend Simon that signed off "Si x". She read the "x" not as the symbol for a kiss, but as the silent last letter of his name). The Banshees came from the Hammer horror film, "Cry of the Banshee."
Hawkwind - Took their name from a character in Michael Moorcock's series of books about Elric of Melnibone.
Beastie Boys - According to Mike D. in the liner notes to Some Old Bullshit, Beastie was actually an acronym (acronym names were big for hardcore punk bands in the early 80's) that stood for Boys Entering Anarchistic States Towards Inner Excellence. I'm surprised he admitted that.
King Crimson - A pseudonym for Satan.
Alice Donut - The original name being Alice Donut Liver Henry Moore, it is a bastardization of the name of the Scorcese film, "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore."

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:20 (twenty-two years ago)

The Teardrop Explodes - Taken from a solitary panel in an issue of Marvel Comics' "Daredevil", describing a scene in which a translucent teardrop explodes to reveal the Namor, the Sub-Mariner (if memory serves).
Echo & the Bunnymen - Echo was supposedly the drum machine, and the band took the name "Bunnymen" so that they'd never take themselves too seriously (so much for that). This theory is refuted by erstwhile Bunnymanager/KLF-conspirator Bill Drummond, who maintains that Echo was the name of some sort've evil demigod.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Orbital -- a highway where lots of ravers drove on
Sleater Kinney -- a cross street in olympia
Boards of Canada -- educational films approved by the film board of canada
Tricky -- refers to how unreliable Adrian Thaws was/still is

― Leee Majors (Leee), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 23:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I assume Tony Conrad's Outside the Dream Syndicate counts as Faust's third album, as their next one was called IV. Supposedly Dream Syndicate didn't know they were second-handedly referencing the original minimalist group.

― Maxwell von Bismarck (maxwell von bismarck), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 23:50 (twenty-two years ago)

maybe you're forgetting The Faust Tapes?

― hstencil, Wednesday, 19 November 2003 23:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Perhaps. I had thought that came after IV.

― Maxwell von Bismarck (maxwell von bismarck), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 23:55 (twenty-two years ago)

How about Aztec Camera? Young Marble Giants? Are the Homosexuals actually homosexual?

― Maxwell von Bismarck (maxwell von bismarck), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 23:56 (twenty-two years ago)

The Guess Who's name originally came from a marketing gimmick proposed by the band's label. The cover of the original pressings of the band's debut, Shakin' All Over, included a sticker asking Guess Who? The label was trying to fool the record-buying public into thinking this British Invasion-influenced band was some more famous group in disguise.

― Christian Rawk (Christian Rawk), Thursday, 20 November 2003 00:01 (twenty-two years ago)

T'Pau - named after a Vulcan elder from Star Trek
Burning Airlines - named after the Eno song "Burning Airlines Give You So Much More"
Velocity Girl - after the Primal Scream song
Gang of Four - named after a group of Maoist counter-revolutionaries
Papas Fritas - Spanish for french fries, also a pun on "pop has freed us"

― Jeremy (Jeremy), Thursday, 20 November 2003 01:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Husker Du - Swedish for "do you remember?"

I have seen them claiming this, but it isn't true. "Husker du" could be Norwegian or Danish (It was the name of a popular nostalgia TV program for Norwegian senior citizens during the 70s), but not in Swedish. The Swedish term would be "Minns du"

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 20 November 2003 01:30 (twenty-two years ago)

it was a danish boardgame

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 20 November 2003 01:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Husker Du is the name of a kid's board game from Scandanavia that was popular in Minnesota in the 70's.

― Maxwell von Bismarck (maxwell von bismarck), Thursday, 20 November 2003 01:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I read once that Young Marble Giants got their name from some guy in a US town called Cardiff (in New England, I think) doing some kind of hoax where he claimed to have found these large marble statues.

― nickn (nickn), Thursday, 20 November 2003 01:53 (twenty-two years ago)

"The name Young Marble Giants was taken from a book describing kouros, ancient Greek statues representing youth."

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 20 November 2003 01:57 (twenty-two years ago)

The Cure were originally called Easy Cure but apparently changed it cos that was "too hippy" or something.

Pulp were originally called Arabicus Pulp, some sort of stock market commodity as I recall.

Pop Will Eat Itself came from a review of a band called Jamie Wednesday (one of whom, oddly, was Leslie Carter of USM fame). Carter USM, in turn, got their name from the aforementioned fella's surname and the fact that he shagged around a lot in the 80s.

Saint Etienne liked the French football team of the same name: "Inter football...France football! Presente par...Jacques Vendu!"

The Boo Radleys - the odd fella in To Kill A Mockingbird wasn't it?

The Flaming Lips is an allusion to chlamydia I believe.

The Divine Comedy - Dante.

Relaxed Muscle - beergut or erection, depending on which story you hear.

Kenickie - the cool one in Grease innit.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Thursday, 20 November 2003 02:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Cibo Matto - It's "Food Crazy" in italian, but inspired Miho's favorite Italian porno: Seso Matto, "Sex Madness".

― Matt Boch (Matt Boch), Thursday, 20 November 2003 02:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Wasn't Joy Division the Nazi eqivalent of the U.S USSO?

― cs appleby (cs appleby), Thursday, 20 November 2003 04:43 (twenty-two years ago)

sorry for the bleak analogy

― cs appleby (cs appleby), Thursday, 20 November 2003 04:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Joy Division = where the Nazis raped the imprisoned Jews, allegedly.

Pears Before Swine - because they played at the high school, no one liked them - the students shouted out for "Wild Thing" - Pearls Before Swine.

Deicide - "to kill God"

The Doors - after Huxley's rather shitty book

Anyone know the origin of the names ZZ Top, Racebannon, or US Maple?

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Thursday, 20 November 2003 05:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Isn't Race Bannon a character in the Speed Racer cartoon, or was that a different Race?

― nickn (nickn), Thursday, 20 November 2003 05:47 (twenty-two years ago)

race bannon's a character from jonny quest.

― Dr. Annabel Lies (Michael Kelly), Thursday, 20 November 2003 08:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Dokktor annabellll liesssss- ah!

(sorry, had to do that...)

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 20 November 2003 09:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Buzzcocks- I seem to remember it was from a review in Time Out magazine (Which Devoto or Shelly or whoever, was reading while they were down in the London area to see the Sex Pistols play live on the strength of their first NME review.) of the TV proggy "Rock Follies", and the review ended with the line "Get a buzz, cock!"...

― Old Fart!!! (oldfart_sd), Thursday, 20 November 2003 09:46 (twenty-two years ago)

US Maple is probably a pun/jab at canadians.

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 20 November 2003 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Hmm - no one mentioned Grateful Dead yet .. The story goes they pointed to two random words in the dictionary. So they could have been called "Fetid Penultimate."

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 20 November 2003 18:05 (twenty-two years ago)

..And feel free to use that. I don't want it.

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 20 November 2003 18:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Fountains of Wayne is an actual store that sells fountains somewhere in New Jersey. Tony shops at it in an episode of The Sopranos.
Violent Femmes- "femme" being a local slang term variant of "fag", thus oxymoron.
Belle and Sebastian- not directly from the 60s cartoon, Stuart Murdoch had written a number of short stories featuring two characters called Belle and Sebastian (one of which is on the inlay to Tigermilk)

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 20 November 2003 18:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Heathen World has the most impressive database on the origin of band names.

― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Thursday, 20 November 2003 18:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Fountains of Wayne is an actual store that sells fountains somewhere in New Jersey.

.. Ooh, if I needed a name, it would so be "Town Wig and Bag".

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 20 November 2003 18:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Violent Femmes- "femme" being a local slang term variant of "fag", thus oxymoron.

How is being "violent" and being a "fag" in any way an oxymoron? I know plenty of homosexuals who are more than willing to be violent.

Also, I believe I've read that the origin of their name has nothing to do with slang, but merely a Dada-ist appropriation of words that sounded good together.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 20 November 2003 22:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Well put (WP?)

― dylan (dylan), Thursday, 20 November 2003 23:02 (twenty-two years ago)

"Fag" as a derogatory term for an effeminate man, rather than for a homosexual.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 20 November 2003 23:06 (twenty-two years ago)

US Maple is probably punjabi for canadians.

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 20 November 2003 23:12 (twenty-two years ago)

"um if you're referring to the album Outside the Dream Syndicate it was by Tony Conrad with Faust."

yes but in the mid 60s Conrad played with Cale and Young as the Dream Syndicate. Outside the Dream Sydicate was a reference to Conrad's earlier ensemble.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Thursday, 20 November 2003 23:28 (twenty-two years ago)

i thought the Dead got their name from the Tibetan Book of the Dead??!?

― roger a, Friday, 21 November 2003 02:19 (twenty-two years ago)

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