Bands You could never allow yourself to like, given their (to your ears) indefensibly stupid name.

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1. Geggy Tah
2. Sloan
3. Dishwalla

...I realize there are more than enough reasons to hate these bands already, but having silly/stupid/embarassing names certainly doesn't aid their already troubled cause.

4. Hootie & the Blowfish
5. Matchbox Twenty
6. An Emotional Fish
7. Limp Bizkit
8. Korn
9. Phish
10. .......?

Yers?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 29 November 2003 06:49 (twenty-two years ago)

The The
Yes
The Fixx
Moonraker
Genesis

― Ian Johnson (orion), Saturday, 29 November 2003 06:54 (twenty-two years ago)

The The has it moments. Johnny Marr, yo.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 29 November 2003 06:56 (twenty-two years ago)

But perhaps the worst band name ever?

― Ian Johnson (orion), Saturday, 29 November 2003 06:58 (twenty-two years ago)

generally speaking:

nearly every modern hardcore band
any band with a number in its name
every metal band ever

in particular:

murder by death
your enemies friends
kerosene 454
gorilla biscuits
death before dying

― ohrobert, Saturday, 29 November 2003 06:59 (twenty-two years ago)

death before dying

That is stupid.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 29 November 2003 07:09 (twenty-two years ago)

the 80s were particularly bad for stupid names:

Mister Mister
Haircut 100
Pretty Boy Floyd
Tears for Fears

and lately:

matchbox 20
blink182

― Orbit (Orbit), Saturday, 29 November 2003 07:11 (twenty-two years ago)

i think the the is a fantastic name.

― reo, Saturday, 29 November 2003 07:17 (twenty-two years ago)

kerosene 454

Actually a good band! But your list reminds me: Youth Brigade, Youth of Today... esp. when the members started getting up in the years.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Saturday, 29 November 2003 07:19 (twenty-two years ago)

you mean like Sonic Youth?

― hstencil, Saturday, 29 November 2003 07:43 (twenty-two years ago)

YES.

But they weren't a HORRIBLE BAND to begin with.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Saturday, 29 November 2003 07:55 (twenty-two years ago)

i think the the is a fantastic name.

Reminds me of The Commitments:

"And And fucking And?!"

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 29 November 2003 07:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Hardcore, Emo, and pop-punk bands tend to have the worst band names these days. Some examples: Snowdogs (possibly the worst ever), Rufio, The Starting Line, Mest, or anything with a pseudo-poetic- style name like From Autumn to Ashes or Taking Back Sunday.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Great thread.

*Gorky's Zygotic Minci
*Bongzilla
*As I Lay Dying / From Autumn To Ashes / any faggotass emo shit (despite the stunningly good drumming of a lot of these cats, in particular Poison The Well and Avenged Sevenfold)
*Swearing At Motorists
*The International Noise Conspiracy

― roger adultery, Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Glass Candy & The Shattered Theatre
XBXRX

― Ian Johnson (orion), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Hoobastank!

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Ekoostik Hookah

― jaymc (jaymc), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Hoooooverphonic
Polyphonic Spree

― Ian Johnson (orion), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Swearing at Motorists would be funny if it were the name of a comedy troupe.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:19 (twenty-two years ago)

the soundtrack of our lives
three colours red
the death of anna karina
sweep the leg johnny
save ferris
death cab for cutie
the promise ring
the unbelievable truth
pedro the lion
american football
elf power
kitty craft
masters of the hemisphere
dances with wolves

― brian badword (badwords), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Ned's Atomic Dustbin
They Came From The Stars (I Saw Them)
Every God!speed extension ever

― nestmanso (nestmanso), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Sad because I actually would like to like They Came...

― nestmanso (nestmanso), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:24 (twenty-two years ago)

jets to brazil
dead can dance
the jazz june
the kills
OMD

― Ian Johnson (orion), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I think Death Cab for Cutie passes, not because it's clever, but it at least has the good taste to be inscrutable.

I think what most of us are getting at here is what the name of a band reveals about the intellect of a band. Some of the best band names are utter nonsense, having been made up by people who realize that giving your band name some kinda "meaning" would be unbearably pretentious. Band names like Ned's Atomic Dustbin are great, IMO. Bad band, of course, but don't let that color your appreciation of their ridiculous band name. Look -- at least it's not "arty."

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Jackie-O Motherfucker (although to be fair I did give them a chance)

― hstencil, Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:26 (twenty-two years ago)

what's so inscrutable about taking your band name from a Beatles movie?

― hstencil, Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I think JOMF is a great band name. But I really like the band too. Foolish man.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:28 (twenty-two years ago)

oh man it's a horrible name! But I was gonna give them the benefit of the doubt 'cause some people I knew with decent taste liked them (ahem), but jeez were they ever not-so-hot-or-worth-my-ten-bucks live.

― hstencil, Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I often wonder, hstencil, what DO you like?

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:31 (twenty-two years ago)

fuck off Kenan.

― hstencil, Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:32 (twenty-two years ago)

You're right, they're probably not worth ten bucks alone. But most bands aren't.

add to the list: Facial Defecation, Anal Cunt

― Ian Johnson (orion), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:32 (twenty-two years ago)

fuck off Kenan.

Hey, eat shit. You're an endless fountain of negativity about everything possible, and it's getting fucking boring. Lighten up, sourpuss.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:34 (twenty-two years ago)

let's see, on this thread I:

1. made a joke about Sonic Youth, a band I like.
2. listed one band, Jackie-O Motherfucker, as falling into the category of having a stupid name, with the caveat that at least I gave them a chance.
3. questioned whether naming a band from a Beatles movie is "inscrutable" (hint: it isn't!).

I didn't:

1. list a lot of bands.
2. personally attack anyone for their choices or comments until attacked by Kenan.

Yeah, you're right, I clearly am "an endless fountain of negativity about everything possible," that's why I did these things. Unlike yourself.

― hstencil, Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I dunno, it may be fair to use the word "inscrutable" when the reference is not common knowledge.

― jaymc (jaymc), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:46 (twenty-two years ago)

No one's mentioned Puddle of Mudd?

WHY TWO D's?? WTF

― Gear! (Gear!), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm just saying that I can't remeber the last time you said anything nice about anything. And if you did recently say anything nice about anything, it's been eclipsed by your general demeanor, which is certainly that of a sourpuss. I'm not saying you;re a bad sport or anything. Just that you're a bummer to be around.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Re PoM: Heh, yeah, I was watching cable at my parents' house yesterday, and MTV had some you-pick-the-next-video thing, where two videos go head to head, and at one point one of the choices was Puddle of Mudd, who (never having heard them) I hoped would lose only because of the name.

― jaymc (jaymc), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:50 (twenty-two years ago)

it may be fair to use the word "inscrutable" when the reference is not common knowledge.

Well, yeah, the only reason I have this knowledge is because of the band name. Therefore, still in the realm of the abstract.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:51 (twenty-two years ago)

What a strange concept.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Indeed.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 29 November 2003 08:57 (twenty-two years ago)

broken social scene.

― Elliott (ebb), Saturday, 29 November 2003 09:02 (twenty-two years ago)

a "bummer to be around?" When did I invite you to my house?

I post positive stuff about things I like all the time. It's just that you don't, or won't, or can't, see/read it. Also, this is not the most positive thread subjet matter on ILM, but I don't see you jumping down anyone else's throat.

― hstencil, Saturday, 29 November 2003 09:14 (twenty-two years ago)

When did I invite you to my house?

You didn't. Maybe that's why I'm bitter.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 29 November 2003 09:18 (twenty-two years ago)

well why would I when you take every opportunity (this thread isn't the only time it's happened) to go ballistic when I merely post an opinion (or in the case of this thread, a simple question)? I don't think I'm the one who needs to lighten up, and by telling you to fuck off it should be quite clear I'm tired of your bizarre pathological bullying. Okay?

― hstencil, Saturday, 29 November 2003 09:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay. I'm pathological and unstable, it's true. And you're habitually negative, which is also true. I see you saying pointedly negative and insulting things so often that it sinks in. It's not just your words, it's your tone. You HATE things, like, you really HATE things. That's weird to me, and I am now suspicious of your every opinion, fearful that it's tainted with HATE. And this was probably not the thread to go off on you, but whatever.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 29 November 2003 09:28 (twenty-two years ago)

right now the only thing I hate is you.

― hstencil, Saturday, 29 November 2003 09:30 (twenty-two years ago)

All nu metal ever. Pissing Razors, Korn, Sevendust, Puddle of Mudd, Soulfly, Linkin Park, Mudvayne, Deftones, HedPE, Staind, stuff already mentioned etc. All of it.

― sucka (sucka), Saturday, 29 November 2003 09:31 (twenty-two years ago)

the above two posts : nu metal lyrics?

― sucka (sucka), Saturday, 29 November 2003 09:32 (twenty-two years ago)

hm... me and hstencil doing a hate-themed version of "Guilty Conscience"?

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 29 November 2003 09:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Where I come from theres a football team called OMP.
- Orchesteral manoeuvers in the Park.
I always thought that was quite witty.

Limp Bizkit and Puddle of Mudd and Queens of the (new ?) stone age..
The worst possible names.
But maybe were all out of sync with what sounds cool these days...

― kevin brady (groeuvre), Saturday, 29 November 2003 11:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Skipping 106 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Oh yeah, Showaddywaddy is another one I was trying to think of.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Friday, 7 October 2005 15:24 (twenty years ago)

p. diddy, anal cunt, pretty willy, phallus, throbing gristle.

― cujo bass, Friday, 7 October 2005 15:31 (twenty years ago)

these arms are like snakes

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 7 October 2005 15:49 (twenty years ago)

Color Me Badd (Really badd music too)
Crystal Pistol
Eyehategod (SO bad)
Paul Wall (Other members of his crew - Ned Ceiling, Karl Floor)
Red Umbrella
Rascal Flatts
Yaz
OK GO
The Stretch Marks (Okay, that one's made up)
Bad Religion (Reminds me of a Caveman talking)
The Goo Goo Dolls
Slim Thug
Everytime I Die
The Von Bondies
Boys II Men
All 4 One

― Erock LAzron, Friday, 7 October 2005 19:55 (twenty years ago)

OK Go is a good one. I'm wondering as I scroll through this if there even any bands listed here that I like at all? Not finding any at first glance.

For some reason I always hated the name "Electric Flag" out of all proportion. I'm not even sure I've ever listened to the band, I just hate the name.

I had a hard time buying The New Pornographers when they came out because I thought it was a really dumb name.

― Billy Pilgrim (Billy Pilgrim), Friday, 7 October 2005 20:15 (twenty years ago)

Paul Wall (Other members of his crew - Ned Ceiling, Karl Floor)

Did you come up with that one all by yourself?
Also Slim Thug is a badass name. Yaz is a cool name too.

And "Evanescence" is an indisputably great name for an awful band.

― deej.., Friday, 7 October 2005 20:23 (twenty years ago)

Queens of the Stone Age is a great name

i think it's just These Arms are Snakes not "Like Snakes"

I like Silver Jews as a band name.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 7 October 2005 20:23 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, Ned Ceiling and Karl Floor were all me. I was pretty pleased with that one, actually.

― Erock Lazron, Saturday, 8 October 2005 05:03 (twenty years ago)

The Velvet Underground. Wait wait wait nvm oh shi... *MUSIC TASTE PARADOX*

― Cunga (Cunga), Saturday, 8 October 2005 05:08 (twenty years ago)

For years, I avoided The Flamin' Groovies, based on their name alone. Then I heard "Shake Some Action" and found they weren't half as bad as their name would have led me to believe.

― Bimble The Nimble, Jumped Over A Thimble! (Bimble...), Saturday, 8 October 2005 05:59 (twenty years ago)

The Arcade Fire. It sounds like they came up with that name using that emo band name generator web page that was all the rage around 1997. Before I heard them, I knew that they could only be so good -- if there were any truly original or creative people in the band, they would've vetoed such a lame ass name.

Any band that has the word "die" in it -- Every Time I Die, As I Lay Dying, Death In Vegas, etc. Exception given for if anybody ever names their band "Die Bart Die".

― casey (t. fiend), Saturday, 8 October 2005 19:14 (twenty years ago)

Muddle of Pud

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Saturday, 8 October 2005 22:08 (twenty years ago)

OK, I just made that up, thought it was knda funny.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Saturday, 8 October 2005 22:09 (twenty years ago)

Songs: Ohia

I win.

― gk, Saturday, 8 October 2005 23:03 (twenty years ago)

Atreyu. Sure, I like The Neverending Story, but I'm going to steer well clear of bands who name themselves after its characters.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 9 October 2005 02:29 (twenty years ago)

Digable Planets
The String Cheese Incident

― R. Greene, Sunday, 9 October 2005 08:38 (twenty years ago)

Flaming Sideburns
New Pornographers (seconded)
Hoobastank (seconded)
As The Poets Affirm (jesus god!)
Supreme Beings of Leisure
The National

― sean gramophone (Sean M), Sunday, 9 October 2005 10:15 (twenty years ago)

Absolute worst I've seen mentioned so far:

Jackie-O Motherfucker (still have never heard them only because of the name)
The Von Bondies (pisses me off on a gut level, can't say why exactly)
and everything of the Puddle of Korn ilk.

Yet to be mentioned (I think):

The Music

― Matt McEver (mattmc387), Monday, 10 October 2005 00:15 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

The Von Bondies (pisses me off on a gut level, can't say why exactly)

"The Von Bondies" pleases me on a gut level, can't say why exactly.

No one's mentioned Puddle of Mudd?
WHY TWO D's?? WTF

-- Gear!

"Pudle Of Mud?"

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Saturday, 7 January 2006 09:59 (twenty years ago)

Toad The Wet Sprocket

― xero (xero), Saturday, 7 January 2006 10:11 (twenty years ago)

TTWS was actually borrowed from a Monty Python sketch called "Rock Notes", so the stupidity was kinda the point.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Saturday, 7 January 2006 11:44 (twenty years ago)

Wacky.

― xero (xero), Saturday, 7 January 2006 11:59 (twenty years ago)

jezus christ - NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL to thread !

― Paul (scifisoul), Saturday, 7 January 2006 12:15 (twenty years ago)

So many terrible band names to choose from ...

Shirk Circus.
Weeping Tile.
Deep Blue Something.
Third Eye Blind.
Boom Crash Opera.
Mary's Danish.
Blow Monkeys.
Low Pop Suicide.
Big Bam Boo.

― Myke Weiskopf (Myke Weiskopf), Saturday, 7 January 2006 15:39 (twenty years ago)

I think Death Cab for Cutie passes, not because it's clever, but it at least has the good taste to be inscrutable.

It had the good taste to be inscrutable when the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band performed a song by the name of "Death Cab For Cutie" in the Beatles' film Magical Mystery Tour in 1967. Credit where it's due, dammit.

The band DCFC is only inscrutable in that one wonders why a band would willingly write and perform music that sounds like background music for prescription drug commercials. Go on, try it: the next time you hear a DCFC song, say out loud, "Are you suffering from seasonal allergies?"

― Lawrence the Looter (Lawrence the Looter), Saturday, 7 January 2006 17:22 (twenty years ago)

With maybe an exception or two, ALL full-sentence names are awful.

(BTW, sorry if I sounded smug, xero, wasn't my intention at all. Python fans can be a tiresome lot, can't they?)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Saturday, 7 January 2006 17:45 (twenty years ago)

Blonde Redhead - sounds like Four Non Blondes.

― Wogan Lenin (dog latin), Saturday, 7 January 2006 20:22 (twenty years ago)

Blonde Redhead are good though!

I hate the name "Antony and the Johnsons."

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Saturday, 7 January 2006 20:25 (twenty years ago)

Alanis Morrisette
Fiona Apple
Jack Johnson

― ryan (ryan), Saturday, 7 January 2006 21:28 (twenty years ago)

xxxpost: Please -- that didn't even register on the ILM Smug-o-meter™. I just hate that name, and it being cribbed from Monty Python only makes it worse.

Soul Coughing
Walt Mink (who were not altogether bad)
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes

― xero (xero), Saturday, 7 January 2006 21:50 (twenty years ago)

deja voodoo

― bendy (bendy), Saturday, 7 January 2006 23:40 (twenty years ago)

ILM & The Threads

― nancyboy (nancyboy), Sunday, 8 January 2006 00:46 (twenty years ago)

babyshambles

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Sunday, 8 January 2006 03:33 (twenty years ago)

WTF is so bad about the name sloan? it's not that crazy.

― corey c (shock of daylight), Sunday, 8 January 2006 05:25 (twenty years ago)

crotchduster

― blownspeakers (lucy), Sunday, 8 January 2006 06:06 (twenty years ago)

"With maybe an exception or two, ALL full-sentence names are awful."

The exception being "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah". I've never heard their music and I'm not sure I even want to cause it might spoil my appreciation of their awesome name.

........

Jim Crow
Anyone with "Lil" in their name.

― R. J. Greene, Sunday, 8 January 2006 06:34 (twenty years ago)

Tits on The Dashboard

― poodle puddle, Sunday, 8 January 2006 06:36 (twenty years ago)

Suburban Kids with Biblical Names and any band with typographical a typographical or orthographic conceit in their name: Meanwhile Back in Communist Russia..., (Smog) (although they've dropped the parentheses, so now they're OK), k.d. lang, et cetera (not, to my knowledge, a band name).

― caek (caek), Sunday, 8 January 2006 07:09 (twenty years ago)

the vulnerable cardigans

― don't start a RYE-OTT! (plsmith), Sunday, 8 January 2006 07:14 (twenty years ago)

"With maybe an exception or two, ALL full-sentence names are awful."
The exception being "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah". I've never heard their music and I'm not sure I even want to cause it might spoil my appreciation of their awesome name.

-- R. J. Greene

Actually, my personal specific exception was the awesome Nomeansno - a name that, in print, doesn't even LOOK like a full sentence.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Sunday, 8 January 2006 10:45 (twenty years ago)

My Cat is an Alien
Green Milk from the Planet Orange

― Rombald, Sunday, 8 January 2006 15:59 (twenty years ago)

Anthrax
Megadeth
W.A.S.P
Venom

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 8 January 2006 20:40 (twenty years ago)

Please Inform the Captain This is a Hijack

― clotpoll, Sunday, 8 January 2006 20:48 (twenty years ago)

three months pass...

so many HORRIBLE band names, lol
pussy galore is a horrible name, but theyre not that bad
one of my fave band names is misled youth, my friend is in it, but theyre good
I LOVE THE BUZZCOCKS! but the name is a little weird

― Sheryl, Tuesday, 11 April 2006 19:43 (nineteen years ago)

audioslave
velvet revolver
test icicles

― katie, a princess (katie, a princess), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 19:50 (nineteen years ago)

I don't think Death Cab For Cutie can be mentioned enough here.

― Dan (Gah) Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 19:54 (nineteen years ago)

I was listening to an online radio station, and they played a band (that sounded a lot like Spoon) called "The Dammitheads"

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 20:24 (nineteen years ago)

'tis a good thing I heard My Bloody Valentine's music before I knew their name...gotta admit people, it's a crummy name, was a lame-o movie, and I hate hearing myself vocalize it whenever asked to rattle off some of my all-time favorite albums...

― hank (hank s), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 20:29 (nineteen years ago)

fourteen years pass...

Cunninlynguists

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Friday, 24 April 2020 18:52 (five years ago)

one year passes...

Scary Kids Scaring Kids

Fuck them.

― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Thursday, 6 January 2022 23:29 (four years ago)

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