Where does the band names come from?

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Hi!

Trying to collect funny stories on where bands take their names.
* Steely Dan = lethal dildo in William Burrough's "Naked Lunch".
* 10cc = average amount of sperm in a male ejaculation.

etc. etc.

Does anyone have more good examples? Thanks!

― Andy Gray, Monday, 25 October 2004 09:16 (twenty-one years ago)

10cc was apparently from a Johnathan King dream where he dreamed the biggest band in the world was called 10cc. (The avg male sperm ejc is not even close to 10cc...)

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 25 October 2004 09:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Steely Dan was not a lethal dildo. It did however, squirt milk. I can repost the excerpt if you like.

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Monday, 25 October 2004 09:20 (twenty-one years ago)

(admittedly, maybe J.King dreamed the biggest ejc in the world....)

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 25 October 2004 09:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Mary is strapping on a rubber penis: "Steely Dan III from Yokohama," she says, caressing the shaft. Milk spurts across the room.

"Be sure that milk is pasteurized. Don't go giving me some kinda awful cow disease like anthrax or glanders or aftosa..."

"When I was a transvestite Liz in Chi used to work as an exterminator. Make advances to pretty boys for the thrill of being beaten as a man. Later I catch this one kid, overpower him with supersonic judo I learned from an old Lesbian Zen monk. I tie him up, strip off his clothes with a razor and fuck him with Steely Dan I. He is so relieved I don't castrate him literal he come all over my bedbug spray."

"What happened to Steely Dan I?"

"He was torn in two by a bull dyke. Most terrific vaginal grip I ever experienced. She could cave in a lead pipe. It was one of her parlor tricks."

"And Steely Dan II?"

"Chewed to bits by a famished candiru in the Upper Baboonsasshole. And don't say 'Wheeeeeeee!' this time."

"Why not? It's real boyish."

"Barefoot boy, check thy bullheads with the madame."

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Monday, 25 October 2004 09:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Thanks,

The 10cc example was stolen from Q magazine - probably not the most reliable source one can find.

But I still need more cool stories behind band names...

― Andy Gray, Monday, 25 October 2004 09:31 (twenty-one years ago)

The Soft Boys got their name by combining the titles of two Burroughs books, The Soft Machine and The Wild Boys. There was already a band called the Soft Machine, of course.

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Monday, 25 October 2004 09:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Similarly, Syd Barrett came up with the name Pink Floyd by combining the names of two obscure bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Monday, 25 October 2004 09:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Most of the Beach Boys, strangely, never surfed!

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 25 October 2004 10:07 (twenty-one years ago)

The Lovin' Spoonful was supposedly a reference to the sperm content of a male ejaculation (fits in a tablespoon). I believe the reference comes from a blues song.

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Monday, 25 October 2004 18:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Big Star named themselves after a local food store chain.

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Monday, 25 October 2004 18:32 (twenty-one years ago)

The pointless Geggy Tah took their name from some younger sibling’s cutesy-poo pronunciation of their first names Greg and Tom. Puke.

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Monday, 25 October 2004 18:36 (twenty-one years ago)

robert pollard says he chose guided by voices 'cause he wanted his records to be filed near genesis and gentle giant in stores. why he didn't chose a name that began with "ge" was never explained, though.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 25 October 2004 18:40 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.heathenworld.com/bandname/

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 25 October 2004 18:40 (twenty-one years ago)

pearl jam sounds like a euphemism for male ejaculation also, but think i remember hearing it really came from someone named peal's jam?

― JaXoN (JasonD), Monday, 25 October 2004 18:41 (twenty-one years ago)

thats what eddie vedder said to congress(?) when he testified regarding the ticketmaster monopoly stuff. i think the question mightve been asked offhandedly, and vedder responded with tongue in cheek...

― peter smith (plsmith), Monday, 25 October 2004 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

because it CLEARLY means a big load from when some dude blew his load!

― peter smith (plsmith), Monday, 25 October 2004 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

A Certain Ratio took their name from a line in the Brian Eno song the True Wheel, "looking for a certain ratio, uh oh someone must've hid it underneath the carpet" which was some reference to Nazi's measurement of aryan features or something.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 25 October 2004 18:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Why does the good thread title never want to rock?

― briania (briania), Monday, 25 October 2004 18:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Heaven 17 took their name from the band that Malcolm McDowell was asking for inthe music shop in "A Clockwork Orange," and I've heard that Duran Duran took their name form Milo O'Shea's character, Durand Durand, in Barbarella

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Monday, 25 October 2004 18:47 (twenty-one years ago)

matmos took his/their name from barbarella, also.

― peter smith (plsmith), Monday, 25 October 2004 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Heathen World's reference for Captain Beefheart: "Inspired by a strange Uncle of Don Van Vliet's who would expose himself, squeeze his dick until the head turned purple, then comment about it looking 'like a big ole' beef heart' "

― Je4nne ƒury (Jeanne Fury), Monday, 25 October 2004 18:50 (twenty-one years ago)

There's actually a clip of him talking about that on the reissue of Zappa's Mystery Disc thing a few long years ago.

― Huk-L, Monday, 25 October 2004 18:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow, that's some uncle!

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Monday, 25 October 2004 18:57 (twenty-one years ago)

MIAMI'S HAIRY PUSSY - Inspired by John Lennon's pet name for Yoko Ono (!)

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Monday, 25 October 2004 19:06 (twenty-one years ago)

PUSSY GALORE - A name with great shock value taken from the sexy character in the James Bond movie "Goldfinger"

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Monday, 25 October 2004 19:18 (twenty-one years ago)

SIMON & GARFUNKLE - PAUL SIMON AND ART GARFUNKLE. They recorded as TOM AND JERRY in the 50's. Their only hit from that period was "Hey School Girl" in 1957.

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Monday, 25 October 2004 19:26 (twenty-one years ago)

We've done this before, no?

The one that's always stumped me is the Buzzcocks. As legend has it -- it's not a synonym for a vibrating dildo, but rather it was the trucated latter half of a TV show catchphrase, the full quote being "What's the Buzz, Cocks?"

Cannot verify that, though.

Supposedly the Cocteau Twins were plucked from a Simple Minds (!!!!!) lyric.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 25 October 2004 19:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, Alex, there was an early Simple Minds song that appeared on their first BBC session called "Cocteau Twins" about gay lovers heavily into Jean Cocteau. The music ended up appearing on the song "No Cure" on their debut album _Life in a Day_. Alex, this might be shocking to you, but Simple Minds were excellent up until New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84), which some consider as a pop masterpiece but I personally loathe it. Empires and Dance was their best album...very mature effort, excellent production by John Leckie and Hugh Jones...the songs sound like a blend of everything from dub to disco to Kraftwerk to Roxy Music to Joy Division but are very much their own, and the lyrics cover worldly affairs and their travels in Europe and how jaded they were afterward.

― Ian Moraine (Eastern Mantra), Monday, 25 October 2004 20:16 (twenty-one years ago)

*still wants to name a band Twist/Run/Repulsion after a song on Empires and Dance inspired by Gogol's short story Nevsky Prospect that sounds like something that appeared twenty years too late to be attached to the soundtrack for A Bout de Souffle*

― Ian Moraine (Eastern Mantra), Monday, 25 October 2004 20:18 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.naughtysecretaryclub.com/namegame1.htm

― beaty (beaty), Monday, 25 October 2004 21:36 (twenty-one years ago)

... And Simple Minds came from Jean Genie.

― Keith Watson (kmw), Monday, 25 October 2004 21:37 (twenty-one years ago)

pearl jam sounds like a euphemism for male ejaculation also, but think i remember hearing it really came from someone named peal's jam?
-- JaXoN (jaso...), October 25th, 2004.

actually i heard it was a name for this homemade jelly with hallucinogenic properties that one of the member's grandmother used to make (or something like that).

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 25 October 2004 21:41 (twenty-one years ago)

From the first two examples, AndyGray may prefer stories behind penile band names.

Revolting Cocks got their name from eating bad KFC.

― Thea (Thea), Monday, 25 October 2004 21:45 (twenty-one years ago)

What happens to your cock when you eat KFC?

― Keith Watson (kmw), Monday, 25 October 2004 21:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I think that PJ admitted at some point that the homemade jelly story was total bullshit they made up to fuck with journalists and that the name is exactly what it sounds like i.e. come.

― From a Land of Grass Without Mirrors (AaronHz), Monday, 25 October 2004 21:59 (twenty-one years ago)

might've been a stretch, but "cock" is also a word for boy chicken.

― Thea (Thea), Monday, 25 October 2004 22:18 (twenty-one years ago)

"robert pollard says he chose guided by voices 'cause he wanted his records to be filed near genesis and gentle giant in stores. why he didn't chose a name that began with "ge" was never explained, though."

Near, but not too near.

Wasn't the Buzzcocks thing from a Time Out listing?

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 00:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I think that PJ admitted at some point that the homemade jelly story was total bullshit they made up to fuck with journalists and that the name is exactly what it sounds like i.e. come.
-- From a Land of Grass Without Mirrors (aaronh...), October 25th, 2004.

ah well, figures.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 01:34 (twenty-one years ago)

i still couldn't give a fuck about them either way.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 01:35 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah me neither

― From a Land of Grass Without Mirrors (AaronHz), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 02:16 (twenty-one years ago)

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