Artists You've Written Off/Pointedly Ignored because of their name

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A friend was recently waxing rhapsodic about the band Pissed Jeans, but I simply can't get beyond that stupid name. Perhaps I'm missing some great music as a result. I've loved a lot of embarassingly-named bands in my day too, but I just can't support a band called Pissed Jeans.

Et vous?

Alex in NYC, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:05 (seventeen years ago)

This is terrible, but I've never given John Vanderslice's music a chance because of his last name. I don't know why.

tylerw, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:06 (seventeen years ago)

Killing Joke

Mr. Que, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:06 (seventeen years ago)

2 pac

cool app (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:06 (seventeen years ago)

harry pussy

mark cl, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:10 (seventeen years ago)

I was a fan, but I very quickly stopped telling those "not in the know" that I admired the band Garbage because of the response the name alone generated.

The Wild Shirtless Lyrics of Mark Farner (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:13 (seventeen years ago)

I quite liked Nashville Pussy when they first made the rounds (when Corey Parks was still the bass player). I've since lost interest/sobered up. I even have a Nashville Pussy t-shirt (complete with since legally-contested bobcat design), but never feel like wearing it, as it'll mean explaining to offended parties that (a) it's a band and (b) they took their name from a ludicrous Ted Nugent quote on Double Live Gonzo and (c) who really gives a damn anyway?

Alex in NYC, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:14 (seventeen years ago)

hey guys if it's OK with you I'm going to totally hate this band sight unseen for their name having the phrase "pure AT heart" in it instead of "pure OF heart." even if they did it on purpose to be 'funny' or something.

― some dude, Tuesday, February 10, 2009 12:45 PM (2 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

brewer and what (some dude), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:15 (seventeen years ago)

lots of people i respect seem to think my morning jacket is alright but there is no way i can get past that name

fucken cumlord (omar little), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:16 (seventeen years ago)

Agreed on My Morning Jacket. CANNOT get beyond it.

Alex in NYC, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:17 (seventeen years ago)

Used to really be bothered by At the Drive-In too. Even if it's a stab at Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me" (is it?), it's just lame.

Alex in NYC, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:17 (seventeen years ago)

Gentle Giant
Scout Niblett
Blind Melon
Pearl Jam
Black Moth Super Rainbow
Wolfmother
Animal Collective

photoshop your disgusting ass partner into passive-aggressive notes (sarahel), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:19 (seventeen years ago)

Toad the Wet Sprocket
New Found Glory
Boards of Canada

james k polk, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:20 (seventeen years ago)

the whitest boy alive

lex pretend, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:21 (seventeen years ago)

I refused to listen to Death Cab For Cutie for years because of their name. Even after I inadvertently heard and liked them, I've refused to ever own any of their music, just because I hate their name.

I can sit in my car all day, and that doesn't make me a car. (HI DERE), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:21 (seventeen years ago)

Basically 95% of indie/emo bands

hope this helps (Granny Dainger), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:21 (seventeen years ago)

Took me a while to shell out for anything by The Butthole Surfers.

Soukesian, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:22 (seventeen years ago)

c-murder

rip dom passantino 3/5/09 never forget (max), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:23 (seventeen years ago)

clap your hands say yeah

Gentle Giant
I don't really like prog but I always liked the name

iatee, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:23 (seventeen years ago)

It took me a long time to listen to Of Montreal because I thought the name was so pretentious. My Mom despised the band Hole because of their name but I caught her singing along to Violet once!

she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:24 (seventeen years ago)

xp iatee: I think I have an aversion to anything that has a name that smacks of "elves and fairies in the forest" or new age/hippie stuff - Animal Collective made me think of hippie jam bands where the musicians have power animals.

photoshop your disgusting ass partner into passive-aggressive notes (sarahel), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:27 (seventeen years ago)

yeah agree on animal collective at least

iatee, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:29 (seventeen years ago)

my two were mentioned:

My Morning Jacket - got over it and think they're pretty ace
Deathcab for Cutie - i think i heard them once and found them unremarkable enough to go on ignoring

now is the time to winterize your manscape (will), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:32 (seventeen years ago)

I know it's shallow of me but no matter how many times they sweep the Voice poll I still can't bring myself to listen to The Guys Who're Gonna Beat J0hn D's Ass

Just one thing I was thinking about as I was getting on the copter (J0hn D.), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:36 (seventeen years ago)

Big Dick McGee

brocktune (jeff), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:44 (seventeen years ago)

I like the name but I couldn't forgive him for killing his wife marion

鬼の手 (Edward III), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:45 (seventeen years ago)

Black Moth Super Rainbow OTM.

ilxor, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:46 (seventeen years ago)

clap your hands say yeah
the yeah yeah yeahs

basically

yes threads (country matters), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:49 (seventeen years ago)

Fucked Up, for awhile, now i like them a lot

wassup rockers? (M@tt He1ges0n), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:51 (seventeen years ago)

minus the bear

yes threads (country matters), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:51 (seventeen years ago)

Dr. Dog, I guess. I've still never knowingly heard them.

now is the time to winterize your manscape (will), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:52 (seventeen years ago)

It took me a while to get around to checking out Eyehategod because of the name. I'm glad I got past that.

Pissed Jeans, oddly enough, doesn't bother me as a name. It suits their sound. They're good! One of the better pigfuck revival acts out there.

buttslam is a pretty good move (circa1916), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:55 (seventeen years ago)

yeah yeah yeahs is a great band name, except for when you have to say it aloud

congratulations (n/a), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:59 (seventeen years ago)

funny, i do remember, way back when I was a teen, hearing about this band Pavement and thinking, come on, come up with a real band name, dudes. Just sounded boring, along the lines of grunge bands naming songs "Porch."

tylerw, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:00 (seventeen years ago)

You couldn't pay me a million dollars to listen to one second of the work of a band with a name like "Death Cab for Cutie". No fucking way.

Bill Magill, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:01 (seventeen years ago)

Final Fantasy
Dr. Dog

Whiney G. Weingarten, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:03 (seventeen years ago)

ryan adams

i figured anybody w/name that close to bryan adams who didn't change it couldn't possibly be any good.

m coleman, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:07 (seventeen years ago)

maybe i'm in the minority here, but Death Cab For Cutie's name is my fave thing about them, becuz it makes me think of that funny Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band song.

tylerw, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:07 (seventeen years ago)

!!! is another one, actually

I can sit in my car all day, and that doesn't make me a car. (HI DERE), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:08 (seventeen years ago)

In case y'all didn't know:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Cab_for_Cutie_(song)

Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:08 (seventeen years ago)

(oh xpost!)

Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:08 (seventeen years ago)

and yet, they are totally humorless and sound nothing like the Bonzos AND are just terrible in general

Pre-Beatles Yoko Ono (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:11 (seventeen years ago)

agreed

tylerw, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:12 (seventeen years ago)

Dogs Die in Hot Cars

Genghis Khan and his brother Don (G00blar), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:21 (seventeen years ago)

They've been too ubiquitous here for me to write them off solely because of their name, but I think I might have given Arctic Monkeys more of a chance if they were called just about anything else instead.

Genghis Khan and his brother Don (G00blar), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:24 (seventeen years ago)

I gave Dananananaykroyd a listen on emusic out of morbid curiosity (expected some horrible joke band) and was pleasantly surprised with my favorite album of the year to date...

dlp9001, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:30 (seventeen years ago)

^^^^I have been struggling with friends' recommendations owing to their name

yes threads (country matters), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:38 (seventeen years ago)

Used to really be bothered by At the Drive-In too. Even if it's a stab at Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me" (is it?), it's just lame.

Haha, I never made that leap from At-the Drive In to Poison, but I love it!

display names have been changed to protect the innocent (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:41 (seventeen years ago)

i had a friend who was really into the pAper chAse & kept insisting i check them out but i refused because i thought their name looked dumb. now, "When & If The Big One Hits" is one of my favorite songs but i still don't like looking at their name.

more recently, i had a similar experience with tUnE-YaRdS.

myndbloom, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:43 (seventeen years ago)

Gastunk has a name that just doesn't entice.

Neotropical pygmy squirrel, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 21:03 (seventeen years ago)

I can't make up my mind whether I love or hate the name Man/Woman/Chainsaw

feed me with your chips (zchyrs), Saturday, 6 December 2025 21:27 (five months ago)

Toulouse Low Trax

*groan*

brimstead, Saturday, 6 December 2025 22:54 (five months ago)

Jerskin Fendrix

Really?

sawdust lagoon, Saturday, 6 December 2025 23:52 (five months ago)

for years:

Viagra Boys

well trolled guys :D

anatol_merklich, Thursday, 11 December 2025 00:10 (five months ago)

two weeks pass...

so funny, saw their name in the EOY noms list and came here to post their name

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Sunday, 28 December 2025 02:40 (four months ago)

"Portugal. The Man" usually come to mind when I see this bumped. Ctrl+F didn't disappoint.

you can see me from westbury white horse, Sunday, 28 December 2025 17:27 (four months ago)

"Ross from Friends" too (these names need quotation marks. So-called Ross from Friends)

you can see me from westbury white horse, Sunday, 28 December 2025 17:28 (four months ago)

Cumgirl8. Mainly because I couldn’t cope with the embarrassment if someone asked what I was listening to.

Dan Worsley, Sunday, 28 December 2025 19:24 (four months ago)

Radiohead

trm (tombotomod), Sunday, 28 December 2025 19:56 (four months ago)

The Bird and The Bee. They're a duo consisting of a man called Greg who was once trapped inside a flower and a lady called Inara who can stand on electric power lines without dying and frequently does so.

The name has big upper-middle-class Cambridge Footlights energy. I hate it.

Ashley Pomeroy, Sunday, 28 December 2025 22:32 (four months ago)

I had imagined that Bitchin Bajas were a crew of gnarly gnoodly deadheads, but was pleasantly surprised to find that they were not.

Maggy Scraggle, Sunday, 28 December 2025 23:41 (four months ago)

There’s some cover band in Phnom Penh called the Penh Pals

Heez, Monday, 29 December 2025 00:16 (four months ago)

"Ross from Friends" too (these names need quotation marks. So-called Ross from Friends)

Ross from Friends caused some highly entertaining confusion in my house recently when my wife asked our nephew who he'd seen performing at the festival he'd attended at the weekend.

fetter, Monday, 29 December 2025 09:31 (four months ago)

There’s some cover band in Phnom Penh called the Penh Pals

that’s the only reason you don’t go to see them?

fall of the house of urrsher (sic), Monday, 29 December 2025 10:44 (four months ago)

I kind of love that name tbh

beard papa, Monday, 29 December 2025 21:41 (four months ago)

Maybe there's a Cambodian doom covers band called Penhtagram

a stadium filled with people in cheesecloth shirts (Matt #2), Monday, 29 December 2025 21:47 (four months ago)

I’m sorry, you like penh pals?!?!

I’m actually trying to name my music project right now. It’s the worst part of being a musician.

Heez, Monday, 29 December 2025 22:11 (four months ago)

Have you considered "Heez Nutz"?

assert (matttkkkk), Monday, 29 December 2025 22:28 (four months ago)

Yes. I have considered that

Heez, Monday, 29 December 2025 23:52 (four months ago)

Tony Shhnow

some dude, Tuesday, 30 December 2025 01:07 (four months ago)

I’m sorry, you like penh pals?!?!

I’m actually trying to name my music project right now. It’s the worst part of being a musician.

yeah, it's a fun and memorable name for a cover band

beard papa, Tuesday, 30 December 2025 01:55 (four months ago)

yeah agreed

fall of the house of urrsher (sic), Tuesday, 30 December 2025 02:46 (four months ago)

Fine I’ll go to a show but damn well better be fun and memorable

Heez, Tuesday, 30 December 2025 03:01 (four months ago)

Ross from Friends makes me think of Scott & Charlene's Wedding, who actually had a couple of good-if-scrappy tunes.

Stoop Crone (Trayce), Tuesday, 30 December 2025 03:51 (four months ago)

(I do confess I did listen to a RFF EP about 7 years ago on a friend's rec and it was probably good too but all I remember was hating the name as I still do.)

Weed420
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizzard
The War on Drugs

you can see me from westbury white horse, Tuesday, 30 December 2025 11:35 (four months ago)

Wizard* rather - hey it's still Christmas

you can see me from westbury white horse, Tuesday, 30 December 2025 11:35 (four months ago)

two months pass...

https://nocturnalemissions.bandcamp.com/album/transearth

nocturnal emissions

koogs, Wednesday, 25 March 2026 16:40 (one month ago)

sounds like a Coil album title

. (jamiesummerz), Wednesday, 25 March 2026 16:56 (one month ago)

They were actually contemporaries! The name never put me off but it has led to some raised eyebrows from family members when it's been loaded on my multimedia system (that is, running foobar on a 48" screen).

sawdust lagoon, Wednesday, 25 March 2026 17:10 (one month ago)

someone does warehouse dj nights in NY under the same name now

bulb after bulb, Wednesday, 25 March 2026 17:15 (one month ago)

better not tell Nigel

sawdust lagoon, Wednesday, 25 March 2026 17:21 (one month ago)

i was looking for butoh related music but it all tends to be 30+ minute long tracks and this was one of the few things that had short pieces.

koogs, Wednesday, 25 March 2026 18:52 (one month ago)

Nocturnal Emissions is a great name!

beard papa, Wednesday, 25 March 2026 20:41 (one month ago)

yeah, i agree, don't see what's wrong with it.

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Thursday, 26 March 2026 17:05 (one month ago)

I heard they were offered a daytime festival gig and they had to turn it down. "Sorry, we can only emit our music at night, hence the name."

calmer chameleon (Ye Mad Puffin), Thursday, 26 March 2026 18:53 (one month ago)

Nothing wrong with daily emissions

Cow_Art, Thursday, 26 March 2026 19:04 (one month ago)

Avalon Emerson because it sounds like an aspirational name for a “cheating” website, like Ashley Madison.

Sample Clearance Revival (punning display), Friday, 27 March 2026 17:22 (one month ago)

three weeks pass...

Fred again..

MarkoP, Friday, 17 April 2026 06:28 (one month ago)

otm -- whenever i see that name i think it's this guy: http://www.youtube.com/fred

and then i get very confused when the likes of brian eno and anderson .paak are collabing with him...

Lavator Shemmelpennick, Thursday, 23 April 2026 14:21 (three weeks ago)

I saw that name yesterday and am realizing now that I'd confused him with Right Said Fred (who should collab with Eno also).

jmm, Thursday, 23 April 2026 14:27 (three weeks ago)

i think Right Said Fred turned out to be some Right Wing Nutters so that's never going to happen

I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Thursday, 23 April 2026 16:10 (three weeks ago)

It was hiding in plain sight all along

. (jamiesummerz), Thursday, 23 April 2026 17:12 (three weeks ago)

Sister Ray Davies
Deathray Davies
Lana Del Ray Davies

Colonel Poo, Wednesday, 29 April 2026 22:33 (two weeks ago)

Geese. Sorry.. just can't do it.

beard papa, Wednesday, 29 April 2026 22:54 (two weeks ago)

But that's... one of their USPs

rameau in the main room (dog latin), Wednesday, 29 April 2026 23:08 (two weeks ago)

Diarrhea Planet and Viagra Boys being good bands was pretty annoying


also having to say pretty much my favorite currently active band is Tropical Fuck Storm is not great

Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 29 April 2026 23:12 (two weeks ago)

Thighpaulsandra

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Tuesday, May 19, 2009 12:54 AM (sixteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

Still terrible

brian of britain (Matt #2), Thursday, 30 April 2026 06:38 (two weeks ago)

Is there a joke or pun there that I'm not getting?

Cow_Art, Thursday, 30 April 2026 10:40 (two weeks ago)

best Fred is Fred P

https://ra.co/dj/fredp/biography

Tracer Hand, Thursday, 30 April 2026 11:29 (two weeks ago)

submit Fred V & Grafix for your consideration

Throw It Down Binman (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Thursday, 30 April 2026 12:32 (two weeks ago)


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