There are some pretty ridiculous band
names out there. Some of my favorites include Throw Me the Statue,
Fall on Your Sword, and The Phenomenal Handclap Band. And there are
plenty more out there, these are just ones I can think of off the top
of my head. So why all the weird names?
The delightful ABBA.
I think that there are two factors at
play here. One is originality and the other is...originality. Let me
explain. There are an awful lot of bands out there, which means that
an awful lot of band names are already taken. If you're a band on the
rise I guess you could use your own names, but even those can repeat.
I heard somewhere that David Bowie is not actually David Bowie, but
had to change his name because some other famous singer had his real
name (Davie Jones or some such; I'm not particularly familiar). And
if everyone just used their given names for a band title, not only
would that result in a super long string of names (for everyone in
the band, naturally), but it would also get super boring.
I think they are called Mushroom Head, but I'm not sure.
Which brings me to my second point
about originality. So not only do band names get weirder and weirder
because all of the names keep getting taken, but also because in a
world where there is an increasing number of bands out there, one has
to stand out from the crowd. You've got to be memorable if you want
your band to get anywhere. But when all of the band names are weird,
you've got to go EVEN WEIRDER. The weirder, the better is the logic
here.
And is that such a bad thing?
Who could forget these guys?
I don't think so. It certainly makes
for excellent entertainment, especially, for example, if you are
overhearing some people talking about some band that you've never
heard of. “Did you hear that Wimple Shins is playing at the Such
and Such Center next month?” “No way, really?! I'm already going
to the Sardonic Yaks concert next month, I hope I'll be able to go to
both!!!” (To my knowledge, neither the Wimple Shins nor the
Sardonic Yaks are real bands, though who knows?).
Let's pretend that this yak is sardonic, mmmk?
Just for kicks and giggles here is
bandnamemaker.com, a source of hours of cheap amusement.
Here are some of my favorites:
Plasma Of The Deceiving Landscape
Flamboyant Degree
Yummy Hardcore
Scar Of Candied
Certain Puddle And The Kidney
Invited Lounge And The Probability
Shaggy Fellow And The Starch
Loony Code And The Reverent Sorority
and of course.... Lifeless
Programmer (which is something I hope I won't become after I
graduate with my degree in Computer Science, but could bring some
irony to my future as a rock star)
Images courtesy of:
http://rikravado.hubpages.com/hub/Weird-Glamour---When-Taste-Goes-out-the-Window
http://weird-funnythings.blogspot.com/2010/08/weird-make-up-and-costumes-of-rock.html
http://weird-funnythings.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html
http://www.factzoo.com/mammals/yak-handsome-himalayan-bovine.html
I love how some of the smaller bands think they are going to get all famous with some of these names. I can just see 'Shaggy Fellow and The Starch' on fan apparel, ha ha! :D
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of when my high school did those battle of the bands events and even intramural sports, and people had to choose names. Probably 90% of the names came from made up definitions in Urban Dictionary. Another 75% or so had some sort of meaning that was deemed inappropriate. Even though like a dozen teams/bands were banned, it was always hilarious when they tried to get through with the weirdest names, and even better when they attempted to defend them. I wonder how some of these bands you've mentioned got their names? Hopefully Urban Dictionary wasn't their main resource. :D
We did a school-sponsored talent show to raise money for language department and had this same issue, just in another language. People were looking up "inappropriate" words in Spanish, French, German, and Japanese. The last 2 which are not offered at my high school but rather online, so the groups thought they could get away with it. Little did they know that our principal looked up the kooky phrases to weed out the pranksters. It was still pretty amusing though, because a group called "danSEX" got it, as 2 of the kids in the group were are in charge of the programs and announcing. It was pretty great.
ReplyDeleteI just remembered the DANSEx (sorry, I forgot they did change the spelling) video is actually on YouTube. If you're so inclined to see what a weird school I went to... Haha.
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qihb9uzlSYM
I've always wondered how bands came up with their names. One band that I really like is named The Naked and Famous. Another band is Tokyo Police Club. They sound SO strange, but I still love their music. I think beyond originality, another aspect is how memorable the name will be and hopefully how that will be reflected in their music. Even though they may be an awesome and memorable band, you can't be named The Waterbottles and be taken seriously. Such an interesting post!
ReplyDelete