Bands with dumb / silly names:

[mlawson]

1) Gary Puckett and the Union Gap. Okay, that is his name, but what the hell is a "Union Gap"??? We wondered about that 35 years ago, and were on guard in case one of their insipid ballads came on the radio.

2) This is the one that caused me to post this: "Destiny's Child". What does THAT mean??????? Try to figure it out literally. :shrug:

Others?????

[CarlBallard]

1. Neon Panda

Also Nerf Herder (although I guess it's a Star Wars reference)

[SweetZombieJesus]

2. My friend's old band: Saturday Tragedy

It's too hard to say when you're drunk "Who's playing tonight? Saturdaytragegeheaaf"

I was going to start a punk band with two of my friends called The Go-Tards once, but it never came to be. We even had a logo with Speed Racer in a wheelchair.

[JanMichael]

3. Toad the Wet Sprocket.

I win, no?

[wtmusic]

16. hands down

[FlashHarry]

31. Actually, it's intentional--it's a Monty Python fake band name.

From their 'Contractual Obligation' album:

Rick Stardust lead electric triangle with Toad the Wet Sprocket has had to have an elbow removed following their recent successful worldwide tour in Finland.

[JanMichael]

38. Well that proves how silly it is!

Thanks!

[Resistance]

4. Korn

I like some of their music, but come on

[sendero]

91. I always thought....

.... they left the -e off the end of their name.

[Deja Q]

5. The B-52s

The band's name is referred to a type of wig; though most people are more likely to equate "B-52" with a weapon of mass destruction, which is the antithesis of the B-52s' songs!

[bowens43]

6. Moby Grape

[pretzel4gore]

7. red hot chile peppers...

sheese...

[mlawson]

9. No kidding! That name is a misnomer!

Red hot??? With the sappy ballads they have produced the past 2-3 years??? "Commercialized pablum", I would call them! And it's a shame, as they could do far better.

[BurtWorm]

8. Bare Naked Ladies

[ironflange]

25. I love that name

Best part was the time about ten years ago that the politicos made them withdraw from some festival or other in Toronto because their name "objectifies women."

[blm]

10. and the Adhesive Strips.

Don't ask.

[XNASA]

11. Blue Oyster Cult

I only say this, because I recently read that BOC was, in reality, a sort of Spinal Tap of BOC's own design.

The guys in the band were actually a lot more artsy than the band BOC was. They hung with Patti Smith and Warhol, the NYC art crowd, but BOC was really a kind of marketing spoof.

It was just some guys who came up with the idea of forming a big dumb band with a silly name who played ridiculous songs. And it took off. And they made millions.

I mean really, "Godzilla"? Well, you get the picture.

I'm not dissing BOC, cause I kinda like them, but it was all a put-on, more or less.

[oustemnow]

39. their alias is even better

back when they were still kind of big and an unannounced gig in a small venue would be a big deal for the public, they'd go by the name Soft White Underbelly. It was the worst-kepped secret in rock; "Soft White Underbelly (wink, wink) is playing at Rod's Suds Pit this Saturday."

I think I believe the elaborate spoof notion; I mean, Buck Dharma? Sounds like a hippie-porn name!

[Brucey]

12. The two best names:

Sex Pistols and The Dead Kennedys. Next tier: Slits, Cramps, Necroids, and Radiohead.

[short bus president]

13. Angry Johnny and the Killbillies

Archers of Loaf

Ass Ponys

For Squirrels

Tommy James and the Shondells

[mlawson]

14. Yeah, what was a "Shondell", anyway????

Archers of Loaf, that's not bad. Local band??

[short bus president]

15. Used to be

no longer in existence. But do check 'em out. They rocked Chapel Hill's world for a good stretch there.

What's a Shondell? Good question...

[mlawson]

18. That would be cool, but we haven't a decent radio station here.

No college radio here (Asheville), of ALL places!! Our PBS station used to be, but now they play slightly refined top 40, and much hillbilly!!! The other stations are clear channel types.

[short bus president]

24. you're in Ashville?

beautiful place.

Lemme know if I can ever put some Archers in yer hands. Great stuff, if you like their sound. Which I'm at a complete loss to describe, here.

[FrankBooth]

32. College Radio station

Check out KEXP online - www.kexp.org - it is really a great station where you will hear all kinds of indie stuff (like Archers of Loaf.) It is the station that basically revived my interest in listening to music on the radio after turning off the commercial stations a decade ago.

[Wickerman]

29. I promoted a show for them once

they were great guys to host. Very down to earth and just happy to be out playing. Before the soundcheck we all sat down and watched The Andy Griffith show - their knowledge of it was frightening and even awe-inspiring.

[mac56]

51. A shondell is an evasive aircraft maneuver from World War 2.

The band didn't know that when they came up with the name, though; they just thought it sounded groovy.

[CarlBallard]

17. I forgot all about For Squirrels

[rusty charly]

19. the sugar shoppe

their one hit

(appropriate for today)

"save the country"

[Spirochete]

20. Union Gap

is the name of a small town in Washington - near Yakima, where Gary Puckett and the Union Gap were reportedly from. Or so I was once told.

[mlawson]

21. Hmmmm. Thanks!

That is probably right. But I remember one of their albums (I didn't buy it!) showed the band in Civil War Union uniforms.
We thought it sorta silly, since it was in the late 60s, and psychedelic was in then. For some reason I thought they were from Ohio.

But your answer is likely correct.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

22. 3LW

It stands for Three Little Women. It's some r and b hip hop popcrap group with three girls in it.

Also
Gary Lewis and the Playboys? I hate that.
KoRn? With a backwards R. Learn how to spell please.
Finally, The Spice Girls. No Doubt. What's that all about?

[Kat45]

23. Squirrel Nut Zippers; Bad Livers

And I'm sure there are plenty more in the recesses of my mind.

[oustemnow]

40. Bad Livers is a great name!

It can be taken as a celebration of alcoholism, or in general as a group of people who live incorrectly (I guess the potential for overlap there is pretty high, making it an especially good name).

They were a terrific band; Horses in the Mines was a particularly good album.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

26. Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band...

and Root Boy Slim was a fellow Skull and Bones dude with * and I think in the same Frat.

[MiddleRiverRefugee]

86. 10 points if you know Root's real name...

Foster MacKenzie III.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

96. Please... I know his shoe size... I am a true afficinado

of all things Root...

She broke my mood ring
She broke my mood ring

...

[jayfish]

27. Reel Big Fish.

I like their music though. Especially their cover of "Take On Me" in the movie "Baseketball"

Jay

[Norbert]

28. The Bubble Puppy

Believe it or not they made somewhat of an ass kicking good song called "Hot Smoke and Sasafrass". It cracked the Billboard top 20 in early 1969.

What is an "Amboy Duke?"

Was there any such time piece called a "Strawberry Alarm Clock."

Did Popeye ever eat "Ultimate Spinach?"

Did anyone ever read about the "Peanut Butter Conspiracy?"

Whenever I saw "10,000 Maniacs" doing a concert, I oftened wondered. Where are the other 9,995?

Being a Catholic I must admit I've never saw a religous artifact called the "Jesus and Mary Chain."

"Big Brother and the Holding Company" sounds like a little venture that John Ashcroft cooked up.

"Eve's Plum", I won't get into that.

What holds a chocolate watch on your wrist? A "Chocolate Watch Band," of course.

[oustemnow]

42. "Hot Smoke and Sassafras" is a kick-ass song!

It's like anarchic prog-rock condensed into a 2:45 pop single. I need to track down a copy of that song.

As for 10,000 Maniacs, I think that was an homage to the Hershel Gordon Lewis film 2000 Maniacs, a masterwork of campy horror cinema.

[Norbert]

45. Exactly.

2000 Maniacs is the cult classic about the Souths revenge on a few carloads of Northern tourists. A very intense and bloody movie.

[Wickerman]

30. John Trubee and the Ugly Janitors of America

A Group Called Smith
Tin Huey
Camper Van Beethoven
The Hickoids


and on and on

[oustemnow]

43. The Hickoids!!!

oh, crap, now there's a memory. My housemates and I let them crash at our apt. one night after a local gig of theirs; now there was a night to remember (if only I could). Good times, good times. They were good guys, too.

The next day, all of us hungover to shit, as they were geting ready to hit the road one of them (IIRC, it was the bass player)asked us, "Where's the beer store?" LOL; not the supermarket, where all sorts of products besides beer are sold, but the beer store!

"Animal husbandry don't live in the city, no it don't!"

[Wickerman]

75. Stop it, Yer Killin' Me!

I really miss them. Saw them play a 90 min set once without ever getting all the way through a song, but Davey did manage to change his dress and chaps, fell down more than Bob Stinson.

[Wickerman]

92. I meant to add to my post

you were incredibly brave to have them share your house. The empty beer can and bottle concession in recyclables must have bought your books for the next semester!

[oustemnow]

94. Well, our place was no AA chapterhouse to begin with, to be sure

but we definitely heard from our downstairs neighbors the next day, a nice old couple.

The husband approaches us, saying, "Fellas, my wife has to work early in the morning, and at four a.m. there's someone stomping up the stairs yelling, 'Where's the effing beer!'"

Hung over and remorseful, we apologized profusely.

[corarose]

33. Oingo Boingo, The Slits, 999, Killing Joke, Teardrop Explodes, Echo &

Echo & The Bunnymen, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Cramps, Vinegar Joe, I can go on and on.

[ronzo]

34. Hey!!!

I Love Boingo... :)

[corarose]

36. So did I

They had a catchy silly name.

[ronzo]

46. The music, tho....

can't argue with that.

cheer!

[catzies]

83. Oingo Boingo's original name was much longer -- and sillier!!

They used to be "The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo."

:P

Oh, and my favorite band name (from the 80s, saw it in the club listings in the LA Weekly):

SEX AND FREE BEER

It made for a great announcement, "Tonight, at the Roxy, SEX AND FREE BEER." Love it. :thumbsup:

[tsakshaug]

104. rochester's answer

we had freebeerandchicken.
tonight at milestones freebeerandchicken.
Actually not a bad band, have some of their stuff on my computer

[ronzo]

35. I've seen a few good ones (locals)...

an all time favorite...

Big Hairy Posse

cheers!

[democracyindanger]

37. Jesus Chrysler Supercar n/t

[Dr Fate]

41. Foghat- what the fuck is a foghat?

They sound like Shithat to me...

[phishhead]

44. Nashville Pussy is bad...

Dying Fetus, too... although, Dying Fetus is appropriate for the style of music, metal.

[FlashHarry]

87. Named for a Ted Nugent comment.

"This is dedicated to all that Nashville Pussy out there!" Ugh.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

47. Another one I forgot before... Big Lump O' Cancer

[BritishHuman]

48. Neutral Milk Hotel, Little Blue Crunchy Things, Velvet Acid Christ

All found while browsing WinMX for interesting-sounding mp3s.

[SOteric]

95. You have the most unusual hobbies.

:loveya:

[EV1Ltimm]

49. tripping daizy, the nixons, cowboy mouth

dare i delve deeper into circa 1996 dallas-area rock bands?

[Liberal Veteran]

50. MC 900 Foot Jesus.

:wtf:

[Iris]

52. Hoobastank. I mean, seriously, "Whose butt stinks?"

[Guaranteed]

53. HOLE n/t

[NashVegas]

54. Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Metallica, Iron Maiden

Does it get much sillier than that?

I guess it's all in the ear of the beholder.

[Kat45]

85. Iron Maiden? A torture device is a great name for a metal band!

[NashVegas]

93. *evil laughs*

=)

[chemenger]

55. Fine Young Cannibals

... but I love it.

[bif]

56. Little Stubby and the Dissapointments

A local Detroit blues band.

[mac56]

57. The Flammable Jammies

You and Whose Army
Joey's Big Head

[bif]

58. Big Head Tod and the Monsters.

They Might be Giants. Destroy All Monsters. the Travelling Wilbburrys (who I like to call, The Travelling Dingleberries). Timbuck3.

[Drifter]

59. The Beatles

This has been bugging me for some time.

Cheers
Drifter

[XNASA]

60. Really, cause I always thought it was pretty clever.

You know, cause it's all about the "beat". Hence....."Beat-les".

[Raenelle]

67. I always thought it was dumb--shows talent is what counts

Now, the Rolling Stones--that was a good name.

[VOX]

80. Right. Also an homage to Buddy Holly & the Crickets...

Crickets = Beatles.

Well, sort of. :toast:

[central scrutinizer]

61. The The

should win the existential award, but Kajagoogoo (spelling?) has to be the stupidest

[arwalden]

64. The The and That Group That Sang "Too Shy-Shy"

[rucky]

84. Kajagoogoo!

[Kamika]

62. asmuch as i hate to admit it.. U2

Now i LOVE U2 but their band name is pretty silly and it has nothing to do with anything.

People that doesnt know better might even think its a boyband (high5) etc

[mac56]

63. You knew the U-2 is an aircraft, right?

[Kamika]

66. well yeah

But it has nothing to do with their music or anything. Bono himself said they just took the name U2 because it sounded cooler then their former name "the hype"

[bif]

65. Was, not was.

n/t

[noonwitch]

68. Insane Clown Posse

Too weird

[Buns_of_Fire]

69. The Electric Prunes

Back in the 60's you absolutely HAD to have a name in the format "The (adjective) (noun)" 'cause it was groovy.

[SPQR]

70. I've always liked

Poi Dog Pondering, the name AND the band.

[arwalden]

71. Goo Goo Dolls?

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

76. I like them a lot...

but Johnny Rzeznik always said his band the goo goo dolls was a bad idea. he said people didn't take them seriously when they were back in buffalo making punk music under the name "the goo goo dolls"! :D

[KamaAina]

72. Limp Bizkit

Dumb band. Silly name.

[CO Liberal]

73. Strawberry Alarm Clock

They had one hit - "incense and Peppermints" - back in 1968.

[mac56]

74. Two hits

They had a follow-up hit, "Tomorrow", later that year. Then they faded away.

[ButterflyBlood]

77. A lot

A Trillion Barnacle Lapse - what the hell does this mean?
These Arms Are Snakes - it's at least interesting though
This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb - also at least interesting
Usurp Synapse - another one no one knows what it means
Constatine Sankathi - I once asked on a board what this meant. The first reply: "I was in the band and even I don't know."
Jimmy Eat World - I know what this means, but it's still odd.

[VOX]

78. The Hugh Beaumont Experience, Dead Kennedys, Butthole Surfers...

Good bands, questionable names.

On edit: typos

[chadm]

79. MInus the Bear

.

[VOX]

81. Bow Wow Wow...

Terrific band, silly name.

:kick:

[PAMod]

82. The Potato Eaters

A celtic group in central PA that broke up a few years ago. They were named after a painting.

[Breezy du Nord]

88. Their mom's name is Destiny!!!

Duh! :P

[Guaranteed]

102. :) No really though I think in an interview I heard them say...

...they got it from a phrase in the Bible.

[Bushfire]

89. 2 of my current favs: Slobberbone & Drive-By Truckers

n/t

[populistmom]

90. They Might be Giants

Decent band, but I always thought their name was a little weird. Not completely out there weird, but just slightly weird.

[AlienGirl]

100. You simply do not yet understand...

The Johns are movie buffs, and their band name is taken from the title of a movie which questions the nature of reality. The movie title itself refers back to _Don Quixote_: the windmills might be windmills--or they might be giants.

Since They sing so often about the nature of reality, and include so many subtle allusions in the songs, the band name is very appropriate.

Tucker

[maveric]

97. Men Without Hats n/t

[ornotna]

98. I have no idea why I remember this one

1910 Fruitgum Co
Big hit - Simon Says

[Sick of Bullshit]

101. 1910 Fruitgum Company

Name came from a candy wrapper one of the members found in a trunk in his house

The also had a hit called 1-2-3 Red Light

"Every time I try to prove I love you
One-two-three red light, you stop me
Baby you ain't right to stop me
One-two-three red light"

Ah, the days of bubble gum

[Art_from_Ark]

99. Two of many Japanese groups-- Zard and B'z

Their names don't make any sense in Japanese, either.

Honorable mention goes to Kinki Kids, which is the Japanese version of the Backstreet Boys (I think).

[arwalden]

103. Wasn't There A "Dead Kennedys" Or Something Equally Disgusting?