Why the obssesion with band names? [Archive] - Straight Dope Message Board

brianjedi

07-20-2004, 07:26 PM

I can't understand this. Somebody will say something witty and somebody else will chime in saying "That would make a great band name". Is it an American thing? :confused:

It started in the newspaper column of American humorist Dave Barry. He first made the joke of a humorous phrase being a "band name!"

Also, this would be better suited for GQ.

Mr. Blue Sky

07-20-2004, 07:29 PM

American thing

Dare I say it?

elmwood

07-20-2004, 07:50 PM

I don't know what band names are like in your neck of the woods, Dog80. Here on this side of the pond, though, a huge percentage of indie rock bands have names that sound like nonsense phrases that could only be created with a random band name generator.

Here's a small sample of real band names from this week's Cleveland Scene, an alternative weekly newspaper.

New Invisible Joy
Waiting for Evangeline
Still Life Projector
Pigmy Love Circus
Starlite Desperation
Thievery Corporation
Furnace St. Saturday
Ahara ad Jimson Lo-Fi
Atomic Bitchwax
Black Cabbage
Dead Peasant Insurance
Charlie in the Box
Dead Guy
Eek a Mouse
July for Kings
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Fast Chester
This Moment in Black History
Forever Falls Tomorrow
Hold Steady and the New Grenada
Circles Over Side Lights
Lobster Clause
Kill Memory Crash

Post a thread with a title that ounds like a North American indie band name, and someone will inevitably chime in with "BAND NAME!"

Sublight

07-20-2004, 08:26 PM

To expand on what brianjedi said, Barry's columns would frequently contain passages like "...so Mr. Fernald was now faced with the prospect of 7 angry weasels covered in mustard screaming through his bathroom. And I'd just like to mention here that 'Screaming Mustard Weasels' would be a great name for a band."

The practice spread here, abbreviated to simply quoting the relevant passage and adding "Band name!"

Excalibre

07-21-2004, 07:14 PM

the relevant passage
And as you'll see, you can actually find great band names in virtually any text.

FinnAgain

07-22-2004, 01:13 AM

I can't understand this. Somebody will say something witty and somebody else will chime in saying "That would make a great band name". Is it an American thing? :confused:

I dunno... are garage bands a uniquely American phenomona?

I think it's more that, well, a lot of cool names are taken, and if you want a cool band name you need to stand out and have it sound funky. (and at heart, almost every American wants to be a movie star, or a rock star, or president, or filthy rich, or some such... [fight club anybody?])

On a total side note:

Bastardfish

Band name!

CaveMike

07-22-2004, 01:19 PM

Here's a small sample of real band names from this week's Cleveland Scene, an alternative weekly newspaper.

...
Lynyrd Skynyrd
...

Post a thread with a title that ounds like a North American indie band name, and someone will inevitably chime in with "BAND NAME!"You don't really expect me to believe that someone named a band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, right? I mean, July for Kings I can believe, but Lynyrd Skynyrd?

pulykamell

07-22-2004, 01:26 PM

I can't understand this. Somebody will say something witty and somebody else will chime in saying "That would make a great band name". Is it an American thing? :confused:

It's a stupid thing. It annoys the everliving shit out of me. Perhaps it was funny the first hundred times, but now I swear every third thread on the SDMB has some jackass chiming in with "BAND NAME!!!" everytime an incongruous and unusual grouping of words occurs. Dammit, it's not funny, clever, or original.

Dolores Reborn

07-22-2004, 02:36 PM

WILLASS

07-22-2004, 02:47 PM

I agree with pulykamell, I find it really annoying but then again I find most of these reoccurring 'in jokes' to be annoying, '1920's style death rays' anyone?. I am a bit of a cantankerous old bugger though.......

Trigonal Planar

07-22-2004, 03:00 PM

Ah, so it's a 1920s style cliche ray?

Shrinking Violet

07-22-2004, 03:05 PM

You don't really expect me to believe that someone named a band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, right? I mean, July for Kings I can believe, but Lynyrd Skynyrd?

You're kidding, right? Lynyrd Skynyrd have been an internationally-known band for decades. Ever heard Freebird?

WILLASS

07-22-2004, 03:17 PM

I think that was the joke Shrinking Violet, that he couldn't believe that the one really famous name wasn't fake.

Shrinking Violet

07-22-2004, 03:20 PM

I think that was the joke Shrinking Violet, that he couldn't believe that the one really famous name wasn't fake.

:smack:

One of those days ..... :rolleyes:

Crunchy Frog

07-22-2004, 03:22 PM

cantankerous old bugger
Damn, this is soooooo tempting...

WILLASS

07-22-2004, 03:28 PM

:smack:

One of those days ..... :rolleyes:

Doh! I know the feeling, here have a nice hot cup of cocoa my dear - I'll bring some biscuits up shortly. ;)

Ninja Pizza Guy

07-22-2004, 11:40 PM

And speaking of band names... I've had this stuck in my head all fucking day, so I'm going to exorcise it by sharing with all you nice people:

You give love - a band name

Brainiac4

07-22-2004, 11:48 PM

Ah, so it's a 1920s style cliche ray?
No, I think it's a 1920s style done-to-death ray.

:D

Dahnlor

07-23-2004, 12:00 AM

I think that was the joke Shrinking Violet, that he couldn't believe that the one really famous name wasn't fake.1920s style cliche ray?1. That should have been a ... WHOOOOSH!!!

2. Hey, another band name!

3. Hi Opal! :D

D

CanvasShoes

07-23-2004, 02:47 AM

Because they're there. And it's fun, well sometimes :D

Meurglys

07-23-2004, 08:06 AM

A few years ago I used to play pub quizzes a fair bit - mainly at one particular pub. Every team would pick a new name for itself every week, and we got into the habit of saying 'team name' whenever 'band-name' type phrases came up... We usually didn't remember them long enough to actually use them, though.
Any pub quiz I know of has teams with similar stupid names - it's part of the fun!

EddyTeddyFreddy

07-23-2004, 08:07 AM

random band name generator Band name! :p

Trigonal Planar

07-23-2004, 02:32 PM

I'm not sure I agree that Dave Barry started this. I've heard peers say "heh, now there's a band name!" (or some variety thereof) for years. I think its a pretty natural "joke" to come up with.

Rufus Xavier

07-23-2004, 03:11 PM

stupid thing Band name
the everliving shit Band name
the first hundred times Band name
every third thread Band name
jackass chiming in Band Name
incongruous and unusual Band Name
it's not funny Band name

You're right. It's not funny. I should stop. :(

Lord Ashtar

07-23-2004, 03:45 PM

We do it because it helps fill the void in our empty, meaningless lives. Or something.

Ninja Pizza Guy

07-23-2004, 03:56 PM

We do it because it helps fill the void in our empty, meaningless lives. Or something.

Fill the Void - band name!

empty meaningful lives - band name!

Or Something - band name!

You knew it was going to happen - this thread is going to morph into a band name extravaganza! :D 'cus it's cool. :cool:

EddyTeddyFreddy

07-23-2004, 08:05 PM

You knew it ~ band name!

going to happen ~ band name!

going to morph ~ band name!

extravaganza! ~ band name!

'cus it's cool ~ band name! Naw, Pizza Guy, I can't see sensible souls, like what we gots around here, getting caught up in such mundane, pointless frivolity. You need a truly warped perspective, a studied disregard for linear logic, to take some spontaneous glurge and turn it into a band name.

FaerieBeth

07-23-2004, 10:14 PM

Naw, Pizza Guy, I can't see sensible souls, like what we gots around here, getting caught up in such mundane, pointless frivolity. You need a truly warped perspective, a studied disregard for linear logic, to take some spontaneous glurge and turn it into a band name.

Damn, EddyTeddyFreddy, you make this too eay!

sensible souls

pointless frivolity

warped perspective

studied disregard

linear logic

spontaneous glurge

Woot! I love in jokes, especially when it makes me look like I almost fit in with the crowd...Almost, in a totally inane manner, anyway.

FB

The Asbestos Mango

07-25-2004, 01:44 AM

It's a stupid thing. It annoys the everliving shit out of me. Perhaps it was funny the first hundred times, but now I swear every third thread on the SDMB has some jackass chiming in with "BAND NAME!!!" everytime an incongruous and unusual grouping of words occurs. Dammit, it's not funny, clever, or original.Speaking for myself, when I do this, I'm not trying to be funny, clever, or original. I do it because I see an incongruous and unusual grouping of words, and I think it would be a great name for a band, and cannot suppress the urge to say so.

My user name actually came from a "band name" moment I had in my business practices class when I was in the massage therapist program in community college. The instructor, who was a really cool guy, was talking about how we could boost our income earning potential if we "know how to do an asbestos mango wrap." Asbestos mango? Band name!

The Asbestos Mango, who was once in a band called The North American Giant Salamander

Declan

07-25-2004, 02:20 AM

Dare I say it?

This thread reminds me of that CITE pit , sooner or later some one just had to say , cite ?

lol

Declan

Captain Carrot

07-25-2004, 06:51 PM

Those in this thread who are calling a band name for every other freaking word, you probably know this, but for others, the point of calling 'band name!' is to show two or three words that are funny when put together, words that would (hopefully) not be used for an actual band, not just a few words that are vaguely amusing, if you squint.

Usually it's done well, but right now it's just getting annoying.

Jenaroph

07-25-2004, 07:28 PM

I'm not sure I agree that Dave Barry started this. I've heard peers say "heh, now there's a band name!" (or some variety thereof) for years. I think its a pretty natural "joke" to come up with.
Well, Dave Barry's been writing his column for 20 years...

Ludovic

07-25-2004, 07:40 PM

We can't deny the possibility that it arose spontaneously from both Dave Berry and other creative people, even if he had already stated the idea in print. Meme theory ain't all that.

Go ahead, have at my post. (Proposed Ludovic's Law: when you don't care if people use your posts for in jokes, they will never occur!