# Band Names: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 2, 2006, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043 "2006-05-02T02:29:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/21 "2006-05-02T14:05:05Z")
The Who is another great simple name. The Beatles. ABBA for being an acromyn and a palidrone. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/22 "2006-05-02T14:05:42Z")
> [@LIT123](#): > > I liked the name Disasternaut, a sw Ohio indie band back in 1999/2000. Well if we can include unsigned bands, I have to add **Punch Drunk Alert** (not to be confused with Punch Drunk) taken from the headline of a sidebar article in Omni Magazine. Also **Blast Paris,** and **The Raunchettes**. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/23 "2006-05-02T14:27:18Z")
Two cool band names, neither of which got famous, were **Benzene Jag** , from Hamilton, ON. They made at least one record (“Fuck Off 1984”), but try to find it now. The other had their name plastered all over telephone poles in Toronto in the mid-'80s, and is my candidate for best band name ever, **Aural Sects**. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/24 "2006-05-02T14:28:47Z")
More favorites: They Might Be Giants Derek and the Dominoes The Strawberry Alarm Clock The 13th Floor Elevators Atomic Rooster Was (Not Was) If we’re talking about names of individual musicians, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band wins hands down. In the album **Trout Mask Replica** , the band consisted of: ZOOT HORN ROLLO: glass finger guitar, flute ANTENNAE JIMMY SEMENS: steel-appendage guitar CAPTAIN BEEFHEART: bass clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax, vocal THE MASCARA SNAKE: bass clarinet & vocal ROCKETTE MORTON: bass & narration DRUMBO: drums ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/25 "2006-05-02T14:34:10Z")
Re: Better Than Ezra My friend Ty once said on his radio show after listening to his first Better Than Ezra song…“If they are Better Than Ezra, then Ezra must REALLY suck.” My Favorite Band Names: Freddy and the Four Gone Conclusions John Cougar Concentration Camp REO Speeddealer. The last two were changed due to lawyers and a lack of sense of humor from the artists. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/26 "2006-05-02T14:38:49Z")
Let’s not forget Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/27 "2006-05-02T14:43:26Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Also from the 60s: the Peanut Butter Conspiracy. > > Marketing campaign (for real): the Peanut Butter Conspiracy is spreading! > > Punks will never beat that. 🆒 Not even with **Jif and the Choosy Mothers**? Some names I like: **Moxy Früvous** **They Might Be Giants** **Deep Blue Something** **Strawberry Zots** Some fake band names I like: **Taranchula** **Gravel Fork** **Mr. Hameye** And if you know where all those come from, you win a sweetie. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/28 "2006-05-02T15:54:09Z")
> [@Othersider](#): > > I also don’t like band names you can’t say without pausing in the middle, or write without developing a hand cramp. Two examples that leap to mind: …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, and I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness. If you can’t fit it on one line of a normal marquee, it’s too long. Great triple bill from the early days of British prog-rock, with three bands who realized that if you kept your name _short_, you could get it in _really big letters_ on the poster: **Yes Egg If** ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/29 "2006-05-02T16:11:28Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > Let’s not forget Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys. Best. Name. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/30 "2006-05-02T16:44:59Z")
The Good: _? and the Mysterians Humble Pie The Grateful Dead The Mothers of Invention Velvet Underground Lynyrd Skynyrd_ The Bad: _Flock of Seagulls Prince and the Revolution The Amboy Dukes 10 CC Whitesnake_ The Ugly: _Hole KISS Creed_ And the WTF?: _Archers of Loaf_ ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/31 "2006-05-02T17:03:21Z")
Extra bad: The Butthole Surfers Gay Bikers On Acid (these guys were forced by both gays and bikers to change the spelling of their name to Gaye Bykers On Acid.) ---
**Author:** ![usar\_jag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@usar\_jag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usar_jag)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/32 "2006-05-02T17:03:50Z")
Three of my favorite band names are/were local Minneapolis bands: “The F\*\*_in’ Sh_t Biscuits”, “Flammable Jammies”, and “Free Beer” Imagine having to promote the latter of the two bands… ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/33 "2006-05-02T17:12:46Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > The Bad: > 10 CC\* If you know the reference, you’ll know it’s a great name. In the UK, 10cc refers to the supposed average amount of male ejaculate. (It doesn’t matter what the actual amount is: people in the UK get the reference. So don’t argue.) ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/34 "2006-05-02T17:13:21Z")
A few that I like that have not yet been mentioned: Bare Naked Ladies Duran Duran (gotta love a Barbarella reference) The Flaming Lips Radiohead Reel Big Fish Save Ferris Led Zepplin any my personal favorite band name ever which I am glad to see I get to be the first to mention: Iron Butterfly ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/35 "2006-05-02T17:15:55Z")
I just popped in to say I can’t stand the name “Butthole Surfers” along with the misspelled, numerically challenged lot. I probably hate a good number of others, because band naming is generally a messy business. Local band names I remember around town: Crystal Vibrations, Three-Way Stop, Three Speed, Broken English (My favorite local band name–alas gone). My brother is currently with a group in Georgia called “The Soundevils” which I think is a pretty cool name. I tend to gravitate to band names that leave me thinking “cool” or something like that: Creedence Clearwater Revival Talking Heads Dead Kennedys Jefferson Airplane Queen Eurhythmics The Who Counting Crows Plastic Ono Band Led Zepplin Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem Blue Oyster Cult The Sex Pistols Wham! (I don’t think the exclamation point is optional) Grateful Dead There are so few good things to name a band – I wonder if we could develop a “Band Name” script (one from column A, one from Column B). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/36 "2006-05-02T17:17:33Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > If you know the reference, you’ll know it’s a great name. > > In the UK, 10cc refers to the supposed average amount of male ejaculate. (It doesn’t matter what the actual amount is: people in the UK get the reference. So don’t argue.) The Lovin’ Spoonful took their name from an old blues song that referenced the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/37 "2006-05-02T17:34:56Z")
I think one of my favorite names is The String Cheese Incident. I mean, doesn’t it just make you wonder? What exactly was the string cheese incident? Did it involve marinara sauce? As for unsigned bands, Butterfat Mastermind is my fave name. It’s just…mellifluous. It sounds like it should mean something, but it just…doesn’t. On the other side of the coin, Revolting Cocks is just too embarrassing to ask for in a record store. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/38 "2006-05-02T17:43:48Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > If you know the reference, you’ll know it’s a great name. > > In the UK, 10cc refers to the supposed average amount of male ejaculate. (It doesn’t matter what the actual amount is: people in the UK get the reference. So don’t argue.) **Larry Mudd** addresses this and The Lovin’ Spoonful in post 28 of [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7276131&highlight=lovin+spoonful#post7276131)thread. He links to [this Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/10cc.htm) article too. Actually though, heh, it was precisely due to associating a band name with _Average Amount Of Ejaculate_ that made me put it in the “Bad” category. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/39 "2006-05-02T17:45:07Z")
I always thought it was a shame that the music of _My Chemical Romance_ and _Fall Out Boy_ is such trashy sludge, because I love the names. Actually, I feel that way about a lot of emo. I think _Death Cab for Cutie_ is a fantastic name for a band, personally. Don’t like the music though–I used to love the Postal Service and when I started listening to the guy’s other bands I realized that every song from all three (or however many he has now) was basically the same. YMMV. _The Who_ is a great name because they could’ve gone through an entire career without spending more than 20 seconds coming up with a name for any one album. And you know the first time you heard of them you played a little Abbott and Costello routine in your head. Admit it. I like their super-Mod name _The High Numbers_ a lot, but it was too Mod for them and they never released an album under the name. I always liked _Less than Jake_ too. And _Yes_ and _Asia_ are winners in my book, same to _Electric Light Orchestra_. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043/40 "2006-05-02T17:46:16Z")
I think _Average Amount of Ejaculate_ would be a great name, BTW. YMMV. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-names-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/355043.md?page=3)