# Gimmick Bands **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 27, 2019, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gimmick-bands/833128 "2019-04-27T13:55:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2019, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gimmick-bands/833128/61 "2019-05-01T03:49:00Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > King Gizzard & the Wizard Lizard are both a band with a gimmick and a gimmick band, IMO. Explain. (That is to say, I was actually introduced to them by you from a post here on the SD, and have seen then in concert since, but I’m not clear how they are a gimmick band. Or really even a band with a gimmick, other than being experimentally playful and having a silly name. But I know them mostly by their music, so there may be more going on there.) ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2019, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gimmick-bands/833128/62 "2019-05-01T15:49:41Z")
S.P.O.C.K. is a synth-pop band focusing on sci-fi themes. After an encounter with Paramount, the “official” name of the band is “Star Pilot On Channel K” ---
**Author:** ![motu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/motu/32/259_2.png) [@motu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/motu)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2019, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gimmick-bands/833128/63 "2019-05-01T16:43:12Z")
Arrrgghhhh, do not forget the Pirate Rock of Alestorm [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta-Z\_psXODw&list=RDEMdi9wDUQjwG6-fUsfn3lvaQ&start\_radio=1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta-Z_psXODw&list=RDEMdi9wDUQjwG6-fUsfn3lvaQ&start_radio=1) What about the Ramones? ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2019, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gimmick-bands/833128/64 "2019-05-02T01:35:42Z")
Saw an interesting band a ways back (the suave Neil Hamburger headlined that bill) called The Advantage, who play covers of old Nintendo game soundtracks. To my shock, I discovered they’re part of the [Nintendocore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendocore) genre. ETA: nah, I wouldn’t call the Ramones a gimmick band. ---
**Author:** ![Drummond\_Bays](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8edcca/32.png) [@Drummond\_Bays](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drummond_Bays)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2019, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gimmick-bands/833128/65 "2019-05-02T03:20:02Z")
Richard Cheese has to qualify. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2019, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gimmick-bands/833128/66 "2019-05-02T03:26:09Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Explain. (That is to say, I was actually introduced to them by you from a post here on the SD, and have seen then in concert since, but I’m not clear how they are a gimmick band. Or really even a band with a gimmick, other than being experimentally playful and having a silly name. But I know them mostly by their music, so there may be more going on there.) They are a band with a gimmick in that they have elaborate and deliberate visuals, they cultivate a following _a la_ Phish & the Grateful Dead and they have long-running inside jokes and references in their songs, visuals, etc. They are a gimmick band in that every album features coherent musical & lyrical themes that are only for that album; they rarely carry over from one to another except as something referenced. This has gone as far as them having custom microtonal instruments made for one album and then writing the songs based on what they could now play. So they cover all the bases: they gimmick every album in a gimmicky way while they gimmick their audience with gimmicks. It’s gimmicks all the way down (under)! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2019, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gimmick-bands/833128/67 "2019-05-02T13:29:04Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > … Rush. Their gimmick is to convince people that they don’t suck, even though they do. I couldn’t agree less. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2019, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gimmick-bands/833128/68 "2019-05-02T14:03:30Z")
> [@DLuxN8R-13](#): > > I couldn’t agree less. I guess their gimmick worked then! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gimmick-bands/833128/69 "2019-05-03T04:38:30Z")
The Rolling Stones weren’t really the “anti-Beatles” until both bands had hit the big time for a while. They were perceived that way by Americans who heard about the Beatles first and saw every other British rock band as something trolling in their wake, which was neither fair nor accurate. The Stones’ gimmick was, they were white boys who were blues purists (There was NOTHING on their first album that said “We want to be compared to the Beatles!”). DEVO was initially a gimmick costume band. And once Vivienne Westwood got involved with Malcolm MacLaren’s publicity efforts, so were the Sex Pistols. ---
**Author:** ![DB\_Coopa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@DB\_Coopa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DB_Coopa)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gimmick-bands/833128/70 "2019-05-03T12:46:05Z")
Some of Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show in their early years perhaps. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gimmick-bands/833128.md?page=3)