I first encountered this in Dave Barry’s writing - he uses it in many of his columns. And now on the SDMB its all over the place - its like almost any weird phrase someone uses will provoke the observation about it’s suitability as a band name. But I haven’t - in my perhaps limited exposure - seen or heard it used elsewhere or IRL. Is it a part of the local culture here (possibly derived from Barry), or have I missed something?
As an aside, it is interesting that despite this great plethora of “great band names”, most band names are actually pretty lame.
I don’t know, I think there are plenty of weird band names out there, especially on the local garage-band level. The joke goes back to at least the days of Monty Python. In fact, the first of the bands listed below got their name from a Monty Python sketch about rock bands with weird names. Everybody wants an original band name and so many bands have come and gone at this point that you have to be pretty out there to get one. Let’s look at a few of the big-time and semi big-time bands with weird names in the past few years:
Toad the Wet Sprocket
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin
Ugly Kid Joe
The Foo Fighters
Elvis Hitler
The Presidents of the United States of America
Smashmouth
And how about bands of yesteryear:
The Velvet Underground
The Sex Pistols
King Crimson
Pink Floyd
The Dead Kennedys
Kajagoogoo
David Letterman uses this expression all the time. Either, saying it would be a good name for a band or pretending it was a real band. He also does it pretending it was the title of a song. Any phrase or expression which strikes his fancy, he’ll make it either a song or a band.
To respond to the OP, we’ve been using that phrase in Chicago since at least the mid-'80s.
My favorite real band name: Gaye Bikers on Acid
An actual phrase which came up at work today (we were throwing a baby shower for a coworker) and was immediately seized upon as an EXCELLENT name for a riot grrl group:
Up in Canada, we have Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers. There’s also a local band called Liquid Virgil; they originally called themselves Liquid Virgin, but found they couldn’t book any venues. . . .
A dink I know is in a terrible ska band called Joe Skalin and the Boom Chicks. At one point they were Joe Skalin and the Sonic Response. Originally they were Joe Skalin and the(some stupid music/Soviet cross-reference).
