Guitar One, which appears to be an online magazine, has issued its list of the top ten stupid band names of all time.
What? No “The The”?
Would have to say that Bands named after a part of a car is by far the worst one could do. Master Cylinder, Bondo, etc… just plain lazy.
It would be interesting to see what they think is a good name.
What about names with built-in exclamation points? Frente!, Against Me!, etc.
Simultaneously the worst and the best:
Half Man Half Biscuit
Barenaked Ladies
U2
The Mommyheads. Terrible name, but I can recommend this particular LP as really, really good pop music, in the general drift of Paul McCartney and Crowded House.
Jim Thirwell’s many “Foetus” bands. Long before Damian Hirsch nauseated the pomo art world, there was this guy doing his arty, noisy, and deliberately offensive thing in the music world.
Spandau Ballet should be in there somewhere.
“The Beatles” is a subtly clever pun; anyone who’d call the the dumbest band name of all time obviously doesn’t get it. (Think of the all-girl Beatles tribute band, the Bangles, for a clue.)
Whoa. Thirlwell/Foetus pretty much invented the “industrial” sound (along with Einsturzende Neubauten). Probably the greatest discrepancy between obscurity and influence since Kate Bush.
The first time I heard of Porcupine Tree I thought, “God, what an asinine name for a band.” They rock though, and defy (easy) description in such a way that the name fits.
So 4 of the top 10 worst band names are categories made up of many band names.
Great list.
Horseshit. Labia Majora is the greatest band name of all time.
Yuh. Howbout the Slits? Throbbing Gristle? that list sux.
Sorry, I wasn’t very clear in my post. I’ve known people who swear by Thirwell as a great musical genius, and I’m willing to grant that he’s been very influential (even though I’ve heard only one of his albums and wasn’t won over – not that that denies his standing and influence, only that his music isn’t particularly to my liking). My intended point was that his project names are so disgusting (Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel; You’ve Got Foetus On Your Breath; etc.) that it’s a bit of a barrier. That provocative attitude strikes me as jejune, obnoxious, and nihilistic, like teenage boys who empty garbage cans on top of people’s cars on Halloween.
. . . and perfectly in keeping with the Punk movement of the late seventies (I’ve heard Thirlwell described as “post Punk”), and nothing that can’t be compared to the likes of Marilyn Manson or Johnny Rotten.
I begrudgingly nominate Goblin Cock because it makes me groan and giggle at the same time.
Let’s not confuse shitty band names with shitty BANDS!
…and they didn’t list Anal Cunt?
… Or The Ass Baboons of Venus?
The Dead Kennedys
Strawberry Alarm Clock