# Musical groups named after literary characters. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 25, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726 "2003-09-25T12:53:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/21 "2003-09-25T21:34:48Z")
Belle and Sebastian kind of did: [Link:](http://www.jeepster.co.uk/belleandsebastian/faq.htm#6) > [@](#): > > 1. So where did they get their name? > There are several stories of where Belle and Sebastian got their name. A lot of people have assumed that the name came directly from the french novel of the same name about a boy called Sebastian and a mountain dog named Belle. This novel was later turned into a television program, which it seems people remember. So well done to you, as you are right to some extent, this was the raw inspiration for a story written by Stuart about a boy named Sebastian and a girl named Belle. They formed a band together in the story and wrote some lovely songs, it seemed only right that real life should adopt the fictional entity, and so Belle and Sebastian came into being. You can read a cartoon adaption of the forming in the press archive. ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/22 "2003-09-25T23:03:35Z")
_Styx_, the underworld river from Greek myth. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/23 "2003-09-25T23:24:03Z")
[H.P Lovecraft](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=CASS70305302200&sql=Bo9ktk65x9krw), named after the writer. Poco was originally named “Pogo,” after the comic strip character, but Walt Kelly sued, so they changed one letter. If we include songs as literature, the list expands: Death Cab for Cutie The Rolling Stones Deep Purple ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/24 "2003-09-25T23:33:12Z")
Lots of allusions but not too many characters. Now I don’t feel so feeble-minded. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/25 "2003-09-25T23:42:23Z")
Does Tom Jones count? ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/26 "2003-09-26T01:58:53Z")
Duran Duran was named after a character in Barbarella. ---
**Author:** ![Xanthas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a5b964/32.png) [@Xanthas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xanthas)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/27 "2003-09-26T02:26:58Z")
Not a character, but **Bal-Sagoth** comes from a Robert E. Howard story. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/28 "2003-09-26T02:51:37Z")
_Pennywise_ The clown in **It**. _Thin Lizzy_ Altered version of comic **Tin Lizzy**. _Mott the Hoople_ from the novel with the same name. _Pere Ubu_ main character from the play **Ubu Roi**. _Tomte_ from a Swedish chidren’s book **Tomte Tummetott** _Son Goku_ from a character in **Dragonball** _Fantomas_ a character in a series of French novels. _Boss Hog_ from **The Dukes of Hazard**. _Good Charlotte_ came from a book of the same name. _The Amboy Dukes_ of Ted Nugent fame was a gang in an Irving Schulman novel. _Boomtown Rats_ from a gang in a Woodie Guthrie song. _Mungo Jerry_ a cat in **Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats** the source for **Cats**. _Supertramp_ from a book **Autobiography Of A Supertramp** ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/29 "2003-09-26T10:04:51Z")
The Australian group **The Triffids**! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/30 "2003-09-26T12:20:05Z")
There is (or at least there used to be) a band named Poor Old Lu, after Lucy in _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_. ---
**Author:** ![silverfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@silverfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silverfish)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/31 "2003-09-26T15:27:09Z")
I think the band _Travis_ got their name from a Character from the film _Paris, Texas_. ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/32 "2003-09-27T01:22:09Z")
The Thompson Twins were characters in the Tin-tin comics. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/33 "2003-09-27T02:20:31Z")
Not a character, but there’s **The Grapes of Wrath**. ---
**Author:** ![Winterwren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Winterwren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winterwren)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/34 "2003-09-27T02:31:28Z")
Aslan, the Irish rock band; and there was a French band named Yog-Sothoth (I’m shaky on the spelling). And there’s a band called Becky Sharpe. ---
**Author:** ![Winterwren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Winterwren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winterwren)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/35 "2003-09-27T02:38:01Z")
And He Who Reads Over My Shoulder is amazed that no one listed: TOTO! ---
**Author:** ![riserius1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@riserius1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/riserius1)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/36 "2003-09-27T04:15:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by plnnr \* > \*\*The Grateful Dead are named for a type of folk-tale, but not a specific literary character. \*\* Actually, I’ve read from a number of different sources that the members of the dead just opened a dictionary at random and picked 2 words, grateful and dead and put 'em together. So it’s sort of a literary reference, justa different one.:rolleyes: Chris W ---
**Author:** ![Jello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@Jello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jello)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/37 "2003-09-27T04:19:22Z")
I’m told there’s a band called Catch-22. As for the Dead, in the Funk & Wagnall’s dictionary they looked through, “Grateful Dead” was a single entry. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/38 "2003-09-27T04:25:25Z")
And here’s [Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_074.html) on the Dead. ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/39 "2003-09-27T04:44:08Z")
Another that’s more an allusion to a character than a direct naming, but Judas Priest refers to a guy in some old book, I’ve heard. And speaking of 80s metal, there was a band called 'emselves Cinderella, once upon a time. ---
**Author:** ![misshornypenny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@misshornypenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misshornypenny)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726/40 "2003-09-27T04:48:18Z")
savage garden is an anne rice reference, again, not a character [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-groups-named-after-literary-characters/203726.md?page=3)