# Real-life bands with punny names **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [November 8, 2023, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818 "2023-11-08T13:08:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/61 "2023-11-09T17:29:21Z")
Lipps Inc. (Funkytown) is a pun on lip sync. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2023, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/62 "2023-11-09T17:41:39Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I have no idea what their music is like As my wife can attest (rolling her eyes), I’m our household, any time someone named William’s whereabouts are in doubt, I will sing this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/aErNjERoLJM/hqdefault.jpg "Where the Hell is Bill?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aErNjERoLJM) ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/63 "2023-11-09T17:42:55Z")
The only ones that are coming to mind for me (that haven’t been mentioned) are the little-known Moshed Potatoes and The Skatterbrains. And here’s a sidebar: _Musican_ magazine back in the day had a post-Smiths breakup cover headline of “Johnny Marr: Fed Up!” In French, “fed up” can be translated as “J’en ai marre.” Impressive wordplay, there. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/64 "2023-11-09T17:56:59Z")
> [@Author\_Balk](#): > > Lipps Inc. (Funkytown) is a pun on lip sync. That reminds me of Rose Royce (“Car Wash”). ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2023, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/65 "2023-11-09T18:15:54Z")
For us thickheads, what’s the Dire Straits pun? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2023, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/66 "2023-11-09T18:39:39Z")
If you are in dire straits, you are in a dangerous situation. Mark Knopfler is in Dire Straits - is he in a band or in trouble? Similar to my comment about Steve Winwood playing in Traffic, but I don’t know if that band was named because of the joke. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/67 "2023-11-09T18:46:15Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > For us thickheads, what’s the Dire Straits pun? Yeah I think think that’s a pun. When I first read this I thought the saying (that means in trouble) was dire _straights_ but, its not, its dire straits (as in a thin body of water between two bits of land) too. So there is no pun ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2023, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/68 "2023-11-09T18:57:41Z")
Pansy Division - 90s “queercore” pop-punk band ---
**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:** [November 9, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/69 "2023-11-09T19:39:23Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > How about a self-prophetic name > > [Flash 'n the Pan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgOMxTxWPuQ) was a one-hit wonder. It’s Flash _and_ the Pan. Definitely punny, and one of the great underrated bands of its era. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2023, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/70 "2023-11-09T20:02:01Z")
I thought he was asking about “Sultans of Ping”, which is a pun on the Dire Straits song “Sultans of Swing”. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2023, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/71 "2023-11-09T20:17:49Z")
The acrimonious split of the Australian band, the Saints led to most of them touring without lead singer Chris Bailey as The Aints. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/72 "2023-11-10T02:06:42Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > For us thickheads, what’s the Dire Straits pun? Reportedly when they were struggling early on, a roommate declared that they were in dire straits (as they weren’t earning any money). They then adopted that as their name. So even when they were no longer in dire straits, they would still be in Dire Straits. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/73 "2023-11-10T05:24:23Z")
**Skapone** is a ska band from Chicago, of course. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/74 "2023-11-10T05:40:29Z")
ISTR that the name “Concrete Blonde” is pretty much meaningless, but the singer was a friend of Michael Stipe, and it was he who made it up and she and the band liked it, so that became their name. How about King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/75 "2023-11-10T06:13:17Z")
Like “The Beatles” being so well-known that you don’t notice the wordplay, the name “The Rolling Stones” was a… what? An homage to old songs? [(Hank Williams, Muddy Waters, Kingston Trio, Bob Dylan)](https://www.songfacts.com/blog/writing/how-a-rolling-stone-gathers-no-moss-became-rocks-top-proverb) Or picked up from an ollllld proverb from at least [a thousand years ago?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_rolling_stone_gathers_no_moss) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/76 "2023-11-10T06:29:59Z")
The Monkees’ name was definitely a play on the Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/77 "2023-11-10T07:28:19Z")
That may be, but a mere typographical allusion is not a pun. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/78 "2023-11-10T15:21:50Z")
There are a number of punny rapper names I can think of: Eminem, Ludacris, Ginuwine Apparently Biz Markie isn’t a pun on Bismarck? You learn something new every day. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2023, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/79 "2023-11-12T02:33:04Z")
One of my favorites: **Gringo Star** ---
**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:** [November 14, 2023, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818/80 "2023-11-14T11:46:02Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Like “The Beatles” being so well-known that you don’t notice the wordplay, the name “The Rolling Stones” was a… what? An homage to old songs? I thought it was well-known that they took the name from a Muddy Waters tune. But maybe that’s one of those well-known things that’s bullshit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bands-with-punny-names/992818.md?page=5)