# Weird Rock Band Names **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 16, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772 "2003-07-16T00:42:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/1 "2003-07-16T00:42:54Z")
Some rock and roll bands have had _ **really** _ strange names. This probably started in the mid 1960’s and continues to this day. Consider bands such as “the Electric Prunes”, “the Strawberry Alarm Clock”, “Spooky Tooth”, “Fever Tree”, “Liquid Smoke” - all from the 1960’s. Other weird band names - “Sniff ‘n’ the Tears” (late 1970’s), “Wall of Voodoo” (1980’s), “Romeo Void” (1980’s), “Urge Overkill” (1990’s). One band in the 1990’s even went so far as calling themselves “The The”. It might be fun to see what other names the Message Board “Dopers” can post. Please try to pick bands that at least have had some degree of success. Don’t post bands that your cousin formed for 1 week with some neighborhood kids and then split up. This should be fun. Let’s not have this thread die a quick death. ---
**Author:** ![Intaglio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71e660/32.png) [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/2 "2003-07-16T00:59:19Z")
Foo Fighters ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/3 "2003-07-16T01:15:55Z")
Some favorites from The Book of Rock Lists: Ultimate Spinach Bubble Puppy The Charging Tyrannosaurus of Despair Truman Coyote \* Frumious Bandersnatch Kesus Christ and the Nailknockers Lothar and The Hand People The Only Alternative and His Other Possibilities The Time Being \* - I REALLY like these ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/4 "2003-07-16T01:33:59Z")
Moby Grape Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks Bubble Puppy Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen Canned Heat Vanilla Fudge Captain Beefheart Them Conqueror Worm 1910 Fruit Gum Company Steam Status Quo The Fugs ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/5 "2003-07-16T01:37:55Z")
Breaking the rules a bit, but a band that used to play in my college town … Paul Bear and the Mortitions ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/6 "2003-07-16T01:41:02Z")
[Knock yourself out](http://sam.hochberg.com/bandname.html) ---
**Author:** ![rolandgunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cdc98d/32.png) [@rolandgunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rolandgunslinger)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/7 "2003-07-16T01:42:13Z")
I always thought “Blue Oyster Cult” was a real strange name. Or “Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction” ---
**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:** [July 16, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/8 "2003-07-16T02:30:19Z")
Toad the Wet Sprocket The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band 13th Floor Elevators Free Beer (actually quite practical – they were a bar band and their name tended to draw crowds, for some reason) Flash and the Pan It’s a Beautiful Day The Presidents of the United States of America The Flying Lizards The Anemic Boyfriend Soft Machine ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/9 "2003-07-16T02:39:03Z")
They Might Be Giants High On Fire Jack Off Jill Queens Of The Stone Age …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead Man Or Astroman? Stone Temple Pilots Spiral Architect Dillinger Escape Plan ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/10 "2003-07-16T02:45:57Z")
Theory of a Deadman Bif Naked (An individual, not the band, but…hey.) The Butthole Surfers ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/11 "2003-07-16T02:55:52Z")
When I lived in LA there was a frequent double-bill of a couple of local bands: **Drive Thru Jesus** and **Cole Slaw and the Baked Bean Band**. Never failed to raise a chuckle. ---
**Author:** ![Shemem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@Shemem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shemem)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/12 "2003-07-16T04:54:19Z")
? and the Mysterions ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/13 "2003-07-16T05:36:19Z")
Neutral Milk Hotel Stanford Prision Experiment Smart Went Crazy ---
**Author:** ![J\_String](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@J\_String](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_String)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/14 "2003-07-16T08:02:32Z")
Porcupine Tree …And Oceans ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/15 "2003-07-16T08:20:48Z")
Two major early-to-mid-nineties Israeli groups: **Carmella, Gross & Wagner** (Note: none of the members of the group were named Carmella, Gross or Wagner). **Dr. Casper’s Rabbit Show.** ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/16 "2003-07-16T10:21:54Z")
picketywitch when people were shorter and lived near the water gibbo’s mishap speewah rouge (my brothers band. hey, they released an EP) ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/17 "2003-07-16T12:24:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wolf\_meister \* > \*\*One band in the 1990’s even went so far as calling themselves “The The”. > \*\* Two bands did, actually–at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![thirdshiftgrottoslack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@thirdshiftgrottoslack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdshiftgrottoslack)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/18 "2003-07-16T12:43:07Z")
afghan whigs ---
**Author:** ![jinty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@jinty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jinty)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/19 "2003-07-16T12:53:57Z")
Some wonderful Japanese ones here: [http://www.harmful.org/homedespot/japanweb/BANDNAMES.html](http://www.harmful.org/homedespot/japanweb/BANDNAMES.html) My favourites: Lump of mind Anarchy Condom And of course, the net is full of amusing band name generators: [http://www.elsewhere.org/cgi-bin/bandname](http://www.elsewhere.org/cgi-bin/bandname) ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772/20 "2003-07-16T14:22:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Intaglio \* > \*\*Foo Fighters \*\* Foo Fighters was the name given by WWII pilots to "UFO"s seen outside their planes. Naturally, most sites in a web search now turn up pages about the band, but I managed to find [this](http://www.unmuseum.org/foo.htm). I don’t think anyone’s mentioned The Flaming Lips. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-rock-band-names/188772.md?page=2)