What's thee deal? (Bands starting with "thee")

Cafe Society
1

Okay, Thee Headcoats, Thee Headcoatees and Thee Mighty Caesars I get. Billy Childish bands often start with thee.

But Thee Evaporators? Thee Hydrogen Terrors? Thee Unstrung? Thee Dirt Merchants?

Do bands that start with “thee” instead of “the” have something in common, other than a fondness for the word “thee”? Are they all influenced by Childish, or did he not even originate this phenomenon?

Explanations requested. Thanks.

2

It certainly didn’t originate with Billy Childish, as Thee Midnighters did it in the '60s.

3

Could it be because when ordered alphabetically the word “the” is removed from the band name before placing them (so The Beetles appears under B instead of T). Maybe these bands really waht to be in the T’s ?
Still The The wins when it comes to that ruse.

4

The alphabetization has crossed my mind as a likely explanation, but I’d forgotten about it until now. Good thought. Seems plausible.

It’s also interesting to see how far back the phenomenon goes. Any other music junkies have info?

5

Yeah, there were a few garage rock bands from the 60s who did it.

6

It always amuses me to see them listed as The, The.

7

Yikes, I really am out of it. I never heard of any of the groups in the OP…

8

I wouldn’t feel too bad – none of them exactly set the charts on fire. I do love me some Headcoatees, though Holly Golightly, their lead singer, is probably more famous than the group ever was. And even that fame is relative…

So “thee” seems to be (or at least have started as) a garage-rock thing. That fits with Billy Childish’s influences, too, so it makes sense to me unless someone comes up with a different theory.

9

Interrobang!? (great name by the way, it was the name of my friends band in Seoul) wrote
“I wouldn’t feel too bad – none of them exactly set the charts on fire.”

Which is exactly why I love them. Every one of them.

If you like Billy Childish, mmay I suggest Thee milkshakes or the Buff Medways.
Brilliant.

If you ever get a chance, see Thee Evaporators. Nardwuar the Human Serviette is the gooffiest front man alive, and his interviews with the famous and infamous are a scream.
See them at www.nardwuar.com

Music nerd mode off.