# Where did Megadeath get its name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 6, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-megadeath-get-its-name/253817 "2004-07-06T18:10:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jeffro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jeffro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeffro)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-megadeath-get-its-name/253817/1 "2004-07-06T18:10:46Z")
Many years ago I remember listening to a National Lampoon album called Lemmings. It was a spoof on Woodstock and the last track was a heavy metal group called Megadeath, I’ve always wondered if that’s where they got the name or if it was just a coincidence. The album itself would have been made in 72 or 73. Thanks in advance for any answers. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-megadeath-get-its-name/253817/2 "2004-07-06T19:13:08Z")
I always assumed Megadeth’s name was a reference to the nuclear war term “megadeath,” meaning a million dead. Whether they got it from Python or not, I couldn’t tell you. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-megadeath-get-its-name/253817/3 "2004-07-06T19:14:10Z")
edit: “National Lampoon,” not “Python.” ---
**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 6, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-megadeath-get-its-name/253817/4 "2004-07-06T22:05:37Z")
Just as an aside, one of the early names used by the musicians who eventually became Pink Floyd was “The Megadeaths.” So the name has been floating around for quite a while. ---
**Author:** ![IKinSpelGud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/46a35a/32.png) [@IKinSpelGud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IKinSpelGud)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-megadeath-get-its-name/253817/5 "2004-07-06T23:31:54Z")
nit pick (or is it nitpick? or nit-pick?): It’s Megadeth, only one “a.” ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-megadeath-get-its-name/253817/6 "2004-07-07T01:23:39Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > Just as an aside, one of the early names used by the musicians who eventually became Pink Floyd was “The Megadeaths.” So the name has been floating around for quite a while. Yecch! Definitely a poor fit for the Floyds … I mean, the Architectural Abdabs (another one of their old names) is dumb, but at least isn’t out of character with their musical output. ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-megadeath-get-its-name/253817/7 "2004-07-07T02:41:33Z")
My boyfriend seems to think that **pulykamell** ’s explanation is the correct one. And he does know his useless metal trivia… ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-megadeath-get-its-name/253817/8 "2004-07-07T02:43:42Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I always assumed Megadeth’s name was a reference to the nuclear war term “megadeath,” meaning a million dead. Whether they got it from Python or not, I couldn’t tell you. Yeah, that’s it. For some reason, Megadeth’s bio is missing from their official site, so I can’t give it to you straight from the horse’s mouth, but that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-megadeath-get-its-name/253817/9 "2004-07-07T04:47:13Z")
Years ago, I read an interview with Dave Mustaine where he did indeed say he got the name from the term for a million dead in a nuclear war. He changed the spelling for no more profound reason than that he thought it looked cool.