# Worst band names **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 27, 2007, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888 "2007-11-27T05:54:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/61 "2007-11-27T21:20:18Z")
[QUOTE=Ichbin Dubist] It doesn’t get much worse than Five Man Electrical Band, though. They couldn’t work “musical” and “Caucasian” in there somewhere? [/QUOTE] Fortunately, the Average White Band came along to fill that gap. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/62 "2007-11-27T21:31:26Z")
[QUOTE=Tahssa] “No Use for a Name” Oh really? You don’t need a name yet you name yourselves. You are so damned clever with your oh so clever name. Your cleverness in naming yourselves has guaranteed that I will never listen to you. [/QUOTE] In the 70’s Peg Bundy was in a band (she can acutally sing) called The Group With No Name, who had at least one major label album- I think they did it to add an air of mystery that might’ve garnered interest in an otherwise run of the mill band. Also: Aum Bubble Puppy Jefferson Airplane Frumious Bandersnatch Mystery Trend (cool name, but dumb because they took it from a Dylan song where he actually says “mystery tramp”) Pearls Before Swine Uncut Balloon Ultimate Spinach. Many more from the psychedelic era [here](http://www.listology.com/content_show.cfm/content_id.24564/Music). ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/63 "2007-11-27T21:40:48Z")
A flock of Seagulls Haircut 100 Men without Hats M Living in a Box Tears for Fears Talk Talk Bow Wow Wow The 80’s was a terrible decade for band names. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/64 "2007-11-27T21:59:12Z")
**Nickelback** Not only is their music proof that Rock does incite violence (because verey time I hear them I want to do some serious violence to **Nickelback** ), they named themselves after a position in football. What did they discard before they settled on **Nickelback**? “I know! We’ll call ourselves **Defensive End** ” “I still like **Right Tackle** ” “How about **Power Forward** ” “That’s basketball!” ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/65 "2007-11-27T22:04:58Z")
Many worthy nominees here, although I’ve never heard of a lot of them. My nominations: Queensrÿche Pet Shop Boys Volcano, I’m Still Excited!! (The exclamation points are part of the name, no less) ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/66 "2007-11-27T22:50:28Z")
[QUOTE=fishbicycle] Gay Bikers On Acid. The name of this Canadian group upset both homosexuals and motorcyclists to the extent that they had to change the spelling of their name and have their album artwork changed to read “Gaye Bykers On Acid.” [/QUOTE] What makes you think that the GBOA were Canadian? The band were from Leicester in England. Mind, they were shit, as were most of the bands under the short-lived “grebo” label. However that movement also produced one of the great band names - Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/67 "2007-11-27T22:53:45Z")
Oh, sorry about misidentifying them. Their albums came out on a Toronto-based label when I was working at a record store there. I don’t recall that the package said anything about them being British. We didn’t sell many of them, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/68 "2007-11-27T22:57:08Z")
[QUOTE=A Monkey With a Gun] “How about **Power Forward** ” “That’s basketball!” [/QUOTE] Hey, Waymon Tisdale named his jazz bass album “Power Forward!” ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/69 "2007-11-27T23:00:54Z")
What about **[Fearless Iranians From Hell](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-6425038-2774324?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=fearless+iranians+from+hell)**? I remember seeing some of their albums back when I was in high school, and man, it seemed weird. Never listened to their music, though. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/70 "2007-11-27T23:07:17Z")
Ass Ponys. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/71 "2007-11-27T23:23:33Z")
A ton of emo bands: Sunny Day Real Estate Christie Front Drive Rites of Spring Mohinder pg. 99 A Universal Order of Armageddon City of Catepillar etc etc etc Not to mention modern “emo”, all the bands you see on Myspace profiles. Coheed and Cambria, Further Seems Forever, Saves the Day, ad infinitum. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/72 "2007-11-27T23:25:48Z")
Mister Mister ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/73 "2007-11-27T23:41:12Z")
[QUOTE=A Monkey With a Gun] **Nickelback** Not only is their music proof that Rock does incite violence (because verey time I hear them I want to do some serious violence to **Nickelback** ), they named themselves after a position in football. What did they discard before they settled on **Nickelback**? “I know! We’ll call ourselves **Defensive End** ” “I still like **Right Tackle** ” “How about **Power Forward** ” “That’s basketball!” [/QUOTE] According to the cite on Wikipedia, the name comes from the bass player’s job as a cashier at Starbucks. Five cents was apparently a common amount of change for him to make. Or, at the very least, this is the lie that the band has decided to go with whenever journalists ask about why they picked the name. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/74 "2007-11-28T00:55:40Z")
[hijack] On a 180-degree tangent, a great band name: “Sorry About Dresden” [/hijack] ---
**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:** [November 28, 2007, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/75 "2007-11-28T01:27:40Z")
[QUOTE=BwanaBob] Stereolab [/QUOTE] I’ve always thought the name Stereolab was quite evocative of the type of music they made. Well, **Hoobastank** was going to be my nomination, but I see it’s been mentioned numerous times already. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/76 "2007-11-28T01:51:34Z")
This is an awful band name, but I love it anyway: The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/77 "2007-11-28T02:33:25Z")
Hey, got one: Fuschnickens ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Ryle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8dc957/32.png) [@Mark\_Ryle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Ryle)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/78 "2007-11-28T03:47:32Z")
[QUOTE=WordMan (Post 32)] The Beatles are my favorite band of all time and Zep is up there, too - but take away the brilliant songs and personalities, the layers of legend and the imprint that each name has on our collective consciousness and both are pretty stupid. … “Beetles” as a word just sounds like…well, bugs. [/QUOTE] Must disagree. The layers of legend are inseparable from the name, but Beatles is an inspired creation on its own and by itself – the greatest band name ever, by far. “Beetles” _would be_ anachronistic (like Crickets) but John Lennon made an ‘e’ an ‘a,’ thereby mysteriously endowing it with timelessness. None of its roots – beetles the insect, Beat Generation, beatific, Merseybeat – sully it with their stuck-in-timeness. ‘The Beatles’ was prototypical, as you say: > [@](#): > > To my knowledge, the Beatles are the ones who popularized purposeful wrong spelling … I also agree that: > [@](#): > > … the familiar-yet-different appeal of a purposely misspelled name is a strong “brand.” But Beatles is more. I think of the name as a one-word John Lennon artistic creation, in the sense of ‘an object able to be contemplated.’ Is _any_ other band name like that? Is any other band name not one of the following: old, tired, goofy, ostentatious, pretentious, preening, affected, or a dozen other pitfalls of poetasters? Led Zeppelin is one of the better ones but boring as an old joke after 40 years. Beatles still shines and shimmers like new after 45 years even though we’ve all encountered it, spoken and written, orders of magnitude more often than any other. Make a band name forever new and vibrant – only one person has ever done that. It’s brilliance elevated and even immortalized what it touched, like that most inept of emcees, Ed Sullivan, who nonetheless is remembered for the most famous introduction of all: “Right here on our stage tonight: THE BEATLES!” Would any other name but Beatles have done that for him, all else being equal? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/79 "2007-11-28T04:48:34Z")
Bad names (some on very good bands): the Band (worst name ever) X the Police the Church Bush (who I assume withered & died due to GWB) “Asia” was a little odd. “KISS” sort of works, but a strange choice for a really messed-up band. “Yes”, oddly, actually works well–because of being a different part of speech, not a noun. I really have no objection to “Nickelback” or “Hoobastank” as a name. I will concede that “the Goo Goo Dolls” is an ugly name, but at least it’s not a single letter or boring noun. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Ryle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8dc957/32.png) [@Mark\_Ryle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Ryle)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888/80 "2007-11-28T05:00:43Z")
Bangles. I like some of their music but am ashamed to admit it because of the name Bangles. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-names/427888.md?page=5)