57 Replies to “25 Most Ridiculous Band Names in Rock History”

  2. Isn’t Warren Kinsella in a band? A punk band, because you absolutely can be 68 and work in government and still be all about stickin’ it to The Man?
    But I’m sure Warren’s band has a really cool name.

  4. Prophetic – tragic irony. Apparently he was a compassionate caring person, well known in the punk scence – he volunteered at a homeless shelter in Vancouver. My nephew has a punk band and lives in Vancouver.

  5. Me, Mom and Morgentaler.
    No really, that was the name of an 80s band.
    I also don’t like Dying Fetus because whenever I google material on abortion, I eventually come across them. They’re a metal band.
    Also DayGlo Abortions.

  6. While the band’s name is presciently ironic, never-the-less it’s tragic that a young life was cut short so suddenly. It seems he died of a ruptured brain aneurysm. Probably had no warning of it.

  7. I guess they’ll be known as “You Say Party! We Say He Died!” from now on.

  9. I’d never thought of band names as being bad; usually the name would come up during a jam session after partaking of various pharmaceuticals; we know what the Doobie Brothers were doing when they named their band. The name of the band I was in briefly would probably make it into the 25 worst band names but I won’t mention it as, with my luck, someone will recognize it. Looking back I just think we were too early to be appreciated as what we tended to lapse into when jamming sounded like punk/grunge (at the time we just thought we needed to spend more time practicing and this was in the early 1970’s). I’m glad I didn’t drop out of university to pursue a musical career as the bands lead guitarist of the band ended up working a “temporary” job in the civil service while waiting to be discovered with a seemingly endless series of new bands which might play a few gigs at bars before falling apart.
    Off the top of my head “Mahogany Rush” is a pretty lame name although their lead guitarist really rocked (saw them in a very small venue once). Tangle Edge is a very obscure Norwegian psychedelic band whose internet exposure probably doubled by my mentioning their name here. The Psychedelic Furs was a bad name IMO. Captain Copter and his Amazing Twirleybirds did seem a little strange also. I guess I just don’t listen to music from bands that make the 25 worst named list.

  11. The Texas Jewboys, Rev., surely. Kinky Friedman ran for Governor (of Texas, duh). Slogans: “Why the Hell not?” and “How Hard Could it Be?”

  13. Kate, how could you possibly think this is a bad band name? Since your blog is named “small dead animals”, I’m not sure how you would think their name qualifies as being bad. They’re actually a great band too, unlike most of those horrible acts on the cracked list.

  14. Cuff the Duke?
    New to me. Guess I don’t know their name story yet. I get an image of cuffing the ‘Duke’ around the ears..
    That can’t be it. They do sound good for a young band from Oshawa / Toronto Ontario Canada..
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCKCR9MmTM0
    Long Long Road, by ‘ ‘ Cuff the Duke ‘ ‘
    Spring is here, smile.. : : : TG

  15. Hate to say it(no I don’t)but all those bands on first link look queerer than a 3 dollar bill! Oh wait,there’s the name for my band!!!!

  16. I was trying to explain to some foreigners that Nickelback, being Canadian boys, were too reserved to call their band “Beaver”.
    “Oh ya, they’re not so reserved when they sing, “I like your pants around your feet.”

  17. Pearl Jam is pretty bad. Semen? Give me a break.
    How about “The Dead Devons”

  18. I like the comment for Matchbox 20: “Either way, shut the f#$k up, Rob Thomas.”
    The pic for Def Leppard doesn’t look like them – I’d swear that’s a pic of a Def Leppard cover band.
    They’re not on the list, but I’d recommend Luther Wright & The Wrongs and their excellent bluegrass rendition of Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Seriously.

  21. Jaimie the band name, not a word of a lie, is “Sh1t From Hell”.
    Which is somehow just so appropriate.
    Crazy band names I’ve loved over the years are “The Hopping Penguins”, “Martha and the Muffins” (yes I am that old, I have The Album) “The Shakin’ Pyramids” “The Fabulous Poodles”, “Psychedelic Furs”, “Art of Noise”…
    I can just go through my Winamp list and rhyme ’em off. ~:D
    Actually I’m old enough to not only remember when music didn’t suck, I can remember when it -did- suck before it stopped sucking briefly in the 1980s.
    I’m going to go chug some Geritol now.

  22. Phantom,
    Sounds like you have a great collection.
    Fabulous Poodles, I havent heard Mirror Star in probably 25 years.
    I must admit, I was always impressed/horrified by the advertisements for the double bill of Skinny Puppy and Severed Head.

  23. I saw Cuff the Duke in concert when they opend for Blue Rodeo in Edmonton earlier this year. Decent band. Cuff has recorded with Rodeo and I believe vice versa on each other’s albums.
    As far as Warnout the Wee Willie Wanker and his ‘band’ goes, it takes the same amount of talent to play bass picking one note at a time as it does to be a Liberal party ‘insider’. Real bass players don’t use picks. And real men aren’t Liberals. ‘Nuf said.
    The strangest band name I ever heard was a punk group called (I’m serious) ‘Day-glo Abortion’.
    And to think that Frank Zappa and the Mothers caught so much flack for apparently being ‘too wierd’ for mainstream radio. (R.I.P. Frank.)

  24. Might I also add….
    The Dead Kennedy’s
    The Butthole Surfers
    and of course Former PM Paul Martin on air guitar.

  25. I started playing saxophone in 1958. The first band I played it was called the Rhythmaires. Things were a lot different back then. Other bands in my town at that time were “Kenny & The BeBops”, “The Coins”, The Staccatos. We all played 50s Rock because it was the 50s and that was the only Rock there was.
    I used to joke that back in 1959 my band knew every Rock song ever written because there weren’t many at that time as you can imagine.
    I will be retiring next year and plan to move back home and get a couple of my old band mates back together at least the ones who are still alive to honk out some tunes for fun. A couple of them died so they pretty much quite playing music.
    I plan to call that band “The Hip Replacements”
    Whatta ya think?

  26. My nomination,from the late 60’s,”The Bubble Puppy” who had one minor hit,”Hot Smoke and Sassafrass”.
    They were a sort of imitation of Leslie West’s “Mountain” which accurately described his girth.

  28. Re: “I plan to call that band “The Hip Replacements”
    Whatta ya think?”
    Better get on that before the musicians on Gord Downie’s solo album trademark it.

  32. Vanuata rocks.
    Rocking & rolling & rumbling with Gaia, er Gaua.
    “Last year it was just some explosions and some ash falling but at the moment the activity is becoming more interesting,” Korisa said.”
    Shake it.
    …-
    “Vanuatu prepares to evacuate 3,000 from rumbling volcano
    The Pacific nation of Vanuatu has made plans to evacuate nearly 3,000 villagers after a highly active volcano started spewing ash clouds, an official said on Monday.
    The picturesque Gaua volcano, which has erupted 13 times since 1963 and has been exploding and rumbling for several months, is under close watch after a marked rise in activity in recent days.”
    http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Vanuatu_prepares_to_evacuate_3000_from_rumbling_volcano_999.html

  33. Suzanne, April 19th, 10:40 am: I guess you wouldn’t be much of a fan of eccentric 80’s English band Scraping Fetus Off The Wheels, then.
    And Cal, 6:40 am: there actually was a band called Beaver, out of Portage La Prairie in the early 70’s, though they accomplished pretty much nothing other than bar gigs in central Manitoba.

  34. I don’t think you can get much more ridiculous (or longer) names than…
    Grab Grab The Haddock
    Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
    I Am The World Trade Center
    They Came From The Stars (I Saw Them)
    I Killed The Cheerleader
    The Number 12 Looks Like You
    When People Were Shorter And Lived Near The Water

  35. ebt – in this case, “eccentric” really means “stoned”, right? I mean, I’m just guessing.

  36. I didn’t know Nickleback was a Canadian group. They seem to play a sort of apologetic bluegrass for which they can never be forgiven.
    As for band names, forgot about Buxxhole Surfers. Their music was as bad as the name but you had to listen at least once. Unusual names that are not necessarily bad would be Dropkick Murphy’s. Love those boys. Then my all time favorite, Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs. I had the DJ find and play Wooly Bully down on an obscure island in the Caribbean. Brought the house down among hundreds of cruise ship Brits. Joan Jett has a great rendition as well. Love those novelty songs. I also discovered that ol’ Sam really put one across with that song. Find the words on line. Really quite apalling if one weren’t already terminally jaded by Hollywood filth.

  37. Oh, and “a different bob,” that was information I’d lived without all these years. Who says ignorance isn’t bliss? Thanks a lot.

  39. Inuit @10:48 – I love the name “Dead Kennedys”! Only vaguely familiar with the band, but the name rocks my world.

  40. African-American serpent: I know what you mean. When I first heard of them, back in the early 80’s, all I could think of was “Cool!” The best part is, I didn’t even feel bad for having this sentiment!

  41. the BlueOysterCult made some good songs, and then there’s those strange album names even one without a name like that doublewhite one by a bunch of losers,,

  42. And the cool part is, that wretched egomaniacal clan of wannabe-Yank royalty – bogtrotting, gangster-fortune Marilyn-killing nouveau-riche Amero-trash with too much hair/teeth and money – keeps snuffing it, (even as they take innocents down with them, sadly)! Drugs, Ski-slopes, planes, trains and automobiles (especially automobiles), there’s always a Dead Kennedy in the news!
    They exterminate themselves, and we mock: Regret nothing!

  45. Actually, Mr. Mamba, “stoned and screaming”, but you’ve got the idea.
    One of my friend’s kids was in a band in Victoria called Electric Nipple Torture. I actually think names like that serve a purpose. I mean, if the harp player at the Empress phones in sick, the manager knows at once who not to call.

  48. I must have a thing for odd named bands. I’ve seen in concert The Dayglo Abortions, Me Mom and Morgantaller, and The Butthole Surfers (a very under rated band IMHO.
    Than again, I really like Pink Floyd to.
    Cheers,

  49. “Shit from Hell” needs renaming”…
    “Libshits still owe Canucks 40 million”

  50. Here here, eastern Paul!
    PS. I was up your way this weekend. Nice to see the snow’s all melted again!

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