Origins of Band Names
 

Interesting stories behind band names.

Mr. Bungle were so called because when touring in the UK with Faith No More, Mike Patton became obsessed with watching reruns of the UK children's TV show Rainbow, which featured the character Bungle. They had to add the Mr. after being threatened with legal action by the producers of the show.

The Aints
Ed Kuepper's band from the 90's, a play on the name of his old band The Saints. So called because Kuepper wasn't happy that Chris Bailey had continued using the name The Saints after Kuepper had left and the original band broke up. Also The Aints started out as a Saints cover band.

Black Sabbath took their name from an eponymous horror movie that had Lidia Alfonsi and Boris Karlos in it.

Everything But The Girl.

When the duo were dragging their demos from record company to record company, an exasperated Ben watt fnally lost his temper when one record company owner seemed less than impressed. "What DO you like about the band?", he screamed. To which the man replied, "Everything but the girl, she's pig ugly and HAS to go".

They adopted the name in defiance.

Pet Shop Boys - Guess?

Similar origin to that of the less successful Bum Boys I believe.

slowdive - they claim it came about in a dream, NOT the siouxsie song.
my bloody valentine - taken from a horrible b-movie
hole - from medea "there is a hole that pierces right through me"

thats all i can think of

oh, sonic youth = sonic smith + big youth

they kept hamsters up their arseholes

richard gere

Mr. Bungle is a character in old children's safety and health videos.
They would show them on Pee Wee Herman's HBO special, before Pee Wee's Playhouse . It is called LUNCHROOM MANNERS and the kid was called MR. BUNGLE

There was also a porno called Sharon's Sex Party which had a character called Mr. Bungle, and whence they got the quotes and soundbites for their songs off thweir first album, where she says "Oh Mr, Bungle, you smell so bad but you fuck so good."

Fred "Sonic" Smith, plus Big Youth, regaan Youth, New Youth, and countless other (blank) Youth named hardcore bands

kthanks mr. know it all

The Smiths - name chosen in direct contrast to the bombastic and stupid and florid "New Romantic" music band's names, like Orchestral manouvers In the Dark, Modern English, Spandau Ballet, etc. Smith being the single most common english name.


(BTW, I consider the current Emo scene more descended from these old 80's brit fops than from anything punk)

I love sonic youth :)

Lunchroom manners
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2s7X5-Drctk

the puppet is Mr. Bungle I see.

That's a bit dull.
I always thought that they had named themselves after Myra Hindley's sister's family.
It's an easy assumption to make. There are a lot of references to the Moors Murders in their first album.

it was not dull in context
so many stupid fucking shit bands with stupid fucking shit names coming out of england in the late 70's early 80's
Gene loves jezebel anyone?

Girls Against Boys

...it sounded cool.

The Pixies, like a lot of bands, named themselves by flipping thorugh a book and stopping at random, with their finger on the page. It read "Pixies"