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GMC Forum _ CHILL OUT _ 25 Rejected Band Names

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi May 2 2014, 09:04 PM

I found this cool article about the other possible band names that famous bands had or were thinking to us and it's hilarious. I wonder what would have happen if Black Sabbath would be The Polka Tulk Blues Band.

http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/2013-11-26/25-rejected-first-names-of-mega-famous-bands/

Check the article and tell us what names had your bands in the past that you are happy that finally decided to avoid using them...

I remember using this names when I was a teenager:

Killera
Leprechaun
Warlock
La Pocha

Posted by: bleez May 2 2014, 09:30 PM

"Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem"..... they totally should have used that name, its brilliant

A band name Ive always really liked is 'The grateful dead', Im not a fan of their music but its an excellent name for a band imo.

Posted by: Bogdan Radovic May 2 2014, 09:42 PM

One thing crossed my mind related to this topic.

What do you think about band names from your local countries music scene?

What I have noticed here is that bands often choose some names in English, even though they sign in local language.
Isn't that a bit weird? To me that instantly makes the band a bit distanced from the target audience (they are singing in local language), also makes it harder for them to get exposure on Youtube, Google and even secure a FB page if the name is already "taken". I also went for such an English name for my latest project (even though the current material is in native language) but I don't have any gigs in plan and it was just a project to begin with that has no clear "vision of the future" and hopes for some international material too.

Choosing a name for the band is really difficult btw and yet so important.
What are the criterias for choosing a name for the band? Does it has to have a special meaning, reflect the style or...?
How do you do it?

I know its kinda stupid, but one of my criteria for choosing a band name is how it looks on the poster

Posted by: jstcrsn May 2 2014, 11:06 PM

Hendrix could have pulled off "Jimmy James and the Blue Flames"

Posted by: Spock May 3 2014, 12:11 AM

The name of my first "gigging" band was called "Smokin' Betty".

We opened up a book by Zecharia Sitchin, "The 12th Planet" and literally opened it up and pointed a finger down on a random page. The words the finger landed on were "Smoking Betty Papyrus", not in that order, but the words we could see - so we toyed with Smoking Betty Papyrus before we wound up with Smokin' Betty, and still like that name.

I still have an old shirt...

Posted by: Hexabuzz May 3 2014, 12:57 AM

I don't remember where I found this list (I've had it for years), but some of these names are insane...

My personal favorite - Kathleen Turner Overdrive...

Before starting a rock band, you should know that the following names are taken:

[ a ]
Albino Toilet Boys
Alcoholocaust
Alcoholics Unanimous
Apocalypse Hoboken
Armageddon Dildos

[ b ]
Biff Hitler and the Violent Mood Swings
The Band Formerly Known As Sausage
Band Over
Band That Shot Liberty Valence
Barbara's Bush
Bleau Chunks
Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggets
The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir
The Boxing Ghandis
Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre
Breakfast in Beruit
Bulimia Banquet
Buster Hymen & the Penetrators

[ c ]
Caltransvestites
Cap'n Crunch and the Cereal Killers
Carnage Asada
Cindy Brady's Lisp
Cortizone 5
Cottage Cheese from the Lips of Death

[ d ]
The Dancing French Liberals of 1848
The Dead Sea Squirrels
The Dead Kennedys
The Dick Clarks
The Dick Nixons
Dicky Retardo
Drunks With Guns

[ e ]
e. coli
Edith Head
Electric Prostates
Elvis Hitler
Engorged Members
Ethyl Merman

[ f ]
Fearless Iranians From Hell
Fields of Shit
'57 Lesbian
The 4-Skins
The 4 Nikators
Four Nurses of the Apocalypse
The French are from Hell
Fromage d'Amour

[ g ]
Gefelte Joe and the Fish
Gonoreagan

[ h ]
Headless Marines
Hell Camino
Herpes Cineplex
Hindu Garage Sale
Hitler's Bikini
HIV and the Positives
Honest Bob and the Factory to Dealer Incentives
Hornets Attack Victor Mature

[ i ]
Impaled Nazarenes
Inhale Mary
Invertebrates

[ j ]
Janitors Against Apartheid
Jehovah's Waitresses
Jehovah's Wetness
Jehovah's Witness Protection Program
Jesus Christ Super Fly
Jesus Chrysler Supercar
Jesus Manson and the Starvation Army
JFKFC
Jonestown Punch

[ k ]
Kathleen Turner Overdrive
Kerrigan's Knees

[ l ]
Lack of Afro
Lawn Piranhas
The Leave It To Beaver Conehead Immolation
Lee Harvey Keitel
Lesbian Ninjas
Louder Than God

[ m ]
Mao Tse Helen
Mary Kay and the Cosmetics
Max Roach and the Holders
Meat Curtains
Minnie Pearl's Jam
Mr. Happy and the Genocides
Mussolini Headkick
My Dog Has Hitler's Brain

[ n ]
Nate Nocturnal and the Nightly Emissions
Nervous Christians and the Lions
Norman Bates and the Shower Heads
Not Drowning, Waving

[ p ]
Pabst Smear
Pearl Harbor and the Explosions
Penis DeMilo
Pepto Dismal
Phenobarbidols
Phlegm Fatale
Poultry in Motion
Pretentious Flamedogs
The Pro-Midget Mafia
Psychic Buddhist Gorillas
Psycho Sluts from Hell
Pungent Frustration
Purple Headed Love Warriors

[ r ]
Raging Pimps of Doom
Rectal Nightmare
Reluctant Stereotypes
Reserectum
Results of Inbreeding
Retarted Elf
Roid Rogers and the Whirling Butt Cherries

[ q ]
Quasimodo and the Eunuchs

[ s ]
Sandy Duncan's Eye
Screaming Headless Torsos
Screaming Iguanas of Love
Screaming Moist Accountants
Septic Death
Seven Year Bitch
The Shamu Afterbirth Orchestra
Shirley Temple of Doom
Shirley Temple Pilots
Simulated Orgasms [Simulerte Orgasmer]
Skeptic Tank
Smegma & the Nuns
Smorgasborgnine
Solosex
The Sound of Munich
Spastic Colon
The Sphinctones
Stiff Richards
Stukas Over Bedrock
Swingin' Johnsons

[ t ]
Ted Bundy's Volkswagen
The Telephony Bandits of Doom
Temporary Darkening of the Stool
Testostertones
The Texas Nazis
Thank God We're Immortal
They Tried To Frame OJ
To Live and Shave in LA
Toxic Shock and the Tampons
Tracy & the Hindenburg Ground Crew
Tragic Mulatto
Transsexual Hitler
Trotsky Icepick

[ u ]
Uncle Dickie's Shameless Quickies
Unstoppable Kamikaze Iditos

[ v ]
Vaginal Davis
The Velcro Pygmies
Vic Morrow's Head

[ w ]
The Well Hungarians
Willie Nelson Mandela

[ y ]
Yoko Homo

[ z ]
Zip Code Rapists
Zombies Under Stress
Zulu Leprechauns

Posted by: Spock May 3 2014, 01:10 AM

DAMN!!! Albino Toilet Boys is called for.

Who would have thought a band called "The Butthole Surfers" would turn out like they did? The were awesome.

Posted by: bleez May 3 2014, 03:25 PM

QUOTE (Spock @ May 3 2014, 01:10 AM)

Who would have thought a band called "The Butthole Surfers" would turn out like they did? The were awesome.

they were a lot more well known than you would have initially expected

I used to listen to a band called 'Half man half biscuit'.... they were probably as strange as the name suggests

I dont know if a good name is the most important thing. when you think about some massive bands who IMO have quite mediocre names. After a while you dont really think about the meaning of the name.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi May 3 2014, 07:55 PM

QUOTE (Bogdan Radovic @ May 2 2014, 05:42 PM)

Good point! I don't like when a band uses a name in English and sings in another language, I think that it doesn't make sense. In some cases I think that choosing an universal name that works in different languages could be a good idea, but it's tricky to find a cool one which isn't used.

Posted by: Mudbone May 4 2014, 01:28 AM

It probably makes no sense for non-English bands to use English names, but many English bands have used non English names, the most prominent example being Led Zeppelin.

One band actually made a really good point about band names. They said that in some ways, a band name is irrelevant. They also didn't want the band name to describe the music they play. They wanted the name to be ambiguous, where you would have to wonder what kind of music they play. Many bands give themselves a name to fit in a genre. If you heard of a band called Goat Rapist, I'm quite sure you'll figure out what kind of music they play (in fact, a band called Goatwhore does exist).

So who is this band? Why, none other than Korn. With a backwards K.

Posted by: Hexabuzz May 4 2014, 01:51 AM

QUOTE (Mudbone @ May 3 2014, 07:28 PM)

It probably makes no sense for non-English bands to use English names, but many English bands have used non English names, the most prominent example being Led Zeppelin.

How is Led Zeppelin not in English? "Led" is just a misspelling/homonym for "lead" as in the phrase "lead balloon"... And yes, "zeppelin" is of German origin from the name Von Zeppelin but is in common English usage as a synonym for rigid airship...

Just curious...

Posted by: Spock May 4 2014, 02:12 AM

QUOTE (bleez @ May 3 2014, 10:25 AM)

I dont know if a good name is the most important thing. when you think about some massive bands who IMO have quite mediocre names. After a while you dont really think about the meaning of the name.

No doubt. Eventually the music takes over the name - like "Red Hot Chillie Peppers", great band - but lame name, which today is branded and awesome.

BTW - Led Zepplin. That was an old saying to be used like sarcastically such as... "well, that would go over like a lead zeppelin", meaning a crash - so I think a sense of humor was probably used in their name, being as cutting edge as they were.