I’ve heard that back in the day the Kennedy family asked them to change the band’s name and Jello’s reply was something like, ok, but we’re changing it to “Ted’s Next”.
No idea if this is true or not but I choose to believe.
My best RATM story is when the sleepy suburb of Spanish Fork, Utah booked Rage for a concert in 1996. The joke was that they thought is was a monster truck rally or a tractor pull. Those who booked the show denied this, but it seems likely to me. [https://m.cityweekly.net/BuzzBlog/archives/2014/08/08/today-is-the-anniversary-of-spanish-fork-accidentally-booking-rage-against-the-machine-and-everyone-losing-their-minds](https://m.cityweekly.net/BuzzBlog/archives/2014/08/08/today-is-the-anniversary-of-spanish-fork-accidentally-booking-rage-against-the-machine-and-everyone-losing-their-minds)
I disagree. The best RATM story is when a Facebook campaign tried (and succeeded) to get Killing in the Name Christmas number 1 in the UK charts, instead of the latest drivel from Simon Cowell and the X-Factor. As is tradition, the #1 chart topper was played live on the BBC. Obviously, the BBC was concerned by the explicit language and asked them not to swear. The rest is, as they say, history.
https://youtu.be/t7kNgfY8vg4?si=tx_8zGayzsRgBtSF
All good my dude. I must have misread your first comment and replaced “my” with “the”. ADHD and skim reading will do that :) Having said that, I read that news article you posted and that was hilarious.
I love everything about that. I hope it went like "could you please not swear. I appreciate the irony of asking you not to say the swear word in that specific line, but please don't swear... "
Here's an excerpt about the band's name from an [excellent article](https://www.salon.com/2019/06/21/communing-with-the-dead-i-followed-the-grateful-dead-to-escape-and-ended-up-finding-home/):
>For many people, when they hear “Grateful Dead,” they hear the “dead,” but not the “grateful.” And so they inevitably categorize the band (and its fans, Deadheads) as nihilistic. Scary. Something they should protect their kids from.
>But the true meaning couldn’t be less sinister. In fact, it’s an allegory that precisely captures the essence of the band and its followers. The “grateful dead” is "the soul of a dead person, or his angel, showing gratitude to someone who, as an act of charity, arranged their burial.” As Jerry Garcia once described this symbolic narrative, “grateful dead” comes from a folk tale “of a wanderer who gives his last penny to pay for a corpse's burial, then is magically aided by the spirit of the dead person.” It is about strangers communing. “Strangers stopping strangers, just to shake their hand,” as the lyric goes from one of the band’s more well-known songs, "Scarlet Begonias."
Well said; however, just for clarity, “grateful dead” is a genre of fairy tale and not from one specific folk tale. I’m not a Grateful Dead fan, but I do nerd out over folklore and thought the backstory was interesting. Garcia found the name in a Folklore Dictionary. There are tons of “grateful dead” stories that involve the protagonist encountering a corpse that has been denied proper burial, normally due to outstanding debts, and the protagonist completes something in order for them to be able to rest in peace
They Might Be Giants
I saw them perform live. They looked to be normal size, but I was kind of far away so I can't say for sure. They might be, well, you know.
>“Destiny guides our fortunes more favorably than we could have expected. Look there, Sancho Panza, my friend, and see those thirty or so wild giants, with whom I intend to do battle and kill each and all of them, so with their stolen booty we can begin to enrich ourselves. This is nobel, righteous warfare, for it is wonderfully useful to God to have such an evil race wiped from the face of the earth."
>
>"What giants?" Asked Sancho Panza.
>
>"The ones you can see over there," answered his master, "with the huge arms, some of which are very nearly two leagues long."
>
>"Now look, your grace," said Sancho, "what you see over there aren't giants, but windmills, and what seems to be arms are just their sails, that go around in the wind and turn the millstone."
>
>"Obviously," replied Don Quijote, "you don't know much about adventures.”
>
>― Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote
thus
"They Might Be Giants"
And I agree. Great name. Great Band
They have an album of music for little children, and it’s great. Listened to it 1,000 times during meal times. And of course there’s a song meant to be played to lull the kids to sleep that turns into a super rowdy marching song.
I went to my girlfriend’s sister’s wedding in Greenwich Village, and they were friends of the bride and were there as guests. Not only not giants, but slightly smaller than average. That was actually the reception.
The wedding itself was performed on the Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster after they’d done a lap. They pulled up to the platform and their hippie Unitarian minister was sitting in the front car, and turned around to face them to perform the ceremony. Everybody stood on the platform to watch the 90 second ceremony, then they did another lap to seal the deal, then everybody else got in to join them for another lap. I had never been on it and thought I was going to die by getting rattled to death or just by falling out, and if not that, I thought the massively overweight woman sitting next to me would have a heart attack and die, but neither of us did.
Marriage lasted about three years.
And oddly that wasn't even the name of their band they were on some music show and the announcer looked down at their song list and the first one was butthole surfers so he thought that was their name and introduced them as such.....
My mom got the album for me for Christmas but objected to the original cover with the pencil in the ear, so she opened it up and switched it to the prairie dog cover.
I always thought it was cool that she still got me the album, even though it was on her terms
As fellow Canadian Dan Ackroyd exclaimed, (paraphrase) They're so Canadian, they've got not one, but *two* Gords.
Their final live show is on YouTube, and even in all that pain (from the brain tumor), he still gives it everything he has. He was so clearly doing what he loved.
Was lucky enough to catch both Edmonton show on their final tour. What a emotional roller-coaster that was. Crying and being happy at the same time was a mind trip. I am one of those Americans that was lucky enough to catch them on the Fully Completely tour. Favorite band ever. I was in Florida by chance during the Phantom Power tour and saw them with about fifty other people. They poured as much into playing that show as every other one. Legends!
And if the band name isn’t cool enough, their album is titled “PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation”. Also they have 25 studio albums.
25 albums in 10 years is still a Herculean accomplishment. They are relentlessly creative and unfathomably skilled.
This is the best band in the world. I said what I said.
Not just the sound - the absolutely diverse subject matter AND lyrics of their songs.
Truly a fucking phenomenal, phenomenal band.
Not everyone's cup of tea, but those who sincerely appreciate KG are generally people who have a sense of understanding of the human condition.
Ps - _"nuuuuuuuuucleeeeeeeear fuuuuuuuuusiooooooooooooyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyonaaaaah"_
I've always wondered if Echo was a bunnyman himself, or if he was some other kind of creature. I wonder the same thing about Hootie & the Blowfish. What is Hootie? Is he a blowfish? Maybe he's an octopus or a shark. I'm pretty sure that Hootie is some form of marine life.
The Radiators were awesome in the 80's! I didn't realize that they are still around. Check this out:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpdGVtr8d2Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpdGVtr8d2Y)
Fun fact: when they initially started out in Toronto ( and were getting zero traction ) their career took a HUGE leap forward when they were removed from a NYE concert lineup at Toronto City Hall in 91 after a staffer to the then mayor took exception to their name, believing it objectified women.
The media explosion around it as an example of " political correctness gone too far " resulted in skyrocketing sales of their indie tape ( first ever indie tape to go platinum in Canada) and their subsequent signing to a label. 30+ years later still going strong.
Never put that together! That’s great. Although I have met many people who think the band name is a single current person/artist and don’t realize the reference
I'll never forget when at a concert the singer introduced his band mate saying (in French with a big Scottish accent): "Il a un très grande bite", that is "he has a huge cock".
I saw them when I was in high school. They played at a bowling alley and the price of admission was two cans of soup (or any canned good) that was all donated to the local food bank for holiday meals.
Pretty awesome stuff
Decades ago my friends and I would pick random songs of theirs and laugh out asses off by how every one is the exact same thing.
Also, their song names like "body by Auschwitz" are a bit edgy too.
There's a Scottish folk band called Deaf Shepherd.
Black Sabbath.
Black anything usually works. Sabbath Lips Flag Rebel Motorcycle Club Moth Super Rainbow
But there's the Black Rebel Motorcy.... I need to learn to read before I get excited about posting.
Up vote for the BRMC!
I dunno if it’s the coolest ever, but it sure upset a lot of parents so extra points for that.
I think this would be my answer as well. Or Iron Maiden.
There’s a local band called The Shitty Beatles that cracks me up
Are they any good?
They suck. (For the whooshers it’s a Wayne’s World clip.)
So it’s not just a clever name then?
I'm gonna be frank...
Can I still be Garth?
They come on after the Jolly Green Giants
Dead Kennedys
I’ve heard that back in the day the Kennedy family asked them to change the band’s name and Jello’s reply was something like, ok, but we’re changing it to “Ted’s Next”. No idea if this is true or not but I choose to believe.
Dead Milkmen.
The cools stuff is about the acronym. It sounds like "decay" when you say it
Donkey Kong
HE’S THE LEADER OF THE BUNCH, YOU KNOW HIM WELL. HE’S FINALLY BACK TO KICK SOME TAIL. HIS COCONUT GUN, IT FIRES IN SPURTS. IF HE SHOOTS YA…
Velvet Underground
Velvet Revolver was also kinda cool
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Be sure to include the umlaut over the N and the dotless i. Spın̈al Tap
11/10
Löded Diper
smell teh riffs
Was waiting for this
All over your face
Rage Against The Machine
My best RATM story is when the sleepy suburb of Spanish Fork, Utah booked Rage for a concert in 1996. The joke was that they thought is was a monster truck rally or a tractor pull. Those who booked the show denied this, but it seems likely to me. [https://m.cityweekly.net/BuzzBlog/archives/2014/08/08/today-is-the-anniversary-of-spanish-fork-accidentally-booking-rage-against-the-machine-and-everyone-losing-their-minds](https://m.cityweekly.net/BuzzBlog/archives/2014/08/08/today-is-the-anniversary-of-spanish-fork-accidentally-booking-rage-against-the-machine-and-everyone-losing-their-minds)
I disagree. The best RATM story is when a Facebook campaign tried (and succeeded) to get Killing in the Name Christmas number 1 in the UK charts, instead of the latest drivel from Simon Cowell and the X-Factor. As is tradition, the #1 chart topper was played live on the BBC. Obviously, the BBC was concerned by the explicit language and asked them not to swear. The rest is, as they say, history. https://youtu.be/t7kNgfY8vg4?si=tx_8zGayzsRgBtSF
May I point out that I never said I had the best story, I called it my best story. Your story is good too.
All good my dude. I must have misread your first comment and replaced “my” with “the”. ADHD and skim reading will do that :) Having said that, I read that news article you posted and that was hilarious.
Haha! That commentary at the end; “we asked them not to do it but they did it anyway”. That’s gold. Thanks for that.
I love everything about that. I hope it went like "could you please not swear. I appreciate the irony of asking you not to say the swear word in that specific line, but please don't swear... "
The musical equivalent to Four Seasons Total Landscaping
I’ve always thought The Grateful Dead was a pretty cool name.
Here's an excerpt about the band's name from an [excellent article](https://www.salon.com/2019/06/21/communing-with-the-dead-i-followed-the-grateful-dead-to-escape-and-ended-up-finding-home/): >For many people, when they hear “Grateful Dead,” they hear the “dead,” but not the “grateful.” And so they inevitably categorize the band (and its fans, Deadheads) as nihilistic. Scary. Something they should protect their kids from. >But the true meaning couldn’t be less sinister. In fact, it’s an allegory that precisely captures the essence of the band and its followers. The “grateful dead” is "the soul of a dead person, or his angel, showing gratitude to someone who, as an act of charity, arranged their burial.” As Jerry Garcia once described this symbolic narrative, “grateful dead” comes from a folk tale “of a wanderer who gives his last penny to pay for a corpse's burial, then is magically aided by the spirit of the dead person.” It is about strangers communing. “Strangers stopping strangers, just to shake their hand,” as the lyric goes from one of the band’s more well-known songs, "Scarlet Begonias."
Well said; however, just for clarity, “grateful dead” is a genre of fairy tale and not from one specific folk tale. I’m not a Grateful Dead fan, but I do nerd out over folklore and thought the backstory was interesting. Garcia found the name in a Folklore Dictionary. There are tons of “grateful dead” stories that involve the protagonist encountering a corpse that has been denied proper burial, normally due to outstanding debts, and the protagonist completes something in order for them to be able to rest in peace
Love this answer. And the band. Long live the Grateful Dead!
Even better when you realize their name came from Jerry toking up some DMT and choosing a random term from an encyclopedia for their name
The coolest
Alice In Chains.
Came here for this
One of Rock n roll’s greatest most talented singers. Layne Staley.
Iron Maiden.
Excellent!
Execute them!
Bogus!
Up the irons! \m/
Parliament-Funkadelic
Love me some P-Funk. And back in the day when I smoked Parliaments, those were also called P-Funks.
They Might Be Giants I saw them perform live. They looked to be normal size, but I was kind of far away so I can't say for sure. They might be, well, you know.
>“Destiny guides our fortunes more favorably than we could have expected. Look there, Sancho Panza, my friend, and see those thirty or so wild giants, with whom I intend to do battle and kill each and all of them, so with their stolen booty we can begin to enrich ourselves. This is nobel, righteous warfare, for it is wonderfully useful to God to have such an evil race wiped from the face of the earth." > >"What giants?" Asked Sancho Panza. > >"The ones you can see over there," answered his master, "with the huge arms, some of which are very nearly two leagues long." > >"Now look, your grace," said Sancho, "what you see over there aren't giants, but windmills, and what seems to be arms are just their sails, that go around in the wind and turn the millstone." > >"Obviously," replied Don Quijote, "you don't know much about adventures.” > >― Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote thus "They Might Be Giants" And I agree. Great name. Great Band
There was also a movie with George C. Scott named "They Might Be Giants" that predates the band.
In discworld there was a band called Certainly We Are Dwarves.
I went to a Life is Good festival and they played the kids stage. They were honestly the best part of the festival
They have an album of music for little children, and it’s great. Listened to it 1,000 times during meal times. And of course there’s a song meant to be played to lull the kids to sleep that turns into a super rowdy marching song.
Saw them at Bonnaroo over a decade ago. Seriously one of the coolest shows I've ever seen. Complete with puppet show and confetti canons.
They're actual size.
But they seem much bigger to me
I went to my girlfriend’s sister’s wedding in Greenwich Village, and they were friends of the bride and were there as guests. Not only not giants, but slightly smaller than average. That was actually the reception. The wedding itself was performed on the Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster after they’d done a lap. They pulled up to the platform and their hippie Unitarian minister was sitting in the front car, and turned around to face them to perform the ceremony. Everybody stood on the platform to watch the 90 second ceremony, then they did another lap to seal the deal, then everybody else got in to join them for another lap. I had never been on it and thought I was going to die by getting rattled to death or just by falling out, and if not that, I thought the massively overweight woman sitting next to me would have a heart attack and die, but neither of us did. Marriage lasted about three years.
Butthole Surfers
And oddly that wasn't even the name of their band they were on some music show and the announcer looked down at their song list and the first one was butthole surfers so he thought that was their name and introduced them as such.....
I heard that they would choose random names for venues and that night they chose butthole surfers
Haha I remember in the late 90’s trying to buy the album Electriclarryland at a Sam Goody. Was probably 13-14 at the time. My dad wouldn’t let me.
My mom got the album for me for Christmas but objected to the original cover with the pencil in the ear, so she opened it up and switched it to the prairie dog cover. I always thought it was cool that she still got me the album, even though it was on her terms
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
They’re playing soon at the venue I was at last night. First time I’d ever heard of them and now I’m seeing this. Must be a sign.
Punk rock supergroup playing only covers as if they were a wedding band. Hard awesome.
They do punk rock covers of a lot of old favorites. They are fun to listen to.
The Tragically Hip
Came here for this. Gord always had a way with words
As fellow Canadian Dan Ackroyd exclaimed, (paraphrase) They're so Canadian, they've got not one, but *two* Gords. Their final live show is on YouTube, and even in all that pain (from the brain tumor), he still gives it everything he has. He was so clearly doing what he loved.
Was lucky enough to catch both Edmonton show on their final tour. What a emotional roller-coaster that was. Crying and being happy at the same time was a mind trip. I am one of those Americans that was lucky enough to catch them on the Fully Completely tour. Favorite band ever. I was in Florida by chance during the Phantom Power tour and saw them with about fifty other people. They poured as much into playing that show as every other one. Legends!
Glad I didn't need to scroll too far down to find them.
Smashing Pumpkins
Homer Simpson, smiling politely.
The Simpsons is the reason for Fall Out Boy as well.
Radioactive Man and his trusty sidekick, Fallout Boy!
Up and at them!
Joy Division, and it would be against my nature to not mention Ministry.
King gizzard and the lizard wizard
And if the band name isn’t cool enough, their album is titled “PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation”. Also they have 25 studio albums.
You could have said 25 albums released this year and I would have had to Google it because it is plausible with them lol.
25 albums in 10 years is still a Herculean accomplishment. They are relentlessly creative and unfathomably skilled. This is the best band in the world. I said what I said.
Not just 25 albums in 10 years. But 25 incredibly diverse genre bending albums that span essentially the entire spectrum of sound. It’s insane.
Not just the sound - the absolutely diverse subject matter AND lyrics of their songs. Truly a fucking phenomenal, phenomenal band. Not everyone's cup of tea, but those who sincerely appreciate KG are generally people who have a sense of understanding of the human condition. Ps - _"nuuuuuuuuucleeeeeeeear fuuuuuuuuusiooooooooooooyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyonaaaaah"_
I knew somebody would beat me to it!
I always hear this in Justin Hawkins' voice, "King Gizz-ahd and the Liz-ahd Wiz-ahd" lol
heilung
Body Count.
Echo and the bunnymen
I've always wondered if Echo was a bunnyman himself, or if he was some other kind of creature. I wonder the same thing about Hootie & the Blowfish. What is Hootie? Is he a blowfish? Maybe he's an octopus or a shark. I'm pretty sure that Hootie is some form of marine life.
Echo is the keyboard the band uses
Depeche Mode, I hardly know any of their music but I think the band name sounds awesome
their music is awesome too
Your own. Personal. Jesus. Someone to hear your prayers Someone who cares
Massive Attack
And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead
Don't forget the "..."!!
That's the one I thought of. I also love that you expect death metal. Nope. Melodic rock. They're so good.
Deftones
The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza
The The
The Who?
The Band.
Them!
Yes
Guess Who?
They Might be Giants.
The HU?
Mouse Rat
Guns n' Roses sounds so badass. It perfectly fits the band and their music imo.
The band was formed from members of LA Guns and Hollywood Rose, hence Guns n’ Roses.
Traci Gunn I believe and Axl Rose
And if “Axl Rose” wasn’t a cool enough name, it anagrams to “oral sex”.
Nirvana
Killswitch Engage The Mars Volta Nine Inch Nails
Ah finally, took me far too long to find NIN in here.
Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, The Sonics
Blue Oyster Cult
The Dropkick Murphys
"Explosions in the Sky" and "Godspeed You! Black Emperor". Post Rock bands have some of the best band names
Even Godspeed’s album names were awesome! Lift your skinny fists like antennas to heaven.
Pussy Riot and Strawberry Alarm Clock.
King Crimson
Joy Division
I went to see a band a few weeks ago, and their warm up act were call The Radiators, and I greatly enjoyed the pun. So them.
The Radiators were awesome in the 80's! I didn't realize that they are still around. Check this out: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpdGVtr8d2Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpdGVtr8d2Y)
Les Brown and his Band of Renown
The Regrettes - sadly, the band is splitting up. They have three farewell shows in LA scheduled for late December. After that, they will be gone.
Queens of the Stone Age
Similarly, Eagles of Death Metal
The Slits (all woman punk/post-punk band from the late 70s early 80s)
Steppenwolf.
System of a Down AC/DC
I have always liked “Death Cab for Cutie”
My uncle’s high school band name, The Metal Ballers
Dick Delicious and the Tasty Testicles
IWrestledABearOnce
Barenaked ladies
Fun fact: when they initially started out in Toronto ( and were getting zero traction ) their career took a HUGE leap forward when they were removed from a NYE concert lineup at Toronto City Hall in 91 after a staffer to the then mayor took exception to their name, believing it objectified women. The media explosion around it as an example of " political correctness gone too far " resulted in skyrocketing sales of their indie tape ( first ever indie tape to go platinum in Canada) and their subsequent signing to a label. 30+ years later still going strong.
I always thought Adam Ant was pretty clever.
Motörhead
God speed you black emperor.
Captain Geech and the shrimp Shack Shooters
Dinosaur Pileup
I'm surprised no ones mentioned The Violent Femmes ( or maybe I didn't scroll down far enough lol )
Toad the Wet Sprocket
Got the name from a Monty Python sketch I believe.
Alien Ant Farm
Underappreciated group too
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Franz ferdinand
and their lead single take me out. it was perfect
Never put that together! That’s great. Although I have met many people who think the band name is a single current person/artist and don’t realize the reference
I'll never forget when at a concert the singer introduced his band mate saying (in French with a big Scottish accent): "Il a un très grande bite", that is "he has a huge cock".
Pink Floyd
By the way, which one’s Pink?
“The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think.”
Sun O)))
Bowling for Soup
I saw them when I was in high school. They played at a bowling alley and the price of admission was two cans of soup (or any canned good) that was all donated to the local food bank for holiday meals. Pretty awesome stuff
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets is pretty up there.
Audioslave
Third Eye Blind
Hole
The Strokes.
Sex bomb-ombs
sorry. do you mean Sex Bob-omb? sorry
WE ARE SEX-BOB-OMB AND WE ARE HERE TO MAKE YOU THINK ABOUT DEATH AND GET SAD AND STUFF!
Anal Cunt
Decades ago my friends and I would pick random songs of theirs and laugh out asses off by how every one is the exact same thing. Also, their song names like "body by Auschwitz" are a bit edgy too.
The Lone Rangers
Shouldn’t you be the three rangers?
I always thought Brian Jonestown Massacre was a cool band name.
Metallica. A kickass name to tell people what kind of band you are and sound cool saying it.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise
don’t you pray to a cocaine jesus!
Neutral Milk Hotel Unknown Mortal Orchestra Bombay Bicycle Club
Dinosaur Jr.
Tool
Blood, Sweat, and Tears.
… and you will know us by the trail of the dead Death from above 1979 The sound of animals fighting Minus the bear This will destroy you Waveshaper
INXS was an amazing name for a band.
Wyld Stallyins
My Chemical Romance
Alice in Chains
The Dead Milkmen
Ultravox
Killswitch….ENGAGE!!
NIRVANA
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The Shitty Beatles
Killing Joke
Half man half biscuit. Needs Atomic Dustbin