Most Creative Band Names, and the Meaning Behind them

"Blue Oyster Cult" ?

The name "Blue Öyster Cult" came from a 1960s poem written by manager Sandy Pearlman.

Your favorites?

 

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Named in honor of Leonard Skinner, the high school coach who objected to the long hair of some of the future band members.

 

English band Turnstile Junkpile named after Townes Van Zandt song Turnstyled, Junkpiled

 

Birmingham 6
Birmingham Six - Wikipedia

 

The Black Keys - the two members knew a guy with mental issues in hometown Akron OH. He used to ask them for crayons and cigarettes. One of the things he used to say to them was "don't be a black key; don't be a B flat".

 

Zappa et al. named themselves Mothers (because of Mother's Day occuring on that day),
Then forced to change their name - and having to show some inventivity I guess - called themselves Mothers Of Invention

 

Death Cab for Cutie. Taken from the song by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and featured in Magical Mystery Tour.

 

Steely Dan is named after a . . . well, uh, . . .

Look it up.

 

Steely Dan
Soft Machine
Mugwumps

All derived from the writings or titles of fiction by William S. Burroughs.

 

Comes With The Fall

Words that appeared on a OUIJA board in Rosemary's Baby.

 

The Velvet Underground, of course, took their name from a pseudo-journalistic potboiler paperback about S&M. It perfectly suited the band.


The Lovin' Spoonful took their name from a song called "Coffee Blues" performed by Mississippi John Hurt. The innuendo was intentional, but vague.

 

add Dead Fingers Talk to the list above.

How about Half Man Half Biscuit. Not Sure how that name was derived.

 

The story about the Byrds changing their name from "Birds" because the latter was British slang for girls (and running through some other options, with David Crosby suggesting "Birdsies" and Gene Clark suggesting "Burds") is well known. What is less well known is that they chose the name "Byrds" as a tribute to Admiral Richard E. Byrd, as McGuinn obliquely acknowledges in an interview during the Fifth Dimension period (1966) (he mentions the name is meant to evoke "discovering the South Pole").

 

Nova Mob
The Insect Trust
Thin White Rope

 

I was just rereading Naked Lunch this week and was reminded exactly which specific item from Burroughs Steely Dan came from.

 

The Beatles

Because it's a kind of insect and they played music with a beat.

It's a bit rubbish really, isn't it?

 

A lot of these names are just borrowings, a creative band name is something like Matching Mole, which is derived from the French for Soft Machine - Robert Wyatt's old band, of course - Machine Molle.

 

Toad the Wet Sprocket came from a Monty Python skit. Not sure where Monty Python came from.

 

Captain Beeheart allegedly comes from Van Vliet's uncle, who would expose himself to Don's live in girlfriend by leaving the bathroom door open, and who referred to his member as a "fine beef heart." They also planned a low budget movie in high school to be called Captain Beefheart meets the Grunt People.

 

Gay Dad

 

The Boston band Showcase Showdown. Named for the last round in "The Price is Right."

 

What's big and purple and lives in the ocean?

 

"Moby Grape" of course!

 

Marilyn Manson