14 Comments
User's avatar
the sovereign audite's avatar

sad to see The Beach Boys on the band name list (even though i completely get your reasoning - their name definitely stifles people seeing their musical genius they created post-Pet Sounds especially it was all so incredible!), but jazzed to see *NSYNC in the honorable mentions!

Expand full comment
Alex Brown's avatar

it was such a hard choice to include them </3 but they are SO much more than boys who love the beach! it makes me sad that so many people think that’s all they are!

Expand full comment
the sovereign audite's avatar

i absolutely feel you! i was just watching a youtube video last night of a couple of BB fans (one in his thirties and the other a much older fan who was alive during those time to experience it all first hand) and he brought up that maybe they should have eventually changed their named to Beach so they could be taken more seriously and honestly that could have worked!

but i would have definitely felt like the Wesley Snipes pointing-gun-while-crying meme while adding them to the list, lmao!

Expand full comment
Jessica Bondy's avatar

Nice lists, made me laugh!

Expand full comment
Alex Brown's avatar

glad to hear!! thanks for reading :)

Expand full comment
Soarin' Søren Kierkegaard's avatar

“The term foo fighters was used by Allied aircraft pilots during World War II to describe various unidentified flying objects or mysterious aerial phenomena seen in the skies over both the European and Pacific theaters of operations.”

Expand full comment
Mary McDermott's avatar

Omggg I was so glad to see Imagine Dragons as number one, I was so disappointed when their music had nothing to do with fantasy or dragons and didn't have that Lord of the Rings kind of sound of you know what I mean 😂😭 and I loved that The Who was on your best list! I agreed with your lists and loved your descriptions!

Expand full comment
Mark Farley's avatar

One of my all time favourite band names, ever; is Angry vs The Bear!

Expand full comment
Rod Stasick 🇨🇦's avatar

Still digesting this list...

but you should know that the original Nirvana *was* a psychedelic band from the mid-60s. ("The Story Of Simon Simopath" was their first album). As a matter of fact, Cobain and this band had an out-of-court settlement when it came to the use of the name.

Expand full comment
Gary Trujillo's avatar

U2 is dumb as hell, but the Beach Boys can't be on the worst list for the simple fact that the name helped them define the "surfer sound." (even though they were from the Valley and none of them surfed)

Best band names: Christian Death, Joy Division, The Cramps, The Germs, The Go Go's. Bikini Kill

Expand full comment
Nolan Green's avatar

Best Band Name: I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness

Expand full comment
Cal Cashin's avatar

great list - I think The Velvet Underground is prob my favourite ever band name. wanted to add tho that there was a UK psych band of some repute called Nirvana in the 60s and they also rule

Expand full comment
Sara Wilson's avatar

Was already murmuring "Imagine Dragons better be on this list" as I opened this post. *chefs kiss*

Expand full comment
Mark's avatar

At first I started going through the list of band names with one eye open, yes a bit skeptical. Then I started reading the detailed reasoning behind your comments and both my eyes were open wide. I think the writing is hysterical and way more than just comments about band names. It is a glimpse into a view of music's history that we rarely give any thought to. Well done! Great writing!! Viva The BEATles.

Expand full comment