Terrible Band Names

Worst band names ever?

Find out who made the list HERE

But before you "click" consider that most band names are pretty stupid until you develop an affinity for their music. Even "The Beatles" as a name was probably kind of silly at the beginning but is now synonymous with musical excellence. Time and talent heal all, no?

That being said, there are REALLY stupid band names out there, many of whom are represented on the list I link to. What do you think? Who'd they leave out?

And maybe the question should be, "Are there any band names that, taken out of context with the music, don't sound goofy?"

The Future Of Music Formats?

Vinyl.

Read the article, then read the comments on this wonderful blog entry by NPR's "All Songs Considered". Make sense to me, I kind of hope it comes to fruition myself.

CLICK HERE

"And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee..."

My youngest daughter's favorite new song is "Puff The Magic Dragon".

She sings it all day and all night, and I chuckle a little to myself everytime she does. I think I'll wait until she turns 18 to tell her what it's really about...

I Gotta Get Me One Of These

Wow, a genuine bumwadipod dock! How cool is that? Now I can combine two of my "great escapes" into one.
Hmnnn, I wonder what the playlist would consist of...?

Oh, and as a side note: If you can find it, the Orb's version of Free Bird is a friggin classic!

Eclectic Video Weekend

Primal Scream's "Can't Go Back"

Nick Lowe's "What's So Funny ('Bout Peace Love And Understanding"

My Morning Jacket's "One Big Holiday"

And, from The OST To The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tim Curry camping it up with "Sweet Transvestite"

A Few Things The "Downloading Revolution" Has Destroyed

Album art and liner notes.

The smell of new music.

Spending/ investing many (wonderful) hours at independent brick and mortar music shops, simply browsing.

Rolling, ahem, cigarettes, ahem, on gatefold sleeves.

Scrounging for milk crates, most often behind convenience stores, to store your albums (LP's).

Organizing your albums alphabetically, chronologically, by genre, whatever.

Buying new albums based solely on artwork or band name and, occasionally, finding a real treasure.

The experience and excitement of searching for months (or years!), and finally finding that rare CD or LP.

Trading in old albums you no longer listen to for something new.

Bragging rights on the size and diversity of your collection.

Shuckin' The Jive

The following has nothing to do with music, or comics for that matter, it's just something I read the other day that made me laugh out loud. And since that doesn't happen very often I thought I'd share. After you read it you'll probably be convinced that I'm this totally bonkers guy living in a basement like that Silence Of The Lambs dude, but I'm really quite normal. I've just got a very bizarre sense of humor.

Enjoy, and special props to whomever can name the author or the book from which this was taken.

"I was sitting at home, peeking through the blinds at my neighbor's wife, minding my own business, when my doorbell rang. "Who's there?" I shouted. "We don't know," came the reply. I immediately knew the dopes had come over. I opened the door and invited them in. I was happy to have company even if they were a bunch of dopes.

'Well, what brings you over this way?" I queried.
"Yup."
"Yup."
"Yup."
"Yup." they said.

"Would you like some coffee?" I asked.
"Gol," said one dope, "how long have we been here?"
"About two minutes."
"Gol, we should have left hours ago!" And they packed up some of my things and lumbered out.
"Goodbye Dopes!" I shouted.
They turned to me and shouted back, "Goodbye, you big fuckin' idiot!"

Ya Gotta Love The British Music Press

In 1976, the New Musical Express ran a story about a Clash fan who bit off her boyfriend's earlobe during a London show — behavior Jones says "wasn't unusual" at their early club performances. "I've got to be honest — it was just a piece of the lobe," he says. "Like a Mike Tyson kind of thing."

Don't blow it out of proportion, NME, for the sake of selling a few papers, eh wot?

Kurtzman & Davis/ Rankin & Bass!

Halloween is just around the corner, folks, and before Tim Burton slithered onto the screen there was...RANKIN-BASS AND THEIR MAD MONSTER PARTY HALLOWEEN SPECIAL!!
What makes this retro stop animation special so...special...is that Harvey Kurtzman wrote the kitschy screenplay and Jack Davis created the artistic templates for the "monsters". If those names don't ring a bell then you need to brush up on your pop culture trivia. These are two of the most important names in all of comicdom, the former the co-creator of MAD magazine and the later a prolific artist for MAD, Madison Avenue advertising campaigns and about a zillion other high profile comic concepts.
Check out the rock band in the video below. Look familiar...?

A Nightmare Exclusive!

I just received emphatic proof that Thom Yorke, lead singer for space rockers Radiohead, is the biological father of Clay Aiken, effeminate pop idol. Who the mother is is anyone's guess...

See?



See?

Wanna See What's On My Ipod?

You know you wanna....CLICK HERE

Reader Post Submission #1

A constant reader of The Nightmare writes:

"Dear Uncle E. I am such a HUGE fan of your blog! Without your daily postings I would be lost. Before I stumbled upon "The Nightmare" my life was nothing but an empty shell, musically speaking. I used to listen to REM, Rupert Holmes and old C.W. McCall records beore you enlightened...nay...SAVED me, wretched fool that I was, from the tuneless abyss in which I was drowning.
From the moment I read your magnificent and extremely well written bogus band biography on STYX I was hooked. You and the, I assume, many fine folks who dedicate hours and hours each day to the well thought out content must be a dedicated bunch. Keep it up, for if "The Nightmare" were to cease e-publication I would wither and die like some pathetic Cabernet grape that's been left in the sun too long.
Anyway, might I be so bold to ask a question that's been nagging at me for a while? What I want to know, and I'm sure other readers have had this same question pop up from time to time, is "How many times does Sting sing the Phrase "Message in a bottle" on the song "Message In A Bottle"?

Sincerely,

Brave Sir Robin
San Diego, California
Age 6

Well, Brave Sir Robin, thanks for the kind words and thoughtful question! I'd be happy to answer that for you, since you asked so nicely.

10.

The answer is 10. But the more interesting statistic about that particular Police song is that Sting actually sings the phrase "I'll send an SOS to the world" a mind numbing 879 times during the 4:52 of the song.

Thanks again, and keep reading. All queries are appreciated and will be answered in a timely manner.

We're just glad we could help.

I'm Tennessee Bound...Again!

Well, my job has seen fit to send me to Knoxville, Tennessee once again for "Interactive University" training--corperate speak for learning complicated online advertising platforms. Although I'll miss my family very much I am looking forward to the sessions. I have some good friends there that I'm going to be spending some time with, and 18 hours or so of travel time will afford some great opportunities to delve into some serious album absorption. As a matter of fact, I think I'll even give Wilco's Sky Blue Sky another chance...
But don't dispair, gentle reader, 'cause I've pre-posted 5 or so entries utilizing blogger's "post option egg timer" thingy that'll pop up every day that I'm gone. I'll be back with more musical musings and general nonsense quicker than you can scream "Roll Over Beethoven".

Back By Popular Request...

Driver's Seat by Sniff 'N The Tears

This Beat Goes On/ Switchin' To Glide by Canada'a very own The Kings!

I Got You by Split Enz

Retro Stereo Ad Of The Week

Weekend Video Schizophrenia

Nick Lowe And Rockpile's So It Goes

Urge Overkill's Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon

Stone Roses Fools Gold

The Grateful Dead To Reunite For Obama?

From the NME: "The Grateful Dead may reunite in October, in an effort to promote the campaign of Barack Obama for President of the United States.

The legendary band will reportedly get back together on October 13 to raise money for the democrat’s campaign.

All four living original members will apparently play together — Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh and Bill Kreutzmann, reports Fox News. The story says that Allman Brothers and Gov't Mule man Warren Haynes will lead the band.

The original leader Jerry Garcia, died in 1995 after suffering a heart attack.

According to the story, the band will use the show as a test-run for a possible full tour next year."

"Madonna Defies Age As World Tour Kicks Off"

...really? You think so?

Super Furry Animals Show You Magic!

If you need proof that the Super Furry Animals are one of the best, inventive and most exciting bands out there, take a gander at the following video for "God! Show Me Magic", from their debut album, Fuzzy Logic...

A Legend Passes...

Isaac Hayes died today. Full story HERE