| artist's name |
named after... |
Abdoujaparov
 |
... Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, the 'Tashkent Terror', was
born on the 28th February 1964 at Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
He was a ferocious, powerful sprinter, bordering on
reckless. He was the first Moslem to win a stage of the
Tour de France.
Abdoujaparov is the punk band of former Carter USM guitarist Les Carter.
[download mp3s here] |
Astrid
 |
... Astrid Kirchherr, girlfriend of the 5th Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe |
Bettie Serveert
 |
... Bettie Serveert, Dutch for "Betty Serves," (the title of a tennis instruction book by one-time pro Betty Stove.) |
Cousteau
 |
... Jacques-Ives Cousteau, underwater explorer |
Death In Vegas
 |
... The band was first called 'Dead Elvis'. Richard Fearless explains why the name was changed: "Dead Elvis was a book [which] deals with the phenomenon of Elvis, saint or sinner [and] what he was when he died. It's a really good book actually. Unfortunately there was a record label named 'Dead Elvis,' and we found out before we got asked to change it. Death in Vegas was a film a friend of mine made about Elvis overdosing on a toilet, and it seemed a good name for a band. It's quite a hard name to follow, 'Dead Elvis'". |
The Delgados
 |
... a cyclist who failed a drug test in the 1988 tour de France
submitted by Scott - thanks! |
Dillinger Escape Plan, The
 |
... John Dillinger (1902-34), one of the most wanted bank robbers (more here)
Ben Weinman in an interview: It's about a bank robber from the thirties named John Dillinger. He had a lot great escapes. They couldn't keep him in jail - he always escaped. That's basically the main story behind the name, however, I have to say that it doesn't have much relevance to the band. We only thought it was a cool sounding name. |
Don Johnson Big Band
 |
... Don Johnson who played "Sonny" Crockett in the 80s cult TV series "Miami Vice". |
Doris Days
 |
... Doris Day, a singer and actress (born in 1924). |
Falco
 |
... a East German ski jumper in the 1970, he held the world record in 1976. |
Filter
 |
... a theory by Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) who stated that the mind acts like a filter between the material world and consciousness, so perception is reality.. |
Franz Ferdinand
 |
... Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose 1914 assassination in Sarajevo ignited the first World War. |
Hefner
 |
...Hugh Hefner, founder of "Playboy" magazine in 1953.
A few useless facts:
Hugh Hefner has an IQ of 152.
He has a species of rabbit, the Sylvilagus palustris hefneri, named after him.
He is currently dating three women. He is seeing the twins Sandy and Mandy Bentley as well as Brande Roderick.
|
Jethro Tull
 |
... an 18th-century agriculturalist. On their Website, it says:
Back in February, 1968, we had many different names which usually changed every week, since we were so bad that we had to
pretend to be some new band in order to get re-booked in the clubs where we aspired to find fame and fortune. Our agent,
who had studied History at college, came up with the name Jethro Tull (an eighteenth century English agricultural pioneer
who invented the seed drill).
thanks to John! |
John Wesley Harding
 |
western hero (1853-1895) to whom Bob Dylan dedicated an album ("John Wesley Harding", 1967) |
Kasabian
 |
... Linda Kasabian, the infamous pregnant accomplice who drove American serial killer Charles Manson away from the crime scene. |
Laika
 |
... the dog Laika who was the first living being in space. |
Linkin Park
 |
phonetic version of "Lincoln Park" |
Luscious Jackson
 |
... Lucious Jackson, basketball player. He played with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 60s. |
Madonna Hip Hop Massacre
 |
Madonna |
Marylin Manson
 |
Marylin: first name of Marylin Monroe
Manson: last name of serial killer Charles Manson |
Mink Stole
 |
... an actress who has appeared in eleven films by
renowned director John Waters. Her best known roles in these
films have been Connie Marble in the recently re-leased PINK
FLAMINGOS, Peggy Grabel in DESPERATE LIVING, Dottie Hinkle in
SERIAL MOM, and Taffy Davenport in FEMALE TROUBLE. |
Murry the Hump
 |
... Al Capone Henchman and Welsh gangster
[download songs here] |
Nico
 |
A photographer on the Isle of Ibiza called
her Nico after his recently departed partner Nikos
Papatakis |
Rothko
 |
... painter Mark Rothko |
Sportfreunde Stiller
 |
... their football trainer Hans Stiller (SV Germering). |
Sonic Youth
 |
... Fred "Sonic" Smith of MC5 and after the reaggae musician Big Youth.
Another possibility: A combination of SONIC RENDEZVOUS ORCHESTRA and BIG YOUTH. they were local New York bands in the late 70's. |
Sugar Ray
 |
...the boxer Sugar Ray Leonard [info]. They used to practice in a studio owned by Sugar Ray Leonard |
Tesla
 |
... Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, and scientist.
Inventions: a telephone repeater, rotating magnetic field principle, polyphase alternating-current system, induction motor, alternating-current power transmission, Tesla coil transformer, wireless communication, radio, fluorescent lights, and more than 700 other patents.
(submitted by Mark, thx!) |
Tura Satana
 |
... the actress who played Varla in Russ Meyer's "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" (1965)
Tura started exotic dancing when she was only 13 years old. She integrated acrobatics, humor, and sensual beauty to her dancing art form. As a dancer, she started doing guest appearances in films such as "Our Man Flint" and "Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?" Tura's skills as a martial artist landed her small roles in TV shows such as Hawaiian Eye, Man from U.N.C.L.E., Girl from U.N.C.L.E, The Greatest Show on Earth, and Burke's Law. |
Ursula 1000
 |
... electronic DJ in his own words: The name came from the
actress, Ursula Andress, who I'm a big fan of. I think her name brings visions of beauty and there's something futuristic about it, too. Maybe the letters. For an American, it's a very exotic name. And I love products with numbers after them like Galaxy 500 or Botany 5. So I added the two and viola!
thanks to Mark! |
Waltari
 |
... the finnish writer Mika Waltari (1908-1979), best-known for his historical novels, especially "The Egyptian"
(originally "Sinuhe, Egyptiläinen"), which appeared in 1945 |
