The Psychology of Band Names

I am determined to figure out the formula to creating the ultimate indie rock band name. Reading through the music section of the Village Voice always leaves me in bewilderment and wonderment alike. Seriously, who comes up with these wack music group names?!

To illustrate my point, I’ve picked out some of my favorites from this week’s issue of V-squared:
* War Canoes
* Exeter Popes
* Clockcleaner
* Worried Noodles
* Psychedelic Horseshit
* Deep Banana Blackout
* Cancer Bats

And these are just from this week. I’ve had conversations with various people about this phenom of bizarre band names, and most people would say that the weirder the band name, the more legit the band is. Surely, a band name is a major way for groups to create buzz/differentiate themselves from other bands. From a psychological perspective, this would be considered a prime example of the ‘pique technique.’ It’s proven that humans respond to anomalies in daily life and pay more attention to strange events/numbers/etc.

I did a social experiment back in high school based on Pique Technique research. I panhandled in front of a mall for change and described the cause as “needing change to make a phone call” (and yes, this is before the cell phone days). Positive response from strangers were significantly higher when I asked for a specific and random number– 37 cents to be exact. People usually responded with a smile, followed by the question: “Why 37 cents?!” When I simply asked for ‘change’ to make a phone call, many just kept walking or said “sorry.” No wonder subway panhandlers come up with all sorts of crazy stunts and gimmicks. As long as they engage riders in one fashion or another, their chances of getting change increases instrumentally.

Back to band names. . . . I’ve started thinking about great, wack band names. The best one I’ve come up with so far is Curry Addicts Anonymous.

Feel free to come up with your own and leave it as a comment~