#385 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Thursday June 23)
Good morning,
FUN BAND NAMES
In doing a recent Wall Street Journal puzzle, one of the clues was “a rock band named after the inventor of a horse-drawn seed drill.” The answer is, of course, Jethro Tull.
So I was thinking of some other interesting names and their derivations. Here goes (I’m sure there are many others):
Lynard Skynard. Named for the band’s high school P.E. coach.
Pearl Jam. Think of a bodily fluid. Although the band maintains the band is named for the grandmother of a member who made peyote-laced jam.
Steely Dan. Yes, named after a sex toy
Fall Out Boy. Named for a character in The Simpsons
Weezer. The nickname given in school to an asthmatic band member
The Velvet Underground. Named for a book about sexual practices and deviances
Blood, Sweat & Tears. Yes, the Churchill quote
Buffalo Springfield. Named for an asphalt roller they saw
Led Zeppelin. As in “that would go over like a lead zeppelin,” but the “a” was added to make pronunciation clear.
Three Dog Night. On a cold night in Australia, you huddle up with your dog. When it’s really cold, it’s…
AC/DC. Because that’s what it said on the side of a sewing machine (and not because they’re bisexual)
Black Sabbath. A Boris Karloff horror film
MORE GEORGE CARLIN OBSERVATIONS
There is a great new two-part documentary on the life of George Carlin on HBO, in my opinion (and that of many of the people interviewed for the documentary) the best comedian in my lifetime. Here are a few of his observations:
Why do “fat chance” and “slim chance” mean the same thing?
Why do “tug” boats push their barges?
Why do we sing “Take me out the ball game” when we’re already there?
Why are they called “stands” when they are made for sitting?
A FEW CLOSING THOUGHTS
Parke Skelton shared a great retort to an insult:
The then Earl of Sandwich opined that John Wilkes would die either of hanging or syphilis. Wilkes responded, “That depends, my good lord, on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress.”
A few people riffed on my list of songs for recovery from surgery, with the following:
Jeff Grant—If there were a foley (catheter) involved, “Drip Drop” by the Drifters, covered by Dion
John Brandler—Once one is fully recovered, then “Twist and Shout.”
Albert Praw—Albert suggests that any recovery shouldn’t be rushed. It just takes… “Time (Has Come Today)” by the Chambers Brothers
Have a great day,
Glenn
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