Names

During a slow going study hall not unlike any other, we assembled together and begin to banter about nothing consequential. Somehow the subject of band names came up as one among us had actually been in a band, as he had some legitimate artistic talent. Debate over what would make a good band name was thrown about, so I decided to try and publish it by tossing out a piece of paper and seeing what we could get done. The group jumped on it as a way to pass the time and soon we had a decent list of band names from the childish to the cerebral and back again. I pushed for this to continue until we had a few lists together and then we recruited our most enthusiastic participant and later critic. He grabbed the list and scribbled down a phrase likely not as possible for a band name for its sheer length. But no one objected of course and gradually we pushed outwards from the constraints of how people generally think of band names.

It soon became a medium for anything on your mind, whether it was a jumble of non-sequitor words made hilarious by their combination or two or three eloquently constructed sentences about poop. There was talk of making whatever the best name we’d written our actual band name for an actual band. But like many endeavors the planning and brainstorming was miles more fun than actually trying to run with just one name and create a novelty band.

So we kept running with it, throwing together lists whenever groups gathered. Our writing among groups was pure and vulnerable to salivating crowd surrounding the list (it didn’t help that it was lunch). We’d feed off one another by either carrying on the energy of one writer or making a point to completely contrast the present forces set in motion. Eventually, high school ended as it must and should, and we were left to isolated name-writing from our college dorms. This period only added to the extreme breadth and depth of the band name writing realm that we’d fashioned from its beginnings on scrap paper.

These are our names (in no particular order)…