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Once there were parking lots/now it's a peaceful oasis

So many band names come from all kinds of pop culture. Some are funny inside jokes, like how At the Drive-In got their name from Poison's "Talk Dirty to Me." Some are just random little things. Well, what happens when you hear about where a band name comes from and then you see where it comes from (or vice versa)? It's a strange coincidence that's happened a few times to me over the years.

Back in college, I really dug a melodic hardcore band from Chicago called 88 Fingers Louie. I had no idea where they got their name from until I read that it came from an episode of The Flintstones. I had seen so many episodes of that show growing up, but I was blanking on the episode for some reason. By pure chance a few weeks later, while visiting a friend in Austin, his little sister had The Flintstones on the TV. Turns out it was the "Hot Piano" episode with . . . 88 Fingers Louie. Weird timing I thought.

Last year, I was very taken with Clerks II for various reasons, including the music choices. Opening with Talking Heads' "(Nothing But) Flowers," I'd never heard it before but knew it was David Byrne and company because of Byrne's voice. Maybe the following week or so, I get a call from Nate Mendel, former bassist of Sunny Day Real Estate, and we get to talking about his former band for Post. Eventually I ask where did the band get their name -- a question that supposedly had been shrouded in mystery for years. Surprisingly, he clearly explained where he got the name from: "(Nothing But) Flowers."

Anybody else experience something like this?

Comments

Rj said…
can I think of anything now that I have that poison song in my head. I never heard that story about at the drive in. that's great stuff.

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