The Savage Animal 08.05.09: Rock and Roll Ain’t No Spelling Bee.

Posted by Mikey MiGo on 08.05.2009

Rock and roll has always been about rebellion. “Lead Zeppelin”, “The Beetles”, and even “Corn” have proven that spelling in music is overrated. In this edition of The Savage Animal, 411's Mikey MiGo takes a look at bands who misspell their own names.



I do the whole "Three Year Anniversary" thing talking up my attendance record and then miss the next week. That was not intentional at all. Turns out that Direct TV is evil. We had a power surge that left the Direct TV out in my office and bedroom. I call and do the steps of "unplug it, reset it, blah blah blah" and before I know it I'm unplugging the "Satellite IN" and the power of both rooms goes COMPLETELY out. When I try to plug it back in I get blue sparks. I blame Direct TV. Why in the hell out power for an entire floor a home go out specifically when plugging in and unplugging that specific cord? Needless to say, we didn't get an electrician out here until the middle of the week. All is good now. It was just a weird situation.

This past Saturday I turned 26 years old. It's like a three headed monster. The youthful part of me feels like I just got out of high school, the old man part of me feels like I'm an old man now, but then there's part of me puts the 26 years into perspective. I really have no complaints or regrets. I ran an independent professional wrestling company from the age of 18 to around 22 or 23, I've written close to ten screenplays and have self produced almost three of them now, graphic design work, 411mania columnist, and really just tons of great experiences, projects, and stories to tell. A few years ago, even before The Bucket List came out, I made a list of things I'd like to accomplish in my life. Surprisingly when looking at it now, I see that I've made tons of progress towards those goals and aspirations. Still, I have that anxious feeling inside that has me thinking something big is upon me. Enough about me.

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ROCK AND ROLL AIN'T NO SPELLING BEE
Spell Check Off. Amps On.
You may like to think you're smarter than most of the famous musicians out there. Their grasp on the "real world" isn't as strong as yours. You have a higher education. They party all day while you bust your ass to better yourself and family. The way they dress is over the top and damn it… they can't even spell their own names right!

Some of the biggest and most beloved bands in modern history have misspelled names. Rock and roll has always been about rebellion. What better way than to rebel against your English teacher? Sometimes a band will have no choice but to alter the spelling. Other times, it's just about being "different". Regardless of reason, if you think about it there are quite a few bands that could have used a spell check. Instead, they've branded our brains to acknowledge their misspellings as correct.

Band: The Beatles
Proper Spelling: The Beetles
The 411: Inspired by "Buddy Holly and The Crickets", one name the band came across was "Long John and The Beetles". They'd later shorten it and change it to "The Beatles" to remind everyone of the "beat" of their music. I'm not a fan of their music so much and to be honest, the name sorta sucks if you take away what's behind it. You can't say "The Beatles" without getting the impression of the band in your mind so in that aspect it's a successful naming. Would they'd of had any less success if they'd of spelt their name correctly? Very doubtful. The music of John, Paul, George, and Ringo is classic under any name, misspelling or not.


Band: Led Zeppelin
Proper Spelling: Lead Zeppelin
The 411: They story goes that Jimmy Page was getting "tipsy" with The Who's Keith Moon and John Entwhistle. They were complaining about band mates Daltrey and Townshend and joked about forming a band with Page. Moon remarks "Yeah, that will go over like a lead zeppelin". This stuck with Page as he formed his own band. The spelling change came when they dropped the "a" so Americans wouldn't mispronounce it. I appreciate Page's consideration for us dimwitted Americans, but the spelling change was really not THAT needed. Still, when you look at the words "Lead Zeppelin" you can't help but notice it doesn't feel right. The proper spelling has taken a backseat to one of the greatest rock bands of all time.


Band: KoRn
Proper Spelling: Corn
The 411: I kid you not; I was once told that the name "KoRn" came via Jonathan Davis performing a messy rim job that involved undigested pieces of corn. I heard so many stories about the origin of the name "KoRn" that until just recently I didn't really know the truth behind it. Jonathan Davis and the boys chose the name KoRn because it would be hard to forget. Simple as that. It's a common word and it stands out. The "K" and the "backwards R" just make it that much more "edgy". Their manager hated the name and said they'd never get signed with it. Davis threatened to name the band after the manager so he busted ass and got them signed within a few months. It would have been really sad if their manager was named "Chuck Norris".


Band: Aerosmith
Proper Spelling: Arrowsmith
The 411: Joey Kramer is the root of this one as he wrote the word over and over again in his books while in high school. There's also the belief that it comes from the book "Arrowsmith" by Sinclair Lewis. I know the mythical mumbo-jumbo about the term "aero". But still, it's "Arrowsmith". Maybe the band just doesn't like the letter "W". Outside of the "W" in Whitford, there are no other "W's" represented in any of their names. Sure you can say it's a coincidence, and you'd probably be right, but it's something to think about.


Band: Limp Bizkit
Proper Spelling: Limp Biscuit
The 411: The band insists that they just wanted to name themselves something as stupid as possible. This would explain their music, personalities, and fan base pretty well. Everyone knows that when you replace a letter with "Z" that you're a bad ass. With the pending reunion album, I'm sure we'll be in for a whole new generation of douche bag fans wearing backwards hats while denying their date rape charges. I can picture it now, in my best Will Sasso impression of Fred Durst… "Ay Girl, lemme holla atchyou! Take a sip on this Michelob Light! It'll make ya feel reeeeeeal good!"


Band: The Monkees
Proper Spelling: The Monkeys
The 411: The band was formed to fill out a cast for a TV show inspired by The Beatles film success. So inspired by The Beatles, they stole the "lets name ourselves after a bug or animal and spell it wrong" idea. It's almost as if they stole the extra "E" left after the "Beetles" went to the "Beatles". Luckily, the extra "Y" from "Monkeys" would be used in good faith with our next pick.


Band: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Proper Spelling: Apparently, Leonard Skinner.
The 411: The name comes from a gym teacher named Leonard Skinner who was known for being adamant about the school's rule for boys having long hair. They then changed the name by craftily adding the letter "Y" at their own leisure. A half dozen or so hits and a million years later Skynyrd is still held at high regards by those who wear camouflage on a casual basis. For me they put the "Why" in "Southern Rock".


Band: Phish
Proper Spelling: Fish
The 411: The drummer of the band is named "Jon Fishman". So with a play on that, they got "Fish". Then, like The Monkees, they got on the Beatle train and altered the spelling to "Phish". I'll be the first to admit that I couldn't even list one song by Phish. Not even one. But still, I know what their about and I know their fans are a bit on the smelly hippy side (gotta love em) and I do like the spelling of their name. Maybe it's just my eyes, but it looks "cool". I guess, mission accomplished.


Band: Megadeth
Proper Spelling: Megadeath
The 411: So Dave Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica and on a bus ride home. During this trip, he starts writing lyrics on a handbill to pass the time. It was quoted as "The arsenal of megadeath can't be rid no matter what the peace treaties come to". He liked "Megadeath" and ran with it until he found out that "The Megadeaths" was the former band name for Pink Floyd. Go figure. Poor Dave can't catch a break. So obviously, he dropped the "A" from "death" and the rest is history. It would have been cool if the handbill was for the Broadway production of "Cats" or something. It definitely would of made "Symphony of Destruction" seem a lot cooler.


I know I didn't include any hip hop acts. That's on purpose. I like to keep my columns at a reasonable length. If I had to cover every misspelling in the history of hip hop, I'd have to write a book… or at least a REALLY long column. So yeah, no Outkast, Ludacris, or Ginuwine in this one.


Who are some bands you love or even hate that have misspelled band names?

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RANDOM VIDEO(s) OF THE WEEK
"Twenty Six Years…On My Way to Hell"
"Wish" by Nine Inch Nails (Live 1995)

The 411:I wanted to avoid this cliché. I've seen every NIN fan I know who turns 26 quote this song. I was originally going to go with the music video, but this live footage is too hard to pass up. If you look at the crowd you realize there are NO CELL PHONES… just madness. That's pretty awesome to reminisce about. In the video you can tell that Trent is just about ready to go off the deep end and the lights almost give you a seizure. All of this makes this specific performance that much more bad ass. And really, how often do you hear a song with the words "fist fuck" in it? I'd assume not very often, but who knows what Coldplay is singing about these days.

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RANDOM MOVIE REVIEW IN 411 WORDS OR LESS
"I LOVE YOU, MAN"
STARRING PAUL RUDD & JASON SEGAL
So we have Paul Rudd and Jason Segal in a charming rated R comedy. That would normally make people automatically think "Whoa! Another Apatow movie?! Is Seth Rogen in it?" That's not the case here. While it's not an Apatow project, the writer/director of the movie John Hamburg did direct three episodes of Apatow's short lived series "Undeclared". The plot is pretty weird, which makes the movie stand out. Paul Rudd is marrying Rashida Jones, but he has no close friends to be his Best Man. He gets help from his gay brother, played by Andy Samberg, to get started. After a few creepy guys, including the major dickhead and funny in every scene Jon Favreau, he starts to lose hope. From there it becomes some weird "bromantic" comedy where Rudd goes on "man dates" to find a guy to be his best friend. Jason Segal plays the loveable "kooky slacker" who bonds the most with Rudd. Jaime Pressly plays Favreau's wife, Jane Curtain and J.K. Simmons play Rudd and Samberg's parents, and there's a plethora of awesome supporting roles in the movie. This movie isn't as broad as "The Hangover". There's no tigers, Mike Tyson, simulated baby masturbation, or overly crazy situations. Basically, it's a lot more grounded. I for one appreciated that. A few years from now, "The Hangover" will have been seen by everyone at least twice, but people will continue to discover this one a lot longer. I'm not downing "The Hangover" at all. I loved it. But to me, "I Love You, Man" is an adult comedy for adults. I enjoy pretending to be one every so often. If forced, I'd give this movie a solid B+.

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WRESTLING WITH PILLOWS
Looking Out From the Inside.
RAW was decent enough this week. Being a huge Entourage and Piven fan, I've been looking forward to this RAW for the past two weeks or so. I don't know what I was expecting with Piven as GM, but it really didn't live up to the hype I had in my head for it. I think I was expecting "Ari Gold", which wasn't what we got. Instead we got normal Jeremy Piven. That's not a bad thing. Piven is entertaining, charismatic, and a fairly witty guy. So, basically we got "PCU" Piven for the first hour and fifty five minutes. Dr. Ken was over the top and really obnoxious. It was like I loved the guy, then hated the guy, and then loved him again within every 20 seconds he was on screen. The mannerisms and attire Ken went with proves that he's most likely a long time fan of the business. Outside of Piven slipping with "Summerfest" instead of "Summerslam", the opening segment wasn't THAT bad at all. It was cheesy, but didn't feel insulting to the fans or performers. That's always a plus.

Then to top it off…. PIVEN AND DR. KEN GO HEEL!!!! I was hoping a guest would go heel, but was doubtful because they want people to go see their projects. Jeremy Piven's parents run the great and highly respected Piven Theatre in the Chicago area so he is SECOND GENERATION, baby! Piven and Ken rocked their heel roles. Much props to Ken for taking the press to the outside spot. Looked like his head bounced pretty hard on the ground upon landing. Good stuff.

They're STILL going with the Swagger/MVP feud. I thought it was done for, but I'm glad to see it brought back. People are claiming Swagger "squashed" Evan Bourne, but if you understand ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING you'd know that it wasn't. It was just a short match. Bourne got in offense for close to half of the two minute bout. I truly believe that Bourne will have his day in the sun, but right now it's about elevating Swagger and MVP. A solid one on one match at "Summerfest" will rock.

It was cool to see Triple H put over two guys at once as opposed to "squashing" them. Rhodes and DiBiase desperately needed the rub after coming off as a joke lately. Triple H then teases the DX reunion that we all expected and knew about ahead of time. The phone call with "the backup" was weird. Are they going to pull a bait and switch or will Triple H nag Michaels into coming back to the point he does… only to turn on him. I'm hoping for that. A heel Michaels makes baby MiGo smile.

Sgt. Slaughter is hosting next week in Calgary… that makes sense. Expect some variety of a flag match, a bootcamp match, and people to be called "maggots". Isn't there anyone from Canada they could of nabbed?

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That's all for this week. As long as Direct TV doesn't fry my wiring again, we should be good to go for awhile. I have a few more topics that I'd like to cover over the next couple of weeks. Then I'll be diving into another "First Impression" piece. Until next time… Have a Great Week!