Q&A: ‘INXS’, ‘Oasis’, ‘Blink 182’: Name origins of 1980s-90s bands

Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, name that band…

Q: Hi AWC, remember that time we explored where classic band names came from?

A: Oh yes! That was a lot of fun.

Q: Well at the time, we said we’d come back and do some more bands from the 1980s and 1990s this time. So, how about we do that today?

A: Great idea! So, any you’d like to start with?

Q: An Aussie icon – surely INXS!

A: Nice. This band initially formed in 1977 as “The Farriss Brothers” but it was someone from fellow Aussie band, “Midnight Oil” (they shared the same manager) who suggested changing it to “INXS”.

Q: Okay sure. But WHY INXS? Is it wordplay on doing things “in excess”?

A: Yep. It was apparently inspired by similar wordplay from British band XTC (“ecstasy”) and even Australian jam company IXL (“I excel”).

Q: So they were a band jamming out to a jam brand?

A: That’s right! Of course, this was also during a time when AC/DC was enjoying huge success, so a four-letter name made sense! The late Michael Hutchence is on record saying that the title suited a band with six members, as it meant “too much”! 

Q: So let’s go back to Midnight Oil. What’s their story? Late night mechanic?

A: Well, the term “burning the midnight oil” for late night work had actually been around since the 1630s. But the band was more directly inspired by the Jimi Hendrix song Burning of the Midnight Lamp. 

Q: That’s an easy one then.

A: Well, yes and no. According to frontman Peter Garrett, their name could just as easily have been “Schwampy Moose”, “Sparta” or “Television”.

Q: Other Hendrix songs?

A: Nope. They were other names in the hat when they picked “Midnight Oil” from it in 1976!

Q: Wow, that’s a turn of fate right there!

A: Indeed.

Q: I always wondered what they meant by their lyrics “the Western Desert lives and breathes in forty-five degrees”. Are things really on that much of a lean out there?

A: It’s the temperature you idiot, not an angle!

Q: Ohhhh, now I understand why their beds were burning! 

A: Mmmm hmmm.

Q: Alright, another band. Can you tell me about Guns N’ Roses?

A: That one is quite easy. Some of the band members came from a previous band called “L.A. Guns”. Others came from “Hollywood Rose”. They combined the two.

Q: And Def Leppard?

A: The band initially worked in an animal sanctuary for big cats with hearing issues.

Q: Seriously?

A: Of course not!

Q: I hate you.

A: The real story, according to lead singer Joe Elliott, was that he came up with the name “Deaf Leopard” while making posters for imaginary bands in art class in the 1970s. He thought it had a nice ring to it, simple as that. They’d later mess up the spelling to appeal to rock fans rather than wildlife enthusiasts.

Q: Okay, quick-fire round time. R.E.M.?

A: Most think this initialism relates to “Rapid Eye Movement” – the sleep stage where most dreams happen. But the band insist that they simply picked the letters at random from the dictionary!

Q: Boooooring! Blink 182?

A: The band were initially “Blink” but were forced to change it, so added the numbers. As to why “182”, the band themselves apparently claims it’s the number of times Al Pacino says the F-word in Scarface. However, considering they also say the name should be pronounced “Blink Eighteen-Two”, many fans claim it actually relates to the letters R (18th) and B (2nd) in the alphabet. There are plenty of other fan theories out there!

Q: Red Hot Chilli Peppers?

A: This band – originally called “Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem” claim they got the name from the nickname for Louis Armstrong’s 1920s jazz quintet. Fans also liked how the four words reflect their energy and that there are four of them!

Q: Daft Punk?

A: This one is fun. It came from a negative music review for their former band in Melody Maker magazine. The quote from the journalist was “a daft punky thrash” – and they loved the sound of that.

Q: Foo Fighters?

A: Dave Grohl took it from the World War II name given for “unidentified flying objects or mysterious aerial phenomena seen in the skies”.

Q: Radiohead?

A: It was simply a song name they liked on an album by fellow band Talking Heads.

Q: What about Oasis?

A: The Gallagher brothers apparently had a tour poster on their shared-bedroom wall for 1980s British rock band “Inspiral Carpets” – and one of the venues listed was the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon!

Q: Goo Goo Dolls?

A: They were known as “The Sex Maggots” but a Connecticut club owner refused to promote them with that name, so they flicked through a True Detective magazine and found an ad for a toy called a Goo Goo Doll. The rest is history!

Q: And Green Day?

A: It’s slang for a day spent smoking marijuana!

Q: How very rock n roll. Let’s end on that high, shall we? But I’m sure we’ll need yet another installment in the future!

Do you have a question you’d like us to explore? Email it to us today!