What's in a name

�By Penny Broadbent

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Ever wondered how some bands and artists got their name What possessed Vincent Furnier to become Alice Cooper, for example Easy. Young hopeful musician Vince was fooling around with a ouija board as the weird name was spelt out before his eyes. How spooky!

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Many budding musicians have been so inspired by novelists and film-makers that they named their bands in homage to their heroes. Others have found inspiration in the strangest places. Here are a few:

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Duran Duran: Named after the villain Major Duran Duran in Jane Fonda's 1968 sci-fi movie Barbarella. Barbarella was the Birmingham club where Simon Le Bon's band played their early gigs.

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Lynyrd Skynyrd: They immortalised the name of Leonard Skinner, an unpopular gym teacher at their school.

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Led Zeppelin: They were the 'New Yardbirds' until they heard Who drummer Keith Moon's colourful phrase: "That went down like a lead Zeppelin."

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T'Pau: The Eighties rock band borrowed the name of a Vulcan friend of Mr Spock in Star Trek.

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Procul Harum: A friend's pedigree cat had the name first, it's Latin for "far from these things".

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Bay City Rollers: Lacking inspiration, the tartan-clad teenybop idols stuck a pin into a map of North America and found Bay City. They thought up the Rollers bit by themselves.

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Buffalo Springfield: In honour of a make of steamroller.

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Reo Speedwagon: After a make of fire engine.

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Fine Young Cannibals: From a 1960 Robert Wagner/Natalie Wood movie 'All The�Fine Young Cannibals'.�

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The Searchers: From John Ford's classic western starring John Wayne.

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Toto: From the dog in The Wizard of Oz.�

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Steely Dan: From a piece of equipment in a William Burroughs novel.�

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Steppenwolf: From the novel by German poet Herman Hesse.�

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Heaven 17: From a group in Anthony Burgess's novel A Clockwork Orange.

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Moloko: The name of the milk bar in A Clockwork Orange.

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Everything But The Girl: From a second-hand furniture store in Hull where the band were students.

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Can you add to this list, or do you have any other band trivia your crying out to share with everyone Click here