Ever wonder where some bands come up with their band names? Well, we do, and we’re sick of sitting around scratching our heads about it. We’re hitting the streets (aka. “Internet”) to find the origins behind some of the more bizarre, intriguing or just plain random band names in the scene. Every Wednesday we’ll be pulling the curtain back on a different band and this week it’s Chicago’s semi-broken up, but maybe getting back together punk legends 88 Fingers Louie.
The name 88 Fingers Louie is for some reason one of my favorite band names (maybe because they’re also one of my favorite bands), but as much as I liked it I had no idea where the name came from. That is until I decided to do this post. According to my sources in the field (ie. the interwebs) the Chicago based group got their name from a pian0-playing gangster from a Flinstones episode who reportedly sold Fred Flinstone a stolen piano. With Chicago’s early reputation based on being a city infested with organized crime during the turn of the century, it seemed only fitting that the band should get their name from a famous mobster – even if he was just a cartoon.
Check out last week’s Band Name Origin story: Bouncing Souls