This article originally appeared on Boston Band Crush ). Obviously, I’m a huge music nerd and I enjoy pointless trivia. These two facts have converged in my curiosity over how bands arrive at their band names, and what they mean. Was it a series of coincidences that spawned the name, heated debate amongst band members, some special signifigance, or did it just arrive fully realized into a band members head?
I was so curious, that I went and asked some bands what it all means!
MEandJOANCOLLINS are playing this Friday, August 21st at TT the Bears with Thick As Thieves, A Wish For Fire, Oranjuly
I went and asked Bo Barringer what series of coincidences made up the name “MEandJOANCOLLINS”
“Well, it has been long speculated that it’s due to my affair in the 80’s with the star of Dynasty(ok…well, it’s mostly speculated that said affair was imaginary…), or perhaps my (mostly speculated) “cougar appreciation” (ok…well, maybe not just speculated…)
The real Joan Collins pictured here!
It’s actually less inspired than that…The name comes from a misheard piece of a conversation at some rock show at the Middle East a couple years ago. Tracey Stark from WZBC was talking about her boyfriend at the time. Having not seen her in a while, I asked who her boyfriend was. And she said, “blahblahblah(unintelligible) Collins.” I asked her again and again she said, “blahblahblah unintelligible) Collins.” I could make out the J in the name and it sounded like one syllable and the closest guess I could come up with at the moment was “Joan.” So I asked her if she said, “Joan Collins.” She replied, “Yeah-Me and Joan Collins…”
She corrected me and I found out it was Jim Collins, a great bass player about town. But somehow I really liked the ring of “MEandJOANCOLLINS” and I told my friend Andrea that that HAD TO be the name of my new band. I went home that night and spent hours online researching her, only remembering that she was the famous bitchy Alexis from Dynasty. But I found myself fascinated with the curious, and ultimately triumphant, arc of her career. Anyhow…the name stuck. I even got to meet her at a book signing(she was the most stunning 75 year old I’ve EVER seen-didn’t look a day over 50-her age when she appeared nude in Playboy), but I was afraid to tell her about the band, being regrettably a little fuzzy on trademark laws and figuring her lawyers could shut us down as soon
as we booked our first show…but the best part of the story is that a year later when we were looking for a bass player Jim Collins became our bass player!!!”
Here is a photo of that enigmatic Jim Collins, pictured here with world-famous local rock photographer, Kelly Davidson. Photo courtesy of Kelly Davidson.
