What's In A Name?

There are silly band names and then there are stupid band names. The Electric Prunes is a silly band name. Ned's Atomic Dust Bin is sillier still. But naming your band The Muslims might be one of the stone cold stupidest band names in the history of stupid band names.

Muslims, as we have discovered in recent years, don't have much of a sense of humor when it comes to their religion. Moderate Muslims will protest by writing harsh letters or holding press conferences. Islamic Fundamentalist will issue fatwahs or stab you eight times and then decapitate you while you're riding your bike to work. (Theo Van Gogh, anyone?)

Moderate Muslims will accept your apology. Islamic Fundamentalists will accept your apology and then fly a plane into a building.

Perhaps "The Muslims" should have gone all out and called their band The Fabulous Mohammeds or The Butthole Allahs or the Jackson Five Pillars of Islam. If you're going to offend, you might as well offend big. Go down in flames both literally and figuratively.

Alas, The Muslims the band have thought better about their moniker. According to their My Space site, they've changed their name to The Soft Pack.

WE HAVE CHANGED THE NAME OF OUR GROUP TO "THE SOFT PACK". Working on new material and firing on all four cylinders, we feel strongly about this one. It's a new chapter in our lives and hopefully yours.

Translation...

The band formerly known as The Muslims currently have soft packs in both the front and the back of their pants. Since going into hiding would affect our ability to tour and being dead would affect future recordings sessions, we have decided instead to change our name to a phrase which best represents our current mood. Unfortunately, The Freaked Out Lads Who Are Being Torn A New One By Record Executives was already taken.

Maybe I can get one of their old T's on Ebay?