Re: klezmer band names

[George Robinson <GRComm...>]

Bob Jacobson wrote:
> 
> >>On another topic, and I'll be brief, Hankus Netsky, who says the name
> >>"Klezmer Conservatory Band" started as a joke implying the existence of a
> >>conservatory for klezmorim, once suggested a discussion on why klezmer bands
> >>like to give themselves silly names.  This was in response to a group called
> >>The Hava Nagila Monsters.  Any takers on band names?
> >
> 
> ----------------
> The name of my klezmer band is Yid Vicious. Why? Because we're a bunch of
> unfortunate smart asses, of course. My advice to future klezmer bandnamers
> is to avoid puns, no matter how clever you think they are at the time. You
> are bound to get sick of them eventually. When I first came up with Yid
> Vicious (I've since learned that other entities have used this name
> before), it didn't occur to me that anybody would be offended by the name,
> but lots of people have been. I can live with that, although I no longer
> address those complaints, since I am sicker of them than I am of the name,
> and none of them are particularly rational anyway. But now I am determined
> never to change the name of the band because I really don't want to give
> certain individuals the satisfaction of thinking that their input had
> anything to do with it. So now we're stuck with a band name most of us no
> longer like, all because we couldn't resist a good(?) pun.
> 
> Bob Jacobson
> bjacobs (at) globaldialog(dot)com

Definitely sound advice. It's like the parent who makes a joke out of
naming their kid. It's funny for the parent briefly and unfunny for the
kid for a lifetime.
-- George Robinson