Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head … so far.On the front page of today’s Wall Street Journal there’s a picture of John Paul Jones next to the headline “From ABBA to ZZ Top, All the Good Names Are Taken.” Turns out Jones and his Them Crooked Vultures bandmates Dave Grohl and Josh Homme had initially settled on the band name Caligula, before scrapping it after they discovered a techno outfit Down Under of the same name.The Journal story goes on to document some of the absurdity, unoriginality (there are apparently 18 known acts to have performed as “Bliss” and two in Brooklyn called “Discovery”), and the occasional hour in court that can go into naming a band these days. In one instance, the tractor-making John Deere company claimed that there was a “likelihood of confusion” between them and the band Jane Deere.This brings me to what I’ve wondered for a long time: How long will it take for the Natalie Portman camp to descend with force on Warner Bros. Records and their sunny Seattle band, Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head? And what would they change their name to? It’s a tricky move, and one that Sub Pop seems to have avoided like the plague, augmenting at least a couple band names (Band of Horses/Horses; Grand Archives/Grand Archives) when they ink contracts. The Journal article points to the Scottish band Captain America’s name change to Eugenius as a cautionary tale of what can happen. “Overnight, their career deflated,” says the band’s Atlantic Records talent scout. “When people are given the chance to decide twice about a band, they don’t always make the same decision.”Hey, maybe Natalie Portman’s a fan.
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