Selecting a tasteless name is one of the main joys of being a hard rock band, it seems. But when your band's name is Anthrax, and when people are living in fear of exposure to the deadly anthrax bacteria, there is some cause for concern.
Suddenly, Anthrax seems too awful a
name, even for a thrash metal band.
On its website (www.anthrax.com), the band is responding.
"In light of current events, we are changing the name of the band to something more friendly - Basket Full Of Puppies," band members wrote.
"Actually, just the fact that we are making jokes about our name sucks."
Anthrax, formed in New York 20 years ago, released its first album in 1983, with a name that suited perfectly the punchy music it played.
But when people said America would never be the same after September 11, they weren't kidding.
Anthrax, a group that has more or less flown under the radar since shifting tastes in the 90s relegated its brand of music to cult status, is in the spotlight again - but not to its delight.
"In the 20 years we've been known as Anthrax, we never thought the day would come that our name would actually mean what it really means," guitarist Scott Ian writes on the site.
"When I learned about anthrax in my biology class, I thought the name sounded metal. Anthrax sounded cool, aggressive, and nobody knew what it was.
"Even our album, Spreading the Disease, was just a play on the name. We were spreading our music to the masses.
"Before the tragedy of September 11 the only thing scary about Anthrax was our bad hair in the 80s. Most people associated the name Anthrax with the band, not the germ.
"Now our name symbolises fear, paranoia and death. Suddenly it's not so cool.
"To be associated with these things we are against is a strange and stressful situation. We don't want to change the name of the band because we hope that no further negative events will happen and it won't be necessary.
"We hope and pray that this problem goes away quietly and we all grow old and fat together."
Ian told the Washington Post he had stocked up on ciprofloxacin, the favoured antibiotic that kills anthrax.
"I will not die an ironic death," he insisted.
- NZPA
Selecting a tasteless name is one of the main joys of being a hard rock band, it seems. But when your band's name is Anthrax, and when people are living in fear of exposure to the deadly anthrax bacteria, there is some cause for concern.
Suddenly, Anthrax seems too awful a
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