Here's where you can ask how to pronounce exotic band names

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toe
roe
coe
coe

rote

mark p (Mark P), Monday, 9 February 2004 20:05 (twenty years ago) link

air
vo

peart

mark p (Mark P), Monday, 9 February 2004 20:05 (twenty years ago) link

AR Kane

is it EYYY ARRRR Kanr
or just ARRRRR Kane

justin (Justin M), Tuesday, 10 February 2004 00:17 (twenty years ago) link

one month passes...
Pere Ubu anybody?

gas coin, Thursday, 11 March 2004 22:26 (twenty years ago) link

peer ooboo is how i've always pronounced it.

Ian Johnson (orion), Thursday, 11 March 2004 22:30 (twenty years ago) link

I knew someone who pronounced Mogwai's name as "Mow-gwai". I was like, dude, have you ever fucking seen Gremlins?

latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 11 March 2004 22:32 (twenty years ago) link

I would say pair oboo, père being French for father,

Chris Jones (Crackity Jones), Thursday, 11 March 2004 22:42 (twenty years ago) link

Avey Tare =
"Avey" sounds like "Davey"
"Tare" sounds like "tear" as in "tear that open"

sexyDancer, Thursday, 11 March 2004 22:49 (twenty years ago) link

Not exactly "exotic", but: J.C. Chasez, anyone?

Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Friday, 12 March 2004 04:18 (twenty years ago) link

Kelis

Kuh-LEECE I think it is, but I'm not sure.

Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 12 March 2004 04:27 (twenty years ago) link

Since it has been a few years and more people know of them now:

Notwist:
NOT-wist or
NO-twist?

Zach S (feedback), Friday, 12 March 2004 06:23 (twenty years ago) link

I would say pair oboo, père being French for father

I think you meant to type "pair OOboo" (and while pere does mean father, here it does not--it's a familiar way to refer to someone, like "Mr./Monsieur" but without the respect that implies)

no opinion, Friday, 12 March 2004 08:35 (twenty years ago) link

I always feel vaguely stupid attempting to say Einsturzende Neubauten - usually I just pause in the conversation and someone else will fill in for me :-)

I get annoyed with Shellac Of North America emphasising the wrong syllable in Shellac.

Should Xymox be Zim-mox or Zie-mox?

Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 12 March 2004 12:53 (twenty years ago) link

So what's the given pronunciation for "!!!" ?

mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 12 March 2004 12:57 (twenty years ago) link

Not exactly "exotic", but: J.C. Chasez, anyone?

It's pronounced: Justin-wannabe

Mark, it's pronounced as chuk-chuk-chuk, if I remember correctly.

jesus nathalie (nathalie), Friday, 12 March 2004 13:01 (twenty years ago) link

I think chik chik chik. But I also heard once that they wanted people to pronounce it with any sound they felt good about.

roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Friday, 12 March 2004 13:02 (twenty years ago) link

"Location Location Location."

I say "Note-vist", but I'm making fun of them when I do. It's "No Twist".

Colin Meeder (Mert), Friday, 12 March 2004 13:14 (twenty years ago) link

Onimo, Einsturzende Neubauten was given upthread as:
ein-SHTUR-tsen-deh NOI-bow-ten
Which is almost right. Should be EIN-shtur-tsen-deh

no opinion, Friday, 12 March 2004 16:53 (twenty years ago) link

Not where I live, buddy.

Colin Meeder (Mert), Friday, 12 March 2004 17:03 (twenty years ago) link

I knew someone who pronounced Mogwai's name as "Mow-gwai". I was like, dude, have you ever fucking seen Gremlins?

haha, was he chinese? "mo gwai" (roughly rhymes with "snow guy") means "monster" in cantonese.

gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 12 March 2004 17:07 (twenty years ago) link

Also, the second sylable in Einstürzende is more like Shtyoor than shtur -- hold your lips as if you were going to say "shtoor" but say "shteer" instead.

Colin Meeder (Mert), Friday, 12 March 2004 17:12 (twenty years ago) link

This has been bugging me for years now. How do you pronounce Curt Boettcher's last name?

maypang (maypang), Friday, 12 March 2004 17:31 (twenty years ago) link

BETCH-er

fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 12 March 2004 17:34 (twenty years ago) link

Interesting.

maypang (maypang), Friday, 12 March 2004 17:36 (twenty years ago) link

Except not really -- the vowel sound is between "oh" and "ee" -- try saying ERT and then leaving out the R sound.

Colin Meeder (Mert), Friday, 12 March 2004 17:45 (twenty years ago) link

Please explain--where do you live? I thought stress was pretty much always on the first syllable in German.

no opinion, Friday, 12 March 2004 17:48 (twenty years ago) link

I live in Frankfurt, dude. Emphasis on "ein" and "stürz" are pretty equal around here.

Colin Meeder (Mert), Friday, 12 March 2004 17:57 (twenty years ago) link

okay so i'm a big amon tobin fan and am torn in regards to the pronouncing of his name.
all my friends call him aye-mon, but kid koala pronounced it ah-mon once - which is it¿

also kinder atom, is it kind-er or is it kin-der¿

dyson (dyson), Friday, 12 March 2004 17:59 (twenty years ago) link

Not exactly "exotic", but: J.C. Chasez, anyone?

Sha-ZAY

Lesley, Saturday, 13 March 2004 07:22 (twenty years ago) link

naw, pere ubu is named after the french play.

emma, Saturday, 13 March 2004 13:18 (twenty years ago) link

this is a bit of an embarrassing one ... how do you say Isley (as in the Isley Brothers)?

is it eye-lee, or could it be (gr)izzly?

tod (tod), Saturday, 13 March 2004 13:28 (twenty years ago) link

Eyes-lee

oops (Oops), Saturday, 13 March 2004 13:38 (twenty years ago) link

yeah? thanks

tod (tod), Saturday, 13 March 2004 13:42 (twenty years ago) link

three weeks pass...
I have noticed my that there is a misprint in the first word of my first name . It's Rose Mary .
Not Roase Mary .Please make the correction as it
won't allow me to do it .
Thank You .

Rose Mary M . Connors, Wednesday, 7 April 2004 14:26 (twenty years ago) link

???

gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 14:27 (twenty years ago) link

"Holger Czukay"? Rarely pronounced the same way twice at a multitude of record store counters.

doug watson (solid air), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 14:34 (twenty years ago) link

T.Raumschmiere, anyone? I should be able to do this, what with my German degree an' all, but people keep correcting me...

CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 14:37 (twenty years ago) link

Explain to me why Bruce Cockburn's surname seems to be pronounced "Coburn"

mookieproof (mookieproof), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 15:28 (twenty years ago) link

Ask the Scottish

sexyDancer, Wednesday, 7 April 2004 16:03 (twenty years ago) link

two months pass...
T. Rowm-sch-mee-er

Hole-ger Zoo-kay

Pear oo Boo

Tujiko Noriko - Too-je-ko Noh-ri-ko

Rob McD (Rob McD), Thursday, 10 June 2004 07:40 (twenty years ago) link

Purl Jamm
Creeeeeeeed
nik ul back

latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 10 June 2004 07:46 (twenty years ago) link

I don't think anyone seriously answered this waaay upthread so....
Gore-key's Zye-Goh-Tick Monkey=Gorky's Zygotic Mynci

AaronHz (AaronHz), Thursday, 10 June 2004 08:15 (twenty years ago) link

Was Not Was

Someone once told me it was WAZ NOT WAS, s'this true?

mzui, Thursday, 10 June 2004 08:50 (twenty years ago) link

three months pass...
SUNN O)))

W i l l (common_person), Thursday, 7 October 2004 14:34 (nineteen years ago) link

I would say "sun." The 0))) is silent.

n/a (Nick A.), Thursday, 7 October 2004 14:38 (nineteen years ago) link

Kemialliset Ystavat?
(is it Kim-ee-ALL-is-set EE-sta-vat?)

Sean Witzman (trip maker), Thursday, 7 October 2004 14:52 (nineteen years ago) link

Shouldn't there be a bit more german aggression in Csukay? Like Hole-ger chuu-kie (pie)?

strom (strom), Thursday, 7 October 2004 15:11 (nineteen years ago) link

KEH-me-ah-lih-set ÜH-stae-vaet. In Finnish words the emphasis is always on the first syllable. The Finnish y is prononounced like the German ü, there isn't a clear English equivalent for that. The Finnish ä (the real name of the band is Kemialliset Ystävät, it means "Chemical Friends") is pronounced like the letter a in the word cat.

Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 7 October 2004 15:12 (nineteen years ago) link

Actually, you can pronounce the y like Inspector Clouseau pronounces the o's in the word "room".

Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 7 October 2004 15:14 (nineteen years ago) link

I mangle the complexities of the Finnish language with my clusmy American tongue. The Germans on the Can DVD clearly pronounce it "shoo-kay."

Sean Witzman (trip maker), Thursday, 7 October 2004 15:55 (nineteen years ago) link


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