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

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The dude in the record shop who used to play bass in my brother's band and who annoys me by acting like he knows more than he does (don't dispute Bark Psychosis minutiae with me, Graham Sutton's number is in my phone) pronounced Geogaddi "heothadgy" or something yesterday.

How do YOU say it?

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 12:25 (twenty years ago)

nmperign??? i say en-emm-pear-inn
tu m'???
Laddio bolocko? the goblin voice on the last track seems to say bo-low-ko, rather than BOLLOCK-O

And what about the Bevis Frond? I figure it must be Bevvis, but I so want it to be Beavis.

― MESTEMA (davidcorp), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 11:32 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

Róisín?

― The Vintner's Lipogram (OleM), Thursday, 10 November 2005 23:49 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

I've heard it pronounced "Roy-sheen." All, er, two times I've heard it said aloud.

Robag Wruhme? Because if his last name really is pronounced "vroom" then that is awesome.

― telephone thing, Thursday, 15 December 2005 04:18 (twenty years ago)

That's German, right? In that case it's more like "vroomer" (in a non-rhotic dialect of English, ie the last r is silent).

― The Vintner's Lipogram (OleM), Thursday, 15 December 2005 09:55 (twenty years ago)

Ro-sheen. "O" sound as in hot.

― Falling down the stairs again (noodle vague), Thursday, 15 December 2005 10:42 (twenty years ago)

four months pass...

It's not exotic, but I can't find it authoritatively: Is Laura Nyro's last name pronounced to rhyme with "Hero" or "Cairo"? Many many thanks in advance.

― Joe McCombs, Wednesday, 26 April 2006 22:11 (twenty years ago)

Nyro rhymes with hero
roisin = ro-sheen (o as in go not as in hot)

― Black Arkestra (Black Arkestra), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 23:41 (twenty years ago)

popular electrohouse artist chelonis r. jones: shell-on-is? chell-on-is? "other"??

-- haitch (big.jesus.trash.ca...), August 4th, 2005.

― lil' merzbow wow (haitch), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 23:51 (twenty years ago)

Salk Vacchin, anybody?

― xgurggleglgllg (xgurggleglgllg), Thursday, 27 April 2006 01:36 (twenty years ago)

eight months pass...

Omarion?

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 4 January 2007 18:49 (nineteen years ago)

I recall an interview with Mike Edwards where he claimed his band's name was pronounced "Hey-soos Jones"...I didn't believe him, either...

― hank (hank s), Thursday, 4 January 2007 19:09 (nineteen years ago)

Sigur Ros is roughly SEE-oor Rohs (like roast without the "t"). The g is hardly pronounced, the r of Ros is rolled, and the o sound is very round. It's best to find a video of the band saying it... if you want to be a douche and pronounce it with 100% Icelandic-native accuracy. I've tried it and generally gotten looks of bewilderment even from those who know the band, so I'd say "SIG-oor Rohs" is the best bet.

Dave Gahan, lead singer of Depeche Mode? I've heard "Garn" is the legitimate pronunciation, but does anyone know for sure?

I also saw two contradictory versions of Fennez up there. Is it Finesse with a Z or FEN-ehz?

― Troupe Gammage (troupe), Monday, 15 January 2007 10:46 (nineteen years ago)

I've heard people say Dif Juz is pronounced "diffuse" - but I have a Cocteaus bootleg where Liz thanks "Dif Jooz" before. Mind you who knows if she was right.

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 15 January 2007 10:51 (nineteen years ago)

Dave Q asked this way upthread and I don't think anyone answered him - LaMonte Young? (obv his surname is not so much of a prob)

― Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Monday, 15 January 2007 11:09 (nineteen years ago)

Beeing a swede it hurts when Håkan Lidbo is pronounced Hakan: use the umlaut people! (hakan means "The Chin" in swedish, its obviously not a name.)

and the german pronounciations.. learn some languages will you, S.O.D-bastards?

Håååååkan Liid-bo.

― jon person (jon person), Monday, 15 January 2007 17:47 (nineteen years ago)

They were always one of my faves in their day but I never knew for sure how to pronounce Rodan.

ro-DAN or RO-D'n ??

― Sir Echo (Sir Echo), Monday, 15 January 2007 19:19 (nineteen years ago)

Not strictly a band name, but Blerwytirhwng a SFA song.

― Alan Bean (Alan Bean), Monday, 15 January 2007 19:38 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

How about todd Terje?

― mehlt, Sunday, 11 March 2007 01:31 (nineteen years ago)

until I saw Christina Carter actually pronounce "Shar-uh-lam-bee-dayz" in a live concert, I always thought it was "Shar-a-lam-bydes".

― sleeve, Sunday, 11 March 2007 07:36 (nineteen years ago)

um, that's "lahm" not "lam".

― sleeve, Sunday, 11 March 2007 07:57 (nineteen years ago)

!!!

The preferred pronunciation is supposedly "chk-chk-chk", which always sounds stupid no matter how you try and say it.

― j-rock, Monday, 12 March 2007 04:17 (nineteen years ago)

My Icelandic friend pronounces Sigur Ros "shi ur rosh"

..actually I'm not sure if he pronounces the g, but both the S's are definately sh.

And pretty sure he doesn't have a speech impediment.

― Drooone, Monday, 12 March 2007 04:27 (nineteen years ago)

Husker Du?

― ablaeser, Monday, 12 March 2007 05:26 (nineteen years ago)

Pronounced in the original language (Norwegian), Husker Du would be pronounced something like "Hooske'r Doo, with the first oo a bit shorter than one would pronunce it in the English language and with the r sounding more like the r's in the Spanish language.

Btw. Urusei Yatsura anyone?

― Geir Hongro, Monday, 12 March 2007 13:56 (nineteen years ago)

No tricks to Japanese: so far as I know, it's OOR-OO-SAY-EE YAT-SOO-RAH. (But the end of the first word would have that Japanese thing where despite there being two vowel sounds -- SAY-EE -- it elides together into just "SAY.")

― nabisco, Monday, 12 March 2007 20:16 (nineteen years ago)

Röyksopp?

― zeus, Monday, 12 March 2007 20:54 (nineteen years ago)

I usually pronounce !!! as "Triple Exclamation Mark," because when I say chk-chk-chk none of the rubes know who I'm goin on about.

― MC, Monday, 12 March 2007 21:33 (nineteen years ago)

i always pronounced it Un-Woond too. the other proncunciation never even occurred to me.

― circa1916, Monday, 12 March 2007 21:49 (nineteen years ago)

Btw. Urusei Yatsura anyone?

Geir Hongro on Monday, March 12, 2007 6:56 AM (8 hours ago)

"oo loo say ya tsu la"

― Steve Shasta, Monday, 12 March 2007 22:16 (nineteen years ago)

This one always stymies me:

Ellen Allien

The first name is obviously not too difficult.

― o. nate, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 00:34 (nineteen years ago)

I generally say it, Ahl-Lee-Enn

I'm still curious about Todd Terje moreso because I haven't an idea what language Terje is is. I'd normally assume it to be one where you'd pronounce it Tare-Yay, but the not-so-european first name of Todd kind of throws me off.

― mehlt, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 07:10 (nineteen years ago)

Les Rallizes Denudes?

― gypsysphinx, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 07:27 (nineteen years ago)

Röyksopp?

Ruiksop
(And note again that the "r" in Norwegian and Swedish (other than the occasional local accent) is pronounced like the Spanish "r" rather than then English/American one.

― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 22:44 (nineteen years ago)

Not a mispronunciation per se, but non-Scandinavians' unfamiliarity with the letter å can lead to some unintentional hilarity. I often see the Einherjer demo "Leve Vikingånden!" ("long live the Viking spirit") referred to as "Leve Vikinganden!", which translates as "Long live the Viking Duck!".

― Siegbran, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 23:15 (nineteen years ago)

Similarly, the Mortiis album "Ånden Som Gjorde Opprør" ("the spirit which rebelled") also frequently is given an avian twist.

― Siegbran, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 23:19 (nineteen years ago)

Nitzer Ebb?
Liasons Dangereuses?

― henry s, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 00:09 (nineteen years ago)

― onimo, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 00:47 (nineteen years ago)

NEET-zer EBB, isn't it?

― Telephone thing, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 04:38 (nineteen years ago)

yeah, i'd say it's somefing like liason dawn-jer-errz

― Drooone, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 04:40 (nineteen years ago)

Luomo = LOO-o-moh, though the "u" sound is shorter than the "oo" in "loo", and the "o"'s are like the first "o" in "conventional". I'm not sure if you should pronounce it in a Finnish way though - it's not a proper Finnish word, but it is a Finnish pun.

― Tuomas, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 10:18 (nineteen years ago)

]Les Rallizes Denudes?

gypsysphinx on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 12:27 AM (Yesterday)

it's weird because in Japan they are known as Hakada No Rallizes = "ha ka da no la leee zoo", that's the only way I've heard their name pronounced.

I guess Les Rallizes Denudes = "ray la leee zoo de nu day" would work, or just go with the French.

― Steve Shasta, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 17:17 (nineteen years ago)

sunno)))?

sun-oh?

just sun?

sunnoo?

― Emily Bjurnhjam, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 17:59 (nineteen years ago)

just "sun".

― Steve Shasta, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 18:01 (nineteen years ago)

Gris Gris.

I actually don't know how the band pronounces it but some of the kids who work for me love them and pronounce it literally... which I hope is not correct.

― factcheckr, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 18:08 (nineteen years ago)

gree gree

― henry s, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 18:13 (nineteen years ago)

they pronounce it "gree gree". total bros too.

― Steve Shasta, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 18:17 (nineteen years ago)

xpost

― Steve Shasta, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 18:18 (nineteen years ago)

Luomo = LOO-o-moh, though the "u" sound is shorter than the "oo" in "loo", and the "o"'s are like the first "o" in "conventional". I'm not sure if you should pronounce it in a Finnish way though - it's not a proper Finnish word, but it is a Finnish pun.

Isn't it just Italian for "man" without the apostrophe? As in, as in "L'oumo" or more specifically "L'oumo Vogue" the magazine?

Out of curiosity, what's the Finnish pun?

― William Selman, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 18:18 (nineteen years ago)

I'm still really curious as to whether !!!'s band name has anything at all to do with Stump's "Buffalo," which has a bit that goes:

Exclamation point, click click click
Exclamation point, click click click
Exclamation point, click click click

― nabisco, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 18:30 (nineteen years ago)

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