Almost the end of the summer holidays, and after last week's colossal entry on bands called Sparks, I needed a bit of a breather. Step forward then a two horse race, or a two door garage if you prefer. Of course, there will be those of you in the pedantically minded camp who argue that these aren't proper Namesakes since they spell their names differently and one of them takes the direct article while other employs no determiner at all.
However, since the beginning of Namesakes time, I have wanted to feature these two bands, because when you say their names out loud, they sound identical. And because I like both bands a lot, it aggravates me that the second lot chose their name surely in full awareness that it would make them sound exactly like another far more famous band from years earlier. It's like saying, "hey, why don't we call ourselves Beetulls? Or Rowling Stoans? Holleez? Worsells? Then whenever a DJ plays our record on the radio, people who can't see the spelling might confuse us with those other guys? In't that a brilliant idea?"
No. It's not a brilliant idea. It's a very dumb idea. Although apparently this confusion only happens on this side of the Atlantic. Because of the odd way we have of pronouncing English words in the UK. More on that in a moment...
THE DOORS #1
The Lizard King and his mates. You loved them when you were in the 6th form. You might even have had Jim Morrison's poster up on your wall as the epitome of cool. Then you grew a bit older and realised there was a certain Emperor's New Clothes quality to Jim's lyrics, and maybe you would sound more cool if you slagged them off and said they only decent thing about The Doors was Ray's organ. Then, hopefully, you grew a bit older still and realised that was a pretentious bullshit attitude and that The Doors were genius. If not, give it a few more years: you'll get there in the end.
The Doors - Riders On The Storm
DAWES #2
LA singer songwriter Taylor Goldsmith used to be in a band called Simon Dawes. When he left and started up a new group with his brother Griffin, he opted to keep the second half of that old band name. Thus were born a band I've had a lot of time for over the years... even though their name niggles me whenever I hear it.
Taylor claims this is my problem because I'm British. Here's a bit from Rolling Stone...
Over in the U.K., Dawes’ name sounds an awful lot like Jim Morrison’s famed band.
“Everyone just assumes we’re saying ‘Doors.’ An English friend broke it down for me, saying, ‘We pronounce ‘pawn as in ‘pawnshop’ the same way we pronounce ‘porn’ as in ‘pornography.’ With [the words] Dawes and Doors, they’re not hearing my accent when I say ‘Dawes.’ They’re hearing theirs.” Every radio interview, someone has to say, ‘It’s not who you think it is. It’s this other band.'”
OK, I thought. So they must pronounce Dawes differently in the US. So I tried to find out how it should sound.
What the f--!? Is someone trying to gaslight me here? Because I listened to the way every one of those interviewers introduced the band and on each occasion it sounded just like DOORS!
Old man needs a lie down.
Still, name aside, they making some cracking tunes. Here's one of my favourites...
Dawes - All Your Favourite Bands
Two Doors down... and that's your lot today. But...
Doors or Dawes? Can you tell the difference?
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