As you may have heard, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals recently asked British synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys to change their name to the Rescue Shelter Boys — in order, they say, to call attention to the "cramped, filthy conditions" of many breeding facilities.
The band gracefully turned them down, while acknowledging that it does "raise an issue worth thinking about." And the Music Mix agrees!
While there’s nothing really wrong with Cat Power, Fleet Foxes, or Modest Mouse (has anyone ever met a really aggressive, braggy mouse?), senior EW writer Clark Collis suggests that the chorus to Nine Inch Nails’ 1994 f-bomb anthem "Closer" could quite easily be changed to the more pro-critter "I want to make sweet, gentle love to you like an animal."
Other options? Legendary ’80s industrial outfit Skinny Puppy may have struck a more positive note as Adequately Cared For Puppy Who Just Has A Really High Metabolism. Or, as our own Aly Semigram emails, trading in Def for the more au courant Hearing Impaired Leppard (pour some Splenda on me?) would please not one, but two special interest groups.
Staffer Michele Romero also helpfully suggests that the Psychedelic Furs could become the Psychedelic Fauxs without hardly changing their tour merch, and resident Idol elf Michael Slezak offers both a nice Stray Cats alternative — Formerly Homeless But Now Happily Adopted Cats Dozing on a Sunny Patch of Living Room Carpet? Strut that! — and, for Danger Mouse, the far more fair-minded Calculated Risk Mouse. (Our editor Rob Brunner points out that the name of Scottish rockers Dogs Die in Hot Cars is, essentially, already a public service announcement. So no dice there, PETA.)
Readers, we open up the floor to you — what other creature comforts might un-PC band names provide, with a little tweaking?
More from EW’s Music Mix:
Kanye West responds to ‘South Park’ mockery
The Killers’ Brandon Flowers disses Kurt Cobain: Is he crazy, or crazy like a fox?
Snoop Dogg wants to make ‘gangsta pop music’ with the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus: Bring it on!
PETA is insane. nuff’ said.
i LOVE animals but man are they way too aggressive with their “pro-animal” ways.
Is PETA going to demand that Def Leppard and The Pussycat Dolls change their names, too?
Give me a freakin’ break!
PETA is a bunch of hypocritical animal-killing attention whores. All they care about is getting their name in the press.
The most horrifying part of all this is that I have heard a few people say “who are the Pet Shop Boys.” I mean, HONESTLY!!!
Hey, it is perfectly timed for the release of their great new album in 2 weeks, so I guess PETA is good for something. So…. cheers, thanks a lot.
LOL-great post. PETA=NUTS.
Ugh. PETA. I think they’re seriously damaging the animal rights cause.
Curiosity Killed the Cat could become ‘Keep Your Cat out of Restricted Areas’. And [Spunge]‘s ‘Kicking Pigeons’ definitely needs to be changed to ‘Walking Slowly So As Not to Alarm the Nearby Pigeons’
This is HIGH-larious. Hopefully the Pet Shop Boys will benefit from the constant mentioning of this ridiculousness on news oriented websites.
I can’t believe they aren’t offended by the band ANTHRAX, it is the silent killer of cows you know. If you really want to see how the PETA people should be treated, see what Jeremy Piven does to them in P.C.U.
I love Sea Kittens. With lots of tartar sauce.
PETA should be considered a terrorist organization.
Just one more reason PETA is ridiculous and irrelevant.
He is really cool,well, does he still date with the girl he met on C e l e b m i n g l e . C 0 M?
I’m glad people are recognizing that aggressive proselytizing is abhorrent no matter what the “better way of living” may be. Of course, maybe PETA doesn’t really care about improving the world, and just wants attention…
Yeah. This is why I renounced my membership 6 years ago. What a bunch of stupid asses. Hope the current members enjoy how PETA is spending thier donations.