The greatest name in the history of rock & roll – and I
will brook no disagreement on this – is clearly Randy California of the
1960s-1970s band Spirit, most famed for their hit “I Got a Line on You.” It’s
original, euphonious, evocative, distinctive, and unlike the closest competitors
in this contest – Tre Cool of Green Day, Lee Ving of Fear, Blackie
Onassis of Urge Overkill – you could actually believe for a few seconds, if you
didn’t think about it too hard, that Randy California was his real name.
It’s not just that last name of “California ” that is so gorgeous. Let’s face
it: Bob California or Eustace California
wouldn’t have worked. Randy is a perfect name for a late-1960s American rock
star, conjuring up visions of long ringlets and cutoff shorts. And it was so
contemporary; none of Bill Haley’s Comets were named “Randy.”
Randy California died, tragically, in 1995, while trying to
save his 12-year-old son from drowning off the coast of Molokai, Hawaii . The boy
survived.
I'm glad Bob California isn't reading DS these days.
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