This may have already come up - I haven't read the posts, but does anybody remember when the name Butthole Surfers was profoundly shocking? I had to sneak their records into my parent's house as a teenager, usually more than once because when they found them they threw them away. They were utterly revolted by the band name, and would have hated the music no matter what it sounded like for that very reason.

One of my favorite indie bands of the early 90's was simply called Fuck. They were largely assumed to be a thrash band due to their name, and I think it cost them a big chunk of audience. The name certainly cost them promotion. Their simple, strange, ethereal brand of pop remains some of my favorite to this day.

What's the point here? Language evolves, and I think we're seeing it in process here. Much like the avant-garde's approach, if you shock people repeatedly and make them wonder why? the shocking becomes commonplace (not to mention commercialized), people become satisfied for the reasons behind this shocking appearance, language, appearance, artwork, etc. and it's time to come up with something more shocking still. Not only does language evolve, but culture does as well.

We're seeing the natural evolution of something the Butthole Surfers arguably started. I think it's a good thing. But then I'm just a middle aged punk rocker sitting at his desk bored at work.