10 Musician And Band Names With Dark Unusual Origins

10. Steely Dan Is A Fictional Sex Toy

Just like Modest Mouse and The Doors, Steely Dan's name was inspired by a piece of literature. It was not, however, the product of Virginia Woolf's modernist musings or Aldous Huxley's search for enlightenment. Instead, Steely Dan's name pays homage to a fictional, steam-powered strap-on.

The piece of literature in question is, of course, William S. Burroughs' 1959 novel Naked Lunch. In one scene, a woman attaches a strap-on dildo to her body and uses it to squirt milk across the room. As it happens, this sex-toy is called "Steely Dan III from Yokohama".

What happened to the first two Steely Dans, you ask? Well, Steely Dan I was "torn in two by a bull dike", while Steely Dan II was "Chewed to bits by a famished candiru in the Upper Baboonasshole". These happenings are simply par for the course in the Naked Lunch universe.

It is clear that the classic rock band's members were huge fans of Beat Generation literature, and Burroughs would continue to influence their work. In fact, Steely Dan's singer and keyboardist Donald Fagen would go on to contribute to Dead City Radio, a 1990 album which featured readings of the author's works over music provided by various artists.