This just in : Today, 5/22/2008, the N Y Times posts a story on Acrassicauda, the (only?) Iraqi Heavy Metal band, who just happen to be named after a species of black scorpion. There’s a new documentary about them and their love of insects…
Wanna watch? or watch another video?
As a kid, in Ohio, in the 60s, in the garage, I was one of many who preferred the Stones to the Beatles, and the twistymouth charms of singing “My. My. My. Like the spider to the fly, jump right ahead in my web” to any handholding lyric by those cheery entomologists. Otherbugwise, Spike Jones’ version of the Rimsky-Korsakov beething was great. And yes, I liked the Crickets, but it would be a while before I learned to love Spiders from Mars.
But now hear this; Jason E. Bond, who probably had a band in the 60s, is a biologist at East Carolina University who named a newly discovered trapdoor spider, Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi – a name with a fake Greek ju-jitsu ring to it, but in honor of his favorite musician all the same.
So, in honor of Youngi, who we love, and eschewing away all other itsy bitsys, like Flea, Adam Ant (who signs his name with little antennae attached), WASP, Iron Butterfly, The Honey Bees, The Fleas, Honey & the Bees, The Spiders, Halo of Flies, The Bugs, The Buggs, The Butterflys, The Bee Gees, Steel Caterpillar, Insect Surfers, Praying Mantis, The Fire Flies, Lord Flea, Lord Fly, J.W. Grasshopper & Butterfly, Celi Bee, Tarantula, the Tarantulas, The Insect Trust, Spider Webb, the Termites, Scorpion, Blowfly, and Spider John Koerner, accept our humble discography of arachno-centric seven-inch singles.
• Ballad Of Spider John, WILLIS ALAN RAMSEY, SHELTER, 7324, 1972
• Big Widow Spider, BILLY JACK HALE, D, 1216, 1961
• Black Spider, ROCKHEART JOHNSON, RCA, 1947-5136, 1953
• Black Widow Spider, BIG BROTHER & HOLDING COMPANY, COLUMBIA, 45502, 1971
• Black Widow Spider, DAMON FOX, CRIMSON, 1013, 1967
• Black Widow Spider, SANFORD CLARK, LHI, 1203, 1968
• Black Widow Spider Blues, LOWELL FULSON, SWINGTIME, 115, 19??
• Black Widow Spider, LOWELL FULSON, SWINGTIME, 308, 1952
• Black Widow Spider Woman, JACK HAMMER, MILESTONE, 2001, 1959
• Boris The Spider, JOEY COVINGTON, ORIGINAL, SOUND, 1967
• Boris The Spider, The CORDS, LAURIE, 3403, 1967
• Church Of The Poison Spider, DAVID HALLYDAY, SCOTTI BR, 07299, 1987
• Inky Dinky Spider, AIMABLE, SCEPTER, 12134, 1966
• Itsy Bitsy Spider (The), CARLY SIMON, ARISTA, 9525, 1986
• Me And My Spider, The REVERES, VALIANT, 196041, 1964
• Mean Red Spider, MUDDY WATERS, ARISTOCRAT, 1307, 1949
• Redback Spider, BROWNSVILLE STATION, BIG, TREE, 1972
• Return Of The Spiders, ALICE COOPER, WARNER, 7398, 1970
• Rubber Spiders In Coffee, Tommy HUTTON & KIDS BAND, MASTERVIEW, 102, 19??
• Spider, LIMMIE & FAMILY COOKING, AVCO, 4602, 1972
• Spider, HERBIE HANCOCK, COLUMBIA, 10563, 1977
• Spider, The DE MIRES, LUNAR, 519, 1959
• Spider, The LEAPING FLAMES, MAH, S, 1961
• Spider, CLODAGH RODGERS, RCA, 1947-9779, 1969
• Spider, The ELLINGTONS, RCA, 10528, 1975
• Spider, The STARLINERS, NO-NEE, 101, 19??
• Spider And The Fly, SAL RAIMONDI, CORAL, 62282, 1961
• Spider And Fly, JIMMY THOMASON, KING, 1085, 1952
• The Spider, AMOS MILBURN JR., SHALIMAR, 106, 1963
• The Spider, GENE NASH, JOSIE, 826, 1957
• The Spider, DOC BAGBY, GONE, 5087, 1960
• The Spider, JOE MORRIS, ATLANTIC, 859, 1949
• The Spider, The MARVELIERS, JOANY, 4439, 19??
• The Spider And The Fly, BANKS, ARTE & TELLERS, IMPERIAL, 5788, 1961
• The Spider And The Fly, BOBBY HART, BAMBOO, 507, 1961
• The Spider And The Fly, RAMBLIN JIMMIE DOLAN, CAPITOL, 1487, 1951
• The Spider And The Fly, STAN KENTON, CAPITOL, 1616, 1951
• The Spider And The Fly, The MONOCLES, CHICORY, 407, 1967
• The Spider And The Fly, BOBBY CHRISTIAN, WING, 2102, 1958
• The Spider And The Fly, LINDA JEAN, FAYETTE, 1628, 1965
• The Spider And The Fly, VON RUDEN, IVANHOE, 503, 1970
• The Spider And The Fly, TRAVIS & BOB, MERCURY, 71866, 1961
• Spider In My Stew, BUSTER BENTON, JEWEL, 842, 1974
• Spider In My Stew, BUSTER BROWN, RONN, 105, 19??
• Spider Man, HERO, LIFESONG, 45004, 1976
• Spider Man, FREDDIE McCOY, PRESTIGE, 398, 1966
• Spider Man, WILL POWER, PRIVATE, STOCK, 1975
• The Spider Song (Inky Dinky Spider), The KIDS NEXT DOOR, FOUR, CORNERS, 1965
• Spider Walk (The), JOHNNY DARROW, SUE, 738, 1961
• Spider’s Web, MAURICE KING & WOLVERINES, OKEH, 6800, 1951
• Spider’s Web, TAB SMITH, UNITED, 195, 1957
• Spider’s Webb, JAY JOHNSON, NEW, JAZZ, 19??
• Spider Web, TINY BRADSHAW, KING, 4727, 1954
• Spider Woman (Novela Das Nove), WALLY BADAROU, ISLAND, 99530, 1986
• Spider Woman, WALLY BADAROU, VISUAL ARTS, 99557, 1986
• Spiders, OZZY OSBOURNE, CBS ASSOC, 04318, 84
• Spiders And Snakes, JIM STAFFORD, M-G-M, 14648, 73
• Spooky Spider, The BUDDIES, SWAN, 194073, 1961
• Theme From Spider Man, The WEB SPINNERS, BUDDAH, 327, 1972
• What’s The Name Of This Funk, Spiderman, RAMSEY LEWIS, COLUMBIA, 10235, 1975
Oh, and there’s just so much more, like Tom Paxton’s “There’s A Spider On the Floor” or the debut single “Itzy Bitzy Spider” by Aqua (called Joyspeed at the time), “The Spider” by Eon and both Townes Van Zandt and Say Anything have a ditty called “Spider Song.”
Ps – Back on de bug track, don’t ignore the whirligig beetle, who’s very fond of sunglasses, aka Orectochilus orbisonorum.