The Rocklopedia Fakebandica

Sure, the worlds may be a bleak grayish hellscape, but there's always music!  We look at 1984 (The Orwell book, not the Van Halen album), Brave New World, the collected works of Philip K. Dick, and Frank Zappa and his rock opera Joe's Garage.  Then we get mad at a comic book.  

The Rocklopedia Fakebandica spends this episode discussing an assortment of fictional bands that don't quite fit into the show topics.  We look at musicals, podcasts, RuneScape, the Tudor era, and even the greats of Finnish cinema.  It's a mix that even we don't quite understand how it happened, but it works.

We look at some fictional bands from animated shows that are geared more for adults and kids.  You know, like BoJack Horseman or The Boondocks, or even a show based on the hometown of The Rocklopedia Fakebandica!

If you think Fred Armisen is the GOAT of fake bands, let us offer another candidate: Noel Fielding.  From The Mighty Boosh to Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy to even The Great British Baking Show, Fielding has created a legacy of fictional music to rival the best in the fake band biz.  So sing a crimp to our latest legend, and Happy St. Fielding's Day to those that celebrate!

We talk with Mario DiGeorgio (syrupgraphics.com; mockbandtees.com) and Brad Albright (albrightillustration.com) about their amazing work in clothing and art that further the fake band cause, and we marvel that some people are smart enough to get money through fake bands.

Let's revisit our original Stars Wars episode this May the Fourth!  In our seventh episode ever, way back in 2024, we discussed Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes and looked at the detailed world building of the franchise.  We also tackled The Max Rebo Band and whether it's okay for a filmmaker to keep changing the film.  Just remember, every time you hear "Mad About Me," we're really saying we're mad about you, ma pateesa!

Let's celebrate Star Wars with a deep dive of fictional bands in the movies, TV shows, books, video games, and anyplace else we can find them in the Star Wars Galaxy.  We look at Gaya, DJ-R3X, The Agasar, Shag Kava, and even... Hakko Drazlip and the Tootle Froots?

Hello world, there's a podcast we're doing... on The Partridge Family!  We look at the show, the band, the albums and that iconic bus.  This is one of the big fake bands in pop culture, so it's why we made sure to discuss them on one of our first 111 episodes.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Ramones' debut album, we find fake punk rock bands and musicians from A to Z.

The Rocklopedia Fakebandica talks record stores again because the geniuses behind Record Store Day can't just put their celebration on Rex Manning Day.  We look at Hearts Beat Loud with Nick Offerman, and discuss whether Logic's movie Paradise Records even counts as a fake band movie.

We celebrate our favorite holiday by analyzing the movie Empire Records, and then we decide the show isn't long enough and we add in every version of High Fidelity too.

On this episode, we revel in the glory that is 1980s TV and remind the world about the fake band that was supposed to turn around an entire network.  

The Rocklopedia Fakebandica tries its hand at playing the board game Hi-Fi.  It goes as well as you might expect.

The Rocklopedia joins a cast of thousands at Podcasthon.org, a weeklong collaboration between podcasts and the charities and nonprofit they support.  We're celebrating Student Diplomacy Corps (https://sdcorps.org/) and talking fake bands that might be near the incredible SDC offerings.

You asked for it, you got it!  We discuss three relatively new animated shows that are smart and kid friendly and chock full of fake bands.  From Steven Universe to Twelve Forever to Regular Show, we leave no stone unturned in our quest to find all the fictional musicians we can.

Oh, THIS is an episode, THIS one, you see All about Dr. Seuss and his fake-band-i-tree! We talked about Geisel, that wonderful brain Who gave us fake music again and again!

It's the 11th anniversary of the beloved NBC sitcom's series finale, and we delve into all the fake bands, big and small.  Even with Parks and Rec, we go to 11!

The Rocklopedia Fakebandica welcomes our latest inductees!  Catherine O'Hara sadly receives her entry posthumously, and we go back to the 20th Century for the legendary Marlene Dietrich 

We celebrate our 100th show with a parade of fake bands with numbers in their names! From 2 Guys N the Parque to Calvin Stopes and his Sixteen Sexophonists, we cover them all!

Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem are legends in the fake band world.  They may be Muppets, but they rock hard and party harder (at least in Wellington).  We talk the Muppets, the band, and the possible nationality of Animal (?).

Does The Rocklopedia Fakebandica have the pluck and guile to make Tatooine's favorite song the #1 song in the US? 

Not everyone starts out famous.  It takes a lot of hard work, and sometimes, you have to play in a fake band.  The Rocklopedia Fakebandica commends these hard working fake musicians that finally found their place in the sun!

The Rocklopedia Fakebandica keeps its fingers on the pulse of today by discussing fictional musicians that debuted 95 years ago and are now part of the public domain.  What is the public domain, you ask? Well then, this is the episode for you!

Call it an appetizer if you will, because The Rocklopedia Fakebandica is giving you 26 little nuggets of fake band trivia to tease our upcoming year of shows.

The Rocklopedia finishes 2025 they way we finished 2024, with some fake bands from movies and some unique looks into the future of fake bands

On the episode of The Rocklopedia Fakebandica, it's Christmas Time, and our gift to you is watching Hallmark movies until we pass out. It will be a Christmas miracle if we survive this show.

Rob Reiner was one of the greats in the fake band world.  The Rocklopedia Fakebandica remembers his contributions to pop culture and his effects on us personally.

Happy Hanukkah! We search far and wide for Hanukkah fake bands, even in Christmas specials, and finally we just let AI create a holiday "classic."

It's been 45 years since the senseless murder of John Lennon, and The Rocklopedia Fakebandica celebrates his life in the way we know how: through fake bands based on The Beatles, and the fake bands The Beatles themselves created!

Spy movies and shows aren't just about secrets and espionage and... secrets? Did we say secrets already? Sometimes the spies are musicians as well!  We look at a few secret agent fake bands in pop culture, a few of which are absolutely bonkers!

WKRP in Cincinnati is the best TV sitcom about the greatest fake Ohio AM radio station of the 1970s and 1980s. That is not up for debate. What is up for debate is whether this sitcom has the greatest Thanksgiving TV episode ever. Happy Thanksgiving from The Rocklopedia Fakebandica!

After last week's foray into Gen X nostalgia, we tackle something more recent: A fake musician from a show that went off the air about, um, 15 years ago. OMG it's HANNAH MONTANA! Squee!

We explore how two brothers from Montreal made children's TV in the 1970s and 80s super, super, super weird. Yes, it's time to discuss the fake bands from the world of Sid and Marty Krofft.

We get mellow with the folks that are yellow by spending more time with the fictional musicians of The Simpsons, that animated juggernaut in its 37th season. Can you believe it? I mean, sure, we've done 85 episodes on fake bands, but 37 seasons?!

We've been working in the lab late one night when our eyes beheld an eerie sight: Halloween/monster-themed fake bands we haven't discussed yet! So join us for a seasonal romp through "Monster Mash," The Munsters, The Addams Family, Mad Monster Party?, The Groovie Goolies and more!

This week, we celebrate the pinnacle of human evolution: the diva. Ten of the greatest entertainers in the world, roaming among us—Mariah, Whitney, J.Lo, Madonna, Diana Ross, Brandy, Queen Bey, Jennifer Hudson, Barbra, and Lady Gaga. It's the pantheon of divas, all playing fake divas!

We are here to make podcasts metal... We will make everything metal... Blacker than the blackest black, times infinity. We are here to talk about Dethklok and the gory/goofy animated show Metalocalypse.

In this very special episode, we trade jokes for hard-hitting investigations into murderous machinations. It's time to uncover the sad fate of the Ain't Rights from Green Room.

Brace yourselves for the biggest, boldest boy band bonanza! Behind every benign ballad and basic beat, these bangin' boys bring boundless ability, brotherhood, and brilliant bangers that will blow your brains. From backstage banter to breathtaking concerts, behold how these besties bewitch and beguile their beautiful fans with their burning desire to be the best. Buckle up for an unbelievable blast through the bustling, sometimes bumpy world of boy band stardom! Only on The Bocklopedia Bakebandica! 

This week, for the second time, Spinal Tap opened for puppets. In this case, it's everyone from Lamb Chop, Sifl & Olly, Franklin Delano Bluth, and Madame to lesser-known ones like Randy Feltface, the Weirdos, and the Dregs of Humanity.

The guys at The Rocklopedia Fakebandica take their show on the actual road, where they review the new Spinal Tap sequel from the car minutes after watching. 

Our Spinal Tap days keep rambling on as we prepare for Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, out this weekend!  We're looking at other fake band mockumentaries, including The Last Polka, Fear of a Black Hat, The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico, and Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo.

The Fake Band Hall of Fame. A hallowed institution. Only the deserving few get in. (Except for that episode when we just let anybody in.) But this week's entries totally deserve it, because we are inducting the legends behind Spinal Tap. 

It's been 41 years between This Is Spinal Tap and its upcoming sequel. That's a long time to not be doing anything.  Luckily for us, the band hasn't been not doing anything, or at least not doing nothing. Not not doing… nothing… let's try again. We're discussing Spinal Tap between the movies, and maybe even earlier.

You can feel the excitement in this studio as we finally dive into the greatest fake band ever and the movie that really set into motion all the 41 years of human existence since. It's time to talk This Is Spinal Tap! Be sure to listen to this one in dubbly!

Every great concert starts with an opening band, and ours is a folk trio that if you squint just the right way, you might think they look like the guys in Spinal Tap.  Oh but they're so different. So so different. A Mighty Wind is blowin', and by the end we're all going to be blown by it. Wait, no.

In honor of the return of the excellent animated sitcom “King of the Hill,” three boys who ain't right talk about the fake bands that appeared in its first run. 

Panic sets into the RF community when this week's plans fall through, but one plucky family saves the day!

For our 70th episode, we stand on guard for fake bands from the Great White North. From Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia, and all the way up in Nunavut, we bring you fake bands from CODCO, Trailer Park Boys, Les Dévadés, Degrassi High, Less Than Kind, Corner Gas, Crash Canyon, Hard Core Logo, Yvon of the Yukon, and North of North. 

Last week, we gave you 25 bands for all 25 states, But after re-counting the stars on the American flag, it seems we have 25 more states to go. No better time than the present! Join us for Montana through Wyoming!

We put away our hamburgers and French fries and our illegal Peruvian fireworks and celebrate Independence Day the way the founders wanted: by listing out a fake band from each state!