{"items": [{"author": "Todd", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/112947709146257842066", "anchor": "gp-1344062321125", "service": "gp", "text": "It's like the Beatles. No one says they want a The Beatles CD.", "timestamp": 1344062321}, {"author": "Phillip", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/350476288364845?comment_id=350544835024657", "anchor": "fb-350544835024657", "service": "fb", "text": "smile if they're using your name. Most folks are automatically processing this, and putting or not putting in the article as they see/hear it. Part of the problem is if you are clear thinking and analytical is that you can see what others do on autopilot. I see this with my spouse who sees things that others don't see, and since they don't see it, she must be the one that is confused not them (just ask them). IN her case, this compounded because the people who don't see are Alphas and happily run roughshod over her. This is an area to work with what people do rather than try to change them Trivia: the podcast Baseball Today from ESPN actually had this same issue a couple of years ago: They tried to insist the article was part of the title, but they eventually gave up to popular usage.", "timestamp": "1344083651"}, {"author": "Andrew", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/350476288364845?comment_id=350550918357382", "anchor": "fb-350550918357382", "service": "fb", "text": "Yes, the idea is a bit confusing. Rock band names without definite articles were common in my youth. Led Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd. These names never took the definite article. If you said \"I went to the Yes concert,\" it was concert that took the article, and the band name was a descriptive adjective.
Sometimes fans are confused. Talking Heads was emphatically not The Talking Heads. They had a record called \"The Name of This Band is Talking Heads.\"
I find amusing the odd case of Het Nationale Ballet (The Dutch National Ballet) which some English speakers call The Het Nationale Ballet, or even just The Het. (Het is Dutch for The.)
Regarding your question of \"takes an article when used in a sentence but the article isn't part of it,\" I think it's not usually done that way.", "timestamp": "1344084571"}, {"author": "Julia", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/350476288364845?comment_id=350551648357309", "anchor": "fb-350551648357309", "service": "fb", "text": "I think it's standard to use \"the\" with plural band names, as evidenced by Talking Heads having to explain to people that there was *not* a \"the\" in their name.", "timestamp": "1344084791"}, {"author": "Andrew", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/350476288364845?comment_id=350553628357111", "anchor": "fb-350553628357111", "service": "fb", "text": "Yes, Julia, a related idea is that it depends on the literal meaning of the name. With Free Raisins, if the band members identify as raisins, then maybe \"The\" is sensible. If they are called that because they support the free sharing of raisins, or raisin liberation, then maybe no \"The.\"", "timestamp": "1344085508"}, {"author": "Daniel", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/350476288364845?comment_id=350558951689912", "anchor": "fb-350558951689912", "service": "fb", "text": "Yes, I would say it's likely to confuse many people...but luckily, it's a relatively minimal sort of confusion. In that people may not use the article properly, but it's not going to stop them from recognizing or finding your band name wherever they need to.
Andrew, your suggestion about the literal meaning of a name makes sense. It never occurred to me before to think of \"free\" in \"Free Raisins\" as a verb, but I think I like it. Alternately, you could be \"Free the Raisins\". :-p", "timestamp": "1344087166"}, {"author": "Andrew", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/350476288364845?comment_id=350587445020396", "anchor": "fb-350587445020396", "service": "fb", "text": "Another related idea is names with the indefinite article, also confusing. Especially, \"A Prairie Home Companion.\" I think the name is more poetic with the indefinite article, but it seems that it is often left out. Their web address is: prairiehome.publicradio.org where it could have been aprairiehome.publicradio.org at the cost one one letter. Also \"A Clockwork Orange,\" which had the indefinite article for the book, but lost it for the film.
Btw, Moving Violations, the name certainly refers to the traffic infraction (so maybe no \"the\"), but I assume it also intends to imply the viol family of stringed instruments, so yes, \"the.\" In their case, they use \"the.\"
I think Matt Glaser's band, \"The Wayfaring Strangers,\" was called that because there was already a band called Wayfaring Strangers and they didn't want to conflict - there is a possible trademark problem. (They could change their name to The Trademark Violations.)", "timestamp": "1344093941"}, {"author": "Robert", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/117732328885787456164", "anchor": "gp-1344094267772", "service": "gp", "text": "Hmm. I seems to me that if you refer to yourselves (or expect to be referred to) as \"the Free Raisins\", the article is part of the name. Nobody calls another band I know of \"TheThree Cats and Dog\".\n
\n
\nAlso I kind of like the ambiguity referred to by Andy over on Facebook: Are you three specific raisins who are free, or an organization devoted to the liberation of raisins, or something else?", "timestamp": 1344094267}, {"author": "Robert", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/117732328885787456164", "anchor": "gp-1344094331812", "service": "gp", "text": "+Todd: True, but as far as I know the band;s name was definitely \"The Beatles\".", "timestamp": 1344094331}, {"author": "Todd", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/112947709146257842066", "anchor": "gp-1344095492374", "service": "gp", "text": "@Robert\n\u00a0Yes, but my point is about usage. The Beatles would be used appropriately in both of Jeff's examples (\"let's have a hand for The Beatles\", \"I want to buy a Beatles CD\"). The only difference is the capitalization of The.", "timestamp": 1344095492}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103013777355236494008", "anchor": "gp-1344095587202", "service": "gp", "text": "@Todd\n\u00a0I don't care much about the capitalization of \"the\" here.", "timestamp": 1344095587}, {"author": "John", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/350476288364845?comment_id=350662698346204", "anchor": "fb-350662698346204", "service": "fb", "text": "I note that your home page says \"the Free Raisins\" at the top - and the window/tab id is \"The Free Raisins\".", "timestamp": "1344112040"}, {"author": "Chris", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/117346402173047680184", "anchor": "gp-1344168781323", "service": "gp", "text": "Of the bands listed so far, the Beatles match your usage and everyone knows them, so I would reference them. \u00a0It might be good to say that you're not comparing yourself to them, just using them as an example cause they're so well known.", "timestamp": 1344168781}]}