Now, About The Bad Name I Gave My Band

What kind of a*****e would name his band Drive-By Truckers? A valid question, if you ask me. I'm the person responsible for it.

Last week, it was announced that the country trio Lady Antebellum would be changing its name. I don't really know that band, nor its members. I'm sure they are nice and well-meaning folks, and wish them well. Good deeds, good intentions, all good things. I'm always rooting for those who try to do the right thing, since it's always easier said than done. They announced that the new name would be, simply, Lady A. But about an hour later, the singular Lady A, a well-established blues singer from Seattle who has been playing under that name for 20 years, took issue with a move that the more mainstream Lady A meant as a healing gesture. (It was later announced that the two Lady As had reached an agreement, though that is reportedly not quite the case.)

Oof.

I try to be a good person, but must admit, I snickered about it all.

Then, a question smacked me right in the face: What kind of a*****e would name his band Drive-By Truckers?

I was 31, broke and working two jobs. I had been living in Athens, Ga. for a little over a year at that