The best bands of all time! (Who don't really exist)
TV characters, movie icons, an X-Man and more...
Mystik Spiral - Daria: Trent Lane, from the TV show ''Daria'', is weirdly sexy for a cartoon character, and the fact that he''s in a band just makes it even better. Admittedly, Mystik Spiral aren''t particularly good - sample lyrics are ''little sister, little sister / you came into my life like a twister'' - but with a monotone like Trent''s, who needs them to be?
Autobahn - The Big Lebowski: Uli Kunkel was in the German electronic band Autobahn in The Big Lebowski. Autobahn were a homage to real life band Kraftwerk, and the cover of their record ''Nagelbett'' is a parody of the Kraftwerk album cover for ''The Man-Machine.''
Drive Shaft - Lost: As weird as Lost turned out to be, at least it had a decent fictional band. Character Charlie Pace was in Drive Shaft before he was stranded on the island and you can check out the band''s ''hit'' ''You All (Everybody)'' online - complete with music video. Be warned: it''s annoyingly catchy.
Dingoes Ate My Babies - Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Werewolf Daniel Osbourne, nicknamed Oz, was the lead guitarist of Dingoes Ate my Babies in Buffy. The band played at local cool club The Bronze and all their song titles are one word only - ''Pain'' and ''Shadows'' being two examples.
Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem - The Muppets: Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem have to have one of the coolest band names of all time, even if it is fictional. The Muppets house band have Animal as their drummer and have played with everyone from Elton John to Miley Cyrus. Not bad for some puppets.
The Crescendolls - Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem: This Japanese animated film was the visualisation of Daft Punk album ''Discovery.'' The Crescendolls were an alien band who got kidnapped by humans. We won''t tell you what happens, but as far as interstellar pop bands go, we''re willing to say that the Crescendolls are the best.
Dazzler - X-Men: What''s cooler than being a pop star? Being an ass-kicking mutant powered popstar and a long-serving member of the X-Men, that''s what. Introduced to the X Men in the seventies, the character has been to hell and back (literally), and crossed the universe fighting evil and performing shows.
Jem - Jem and the Holograms: Before Hannah Montana made secret identities cool again, Jem was the original double life pop star. Jerrica Benton was a music company owner by day, and used magical holographic earrings to hide her identity and become Jem. Mostly, we just want a pair of holographic earrings.
Chip Skylark - Fairly Odd Parents: Chip Skylark is one of the coolest fictional musicians! With his eerily catchy songs - yes, we''re talking about ''My Shiny Teeth & Me'' - and cheerful, laidback attitude, it''s no wonder that Chip is the most famous singer in the Fairly Odd Parents world.
Sex Bob-Omb - Scott Pilgrim vs the World: "We are Sex Bob-Omb and we are here to make you think about death and get sad and stuff!" yells drummer Kim Pine before a performance. We don''t know about that, but we certainly had a good time listening to them.
Infant Sorrow - Get Him To The Greek: Okay, so Russell Brand''s fake band Infant Sorrow was in Forgetting Sarah Marshall as well, but it wasn''t until this spin off that they really came into their own. Brand is the perfect rock star as Aldous Snow, and the music is actually surprisingly good - ''Furry Walls'', anyone?
No Vacancy - School of Rock: Yeah, yeah, so the kids formed a band and saved the day but they still didn''t win the Battle of the Bands. You know who did? No Vacancy. Since they kicked Jack Black out (who, let''s be honest, was contributing nothing) the band went from strength to strength. No Vacancy were way cooler than School of Rock.
The Blues Brothers: One of the classics of our time, The Blues Brothers were so called because their surname was Blues... and they were brothers. (It seems obvious, but still.) Saving an orphanage, avoiding the police and being chased by Neo-Nazis was all in a day''s work for this fictional rhythm and blues band.
Where''s Fluffy? - Nick & Norah''s Infinite Playlist: The movie is filled with one music reference after another, so it can be difficult to realise that Where''s Fluffy? don''t actually exist - particularly after Nick and Norah spend most of the film following clues to try and find them. The treasure hunt to see the band''s concert seems like such a good idea, we wish more bands would do this in real life!
Brian Slade - Velvet Goldmine: Brian Slade was everything that a glam rock god should be. Directly inspiring Adam Lambert, it''s obvious that Slade is a cut above the rest with his over the top theatrics and brilliant costumes and make-up. Not to mention that Velvet Goldmine is an amazing film, and Slade is the foil that makes it even better.
Maria deSalle - High Fidelity: Most of the bands thrown around in High Fidelity actually do exist, but Marie deSalle is an entirely fictional creation - which is a pity, because she''s the kind of perfect smoky singer that we''d love to listen to.
Dr. Funke''''s 100% Natural Good Time Family Band Solution - Arrested Development: Dr. Funke''''s 100% Natural Good Time Family Band Solution was one of the highlights of the series, especially with George Michael''''s innate jealousy at not being a part of it - and Maeby''''s complete apathy. Created in order to sell products, there was something so endearing about the entire thing. Sign us up for the next reunion!
How I Met Your Mother: You seriously cannot go wrong with Robin''s Canadian pop star alter-ego. ''Let''s Go To The Mall'' was nothing short of inspired and one of those videos which can be watched over and over. Our glee seriously rivals that of Barney Stinson''s when we saw this - trip to the mall, anyone?
Josie and the Pussycats: The cartoon trio wore leopard print leotards (which we were sure would be at the height of fashion by now) and got mixed up in craaazy adventures, all while still playing a good show. Girls, we salute you.
The Be Sharps = The Simpsons: Of course, Homer Simpson''s barbershop quartet The Be Sharps has to garner a mention. The band paralleled The Beatles, complete with their very own Yoko Ono and reunion roof top concert. It even had a guest spot from George Harrison himself.
Stillwater - Almost Famous: "I''m a golden god!" insists Stillwater frontman Russell Hammond. We''re not sure about that, but there''s no denying that Stillwater absolutely rocked Almost Famous - the movie about a young William Miller getting to tour with a rock band. Jealous, us? Definitely.
Stacee Jaxx - Rock of Ages: Seeing Tom Cruise play a rock star actually works surprisingly well - but then, Stacee Jaxx is a special kind of rock star. From musical stages to the big screen, Stacee (complete with extra letters in his name) is all about the classic sex, drugs and rock ''n'' roll.
The Dreamettes - Dreamgirls: Based on Diana Ross and other Motown superstars, Dreamgirls tells the story of the Dreamettes - a fictional all girl singing group starring Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson. Even though the group eventually falls apart, it''s worth it just to see the two women share a stage.
Wyld Stallyns - Bill & Ted: WYLD STALLYNS! If you didn''t just play air guitar, you should feel ashamed of yourself. The boys'' band may not be particularly good, but it''s certainly fun - and good enough to get them some fans (although that may just be Keanu Reeves'' hair - what on earth was going on with that?).
Spinal Tap - This Is Spinal Tap: The only band with two discographies on their Wikipedia page labelled 'fictional' and 'actual,' Spinal Tap are arguably the best fictional band. They brought us heavy metal music, crazy tour antics and taught us how to turn it up to eleven - what more could you ask for from a band, real or not?
David Brent - The Office: OK, so Brent may not be the greatest musician on the list, but for sheer entertainment value? He's top. Plus, he is the only fictional musician to have announced a number of London live shows this week - and sold them out in less than 60 seconds.
Tags: Daft Punk
Spinal Tap made us turn it up to 11 - and get a little confused about whether or not they were actually real. With actual live shows and CDs, where does the parody stop?
But while Spinal Tap are the most famous fictional band of all time - they have plenty of competition. From characters in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Muppets, Arrested Development and even The X Men, there's plenty of options to choose from.
The only downside to all this is that we'll never get to see a Dazzler concert. Never be thrilled by an intimate show by Dr. Funke's 100% Natural Good Time Family Band Solution or mosh to the sounds of Drive Shaft. Life is tough. From cartoons to puppets to movies, there are a lot of musicians that simply don't exist, however much we wish they would.
So join us as we celebrate the 25 best bands and artists of all time - who don't exist and are complete works of fiction...