“It really is down to Nik Turner’s habits… I wish it wasn’t”: How Hawkwind got their name

In 2010 Hawkwind leader Dave Brock was forced to admit to Prog that the inspiration behind the band’s name wasn’t spiritual in the least, and there were two stories he’d have preferred to go with rather than the truth.

While many believe that space rock pioneers Hawkwind must have taken their name from something intrinsically psychedelic, the reality behind the moniker is a little more down to earth.

“I was in a band called Famous Cure at the end of the 60s,” says band mainman Dave Brock. “But then I met a few other guys like Nik Turner , Terry Ollis and Dik Mik, and we started up this new project.”

So swiftly did they come together that they gatecrashed a gig at All Saints Hall in Notting Hill Gate, London, with no name and no songs.  “We called ourselves Group X on the spot, just as a one-off, and then jammed on The Byrds ’ Eight Miles High for what seemed like ages and ages.”

Despite this inauspicious beginning, the band got a deal with Liberty Records. Having to take themselves slightly more seriously, they became Hawkwind Zoo.

“It’s a name with three definite parts – none of them particularly edifying,” laughs Brock. “Nik Turner had a habit of spitting snot out of his mouth, and that was commonly known as hawking at the time. He also farted a lot – so you put ‘hawk’ and ‘wind’ together and you get Hawkwind.

“We added in the ‘zoo’ bit because all of us acted like animals, and that was the perfect description of our behaviour. So anyone who thinks it’s a deep and meaningful space rock term – forget it!”

The fledgling band released one single under that name. It featured Hurry On Sundown on the A-side with Sweet Mistress Of Pain and Kings Of Speed on the B-side. However, they quickly dropped the ‘zoo’part to become the more streamlined Hawkwind. “We stopped acting like maniacs, so having any allusions to a zoo would have been inaccurate.”

There are two more possible origins of the name. Firstly, there’s a science fiction story titled Hawkwind Zoo by future band collabator Michael Moorcock . Secondly there’s a wise and ancient Japanese proverb.

“By the latter I assume you mean: ‘I’d rather be a hawk flying over the forest than an eagle flying over the mountains,’” says Brock. “Yes, both might have influenced our decision to go with the name ‘Hawkwind’ – but it really is down to Nik Turner’s habits in the end. In a way I wish it wasn’t, because it would be nice if it were more spiritual. But that’s the truth.”