Popular Music References

Many real bands and popular music are referenced in the Homestar Runner body of work. Common references include Halloween costumes, mentioning or even showing an album, quoting lyrics, or more oblique allusions to other signature musical elements.

Contents
[#.23 #] [#A A] [#B B] [#C C] [#D D] [#E E] [#F F] [#G G] [#H H] [#I I] [#J J] [#K K] [#L L] [#M M] [#N N] [#O O] [#P P] [#Q Q] [#R R] [#S S] [#T T] [#U U] [#V V] [#W W] [#X X] [#Y Y] [#Z Z]

Paula Abdul

• Email different town — Modestly Hot Homsar's line "I'm forever your girl" references Abdul's debut album Forever Your Girl.
• Doomy Tales Of The Macabre — Coach Z dresses up as MC Skat Kat, an animated character who appeared with Abdul in the music video for her song "Opposites Attract".
  • In an Easter egg, Coach Z makes references to Abdul's songs "Opposites Attract", "Cold Hearted", "Straight Up", and "Rush Rush", as well Abdul's showbiz origins as a Laker Girl.

AC/DC

See main article: AC/DC

Aerosmith

• Flash is Dead! — While trying to make a Deep Impact reference, Homestar Runner quotes "I don't want to miss a thing!" from the Aerosmith song for the similarly-themed film Armageddon.
• 2022 Costume Pack Now Available —
  • In an Easter egg, Coach Z sings the guitar lick of "Walk This Way" in reference to the cover/collaboration version with Run-DMC (a member of which Coach Z was dressed up as).
  • In another Easter egg, The Homestar Runner and Fat Dudley sing and dance to the guitar lick of "Walk This Way". Old-Timey Strong Bad additionally alludes to the lyrics of "Sweet Emotion" while speaking to the "Arrow Smith".

Alvin and the Chipmunks

• Email strong badathlon — The song Homestar sings for the ending closimonies was from a commercial promoting "Alvin and the Chipmunks"-themed collectible glasses at Hardee's restaurants. The commercials used a rewritten version of "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger.
  • In the DVD commentary, Coach Z recalls collecting said glasses.
  • A follow-up tweet specified the reference was to Hardee's, not Seger.

Anthrax

• Email the chair — [#Winger Winger's] self-titled debut album is described as "less Anthrax-y".
• Trudgemank — Peacey P references Anthrax and [#Public_Enemy Public Enemy] mixing rap and heavy metal, referring to Anthrax's 1991 cover of "Bring the Noise".

Balaam and the Angel

• Marshmallow's Last Stand (DVD commentary) — Homestar reacts to the "BUH-LAM!" onomatopoeia with "Buh-lam and the Angels!"

Beastie Boys

See main article: Beastie Boys

The Beatles

See main article: The Beatles

Black Flag

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A stellar performance

• In Search of the Yello Dello Deleted Scenes — Strong Mad can be seen sporting a Black Flag tattoo in the third scene.

Black Sabbath

• Homestar Ruiner — When Strong Bad first tries to run the Race to the End of the Race and pick up the hurdle, he remarks that it must be made of some heavy metals, including "black sabbath".
• Strong Bad Sings and Other Type Hits — Taranchula song Moving Very Slowly resembles the doom metal style of Black Sabbath.

Frank Black

• Jibblies 2 — A tarot card is labeled The Cult of Ray, Frank Black's 1996 album, and includes the peculiar looking head from the album cover.

Blue Öyster Cult

• Baddest of the Bands — The heavy metal umlaut over the "O" in the band DÖI is a reference to Blue Öyster Cult, a connection furthered by "Oyster" being one of the foods that the King of Town can suggest to be the second word in the band's title.

Boston

• Email more armies (DVD commentary) — Matt Chapman recalls conflating the spaceships on the covers of Boston albums with the game Space Invaders as a child, making a comparison to [#Journey Journey Escape].

David Bowie

See main article: David Bowie

Boyz N Da Hood

• Email garage sale — Strong Bad wonders what sort of "da things" are mentioned and guesses both "da boyz" and "da hood".

Garth Brooks

• Email secret identity — Strong Bad reflects that "secret identities aren't just for superheroes and Garth Brooks anymore," referring to Brooks' Chris Gaines persona.

The Brothers Johnson

• Email comic — In an Easter egg, the band's album Winners is visible in an independent record store.

Bobby Brown

• Email portrait — The term "TendaRONi" refers to Bobby Brown's song, "Roni"; specifically, the lyric involving the phrase "tender Roni".

Cab Calloway

• The House That Gave Sucky Treats — Frustrated by Homestar's incorrect identification of his costume, Strong Bad retorts that he's not Cab Calloway. Marzipan comments that she likes Calloway.

Glen Campbell

• Decemberween Short Shorts — In the scene with the characters depicted as Decemberween ornaments, Homestar thinks Strong Bad is a "Rhinestone Cowboy".

The Carpenters

• Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective — When Dadgeresque passes away, Dangeresque responds by stringing together the names of a bunch of sappy love songs, including "We've Only Just Begun".

Chubby Checker

• Email bottom 10 (DVD commentary) — Mike Chapman acknowledges Homestar's "buttdance again" song by quoting "Let's twist again, like we did last summer," from Checker's song "Let's Twist Again", a "sequel" to his previous song, "The Twist".

Joe Cocker

• TMBG Concert - 25 Sep 2004 & TMBG Concert - 5 Mar 2010 — Puppet Homestar Runner sings a version (with altered lyrics) of "With A Little Help from My Friends" that borrows from Cocker's performance of the song.

Phil Collins

• Stinkomanual — The description of the Bendini Sisters alludes to "In the Air Tonight".

Jonathan Coulton

• Make a Scene with Telltale: Strong Bad Edition — Strong Bad mentions Jonathan Coulton being at the PAX convention.
• The Brothers Chaps were guests on the 2019 JoCo Cruise.

The Cure

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Boys Don't Cry

• Fan Costume Commentary — Strong Bad describes the final Strong Sad costume as a "dumpy Robert Smith", referring to the frontman of the Cure.
• Email radio — Strong Sad has a "Boys Don't Cry" poster in his room. This poster has continued to appear in subsequent scenes set in his room.

Daft Punk

• The Cheat Theme Song — The visual accompanying "The Cheat is in the house" is reminiscent of the music video for "One More Time."
  • The line itself may be a reference to earlier song "Teachers", in which several influential DJs are listed as being "in the house".

Terence Trent D'Arby

• 3 Times Halloween Funjob — Coach Z misinterprets Strong Bad's Ozone costume as Terence Trent D'Arby.

De La Soul

See main article: De La Soul

El DeBarge

• 3 Times Halloween Funjob — Homestar mistakes Strong Bad's Ozone costume for one of El DeBarge.

John Denver

• Email haircut (DVD commentary) — The Brothers Chaps try to remember if John Denver's real last name was Düsseldorf; it was actually Deutschendorf.

Devo

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"Go forward! Move ahead. Try to detect it! It's not too late."

• Halloween Potion-ma-jig — Strong Sad dresses as an unspecified "Devo member", wearing the famous "energy dome" helmet. He also quotes their hit song "Whip It".
  • Strong Sad's square glasses indicate he is most likely dressed as co-founder and singer Mark Mothersbaugh.
• The Show: Ween Edition — Homestar mistakes Coach Z's "[#Beastie_Boys Beastie Boy] from the Intergalactic video" costume for a "Devo construction worker"
  • In the same toon, Coach Z's initial guess was a "Devo crossing guard".

Digital Underground

• The House That Gave Sucky Treats — Coach Z dresses as Humpty Hump, the comedic alter ego of the group's leader Shock G.

Dinosaur Jr.

• Mr. Poofers Must Die — Marzipan dresses up as J Mascis. Strong Sad mentions two Dinosaur Jr. album titles and one EP title.

Dire Straits

• Doomy Tales of the Macabre — Strong Mad dresses as Sal from the animated "Money For Nothing" music video, quoting the song's "MOVE-A, MOVE-A!" refrain.

Dokken

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"...and Marzipan would rock..."

• Email band names — Strong Bad uses Dokken as an example of a band named after a "really cool last name," referring to founder Don Dokken.
• Email different town — During Strong Bad's fantasy of how he would change Free Country, USA, he envisions Marzipan as playing George Lynch's Skull N' Bones guitar.

Nick Drake

• Email concert — Strong Bad says, "And that one guy even had his back to us all night." This refers to one of Drake's onstage habits.

Bob Dylan

See main article: Bob Dylan

The Edsels

• The System is Down — Bubs says that "someone tried to cram-a-lam a Swiss Cake Roll into the disk drive," a takeoff of the phrase "Rama Lama Ding Dong" originated by this band's 1958 song.

Enuff Z'nuff

• Email band names — Strong Bad uses Enuff Z'nuff as a lesser example of a band named after a "really cool last name," referring to cofounder Chip Z'nuff (Gregory Rybarski).

The 5th Dimension

• Main Page 8 — When "Toons" is rolled over, Strong Bad is seen in a hot-air balloon done in his likeness as he sings the band's song "Up, Up and Away".

50 Cent

• Email extra plug — Strong Bad's pronunciation of "club" is a reference to "In da Club," wherein 50 rounds off the 'u' in the word 'club' the same way.

Firehose

• Email senior prom — The King of Town's line "Let the King have some!" may refer to the song title "Let the Drummer Have Some".

Five Man Electrical Band

• Strong Bad's Website — The "Long Haired Freaky Cheat" broken image is a reference to the "long-haired freaky people" mentioned in "Signs".

John Fogerty

• Email too cool — Senor Cardgage distorts the line "Put me in, Coach, I'm ready to play" from "Centerfield".

Foghat

• Baddest of the Bands — Strong Bad warns players not to confuse fog-bats with Foghat.

Fu-Schnickens

• Email dragon — The email intro is a direct reference to a line from the song "La Schmoove" (as revealed in 2019).

Lita Ford

• Email cliffhangers — At the start of the Space Captainface scene, Strong Bad as Space Captainface is talking to Lita Ford on the phone.

4 Non Blondes

• Email bike thief (DVD commentary) — Mike asks Strong Bad if Matt based Marzipan's hairstyle on a member of 4 Non Blondes; Strong Bad responds by singing the "Hey, yay, yay, yay" segment of their song "What's Up?".

The Four Tops

• Email sugarbob — Strong Bad says, "Sugarbob, funky bunch," a reference to The Four Tops' song, "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)".

Peter Frampton

See main article: Peter Frampton

Fugazi

• Email geddup noise (DVD commentary) — The brothers discuss a "This is not a Fugazi T-shirt" shirt while discussing Strong Sad's Geddup Noise shirt.

The Furious Five

• Homestarloween Party — Coach Z is overheard discussing an individual's "work with the Furious Five", presumably either Grandmaster Flash or Melle Mel.

Gorillaz

• Halloween Hijinks — Coach Z dresses up as Del tha Ghost Rapper, and quotes lines from the song "Clint Eastwood" that featured Del.

Grateful Dead

• Email theme party (Easter egg) — A "Spring Drink'n Formal 2002" t-shirt features a Grateful Dead Dancing Bear.

The Vince Guaraldi Trio

• Email comic — In the Easter egg, the album A Boy Named Charlie Brown can be seen in an independent record store.
• Dangeresque: The Roomisode Triungulate Roomisode 2 — If Dangeresque places the air freshener on the green car's antenna, the music that plays is an homage to the Vince Guaraldi Trio's soundtrack to the Peanuts special A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Guns N' Roses

See main article: Guns N' Roses

Murray Head

• Homestar Presents: Presents — Strong Sad sings "One Night in Bangkok".

House of Pain

• A Jorb Well Done — Coach Z says, "Pack it up, pack it in" as the game ends, quoting the opening lyrics to "Jump Around".
• Hallrunner — Selecting "jump it" against the home stereo system quotes "Jump Around": "Jump around, jump around, jump up jump up and get down."

Ice-T

• Email pizzaz — Strong Bad's closing line, "Canned or Dry, We Neva Die. Colors," is a reference to the song "Colors": "The gangs of L.A. will never die – just multiply (colors)".
• Baddest of the Bands — Bubs wishes for Coach Z to be more like an O.G.; though the abbreviation has historically had different meanings, Ice-T's album O.G. Original Gangster popularized the "original gangster" meaning especially in hip hop contexts.
• @StrongBadActual tweet (22 Nov 2016) — Strong Bad, dressed as Lin-Manuel Miranda (in Hamilton), specifies that he is not "Colonial Ice-T".

Iggy Pop

• Email technology — Strong Bad's line, "I'm using technology," refers to a lyric from the song, "Search and Destroy", which he sang with The Stooges.

Natalie Imbruglia

• Halloween Potion-ma-jig — One of Strong Sad's magic words includes Natalie's last name, though he pronounces it with the "g" sound.

Iron Butterfly

• Teen Girl Squad Issue 8 — The "16 hour drum solo" refers to epic hard rock drum solos in songs such as In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.

Iron Maiden

• Email 3 wishes — Strong Bad says that if he had horns, he would go on tour with a heavy metal band as their mascot and do battle with the lead singer, a reference to how the Iron Maiden mascot always fought with the band on stage.
• Baddest of the Bands — Strong Bad says his stage prop is "maybe cooler than a giant robotic demon". This refers to the band's usage of elaborate stage props in their concerts, including giant puppets of demons and monsters.
• Several toons use a font called "Metal as in Heavy" which is very similar to that of Iron Maiden.

The Isley Brothers

• Senor Mortgage — The jingle plays the same chord progression as in "Twist and Shout".

Judas Priest

• Trogday 08 — The heavy metal song at the end repeats "The S is for Sucks" in a similar manner to the chorus of "Breaking the Law".
• Baddest of the Bands — When "save/load" is moused over, one of the lines Strong Bad says in response is "Savin' the load! Savin' the load!", also in reference to "Breaking the Law."

Michael Jackson

See main article: Michael Jackson

Rick James

• Email gimmicks — Strong Bad's intro song repeats "super great" in the manner of "Super Freak".

Scott Joplin

• Kick the Can — Joplin's piano rag "The Entertainer" scores the shorts; the song is often used to evoke the 1930s.

Journey

• Baddest of the Bands —
  • Strong Bad sings "Don't quit Strong Bad gaming!" when mousing over "Quit It" on the main menu, à la "Don't Stop Believin'".
  • Limozeen's Hot Babelien Odyssey is a reference to the Atari 2600 game Journey Escape.
• more armies (DVD commentary) — Matt mentions Journey Escape when explaining how he thought [#Boston Boston] was connected to Space Invaders.
• Dangeresque: The Roomisode Triungulate Roomisode 2 — Dangeresque's description for the street light is "just a city street light, born and raised in South Detrite", another reference to "Don't Stop Believin'".

Kid 'n Play

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"Check it out, yo!"

• Pumpkin Carve-nival — Coach Z dresses as Kid from Kid 'n' Play.

KISS

• Main Page 9 — The band's logo appears when rolling over "Characters".
• Email local news — Strong Bad's intro tune parodies "Cold Gin", swapping in "email" for "cold gin" in the chorus.
• Email coloring — A coloring page depicts Larry "screamin' like a demon" with his tongue hanging out. Band member Gene Simmons used the stage persona of "The Demon" and is well-known for sticking out his long tongue while performing.

Kraftwerk

• Email old comics — The cover for West Is Lip's The Singles compilation bears some resemblance to the album cover for The Man-Machine.

Krokus

• Email band names — In closing, Strong Bad announces that "the guys from Krokus" will be guests on the next email.
• Fan Costumes 2017 — D n' D Greg claims the Krokus banner on his front porch drew What's Her Face near.

Cyndi Lauper

• Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective — When Dadgeresque passes away, Dangeresque responds by stringing together the names of a bunch of sappy love songs, yet bizarrely concludes the response with "She Bop".

Led Zeppelin

See main article: Led Zeppelin

Gordon Lightfoot

• Email army — When Strong Bad refuses to join Homestar's army, the latter threatens the former with, "We'll see if those trees you're always hugging save you when Gordon Lightfoot's creeping round your back stair," referencing the song "Sundown".

LL Cool J

• Email hremail 3184 — Homestar repeating the phrase "Don't call it a comeback", is a reference to the first line of "Mama Said Knock You Out".

Loverboy

• Strong Bad Sings and Other Type Hits — The cowbell intro of "Because, It's Midnite" by Limozeen is similar to that of "Working for the Weekend".
• Strong Sad's Lament — The header of Strong Sad's post on September 9, 2005 is "Working For the Weak-End?"

Yngwie Malmsteen

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"We're on a collision course with Malmsteen's Comet!"

• Email cliffhangers — Strong Bad as Space Captainface and The Cheat as Strap are threatened by Malmsteen's Comet.

Marilyn Manson

• Trogdor Con '97 (DVD commentary) — The Brothers Chaps recall Dragon Con attendees wearing makeup reminiscent of Marilyn Manson, similar to how Strong Sad is dressed in the toon.

Bob Marley

• Happy Hallow-day — Marzipan says, "We be jammin'!", in reference to "Jamming".
• Strong Badia the Free — Strong Bad tells an email sender to think about where he should hang his Bob Marley poster once he moves back into his parents' basement.

Marsalis

• Email theme song — The closing theme song for Strong Bad's email show is "by a Marsalis or two".

MC Hammer

• Email haircut — Strong Bad references "Hammer pants", baggy pants popularized by MC Hammer.
• Later That Night... — Homsar quotes "U Can't Touch This".

Metallica

See main article: Metallica

M.I.A.

• Happy Hallow-day — On the Toons menu, the description of this toon is "Ween night is M.I.A. Galang galang." This uses "M.I.A." to refer to both the concept of "missing in action" and a nod to the rapper; "Galang" is her debut single.

Miami Sound Machine

• 3 Times Halloween Funjob — Bubs mistakes Strong Bad's costume as being Miami Sound Machine.

Bette Midler

• Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective — When Dadgeresque passes away, Dangeresque responds by stringing together the names of a bunch of sappy love songs, including "Wind Beneath My Wings".

The Misfits

• Doomy Tales of the Macabre — Strong Sad dresses as Doyle, the guitarist of the band.

Thelonious Monk

• Email pizza joint — Strong Sad remarks that Strong Bad would call him "Thelonious Dump" when rejecting him from his Pizz List.

Mos Def

• Email love poems — Homestar's "This mo'nin'" jam sounds identical to the chorus of Mos Def's song "Got".

Mötley Crüe

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Brüe

• Halloween Fairstival — Homestar's jars of witches' brüe reference the band's spelling of "Crew" as "Crüe".
• Email monster truck (DVD commentary) — Matt says that older brother Donnie dressed as Crüe frontman Vince Neil in 1987.
• The Show: Ween Edition — Homestar's misinterpretation of the King of Town's Immortan Joe costume is that it is a "Mötley Crüe in the ICU" costume.

Motörhead

• Email band names — Strong Bad announces the next email will include a guest appearance by the band's leader, Lemmy Kilmister.
• Email death metal (DVD commentary) — Strong Bad and Mike make reference to Lemmy, including discussing whether or not he hot-glued corn flakes to his face.

Mr. Mister

• Homestar Runner Goes for the Gold — Homestar references the hit "Broken Wings".

Mudhoney

• Email comic — The single "You Stupid Asshole" appears in the "comic" Easter egg.
• Sick Day — The page title references the song "Here Comes The Sickness".

Mudvayne

• Email death metal — Strong Bad suggests to hot-glue cornflakes to one's face as a way to be in a death metal band. This refers to this band's guitarist who once glued corn chips to his face for a music video.

Willie Nelson

• Halloween Fairstival — Marzipan dresses as Willie Nelson.

The Neville Brothers

• Email theme song — Strong Bad claims that were his email show's "life-affirming pop-ballad type theme song" would probably be "sung by some variety of Neville."

Newcleus

• Happy Hallow-day — The skull with the rainbow-colored afro exclaims the title of the band's song, "Jam On It".
• Email love poems — Homestar's "This mo'nin'" jam is sung in imitation of "Jam On It".

New Order

• Fan Costumes 2015 — Strong Sad sings a part of Age of Consent.

Night Ranger

• Baddest of the Bands — Strong Bad calls Strong Sad "Sister Christian", which is the title of one of this band's most famous songs.
• Homestar Runner Goes for the Gold — Homestar quotes a lyric from "Sister Christian".

Nirvana

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Corporate Rock Still Sucks

• Homestarloween Party — Homestar Runner dresses as Kurt Cobain. His T-shirt is a parody of a shirt worn by Cobain on the cover of Rolling Stone, which reads, "Corporate Magazines Still Suck."
• Email geddup noise — Strong Sad's "Corporate The Geddup Noise Still Sucks" T-shirt is another parody of the same slogan.
• Baddest of the Bands — When the speaker has been brought down on the DÖI stage, Strong Bad remarks that it is probably Cobain-proofed.

Sinéad O'Connor

• Email from work (DVD commentary) — Homestar claims that Sinéad O'Connor is 2008's it-girl.

Outkast

See main article: Outkast

Ozzy Osbourne

• Baddest of the Bands — Strong Bad asking Marzipan if she plans to bite off Pazquel's head, The King of Town's on-stage devouring of bats, and Marzipan's allegation of Limozeen performing bat-head-biting all refer to a notorious episode in the career of Osbourne.

Les Paul

• Strong Badia the Free — While answering an email, Strong Bad calls the sender "Les Paul".

Pavement

• sloshy's performance of Because It's Midnite uses a style resemblant of Pavement.
• Fan Costumes 2017 What's Her Face claims she likes Pavement.

Tom Petty

• Old Characters Page — Marzipan's description includes "She loves horses and her boyfriend, too" which is a line from Tom Petty's song, Free Fallin'.
• Haunted Photo Booth — The King of Town dresses up as the Alice cake from the music video from Tom Petty's song, Don't Come Around Here No More.

Piebald

• Strong Bad is a Bad Guy — The term "vantastic" is a possible reference to this band, who describe their tour van using the same word.

Pink Floyd

• Baddest of the Bands — Strong Bad says his stage prop is "almost better than a flying pig". This refers to a prop used in some performances by this band and the cover art of Animals.
• The Homestar Runner Enters The Spooky Woods — Strong Mad's costume references an iconic image of Pink Floyd The Wall.

Poison

• Baddest of the Bands — In the Teen Girl Squad comic, Gary refers to Cheerleader as "un-unskinny bop", a reference to Poison's song "Unskinny Bop".

The Police

• Email specially marked — The step counter has the phrase "Every step U take" displayed on it. This phrase is a line sung in The Police's song, "Every Breath You Take".

The Postal Service

• Email geddup noise (DVD commentary) — The Brothers Chaps compare The Cheat's Geddup Noise indie-tronic remix to something that The Postal Service would do.

Elvis Presley

• Email vacation — Strong Bad's intro song is a reference to Elvis' song, "Heartbreak Hotel".

Prince

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"E... A... D... G...."

• Email space program — Strong Bad's email intro is a parody of Prince's song, "When Doves Cry".
• Jibblies 2 — Marzipan dresses as Prince circa his 1984 album and film Purple Rain. Homestar references his 1985 hit "Raspberry Beret".
  • The House That Gave Sucky Tricks (Easter egg) — Homestar and Marzipan refer back to this costume.

The Promise Ring

• Email no loafing — The poster on Strong Sad's wall in the "appointment" Easter egg is of this emo band.

Public Enemy

• Homestarloween Party — Coach Z dresses as Flavor Flav, the comic relief member of this group.
• Trudgemank — Peacey P. mentions them (as P.E.) and Anthrax mixing rap and heavy metal in 1991 or 1993.

Queen

• Email space program — The Space Captainface song is a spoof on the theme song for Flash Gordon, as performed by this band.

Queen Latifah

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"Hey, whatcha doing there, sista?"

• Happy Hallow-day — Coach Z dresses as Queen Latifah.

Quiet Riot

• Email the bet — Strong Bad tells Homestar to change his name to Kevin DuBrow if he fails to be cool, which does not happen.

Radiohead

• Email redesign — One of the dryer settings is "High and Dry", a reference to the band's song of the same title.

Ramones

See main article: Ramones

Ratt

See main article: Ratt

Red Hot Chili Peppers

• Decemberween Short Shorts (DVD commentary) — During the scene with Strong Bad writing a letter to tube socks, the Brothers Chaps compare this scene to how Red Hot Chili Peppers used tube socks.

R.E.M.

• In Search of the Yello Dello (DVD version) — As seen in the fourth deleted scene, it was originally intended for Strong Sad to sound like Michael Stipe.
• Flash is Dead! — Homestar lists his full name on his profile as "Michael (Stipe) Runner".

Lionel Richie

• Email 3 wishes — The intro is reference to a lyric to Richie's song, "Say You, Say Me".
• Homestar Runner's Character Video — "Lionel Richie" is one of the randomly-picked insults that Strong Bad calls Homestar during the latter's character video.

Kenny Rogers

• Email pom pom — Strong Bad's intro is a reference to Rogers' song, "The Gambler".

The Rolling Stones

• Baddest of the Bands — If you click on the fuse box at the DÖI Stage, Strong Bad remarks how his "frustration was sure to blow a 50 amp fuse." This is a reference to the Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want", where there is a line with a similar meaning.
• Limozeen vs. sloshy — The album cover resembles the cover for Jump Back, a Rolling Stones greatest hits album.

Henry Rollins

• Hairstyle Runner — A hairstyle giving Homestar a flattop and unibrow is labeled "rollins band's 2nd to last album".
• Teen Girl Squad Issue 5 and Teen Girl Squad Issue 10 — Henry Rollins appears, later parasailing with So and So.

Run-DMC

See main article: Run-DMC

Sade

• Email slumber party — Homestar sings, "Party. Slumber party. Listen to some Sade, at the slumber party."

Joe Satriani

• Email space program — The term "Satriani 5" is a spoof on Joe Satriani, who created the album Surfing with the Aliens.
• Email cliffhangers (DVD commentary) — During the Space Captainface scene, Matt wonders if when the new Fantastic Four movie comes out, Joe Satriani will become more popular.

Scorpions

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We are the SCORPIONS!!

• Strong Sad's Lament — Strong Sad asks his readers to "rock [him] like an e-Hurricane", referencing their song "Rock You Like A Hurricane".
• Email your friends — During the scene with Strong Bad torturing Homsar with scorpions, the scorpions come from a box that reads, "We are the SCORPIONS!!", which is the concert-opening cry of lead singer Klaus Meine.
• Taranchula member Schenkel McDoo may be a reference to Scorpions guitarist Rudolf Schenker.

Bob Seger

• Email strong badathlon — During the ending closimonies, Homestar sings a (misquoted) line from Seger's song "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll."

Sepultura

• Taranchula appears to be partially based on the death metal band Sepultura.

Sex Pistols

• Email sb email 22 — Strong Bad's suggested email closing "Nevermind the Bullocks" refers to a lyric from the band's controversial album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, which, like this email, was banned in the U.K.

Simon and Garfunkel

• Email do over — As Strong Bad bashes Homestar on the head with the Tandy's keyboard, he yells, "PARSLEY! SAGE! RoseMARY! And THYME!" These are lyrics to the song "Scarborough Fair", an English ballad made famous by this duo.
• Email love poems (DVD commentary) — Mike and Matt both think that Homestar looks like Art Garfunkel, the second half of Simon and Garfunkel.

Slaughter

• Email death metal — One of the bands featured on the Half-Hour Death Metal Dungeon Hour is "Schlaugh-ter".
• Homestar Runner Goes for the Gold — Homestar references Slaughter's hit, Fly to the Angels.

Slayer

• Fan Costumes 2017 — D n' D Greg claims the Slayer poster in his hallway won What's Her Face's heart.

The Smiths

• Somber Vacation — In the Easter egg, Strong Sad can be heard singing Bigmouth Strikes Again.

Sonic Youth

See main article: Sonic Youth

Bruce Springsteen

• Halloween Fairstival — Bubs dresses up as Clarence Clemons, saxophonist for the E-Street Band.
• Email love poems — Kimberly quotes Blinded by the Light, a song originally done by Bruce Springsteen.
• Email dictionary — Marzipan offers to play a cover of Bruce Springsteen's song, Glory Days.

The Strokes

• Record Store Day — A dreaming Strong Sad warns the band's lead singer Julian Casablancas to look out.

Stryper

• Homestar Ruiner — When Strong Bad investigates the stands by the track, he remarks that they are emptier than a Stryper concert.

Sugarhill Gang

• Homsar's Character Video — Homsar mentions Wonder Mike, the lead singer for the Sugarhill Gang. His comment "Hi, Wonder Mike!" is a reference to the line in the Sugarhill Gang song Rapper's Delight that goes "I am Wonder Mike and I'd like to say hello."

The Supremes

• Hallrunner — If you choose "Fight it" when you come across love, the game replies that "you can't fight it and you can't hurry it. You just have to wait." This is a reference to the Supremes' song, "You Can't Hurry Love".

Talking Heads

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"This is not my beautiful house! This is not my beautiful wife!"

• 3 Times Halloween Funjob — Strong Sad dresses as the band's leader David Byrne, wearing the "big suit" from Stop Making Sense. He also quotes their song "Once in a Lifetime" with the lines "This is not my beautiful house!" and "This is not my beautiful wife!"

James Taylor

• Email for kids — On Homsar's show, Whaddaya Know, Haddi-man?, the guitarist, known as the Stave It Off Guy, bears a striking resemblance to this folk singer, who would often appear on Sesame Street to sing educational songs.
• Crystal Fortress — The Stave It Off Guy returns.

TLC

• Pumpkin Carve-nival — Marzipan dresses as Left-Eye Lopes.

The Treacherous Three

• 3 Times Halloween Funjob — Coach Z dresses as band member Kool Moe Dee.

A Tribe Called Quest

See main article: A Tribe Called Quest

Tupac

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Thorg Life

• Halloween Fairstival — Coach Z dresses as Tupac.

Turbonegro

• Email death metal — Strong Bad's suggestion to Dane to be fat refers to lead singer Hank Von Helvete, who is famous for his plump physique.

Ike Turner

• Email autobiography — An Easter egg describes the tapes as being reviewed by Ike Turner, who, bizarrely enough, reviews it twice as "hootie hoo".

U2

• Thy Dungeonman 3 — When you've beaten the game, the line "The sanctum begins to rattle and hum" is a reference to the U2 album Rattle and Hum.

Van Halen

See main article: Van Halen

Stevie Ray Vaughan

• Most in the Graveyard — Marzipan dresses as Stevie Ray Vaughan.
  • Homestar calls Marzipan "My little pride and joy," a reference to Stevie Ray Vaughan's 1983 hit, Pride and Joy.

Vinnie Vincent Invasion

• Email death metal — One of the bands featured on the Half-Hour Death Metal Dungeon Hour is "the Winnie Wincent Inwasion".

Weezer

• Email concert — The discussion about Christmas lights used by sloshy refers to Weezer's similar usage in their music video of "El Scorcho".
• Decomposing Pumpkins — The intro notes are reminiscent of "Undone (The Sweater Song)".
• sloshy's bassist resembles the drummer for Weezer.

Wesley Willis

• Baddest of the Bands — When you are finished talking to Bubs, he may utter the phrase "Rock over London, Rock on Chicago". This phrase was often used at the end of Willis' songs.

Barry White

• Email love poems — Tenerence Love sings his "Sweaty Overweight Jam" in imitation of soul singers like Barry White.
• Baddest of the Bands — Strong Bad refers to Homestar as "Very White".

Whitesnake

• Email mile — Strong Bad's line before jumping the ramp over Bubs' 19 buses, "Here I go again on my own," is a reference to the first line of the chorus of "Here I Go Again", an '80s standard by Whitesnake.

The Who

See main article: The Who

Winger

• Email death metal — One of the bands featured on the Half-Hour Death Metal Dungeon Hour is "Vinger".
• Email the chair — Bubs has a Winger album.

Wu-Tang Clan

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"Cool, a W. What's that supposed to stand for? Witches' brew?"

• The House That Gave Sucky Treats — If you give Coach Z the Cherry Clan as his Halloween treat, he will compare them to the Wu-Tang Clan and he asks you if he can come in and listen to the group's debut album, The 36 Chambers.
• Pumpkin Carve-nival — The letter W in Coach Z's pumpkin entry is the symbol for the Wu-Tang Clan.
• Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 12.2 — Homestar's mention of a "Goatface Killa" is a reference to Ghostface Killah, a member of Wu-Tang Clan.

"Weird Al" Yankovic

• Email long pants — Strong Bad writing on the Lappy with the light pen may be a reference to part of the lyrics to Weird Al's song, "It's All About the Pentiums".
• Teen Girl Squad Issue 13 — The line "Ding dong. Ding dong, yo" is a line from the video for "Fat".

Frank Zappa

• Email suntan — In the instructions, the man's facial hair is similar to that of Frank Zappa.
• Email modeling — "Stinkfoot" refers to a song title by Zappa.

ZZ Top

• Sketchbook 2005 — In the November 10 entry, the King of Town is drawn as one of the band members.
• Email the bet (DVD commentary) — Strong Bad makes reference to Billy Gibbons, the leader of this band.
• Email winter pool — The King of Town is seen watching an episode of Caleb Rentpayer where Tuxworth says, "You can't grow a ZZ Top beard!"

See Also

• Paul and Storm
• They Might Be Giants
• Y-O-U
• Heavy Metal
• Hip Hop
• Professional Athlete References
• Video Game References