Shihad 'Felt Like Frauds' Changing Their Name In Wake Of Sep 11

One of New Zealand's most successful bands Shihad have spoken candidly to Drum Media about their controversial name change in 2002.

Frontman Jon Toogood has discussed his regret at the ill-fated Pacifier tenure, which they did in an attempt to crack the US market post-September 11.

Toogood descibed the frustrating choice that had to be made after being warned their name sounded to much like 'jihad' at a time when the US mainstream was allergic to anything suggesting allegiance to the Middle East: “It was like, shit A or shit B. Okay, option one – don't change the name, but say goodbye to your dreams of America, which you've had since you were a kid at school, and not find out what it was like, even though we found out anyway,” he laughed. “Or, option B – change your name, make yourself look like cockheads and feel like you've compromised. But, have a chance to have your record released in America on a big label with a big push behind it and get to find out what that was.

"After six months of telling everybody, 'Fuck off, there's no way we're changing our name', we finally compromised. I hated it; I regretted it as soon as we did it. I felt like I was in another band, like a fraud. It made me question everything about being in a band.

Toogood and the rest of Shihad have well and truly moved on from that time now, evident through their continued success.

“I've done my two years of regrets; I did it at the time. The only positive thing to come out of it was we copped so much shit from everybody – from fans, media, ourselves, our friends and families – that it made us go out and be quite ballistic live at the time, just to prove everyone wrong. It was just like self-destruction. Any regrets I've had I've sort of lived with them, gone through them and got rid of them. It is what it is, it makes for an interesting story, and you move on.”