I’ve been very “srs bzness” on the blog lately, so it’s time for some unmitigated fluff! This morning, I was bopping along to my iPod on the train, and the biggest, dorkiest smile broke out on my face during the opening guitar riffs of “Socha Hai,” by Magik. It’s an upbeat song, a total earworm, and never fails to put me in a good mood. The thing is…Magik doesn’t really exist. It’s the fictional band from Abhishek Kapoor’s 2008 film Rock On!! (actor Farhan Akhtar does sing on all the tracks). And thinking about my passionate adoration of this nonexistent band led me to pondering other fake bands I’ve loved over the years. (Spinal Tap is missing, because much to my chagrin, I’ve never actually seen This is Spinal Tap.)

The Monkees: Duh. One cannot discuss fake bands without giving tribute to The Monkees, who capitalized on Beatlemania with their floppy hair and jaunty tunes and also had a pretty darn entertaining sketch show. Obviously I did not watch the original run from the 1960s; I grew obsessed with the reruns as a kid and had a huge crush on Mike Nesmith when I was in second grade. (Yes, I was rather crushed to realize that he was, at that point, old enough to be my father.)

Zack Attack and Hot Sundae: Who can forget the musical aspirations of the kids of Saved By the Bell? Though Zack Attack’s “Friends Forever” is quite catchy, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Hot Sundae’s take on the Pointer Sisters…thanks to the epic spaz-out of one Jessie Spano. “I’m so excited…I’m so scared.” And Elizabeth Berkley, Tiffani Thiessen and Lark Voorhies were adorable!

The Guys Next Door: This was a fake band + sketch show in the style of The Monkees. It followed SBTB on Saturday mornings and aired from 1990-91 before vanishing into the ether. I loved them. They were talented and incredibly funny. They did have an album and you better believe I had it on cassette tape! I think they released their most “legit” song as a single, but their spoofs were better. As evidenced by Damon Sharpe’s mournful ode to his bad hair day. LOL!

California Dreams: This upbeat beach comedy followed SBTB after Guys Next Door tanked, and lasted far longer on air! The theme song was ridiculously catchy, and all I remember taking away from the series itself was that A)Sly was a sleaze and B)Jake was hot. I’m pretty sure those were supposed to be the salient points! I also loved Jennie Kwan being in the cast as Sam, because up until then there wasn’t much Asian representation on the Saturday morning shows.

Rascal, feat. Dean Frame: Like I’m going to talk about a fake band and not use the opportunity to trumpet Another World‘s Dean Frame, his guyliner and his mullet?  The year was 1991 and I absolutely skipped school to watch the show debut the “Ladykiller” video. Ricky Paull Goldin‘s Dean being a leather wearing rocker was pretty much the backdrop for his love story with Jenna (Alla Korot) and I fell for it hook, line and sinker. (I was 13, what did I know? LOL.)

The Heights: Bitter Firefly and Terminator fans should take heart…Fox liked to cancel series back in the day, too! The Heights was a fun and angsty series about a garage rock band that lasted all of 3 months in 1992. Though “How Do You Talk To An Angel” was both its theme and its breakout song, I vastly preferred other tracks off their album, especially the ones sung by Shawn David Thompson (sorry, Jamie Walters!), and I totally ‘shipped Thompson’s character, J.T. and Charlotte Ross‘ Hope!

Josie and the Pussycats: Kay Hanley from Letters to Cleo was the real vocals behind actress Rachael Leigh Cook‘s Josie in the 2001 film Josie and the Pussycats, but Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson looked like they had a blast playing rock stars. It was a peppy, fun film. “Three Small Words” was definitely on one of my mix tapes.

 PoP!: Hugh Grant and Scott Porter‘s team-up from the 2007 film Music & Lyrics was priceless. Not only is “Pop! Goes My Heart” a legitimately good ’80s pop song, but the video is a brilliant homage to all the ’80s tropes as well.

Who are some of your favorite faux musicians?