At the Drive-In got their name by combining Bad Brains and Poison, two of their musical influences. "At the Movies" is the name of a Bad Brains song and "At the Drive-In" is a lyric from the Poison song "Talk Dirty To Me." Guitarist Jim Ward suggested using the Poison lyric as a name so At the Drive-In stuck.
At the Drive-In guitarist Jim Ward wanted to be in a band so bad that he spent his college savings to record ATDI's debut EP Hell Paso. Following the EP's release in 1994, the band bought a beat up 1981 Ford Econoline van and toured the country, playing in small clubs and basements while building an underground following.
In the summer of 1994, At the Drive-In was so desperate to play shows that they pretended to be a church polka band just to get gigs. The band even created a fake religious show called "Let's Get Real" that aired in their hometown of El Paso, Texas.
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