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Is the band Level 42 names after Tower 42 (formerly the Natwest Tower)? If not, why are they called Level 42?
Darius, London UK
- According to an otherwise amiable and intelligent friend of mine who thought they were aces, Level 42 were named after the world's highest car park in - I think - Hong Kong. I'm not sure; by this point in the conversation my eyes had glazed over at the idea of musicians taking inspiration from a car park.
Mark Power, Dublin
- No. The band took the number from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams, in which 42 was the answer to the ultimate question of Life, the Universe and Everything. I know this because they were popular guests on Saturday morning television when I was a teenager, and said question was a frequent phone-in poser.
Trevor Smith, Peterborough UK, EU
- Aren't they named after a literary reference? I think it's either a Kurt Vonnegut or William Burroughs thing. Although it's hardly original to pilfer a name from one of those is it? Surely they could have included some ridiculous thumb reference in the name as a tribute to Mark King's tiresome slapping appendage.
John Eccleston, Liverpool UK
- I believe that the biggest car park in the world has 42 levels and that's where the name comes from. Crazy name, crazy band!
Matt, Brighton UK
- I heard the band was named after the world's tallest car park. ie the top floor was, Level 42
Andrew Harding, Coventry England
- Their name comes from a fictional group in A Clockwork Orange, along with several other bands that I can't remember offhand, although Echo and the Bunnymen's label Korova was derived from the Korova Milkbar.
Christine Whyte, Glasgow Scotland
- The answer is in the film 'Brazil' by Terry Gilliam.
Alan E OBrien, Mitcham Surrey
- Sadly I do know the answer to this. The cheeky 80's funkster's were originally going to be called 42 as in the answer to the meaning of life in the late great Douglas Adams book The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. It was then decided to add the word Level to give the name some balance. However during an early tour of the US the band were asked so many times about where the name came from that they started making up stories to relieve the boredom. One of them being that they took their name from the number of levels in the world's tallest car park.
Gary Marsh, Dartford Kent
- No.Their name is derived from The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy (see the news page of the Level 42 fan-club web-site: www.level42.com/news/).
Barbara Brennan, Northern Ireland
- Considering Level 42 have been around since long before Tower 42 got its current name, I doubt it!
James Geldart, London UK
- I seem to remember the band were named after the tallest car park in the world (42 levels)
Andrew Murrell, Alton UK
- I once heard they were named after the top level of the world's largest multi-storey car park, but later learned that the name is taken from the meaning of life in the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, namely 42.
Andrew Osler, Costa Mesa, CA United States
- Didn't Jonathan Price live on Level 42 in Brazil? Homage, perhaps?
Robert Baker, Tokyo
- I've always believed they were named from something in the science fiction novel Hellstrom's Hive by Frank Herbert. Level 42 of the Hive (where humans live like social insects) is the hydroponics farm.
John Murray, Farnborough UK
- The name comes from an old PC Spectrum game called Jet Set Willy - ask anyone over the age of 30 and they'll tell you that Level 42 was the last level!
Thomas Attah, Farnborough United Kingdom
- The Williams Boroughs reference is surely from the Naked Lunch and refers to Steely Dan.
Ludovic Drysdale, Winchester England
- Some people have madethe significance of 42their lifes work.Check outhttp://www.empirenet.com/~dljones/
Jon Allen, Zurich Switzerland
- I think your correspondant Christine Whyte is confusing Level 42 with Heaven 17 - although, listening to them both, I can see how easily that can happen.
Jeff Inkpen, Singapore
- I'm afraid Alan OBrien's reply "The answer is in the film 'Brazil' by Terry Gilliam" is, though succinct, rather misguided. 'Brazil' was released in 1985, some years after Level 42 came to fame.
Peter Flint, Pitstone UK
- I have been a Level 42 fan for 20 years now and can safely say that the band's name does indeed come from the Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy with '42' being the answer to the meaning of life the universe and everything.The word 'Level' was put before '42' in a meeting with lawyers to lengthen the name.Another name that was suggested were '88' (number of keys on a piano) but this was dropped as there was a band called 'Rocket 88'check out www.level42webdigest.com for all the latest news as well as ww.level42.com!mrs pink
Lisa Harding, Woking, Surrey United Kingdom
- Level 42 are named after a multistorey carpark in Birmingham which had 42 levels
Roland Cross, Newcastle upon Tyne UK
- They took their name from Douglas Adam's 'Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy' (the answer to the question of life is 42) and they put the word Level in front.
krazy paul, Bristol UK
- I have been a fan of level 42 for many years and the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy theory is the origin of the 42 part of their name. As mentioned by someone else, the level part was added because the record co. bosses thought 42 on its own was too short. Car parks - Non!
Mike jr Greenstreet, Folkestone, Kent
- ...By this time (1980) the band had agreed on the name Level 42 after Boon and Mark had read the science-fiction book 'The Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy' by Douglas Adam's. In it, 42 is the answer to the question, "What is the meaning of life?".http://www.level42.150m.com/biography.html
Mark King, Level42 Enigmatea
As an avid music enthusiast and a Level 42 aficionado, I can confidently provide a comprehensive answer to the question of why the band is named Level 42. The evidence supporting my knowledge comes from a variety of sources, including interviews, fan discussions, and historical accounts related to the band.
The prevailing and widely accepted explanation for the origin of Level 42's name can be traced back to Douglas Adams' masterpiece, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." In Adams' work, the number 42 is famously revealed as the answer to the ultimate question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. This connection was solidified during a meeting with lawyers, where the band members decided to adopt "42" as part of their name.
To address the speculation about car parks, it's crucial to note that several fans and even band members themselves have refuted the idea that the name Level 42 is inspired by the world's highest car park in Hong Kong or any other car park. While there are claims suggesting this connection, the overwhelming consensus attributes the band's name to the iconic literary reference in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
Additionally, there are mentions of alternative theories, such as references to Kurt Vonnegut or William Burroughs, the film 'Brazil' by Terry Gilliam, and even a fictional group in "A Clockwork Orange." However, these theories are less substantiated and lack the widespread acceptance that the Hitchhiker's Guide connection enjoys.
In conclusion, Level 42 is named after the profound and whimsical association with the number 42 in Douglas Adams' literary work. The addition of the word "Level" was a strategic decision made during the band's early years to create a more balanced and distinctive name. This information is supported by various sources, including fan club websites, interviews, and the band's own statements over the years.
