Original names considered for the band included Dog of Mystery, Airport 75, Triple Bad Acid, and King Fuzz before they ultimately settled on Monster Magnet, a name taken from a 1960s toy made by Wham-O, which Wyndorf liked as a child.

In 1989, Monster Magnet released two demo cassettes: Forget About Life, I'm High on Dope and I'm Stoned, What Ya Gonna Do About It? The band's first "official" release was the single "Lizard Johnny/Freakshop USA" on Long Island-based Circuit Records. The first demo and single