"The Gish Sisters"

Pseudonym given to a “lovely semiprofessional who whiled away the daylight pretending to be blind and serenading the benches” in Thomas M. Disch’s science fiction* short story “Angouleme” (first published in New Worlds Quarterly, Sept. 1971; republished as part of Disch’s 1972 novel 334 ). The name is a reference to Dorothy and Lilian Gish’s starring roles in the 1921 silent film Orphans of the Storm.

*Since the story has little to no stereotypical sci-fi content, its genre was contested. Novelist and critic Samuel R. Delany published a book-length essay, The American Shore in 1978 arguing for its categorization as sci-fi. This fact has nothing to do with the fake band content, but we note it because obsessive attention paid to small details appeals to Rocklopedia staffers for some reason.