Was the Heavy Metal singer Glenn Danzig, by any chance? I based more than a couple characters on him, back in the day.
You'd think so, wouldn't you? I even suggested it when he seemed intent on going that route. After all, if you're at all invoking the low budget fantasy films of the 80s as any kind of source material, Danzig works.
But no. He was set on Matt Pike. Admittedly, I'm not a fan of fantasy that uses Earth names, but that's just a taste think. Matt Pike was a name that worked. The problem worked itself out in that our own Matt had a tendency to find enemy spellcasters and attack them with tunnel vision, ignoring other threats (meaning he didn't Defy Danger even when given the chance). That caught up with him last game, and the rest of the party buried Matt with classic, old school flare, i.e. they divvied up his stuff. He did always extol how great early edition D&D was...
But to make this post at least partially on topic, when it came time to replace him, the player and I had a long back and forth over email between sessions. His next character is very much in his style, but as DannyK noted, the silliness is now ebbing, and he's asking a lot of questions about the world's political climate and history as he makes this new character, complete with how he'll insert himself into the game and group quickly. After just a few early statements about the tone I wanted to preserve, and where there was lots of room for flexibility, along with assurances I'd work with him to get something he'd enjoy, we had ourselves a great character creation discussion. Rather than being coy about it or using game mechanics to punish what some would call bad behavior, being up front and treating the guy like he's my friend (because, well, he is), lead to a great outcome.