The Real Origin of the Word "Tuna" by S. Thrills In the summer of 1966 Bill Beecher, Mad Murray the Toad and Elf lived on Salisbury St. in W. Lafayette IN. Jay constructed a two story treehouse in the back yard. One night there was a party. Because of the record player in the treehouse late at night and loud motorcycles, someone called the cops. Sergeant Buck (later to become Captain Buck) arrived, bringing the festivities to an end. Since the inhabitants of Salisbury St. were too lazy to cook, their diet consisted largely of tuna sandwiches. Having grown tired of their monotonous fare, the word tuna began to be applied to anyone or anything despicable, boring, or worthless, as in "He's a real tuna." From here it was just one short step to the christening of the Hells Tunas M.C.