The things he calls "bang commands" are actually "event designators" (!!, !blah), "word designators" ($) and "word modifiers" (:p). There are links to docs for each at the bottom of this page: http://www.gnu.org/s/bash/manual/html_node/History-Interacti... I use them all the time, and anyone watching over my shoulder always asks what that was. Learn !!, !$, and a few modifiers. You'll be glad you did. Personally, I u…
$ alias select='sqlcommand -s "select !*"'
would translate: $ select * from tablename
to: $ sqlcommand -s "select * from tablename"
(Note: I may be getting the specifics messed up as it's been a couple of years since I looked at the implementation, but the general idea is there.)