What's My Name Again? (Stage Names Feature)

So you want to be a pop star? Right you need to have some of the following things : your own songs, a measure of talent (unless you’re on X Factor), an image, a good manager and a great stage name. Why should a good stage name count for anything? I mean John Logie Baird’s invention of the television wouldn’t have commanded more respect in the scientific community if he had worked under the pseudonym of Zak Wonderpants.

However for pop stars a change of name doesn’t have to be just a simple act of renaming yourself - it can be an alter-ego. This alter-ego can be flamboyant, weird and outrageous and this offers the artist the opportunity to try something new. The persona offers the escapism that people sometimes seek in listening to music. The 1970's monster hit ‘School’s Out’ would still be a great song if Alice Cooper had kept his original name. However his image would be at odds with his real name of Vincent Damon Furnier. The rock star realized the shock value of playing an androgynous character who had an aura of menace. David Bowie similarly adopted the character of Ziggy Stardust in the early part of the 1970s. Bowie apparently based the alter-ego on a late 1950's rocker called Vince Taylor who wore make-up and dressed in leather. Vince had some kind of Messiah complex and his diet of drugs and drink eventually led to him going mad - in other words, the guy personified the excesses of rock and roll. Interestingly Bowie admits that the persona began to take over his own life and doubting his very sanity, he eventually ditched the Ziggy character.  Bowie later took on the alter-ego of the Thin White Duke to reinforce his need to carry on experimenting in his own music.

A band’s decision on their name can be just as revealing as a singer’s name. The Smiths lead singer Morrissey said the band’s name came about as a reaction to the pompous electro bands of the time (for example, Spandau Ballet and Classic Nouveaux). The Smiths (in contrast to say David Bowie or Alice Cooper) revelled in their ordinariness. This sense of being associated with down to earth experience is reflected in their lyrics. For example, 'This Charming Man’ starts with the line “Punctured bicycle on a hillside desolate”. This prosaic image is in sharp contrast to the playboy, jet-setting lifestyle presented in say Duran Duran videos of the same period. However the Smiths association with everyday existence is complemented by a lyrical wit and a tight band. The Beatles used the temporary alter-ego of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band to experiment with new music. This allowed them to fuse pop , 60s psychedelic music, Indian sounds, classical music and other influences to create seminal tunes.

If we come forward to the present day, would Lady Gaga’s career be so successful if she had gone under her real name of Stefani Joanne Angelina  Germanott? It’s hard to say but Kate Bush managed to combine commercial success  and eccentricity under her real name. The decision about an artist’s name is important but crucially it’s the talent and artistic integrity that count at the end of the day. Justin Bieber could change his stage name to Count Voidoid but he’d still be an untalented twat that you would want to punch in the face. If we judge pop music just by listening to the song on a sound system, the music will speak for itself regardless of the packaging that goes along with it

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