Artists who had a good reason to use an artist alias

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Starting off with Fish from Marillion. Must have been terrible growing up as Derek William Dick....

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 25 November 2004 22:27 (twenty-one years ago)

ach, he's a big bastard. i'm sure he could handle himself.

and "fish" isn't much better, is it?

anyway. i'll get elton john in before anyone else does. (ooer)

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Thursday, 25 November 2004 22:39 (twenty-one years ago)

buckethead's face is horribly disfigured.

― chaki in charge (chaki), Thursday, 25 November 2004 22:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Tracey Marrow to thread...

― Ben Dot (1977), Friday, 26 November 2004 03:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Sean Lennon. Julian Lennon. Bob Dylan's son.

Not that they did, but I would've if I was them.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Friday, 26 November 2004 03:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Bryan Adams added a 'b' to his first name to avoid those distasteful comparismns

― Masked Gazza, Friday, 26 November 2004 03:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Joey Ramone (Joseph Hymen, or something like that)

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Friday, 26 November 2004 05:50 (twenty-one years ago)

gene simmons (né chaim witz)

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 26 November 2004 07:29 (twenty-one years ago)

isn't elvis costello's real name something ridiculous? Like Dilbert Delancey Dillhole MacManus Aldous Huxley Jean Paul Sartre Gary Oldman the Third or something?

Oh, and Nikki Sixx's name is something totally long, too, and really Italian.

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Friday, 26 November 2004 07:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Are you sure you're not thinking of Brian Eno (Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle) ???

― Eric W, Friday, 26 November 2004 09:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Is the question implying that there aren't really many good reasons to use an artist alias?

A couple off the top of my head: there's an existential satisfaction in being able to name oneself rather than just bear with the name someone else gave you (it's almost like a sort of self-birthing). And it's often good to know that you can fly into some country on a tourist visa intending to play concerts, and that the name on your passport won't be the name on the posters advertising the show. Also, it's very useful to keep the persona separate from the person. Some people actually erect three layers: David Jones > David Bowie > Ziggy Stardust, or Lucien Ginsberg > Serge Gainsbourg > Gainsbarre.

― Momus (Momus), Friday, 26 November 2004 09:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Waht would you rather be called? Elton John or Reg Dwight?

― Why Does Herr Dadaismus Run Amok? (Dada), Friday, 26 November 2004 09:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Eric Clapp or Eric Clapton?

― Why Does Herr Dadaismus Run Amok? (Dada), Friday, 26 November 2004 09:56 (twenty-one years ago)

does the switch up from john bongiovi to jon bon jovi count?
cause it's hilarious either way

― ainsley harriott, Friday, 26 November 2004 20:25 (twenty-one years ago)

> Sean Lennon. Julian Lennon. Bob Dylan's son.

> Not that they did, but I would've if I was them.

That tactic didn't work all that well for Rockwell ...

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Friday, 26 November 2004 20:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Razzle from Hanoi Rocks was Nicholas Dingley, which sounds like a euphemism for 'penis' (so maybe he should have kept it).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 26 November 2004 20:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Alex Lifeson of Rush's real last name is some Russian thing with about nineteen letters and only one vowel.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 26 November 2004 20:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I believe Lifeson's actual name is a literal translation "son of life" or something similar.

Also...

(sings)
Won't you come home Axl Rose
Won't you come home?

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Friday, 26 November 2004 21:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Interesting enough, it wasn't until she became a soloist that Annifrid Lyngstad shortened her name to Frida.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 26 November 2004 22:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Dream Command...when The Comsat Angels went MOR in 1989, they at least had the decency not to reveal themselves under their usual guise.

― Ian Moraine (Eastern Mantra), Saturday, 27 November 2004 04:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Laura Nyro, born with the not-at-all commercial surname of Nigro.

― briania (briania), Saturday, 27 November 2004 05:40 (twenty-one years ago)

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