digg

Join DiggAbout

Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

See the original image at spinner.com

How rock stars got their stage names

spinner.com — From Billy Idol to Bono to Marilyn Manson.

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • louiebaur, on 04/20/2008, -5/+6Interesting I was not aware of that factoid about Bono
    • rreadysetno, on 04/20/2008, -13/+8Because he is rubbish.
    • g33b33, on 04/20/2008, -9/+1Sorry, a factoid is a piece of unverified or inaccurate information that is presented in the press as factual. Its not a small fact.
    • outsid3rNo17, on 04/20/2008, -1/+1Thanks for telling me you were not aware of that. Now I feel better.
    • UltramegaOK, on 04/20/2008, -1/+3That he weighs over 80 Courics?
  • championchap, on 04/20/2008, -5/+58Because of Bono I've taken to answering my phone like this.
    "Heloooooo helooooooooooo"

    It's super embarassing when I get a call on the train.
    • D14BL0, on 04/20/2008, -2/+35Yes, but it's so satisfying when the person calling replies with "Hola!"
      • b3mus3d, on 04/20/2008, -0/+15Yes, but then the temptation is there to continue with the words and then it gets really weird.
    • mbonzo531, on 04/20/2008, -0/+21If you think thats bad I have changed the way I say yes.
      "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! YEAH!"
  • roastedbagel, on 04/20/2008, -1/+107Dugg for the picture of Billy Idol.

    Undugg for the obnoxious 1-picture-per-page format.
    • theOster, on 04/20/2008, -1/+5it seemed as though they scoured the internet to find the most unflattering pics of all these people.
    • deff, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1Native American giver!
  • robertallen, on 04/20/2008, -4/+6This is one of my favorite stories dugg so far. Obviously many know the Marilyn Manson one, but how Bono and Edge got their name was very interesting. I was sort of disappointed they didn't fully explain how Freddie Mercury came up with his nickname. They only explained when he created it. Perhaps they don't know. Perhaps noone knows. Oh well...this is still a great read!
    • nofrickenway, on 04/20/2008, -1/+7I knows

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAiGTAJezE4
      Fast forward to 2:50 and it starts talking about it.

      (For the lazy) Freddie was a shy guy and didn't think his name would be very memorable so he created an entire persona to act out on stage, Freddie Mercury is just a character. Still, watch the video, Brian May explains alot (guitarist and writer for Queen)


      One of the greatest voices in history.
    • nofrickenway, on 04/20/2008, -6/+0Dammit, I missed a perfectly good opportunity to rick roll y'allz.

      UUIU
  • killerstache, on 04/20/2008, -0/+17Really? He CHOSE the name Engelbert Humperdinck?
  • Adiddy, on 04/20/2008, -1/+41Where Moby came from was actually pretty interesting.
  • JedicodeWarrior, on 04/20/2008, -8/+1Snooze!!
  • Utopist, on 04/20/2008, -15/+7Bono should be shot.
    • jdmcadam, on 04/20/2008, -4/+5Great point, really well thought out. Thank you for your insight.
  • Mjolnir812, on 04/20/2008, -0/+9Billy Idol's picture scares me..
  • bossm4n, on 04/20/2008, -2/+14That was actually worth all the clicks.
    • kenok, on 04/20/2008, -0/+5The article is worth it...
      but a paragraph of factoids per page? god!!! This has to stop!
  • jamesov89, on 04/20/2008, -2/+16dugg for Ol' Dirty Bastard being the last slide.
  • tbell, on 04/20/2008, -13/+16***** bono
  • lazerus9, on 04/20/2008, -10/+1....And "Forest Gump's" real name is "Forest Gump"!
    • Scottievm, on 04/20/2008, -0/+1I have no idea if you're joking, but his name is Forrest Gump.
  • vtruss8, on 04/20/2008, -12/+2Marilyn Manson....how original

    /somewhat likes his music...older stuff
  • DaveyidEcks, on 04/20/2008, -6/+1I was listening to ODB and his slide popped up! That was sweet
  • schoepsMS, on 04/20/2008, -1/+3Bono & Edge got their names in a school aged clubhouse called Lypton Village. Bono's name did in fact come from the sign on the hearing aid store but wasn't intended as a forecast of things to come. Most members of the club received nicknames, like Edge, and his brother, Gavin Friday, of the Virgin Prunes.

    Larry and Adam were never really active with the club and hence never received nicknames.
    -----
    Dugg for the picture of Billy Idol.
  • ams876, on 04/20/2008, -1/+7Dugg for Jello Biafra in a cop uniform.
    • TomTruelle, on 04/20/2008, -1/+1Its actually a customs agent uniform from the role he played in highway 61.
  • fucter, on 04/20/2008, -0/+6Eric Reed Boucher is Jello biafra, lol'd
  • kylethompson1, on 04/20/2008, -3/+37NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT
  • Enfecktion, on 04/20/2008, -0/+2Freeloadin' Rusty FTW
  • JivePode, on 04/20/2008, -0/+5http://rateyourmusic.com/list/DanFalco/why_are_the ... This is a better list. It's slightly less detailed, but covers way more ground. 25 artists per page too.
  • wyrdness, on 04/20/2008, -0/+2The article says about Elton John, "In 1972, he legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John".
    However, he was using the name Elton John several years before that. I remember that when I was at school there was a newspaper clipping on a notice board in a music room that said "Elton John is the face of 1968". This would have been in 1982, so that clipping would have been pretty old by then.


    • wyrdness, on 04/20/2008, -0/+3Too late to edit, but I should have added that, after his concert for Hilary, Elton John is the arse of 2008.
  • betona, on 04/20/2008, -0/+8Textbook AOL execution to get the pageviews and ad impressions by forcing click after click. The content was less than 5% of the page.
  • SquigglyP, on 04/20/2008, -6/+21Spam. Buried.

    It's not interesting enough for me to be forced to click through ***** knows how many pages of ads and *****.
    Don't tell me about adblock or firefox or whatever else... If seeing the ads was what bothered me about this, I wouldn't have even brought it up. The fact that the internet has become little more than some giant get-rich-quick scheme has ***** destroyed 90% of it. Here's hoping Spinner.com and the thousands of other utterly worthless sites like it end up bankrupt and the owners homeless.
    • thehoodie, on 04/20/2008, -3/+1WOW I HAD TO CLICK TWENTY TIMES. ITS SO MUCH WORK.
  • SirBrittanicus, on 04/20/2008, -0/+1What about Oderus?
  • Scoreboard, on 04/20/2008, -6/+2Dugg down for no Michael Jackson reference (Thadious Pubescenct Fondolus).
  • cyranthus, on 04/20/2008, -2/+3What about Rob Zombie?
  • ThecNiqueMan, on 04/20/2008, -4/+3David Bowie David Bowie David Bowie David Bowie David Bowie David Bowie David Bowie
    • pigducksheep, on 04/20/2008, -0/+3His real name was David Jones and he didn't want to be mistaken with Davy Jones in The Monkees. He named himself after Jim Bowie who was a famous Alamo hero.
  • haylel, on 04/20/2008, -0/+3Would've liked more of them, and on fewer pages... But this was still really entertaining, and some of the best pictures ever of these people.
  • plethorex, on 04/20/2008, -0/+3Bo Diddley is a resident of a town very close to where I live, and at my former job, he was a regular coming in and out. The story he gave as to his name (which his drivers license still lists as Ellas) was that kids used to mock him for his love for music and would say, "you'll never amount to diddley." History shows who won that pissing contest...
  • Clive, on 04/20/2008, -1/+8Seriously? They're excluding one the greatest artists of the twentieth century? For those of you who don't know, Robert Zimmerman legally changed to his name to Bob Dylan supposedly on account of Irish poet Dylan Thomas.
  • harajukukei, on 04/20/2008, -0/+3what about axl and slash?
    • Abomonog, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1Aside from the 2 that dugg you, nobody cares.
  • brainboy77, on 04/20/2008, -0/+3correction. meat loaf got his name from chef
  • esperar, on 04/20/2008, -2/+4Dugg for including Cat Power.
  • nirvanix, on 04/20/2008, -4/+5Like, is it just me, or is Bono sort of a self-obsessed knob?
    • Syphon8, on 04/20/2008, -2/+2He does all these amazing charitable things, but he still seems like such a piece of crap...
    • Stephiems, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2It isn't just you.

      Out of all the people who do charitable things, he is the one that makes me think it is just for the fame and the "Oh my god Bono, you are so wonderful". I could be wrong, but he seems like such a suck-up wanker.
  • Ob1masterjd26, on 04/20/2008, -3/+4Dugg for ODB baby.
  • Misfit192, on 04/20/2008, -1/+1that thing about flea isn't true!
    he was called flea because he was so small
    • Abomonog, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1If you've ever seen a Peppers concert you'll see why they call him Flea. It is true.
  • whataboutdave, on 04/20/2008, -1/+3Old Dirty Bastard - Cause there ain't no father to his style. Classic.
  • KingGorilla, on 04/20/2008, -0/+1Chef
  • Pirate45, on 04/20/2008, -5/+4U2 sucks
  • oblivionatm, on 04/20/2008, -2/+1Dugg for Iggy Pop, Billy Idol, Marilyn Manson and Sting
    F Bono, leave the music making to real artists you piece of crap/
  • SwankRock3000, on 04/20/2008, -0/+3Rest In Peace, Ol' Dirty.
  • CitizenSweeps, on 04/20/2008, -0/+1I've never understood why Snoop Dogg uses a stage name. Cordozar just seems so much more badass to me. If my name was Cordozar, I'd flaunt it.
  • q00u, on 04/20/2008, -0/+15Bono
    Born: Paul David Hewson
    What's in a Name: Supposedly named after a Dublin hearing-aid shop called Bono Vox -- Latin for "good voice."

    Snoop Dogg
    Born: Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr.
    What's in a Name: Snoop Dogg was nicknamed "Snoopy" by his mom for his love of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.

    Marilyn Manson
    Born: Brian Hugh Warner
    What's in a Name: Marilyn Manson combined Marilyn Monroe with Charles Manson, of course.

    Tina Turner
    Born: Annie Mae Bullock
    What's in a Name: Tina Turner got the last name, of course, by marrying her bandleader, Ike Turner. But he also changed the soul queen's given name as well, appropriately yet obliquely inspired by his fandom of comic-book wildwoman Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.

    Billy Idol
    Born: William Michael Albert Broad
    What's in a Name: A teacher once marked a report card for young Bill with the comment, "William is idle."

    Elton John
    Born: Reginald Kenneth Dwight
    What's in a Name: Sir Reg's early band was Bluesology, featuring saxophonist Elton Dean and frontman Long John Baldry. In 1972, he legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John, despite never having shared a band with any Hercules.

    Macy Gray
    Born: Natalie Renee McIntyre
    What's in a Name: There's Macy Gray, and then there's Macy Gray the neo-soul singer. The latter pinched her stage name wholesale from a man who lived in her Canton, Ohio, neighborhood.

    Sting
    Born: Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner
    What's in a Name: Playing in a jazz band, the young Gordo once wore a black-and-yellow striped shirt that made him look like a bumblebee. "My children call me Sting, my mother calls me Sting," he once joked, after being addressed by his given name. "Who is this Gordon character?"

    Moby
    Born: Richard Melville Hall
    What's in a Name: Childhood nickname bestowed by his parents; Richie's great-great grand-uncle was 'Moby-Dick' author Herman Melville.

    Iggy Pop
    Born: James Newell Osterberg Jr.
    What's in a Name: His first high school band was called the Iguanas, earning Iggy Pop another colorful nickname – the Rock Iguana. Unhappily credited as Iggy Stooge on the Stooges' first few records.

    Dusty Springfield
    Born: Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien
    What's in a Name: Let's say you start a group with your brother called the Springfields, he adopts the moniker Tom Springfield -- and you're Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien. Suffice to say it didn't take a lot of arm-twisting for Dusty -- a childhood nickname -- to change her surname as well.

    Bo Diddley
    Born: Ellas Otha Bates
    What's in a Name: Bo Diddley might've swiped his lyrical stage name from a variety of sources. A diddley bow is a homemade, one-stringed instrument often used by sharecroppers. Maybe more to the point for this master of the good-natured put-down is the old-timey insult: "That ain't bo diddley."

    Freddie Mercury
    Born: Farrokh Bulsara
    What's in a Name: Born in Zanzibar to a Zoroastrian family of Indian descent, the man who would be Queen began calling himself Freddie while at boarding school near Bombay, where he started a band called the Hectics.

    Johnny Rotten
    Born: John Joseph Lydon
    What's in a Name: The head Sex Pistol is said to have earned his nickname through the dubious distinction of his prematurely decaying teeth.

    Nico
    Born: Christa Paffgen
    What's in a Name: When she was a teenage model in Europe, the German-born singer was redubbed by fashion photographer Herbert Tobias. He must have been quite taken by her beauty, as he was inspired to give her the name of his friend (and rumored ex-lover), filmmaker Nico Papatakis.

    Flea
    Born: Michael Peter Balzary
    What's in a Name: Like Sting, another product of the Flying Pest school of rock nicknames. The Red Hot Chili Pepper's stage name was bestowed for his high-strung nature by high school buddy Anthony Kiedis on a ski trip.

    Sun Ra
    Born: Herman Poole Blount
    What's in a Name: The eccentric jazzman, who claimed he was from Saturn, named himself after the ancient Egyptian sun god.

    Elvis Costello
    Born: Declan Patrick McManus
    What's in a Name: Originally performed as D.P. Costello, using his great-grandmother's surname (not inspired by the American comedian Lou Costello). Costello later took his manager's advice and adopted the first name Elvis.

    Howlin' Wolf
    Born: Chester Arthur Burnett
    What's in a Name: Named for the 21st president, enormous young Chester was called "Bull Cow" before he became Howlin' Wolf, which came from a grandfather who liked to scare the boy with tales of wolves who would come after him if he misbehaved.

    Cat Power
    Born: Charlyn Marie Marshall
    What's in a Name: Chan Marshall didn't adopt her Cat Power alter ego in solidarity with feline empowerment. The indie vocalist once spotted the phrase "Cat Diesel Power" on a trucker hat advertising Caterpillar heavy machinery.

    Jello Biafra
    Born: Eric Reed Boucher
    What's in a Name: The wickedly ironic Dead Kennedys founder combined the name of the jiggly, nutrition-free instant food with the name of the African secessionist state that suffered mass starvation in the late 1960s.

    Alice Cooper
    Born: Vincent Furnier
    What's in a Name: Original band the Spiders switched their name to Alice Cooper, conjured, according to the record company, through a Ouija board encounter with a medieval witch of the same name. In 1974, Furnier legally adopted the name, keeping it for his solo career.

    Engelbert Humperdinck
    Born: Arnold George Dorsey
    What's in a Name: The crooner of 'Release Me' and 'After the Lovin'' swiped his stage name from the 19th-century German composer of the opera 'Hansel and Gretel,' which was described by the original Engelbert as "a fairy opera."

    Meat Loaf
    Born: Marvin Lee Aday
    What's in a Name: The 'Bat Out of Hell' blockbuster's first band was called Meat Loaf Soul; he debuted, oddly, with Motown, as half of a duet called Stoney and Meat Loaf. Recently changed his given first name, which no one knew anyway, to Michael.

    Ol' Dirty Bastard
    Born: Russell Tyrone Jones
    What's in a Name: Wu-Tang Clan founding member nicknamed after a kung-fu film known as 'Ol' Dirty & the Bastard'; Jones's unique flow struck his bandmates as having "no father."


    Dear Spinner.com,
    Screw you and your "NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT NEXT DAMN! How many of these things are there?!" format.
    Sincerely,
    Everyone on the Internet
    • mizike, on 04/20/2008, -1/+1why did someone digg this down???

      do people out there actually like clicking through umpteen pages to get content which should be on one or two pages max??

      i guess people must click on all the "win a free iPod / CLICK HERE TO WIN A PRIZE" ***** too or it wouldn't be out there, so i shouldn't really be surprised....

      and before some smug jackass starts talking about adblock, well, does that stop you from having to click "NEXT" 75 times to read the damm story??? didn't think so
      • Abomonog, on 04/21/2008, -1/+2Probably because most of us have Firefox set up so we don't see the ads. That way we don't see no Ipod garbage. Try it yourself. BTW: If you're too lazy to click the next button a few times and thats your real reason for complaining then STFU already.
  • BobaFettTDG, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1Where's Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith?
  • smthomas2008, on 04/21/2008, -1/+0great dude. you may find rock stars ringtones on http://www.vringo.com/ lol i hv just heard this site name.
    • exscind, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1Just because the article mentions Meat Loaf, doesn't mean we're inviting spam.
  • greatgatsbyII, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1Ringo Star?
  • Hieronymus1, on 04/22/2008, -0/+0The picture of Billy Idol is scary ... in a "what a git!" sort of way.
  • exscind, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1I'm not a fan of Hootie & The Blowfish, but the source of their name is interesting: culled from the nicknames of a couple dorks in their high school. Hootie wore big glasses, and the Blowfish... well, you can probably guess.
  • geo2geo, on 04/23/2008, -0/+0Very cool.
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.