One thing I love about blogging and bloggers is that in the real blog community (sorry myspace bloggers, those are toy blogs not recognized by real bloggers and their tracking sites like Technorati or The Truth Laid Bear. Grow up and get a big boys blog) is that readers tend to cross blog (sometimes called "trackbacking" or "linking back") when inspired by another's blog post. Utopia did that with my "who am I" post with a counter post of her own. I not only found it refreshing that someone of her intelligence chose to play in my wacky world of wonder, but she actually stimulated the topic into one I didn't really think of. Now she's no dumb bunny, but she's no rocket scientist either... Oh wait...I think she really IS a rocket scientist. Either way, her post led me to another faction of the question of "who am I " that I overlooked... How many of us Is are there? She has 3 she has identified.
She broke herself down into 3 separate entities. Basically you could look at it as schizophrenia or just merely organizing and partitioning the brain and it's personality variations like a hard drive gets partitioned.
I think my last post addressed what some would call the "alter-ego". For the sake of this telling and the fact that no one knows my real name on the internet, I shall call the subject of my story; "John". I shall fabricate a high ticket retail vocation to represent what John does everyday to earn an existence and pay the bills until the planets finally align and he finally sells his album and songs and quite possibly becomes a musical phenomenon.
"John" sells "luxury cars" by day. He's an automotive professional in a high dollar per ticket environment. You could trust him for the "ride of your life". He does it well and is quite well compensated for his efforts. Were he a simpler man, he would be happy selling his little luxury cars , making a great living and if needed, could start a family and have the picket fence and house and 2.5 kids and a dog and a cat or two. The wife and kids could live in middle class comfort and security and grow up in a "Growing Pains" lifestyle and be none the wiser. But John is far too talented and gifted to let that be his lot in life. He strives for more.
It's not that he's striving...he's attempting to follow a destiny. Allegedly a pre-destination. A destiny of greatness. He created a sort of alter ego decades ago. He gave it a name... Then he created a unique style of music...then he gave it a philosophy. This was to lead to a movement and a subculture. Then he sought to forge it into a brand. Something marketable. He worked diligently, perfecting not only the music and the mystique, but the man. This is something not done overnight, nor is it done with a reality TV show.
The man under this persona was to be the epitome of the perfect man.The man's man. The every man. The uber man. The man of the world. Amusical leader of the masses. A future musical legend. A worldly man.A mystical man. A philosophical man. A teacher of those who refuse to learn conventionally. A man of the people, by the people and for the people...as a voice for the people. Not a small task and not a job that everyone desires, but he has chosen to take this mantle upon himself.
John feels that once he's reached that certain plateau, he will merge with that man permanently. John and his alter ego will become one in mind, attitude and psyche. I know this sounds bizarre, but think of it as the present catching up to it's future as we are our own futures past.
Oddly the alter ego is not yet perfect either. He can come off too brash, arrogant, conceited, snobbish, proud and even unfeeling. These are traits that John can purge from the alter ego. Johns personality will soften and humanize what appears to be a suit of iron armor that this alter ego appears to be. John knows compassion and mercy. He knows sorrow and pain and can feel emotion. He has a gentleman's soul and the spirit of the romantic. You see, upon merger, the two evolve into one collective of all things necessary to be all things to everyone. Or at least as many as will accept him.
Now what prompted this post. John was asked to go to an event where he might hob knob and network with other musical professionals. However, the person who invited John asked if it were OK to introduce him as John and not as his stage name, the alter ego. This did not sit well in his mind. You cannot sell a name, brand and image if you're ashamed of it. John was told these people would laugh at the idea. John doubted that as the music industry is full of stage names, alter ego's and pseudonyms.
Was Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers named that by his mother? Because they sure enough billed him under that when he had a part in Back to the Future as "Needles".
Bono Voce. Last I heard no one in Ireland had an Italian name. Let alone one that literally translated into "Good Voice".
Sting. Who are we kidding? He was Sting since the Police days and no one knew him under any other name.
Billy Idol? Was his mom and dad named British and American Idol?
Prince may have been born Prince Rogers Nelson, but when he changed his name to an un pronounceable symbol, that was not exactly a stroke of marketing genius.
Marilyn Manson actually explains how each of his bandmates got their names. The first name of a an iconic star and the last name of a serial killer. Other members of Mansons band had names such as Twiggy Ramirez and Madonna Wayne Gacey.
Eminem was a play on Marshall Mathers initials M.M.
Alice Cooper was a band before he decide to become the embodiment of it.
Meatloaf. I'm not gonna say a word.
I won't even get into the names of rappers and DJ's.
Historically, Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X did not have those names on their birth certificates.
Today we live with our handles like the CBers did in the 70's and 80's, 'til computer screen names became the new handles we have today. More people are prone to use their pseudonyms as a sort of alter ego for themselves and their email addresses and vanity plates are always an extension of their personalities. It's a way of life today and
probably forever.
John... Your alter ego is not Iron Mans armor. It's your combined strengths in one. Let the world know that together, you're gonna be one helluva person and we can't wait for the music to flow forth.
Speaking of which...the progress of the music project and it's latest developments are followed here at the Epichronical.