Stage Name

[troy mcclure]

I have 2 facebook accounts one with my real name and one with my first name and either my band name at time or the word BASS. People call me my 1st name. I am not so much embarrassed by anything on FB however, I work my real job on weekends and I never wanted my boss to know how often I gigged or where I was when i am not on the clock. It is none of their business.

 

[pcake]

I was recently promoted to a department head within my company, which requires me to maintain a professional face on social media. I have a very unique last name and I need to separate it from my entertainment endeavors. My main gig is a punk/reggae outfit with a lot of sexual, drug, and unsavory references both lyrically and worked within a lot of the art and graphics.

some companies with serious policies requiring a professional face on social media have people who actually check. and even if they don't, over time it will become more and more likely they'll find you. after all, you'll still be wearing your face, and there are going to be pics and video from fans online that may have your real name listed for search engines to fine. and even if you go scorched earth and remove everything, there's still sites like Wayback Machine where you can see sites that have changed or even been removed from the web.

here's yahoo in 1997
Invalid Link Removed

 

[James Collins]

I agree with what pcake is saying...you can't hide who you are forever. Your career can sometimes mean not being able to be associated with certain things. It is one of the things that separates professional jobs from nonprofessional jobs.

 

[40Hz]

That being said, I can think of nowhere in the US in 2018 where just being in a band is by default a liability.

I wouldn’t be too sure of that. There are many employers and potential employers that take a very dim view of employees and job applicants with outside “business” activities. If you’re known to be in a band, and you frequently seem to be tired, or call in sick on Mondays, the natural assumption is it isn’t a sick kid keeping you up that’s the reason.

People have all kinds of crazy assumptions about what goes on in bands and constitutes the average musician’s lifestyle. If they’re in a position where they’re responsible for evaluating your performance, your being in a band doesn’t necessarily hurt. But I’ve never known a “straight job” where it was considered a plus.

 

[Jakeman]

I just initial my last name. It's both for similar reasons of and a tribute to Alcoholics Anonymous. Works for me.

 

[edencab]

The Ledge, Stung, Pono, Bingo, Sher, Sharday,

 

[Rickter]

My last name is close to that and I've never heard anyone else with the same last name, so it's a considerable challenge maintaining any kind of anonymity.

Makes me think that maybe you could do like the guitarist for Rammstein and just go by your first name and last initial.. Richard Z in his case.

 

[Spidey2112]

If I ever make it to the point I have to change my name, my alter moniker has already been etched in stone...

BrickBat Johnson...

... and there it is, with a chisel, no less.

 

[Luciferiad]

My real name is Billy. If I needed a stage name I think it would be Geoff.

 

[Spidey2112]

some companies with serious policies requiring a professional face on social media have people who actually check. and even if they don't, over time it will become more and more likely they'll find you. after all, you'll still be wearing your face, and there are going to be pics and video from fans online that may have your real name listed for search engines to fine. and even if you go scorched earth and remove everything, there's still sites like Wayback Machine where you can see sites that have changed or even been removed from the web.

here's yahoo in 1997
Invalid Link Removed

Good thing I wear my 'suit' at work...

 

[MemphisLowEnd]

I use a different name in one of my bands, but it is kind of spoof. All the members of the band go by a pseudonym and each has a separate story. Mine is Gustof Von Musterhausen and used to be a juggler in Germany...in a traveling circus.

 

[DirtDog]

I wouldn’t be too sure of that. There are many employers and potential employers that take a very dim view of employees and job applicants with outside “business” activities. If you’re known to be in a band, and you frequently seem to be tired, or call in sick on Mondays, the natural assumption is it isn’t a sick kid keeping you up that’s the reason.

I had a guy like that working for me. He was running one of the top tier "beer league" hockey teams in town. Often there would be a Sunday night midnight ice time. Despite being sports instead of music, this activity sure seemed to impact his productivity on Mondays. He had a couple of high ranking military guys on his team as well as one of the top defence attorneys in town. So, not limited to mediocre types of people.

I'd make sure I understand fully your company's policies on acceptable social media use and policies on "secondary activities", which might include being self-employed, hobbies, teaching and political or religious activities etc. If these policies don't align with your life, you know what you need to do. For me, being in a band is within policy at my workplace, even getting paid for it, as would be a number of any other profitable activities. Also, having myself on band social media is within policy - as long as there's nothing hate or harassment related involved.

It could also be a factor of who you associate yourself with in the band context. In my band, all of us have some form of security clearance and work in fields where this is important so I'm confident about my associations with my bandmates, including their friends and families. A gig is no less professional to us - in terms of our behaviour and comportment - than our day jobs. We've also not taken gigs at known hotspots for certain types of activities.

 

[selowitch]

I wonder what life would have been like if Bono had remained Paul Hewson or if Sting had remained Gordon Sumner.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Use your real name. Be who you are. Everything else is nonsense. Problem solved.

I disagree and I get the OP’s predicament completely. I teach in a HS. The Nerve had some pretty inappropriate things available online for someone in the position I was in. Joe Nerve saved me a lot of grief.

I say to the OP, just change it and expect to be uncomfortable for a while. It’s going to take time before it feels right, and not stupid. The longer you wait, the harder it will be.

Do it - and then deal with it. There is no easy transition.

 

[whatizitman]

I wouldn’t be too sure of that. There are many employers and potential employers that take a very dim view of employees and job applicants with outside “business” activities. If you’re known to be in a band, and you frequently seem to be tired, or call in sick on Mondays, the natural assumption is it isn’t a sick kid keeping you up that’s the reason.

People have all kinds of crazy assumptions about what goes on in bands and constitutes the average musician’s lifestyle. If they’re in a position where they’re responsible for evaluating your performance, your being in a band doesn’t necessarily hurt. But I’ve never known a “straight job” where it was considered a plus.

Frequently being tired, calling in sick more Mondays than not is going to be a problem with most employers regardless of outside activities. OTOH, I would hope that a sick kid would take priority over any music activities for most parents. But yeah, I guess there are some employers that will frown on any outside work activities, regardless. Certain jobs with high public or political profile, or high security clearance, for example. But that's a small percentage.

I had a supervisor at a job with a very strict grooming code get on my case one day for my hair and torn jeans, and give me an ultimatum, for which I responded with quitting on the spot. In reality my hair had very little to do with playing music at the time. I could have played the same music I was playing with short hair and a suit and nobody would have cared otherwise. It was 1995. If anyone told, say, Page Hamilton of Helmet back then that he needed to look more rock and roll, I don't think he listened.


Nowadays my professional field in particular is all about "balance", even when it isn't. Having a life outside of work is considered healthy. My current band is made up of coworkers. But truthfully we also don't look too rock and roll. And certainly our photos are not compromising. No one has told any of use real professionals don't play in bands. If anything, we get lots of support from other coworkers and peers. I guess I should count my blessings.

 

[MrLenny1]

First letter of your last name.
My last name gets butchered when people try
to pronounce it so I made it shorter.

 

[two fingers]

This has worked well for a number of friends (one also in Nashville)--First name, Middle Name, or reverse the name order. Doug Roberts becomes Bob Douglas. The upside of this is that you'll never be caught off guard by someone using your stage name, as it'll be familiar to you.

Having said that, if your name is something like Jenscotchy Miramar Figurosa, you're going to have to get creative.

Figgy

 

[Spidey2112]

I wonder what life would have been like if Bono had remained Paul Hewson or if Sting had remained Gordon Sumner.

I think my life would still be about the same... possibly would have gotten rid of cable sooner, but other than that... same.

 

[two fingers]

@FugaziBomb I think it's time for some hard choices. If you're seeking anonymity because your music would threaten your job you have to realize they will eventually find out. If they think you've been lying to them it will probably not go well. You might want to be proactive and either give up the music to keep the job or give up the job for the music. There's probably lots of music you can play without threatening your current job. Also, lots of jobs that won't mind your current music.

I didn't get that impression at all. I got from OP they his music career is taking off and he just wants a layer of anonymity between his music life and hos private life. I don't blame him. Unless I missed it I didn't see anything about a day job?

 

[Jeff Elkins]

Figgy

Two Fingers, you're ON it.