Stage Name

[two fingers]

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

I was in a band with a Mike "Z". His last name was like "Zimbabwekowskywitz....stein" or something. Heck he wasn't even sure he could say it right.

 

[Joe Nerve]

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.

I played in a band named Cortez the Killer. Lead Singer had a really high paying job at an architectural firm. BMW company car, expense account, the works. He used his real name. He did an interview where he said music was his life, his day job was just a paycheck. The next day they fired him.

His name is now Gambit.

 

[fhm555]

In my life i’ve played with four different Willies, only one of which was actually named Willie so i’ve never worried about what name my fellow travelers go by.

 

[two fingers]

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.

I am in the process of joining a band (I think). I need to be adopted by the Nerve family. Being a southerner, do you think I could pull of JoeBob Nerve? Bo Nerve? Buford Nerve? Jefferson Davis "JD" Nerve? Billy Ray Nerve? Larry Darryl Nerve? Ernest Theodore "ET" Nerve?

 

[Joe Nerve]

I am in the process of joining a band (I think). I need to be adopted by the Nerve family. Being a southerner, do you think I could pull of JoeBob Nerve? Bo Nerve? Buford Nerve? Jefferson Davis "JD" Nerve? Billy Ray Nerve? Larry Darryl Nerve? Ernest Theodore "ET" Nerve?

How about Miley CyNerve?

 

[two fingers]

How about Miley CyNerve?

For your humorous efforts, you get a Miley Face Sticker!

 

[Spidey2112]

Figgy

Aaaannnd, now we know why...

 

[DirtDog]

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

Paul Hewson and The Hype
The Gordie Sumner Trio

 

[whatizitman]

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?

OP stated in a later post that he had a promotion at his job that is requiring a professional media presence.

 

[two fingers]

OP stated in a later post that he had a promotion at his job that is requiring a professional media presence.

Apologies. Carry on.

 

[knumbskull]

this thread makes me very thankful that I have a job where I don't need to worry about playing in a band in my spare time! I guess it's a personal freedom that I've always taken for granted.

 

[40Hz]

But yeah, I guess there are some employers that will frown on any outside work activities, regardless.

It goes a bit further than being frowned upon in many places. I’ve seen more than a few company policies and employment contracts that specifically state that, as a condition of your employment, you are expected to devote your time and talent to your job with the firm. Most also say that any outside employment or activities that the company, at its own discretion, considers to be interfering with your performace of the duties for which you were hired may be treated as grounds for disciplinary action or dismissal.

Kinda sad how we’ve allowed our employers to intrude into our private lives so much. But that’s the way it’s gone.

 

[TemplesOfSyrinx]

Facebook sucks...

 

[chaosMK]

Once I was in an entry level metal band. All these guys had stage names

Ace (real name David)
Kai (real name Brian)
Stixxx (drummer with broken drum set)
Dave The Voice (singer with missing toof)

Once we made it to the "next level" (moving up from garage to playing a handful of bar gigs). They were like- dude we all have these awesome stage names and you are just going by your name, you need to come up with something. I was like- F you guys, call me Dr Thunda then.

For years people called me Dr Thunda or just Thunda. My girlfriend and many old musician friends still calls me Thunda (like 10 years later).

 

[Bass Viking]

I often went by the road name: Steve Dallas.

Bloom County reference. I like it!

 

[Bass Viking]

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.

Frequently being tired, calling in sick more Mondays than not is going to be a problem with most employers regardless of outside activities.

In that case, disregard my name suggestion of Colin Sick.

 

[hrodbert696]

Why not? When I tell my clients and professional colleagues I play in a band, I get nothing but positive comments and it's had no negative consequences on my professional life at all. As long as your social media posts as an entertainer are generally "clean," you shouldn't have anything to worry about IMO. I think people generally understand that someone may have very different interests outside of their careers. The Wall Street Journal recently profiled the CEO of Sprint, who does a weekly online video cooking show.

This kind of thing really depends on both what the day job is, and what the character of the band is. @Joe Nerve gave the example of being a schoolteacher. I teach college, and I feel I need to be careful about being too public about my band activities to students. It would be great to have a college-crowd following, but it would open cans of worms when it came to a) perception by other faculty, and b) perception that going to Prof. C's gigs could be a kind of "extra credit" that got you into his better graces.

Or for a more extreme but currently hypothetical example, after one of my bands played a church BBQ, a guy who's a kind of domestic missionary approached us asking if we wanted a keys player. We're not all that wild of an act, but the basic gig is to go to bars and get people dancing and partying, while this guy relies on donors to fund his work... I personally wouldn't have a problem with it, but some of those donors might have their doubts.

The OP said his band's lyrics and presentation were on the outrageous side, and I can see that, depending on the company's culture, image, and clientele, it could become a problem.

Just ask Engelbert Humperdinck:

Engelbert Humperdinck (singer) - Wikipedia

Wow! I never would have guessed a person would ever pick THAT name as a stage name!

 

[Stumbo]

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.

Wait, wait, wait! You mean the corporation where I work controls my firearm hobby? my religious affiliation? my political cartooning? my side job? my same-sex relationship class?

 

[PillO]

Wait, wait, wait! You mean the corporation where I work controls my firearm hobby? my religious affiliation? my political cartooning? my side job? my same-sex relationship class?

What does your contract say?

 

[FrenchBassQC]

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.

Well it looks like you have no choice, get yourself a stage name and explain to who ever knows you why you're doing this or quit you day job...