Should You Have a Stage Name?
Is Your Real Name Funny Enough?
Getting a stage name is a choice most people in the entertainment industry have to think about. As we all know, a stage name is a name an actor, musician, artist, or comedian gets and uses on stage for his or her performances. There are many different reasons why people get stage names, and some of them are even serious, like the people whose parents had a little too much hash back in the 70's when they were trying to come up with original-sounding names for their kids.
Still, in the comedy industry, having an amusing and unusual name is actually an advantage.
Some of the more serious reasons for taking a stage name include having the same or a similar sounding name to a famous personality. There's nothing worse than trying to get bookings for your comedy act when your name sounds like that of a famous star, for example. Yeah, I guess it WOULD generate a bit of extra publicity, but is it actually worth the extra aggravation when the crowd that turns out for your performance comes to your show expecting a different kind of "performance?" No way!
Then there are those guys whose names are pronounced like the sound made by a cat getting its tail mangled in the dryer. Yes, people might get a laugh out of your name, but will that really contribute to the rest of your act? You can't just go introducing yourself every 60 seconds to keep the audience laughing. And keep in mind that comedians get part of their publicity by word of mouth. Word of mouth becomes very difficult when the people who found you funny have to make 10 attempts to get your name right when they're telling their friends to see your show.
Another reason for getting a stage name is if, by a cruel twist of fate, your parents had a sense of humor even more warped than yours. If that's the case, they might have decided to give you a name that sounds like an obscenity. If this is the case, it's a fifty-fifty if you want to take a stage name or not, depending on whether your humor runs to the weird. Just keep in mind that you'll have a hard time getting bookings for gigs at places that run to "clean" humor if the owners think your real name is a stage name that you took on to advertise off-color humor.
Then there are the guys whose parents chose dorky names. Getting a stage name is a prerequisite for you if you feel you fall into this category. Heck, getting a legal name change sounds like an option to me, depending on how dweeby your parent's name of choice.
In any case, if you do decide to get a stage name, make sure that it's one that not only appeals to you, but that it's one that is catchy, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember. You want your stage name to be something that people can recall at the drop of a hat, and will be able to tell others about without having to wrack their brains. This kicks up the odds that people will remember you. Of course, this won't help your career at all if your act sucks anyway, in which case you can at least move to another city and assume your real name again when you get laughed out of town for bombing.
On the opposite note of bombing, if we assume that your act is a success, getting a stage name also helps not just in the recognition game. Because your name will sound "cool" (it better be, you're the one who picked it this time, not your folks, bubba!) it's actually legal to have your stage name changed into your real legal name. You can now have the name you've always wanted! Unless of course your own warped sense of humor made you pick a stage name that's dweeby, obscene, or unpronounceable, in which case your application for an official name change may be rejected outright or will, at the very least, be delayed for several decades by people debating on whether something like Iamthepurplepeopleeater is a valid and legal name for another human being.
Getting a stage name is a choice most people in the entertainment industry have to think about. As we all know, a stage name is a name an actor, musician, artist, or comedian gets and uses on stage for his or her performances. There are many different reasons why people get stage names, and some of them are even serious, like the people whose parents had a little too much hash back in the 70's when they were trying to come up with original-sounding names for their kids.
Still, in the comedy industry, having an amusing and unusual name is actually an advantage.
Some of the more serious reasons for taking a stage name include having the same or a similar sounding name to a famous personality. There's nothing worse than trying to get bookings for your comedy act when your name sounds like that of a famous star, for example. Yeah, I guess it WOULD generate a bit of extra publicity, but is it actually worth the extra aggravation when the crowd that turns out for your performance comes to your show expecting a different kind of "performance?" No way!
Then there are those guys whose names are pronounced like the sound made by a cat getting its tail mangled in the dryer. Yes, people might get a laugh out of your name, but will that really contribute to the rest of your act? You can't just go introducing yourself every 60 seconds to keep the audience laughing. And keep in mind that comedians get part of their publicity by word of mouth. Word of mouth becomes very difficult when the people who found you funny have to make 10 attempts to get your name right when they're telling their friends to see your show.
Another reason for getting a stage name is if, by a cruel twist of fate, your parents had a sense of humor even more warped than yours. If that's the case, they might have decided to give you a name that sounds like an obscenity. If this is the case, it's a fifty-fifty if you want to take a stage name or not, depending on whether your humor runs to the weird. Just keep in mind that you'll have a hard time getting bookings for gigs at places that run to "clean" humor if the owners think your real name is a stage name that you took on to advertise off-color humor.
Then there are the guys whose parents chose dorky names. Getting a stage name is a prerequisite for you if you feel you fall into this category. Heck, getting a legal name change sounds like an option to me, depending on how dweeby your parent's name of choice.
In any case, if you do decide to get a stage name, make sure that it's one that not only appeals to you, but that it's one that is catchy, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember. You want your stage name to be something that people can recall at the drop of a hat, and will be able to tell others about without having to wrack their brains. This kicks up the odds that people will remember you. Of course, this won't help your career at all if your act sucks anyway, in which case you can at least move to another city and assume your real name again when you get laughed out of town for bombing.
On the opposite note of bombing, if we assume that your act is a success, getting a stage name also helps not just in the recognition game. Because your name will sound "cool" (it better be, you're the one who picked it this time, not your folks, bubba!) it's actually legal to have your stage name changed into your real legal name. You can now have the name you've always wanted! Unless of course your own warped sense of humor made you pick a stage name that's dweeby, obscene, or unpronounceable, in which case your application for an official name change may be rejected outright or will, at the very least, be delayed for several decades by people debating on whether something like Iamthepurplepeopleeater is a valid and legal name for another human being.
