Arrogant pop stars

[Padeye]

I read today that the artist formerly known as Prince doesn't want to be called that anymore and insists he be called by his - whatever-the-hell-you-call-that-hermaphrodite -gender-symbol-and-rooty-toot-horn-thingie. Apparently the newspaper didn't have a font for it because his picture is captioned "Unpronouncable Symbol."

He's put out some good music so I give the guy his due but this is beyond arrogance. I personally think he wants people to call him God but it wouldn't be clever enough to just say so. Still baffles me how such a massive ego is crammed into such a short guy.

[Ukulele Ike]

Who? Prince?

Wasn't he big back in the '80s?

[Stevie Rave On]

Yeah, I think the only reason he keeps messing with his name is because that's the only way he can keep it in the news. No one cares anymore.

------------------
"Trying is the first step towards failure." Homer Simpson

[Shadowfox]

Speaking of arrogant pop stars, back in the early 80's, I was totally obsessed with the pop group Duran Duran, especially the bassist, John Taylor. I thought he was the cutest guy alive. A few days ago, he was on the VH1 show "The List", and boy did he come off as one arrogant, haughty SOB.

sniffle....the love affair is over


------------------
Shadowfox
"Most people would succeed in small things, if they were not troubled with
great ambitions."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

[Satan]

That's why you often see him described as an "Eccentric Genius."

------------------
Yer pal,
Satan

[metroshane]

sorry guys you have it wrong. Sure he's arrogant, but this isn't the best example. you see, under the name prince, he was having a severe problem with his record company. They owned the name prince and the only way to get out of it, was to lose the name. Prince is actually his real name (prince rogers nelson). he picked the symbol because it's not an ownable signature. if he develops a common name, it may find itself owned also. he's trying to break the teathers of the music industry, i think any artist can respect that.

------------------
The only way to rid yourself of temptation is to yield to it--Oscar Wilde

[metroshane]

can you imagine someone else owning your name and saying you can't use it anymore?

------------------
The only way to rid yourself of temptation is to yield to it--Oscar Wilde

[manhattan]

Does this then make him The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Prince?

------------------
Livin' on Tums, Vitamin E and Rogaine

[Max Torque]

Reminds me of our IM soccer team in college:

The Team Formerly Known As Prince.


....sorry. Please continue.

[neuro-trash grrrl]

How does one pronounce that symbol, anyway? I, personally, vote for "phthppbbtth!"

------------------
God is dead. -Nietzsche
Nietzsche is dead. -God
Neitzsche is God. -Dead

[ChrisCTP]

I thought his name was Paisley Park.

------------------
"Excrement. That is what I think of J. Evans Pritchard, PhD." --Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society

Chris' Homepage: Domestic Bliss

[Byzantine]

Shadowfox – wow, I thought he was cute too! But that was 15 years ago. I didn't see the interview but I can't say I'm too surprised! He always had that "knowing damn good and well how fucking good looking he was" thing going on. Is he still cute?

I always wanted to be called a symbol. You know, have one for my name. But around about 17 I realized my folks gave me a really cool name that few people have so I quit my shit about it.

Quit my shit about it.

That rhymes. Should I post that over in the poetry thread?


------------------
Best!
Byz

I just want to announce that from now I would like to be known by my new name # but you may address me as The Poster Formerly Known As King.

"Pretentious? Moi?"

[metroshane]

I'm gonna come off sounding like a huge prince fan but, how much pretention are you allowed to have if you're proficient on over 2 dozen instruments.

I actually think people like eddie vedder are worse. where does he get off thinking i care who he votes for, how he feels about tibet?

------------------
The only way to rid yourself of temptation is to yield to it--Oscar Wilde

Lets just call him Arti

[Polycarp]

Metroshane... there lives in the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York a gentleman who was born to the name Walter J. Taylor. He cannot use this name professionally. You see, he is a vintner (wine-grape-grower and winemaker) by trade. And he and his relatives inherited the Taylor Wine Co. The relatives, wanting out of the business, sold out to Coca-Cola, Inc. He bought a little vineyard called the Bully Hill Winery and intended to continue in business. Coke slapped him with a suit for marketing wine using his own name, since Taylor Wine was a trademark owned by the company they had purchased, and using his surname on wine was trademark infringement. He now markets under the trade name Bully Hill and signs the bottle labels Walter J.

[eden]

Padeye: just wanted you to know that I'm quoting you on the "hermaphrodite-gender-symbol-and-rooty-toot-horn-thingie."

Many snorting laughs are attributable to you today! I'm sure TAFKATAFKAP envisions some different pronunciation, but I say, right on!

[TVeblen]

Speaking of having names hijacked...a while back "60 Minutes" did a piece on McDonald's corporate arrogance. A couple of poor but committed Brits took McD on and of course McD went totally nuclear and looked foolish.

But worse, McDonald's tried to inform the head of the Scottish clan McDonald that the name was corporately owned and to knock off using it. The aristocratic gent was running an upscale version of a bed and breakfast out of the family manse. Apparently McD was afraid that someone would mistake haute cuisine and fine aged Scotch as something endorsed by the golden arches.

Yeah, right. Hamish the butler drifting in silently, single malt on a silver tray: "Would you like a large fry with that? Sir?"

Talk about bizarre...

Veb

[TubaDiva]

My local paper just published a quote from the Wife of the Artist . . . just what does she call him, anyway?

"Honey."

your humble TubaDiva
"Usually I just go stand in front of him if I want to get his attention." A quote.

[radar ralf]

Padeye: isn't that a tie-down point for aircraft on a carrier?

[Shadowfox]

Shadowfox – wow, I thought he was cute too! But that was 15 years ago. I didn't see
the interview but I can't say I'm too surprised! He always had that "knowing damn good and well how fucking good looking he was" thing going on. Is he still cute?

Actually, he looks pretty burned out. His hair looked like it hadn't been brushed (although it did look clean), and he was wearing these slouchy clothes. I don't think it's so much of a "I'm hot!" kind of attitude anymore, it was more like somebody who had seen it all and is now extremely cynical and bitter about it. But, for a 39-year-old guy, he still is pretty cute.

BTW, he has a small part in the live action Flintstones movie coming out next year playing, get this, a Keith Richards type of character. He kind of looks it though. I guess that is what alcoholism and a coke addiction will do to a guy (although he's now supposedly completely sober).



------------------
Shadowfox
"Most people would succeed in small things, if they were not troubled with
great ambitions."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

[Padeye]

Radar Ralph, you are absolutely correct about the handle. It's a reference for my former career and a play on my name.

[radar ralf]

Padeye: Been an a carrier once or twice my own self...

[DougC]

- - - Could Cristopher Reeves be classified as a pop star? The only role he ever played that most people can remember is "Superman". I saw an article in the newspaper a few days back in which he said that(paraphrasing): "Scientists can already cure paralysis but they won't do it because they're arguing over who will get the Nobel Prize."
-
-
-
- - - How about "Pop-star on the verge of cracking up?" - MC

[pldennison]

Veb, it's about to get even easier for corporation's to pull that crap. Congress has passed and sent to the President a bill making it illegal to "cybersquat"; that is, to buy up domain names and site names that include trademarket and copyrighted materials, in the hopes of selling them to a copyright or trademark holder for big bucks.

What a wrench this throws into intellectual property law. The implication is that, for example, McDonald's having registered "Golden Arches" as a service mark, by extension they automatically own "www.goldenarches.com" without having to pay to register it, and can take it away from someone else and pursue legal action.

Just goes to show you how free the free marketers really want things. If they don't have the foresight to register those websites, screw 'em. And who gets to own "www.eclipse.com"? Eclipse the car, Eclipse the drink, or Eclipse the breath mint? Does McDonald's also get to own mcdonald's.org and mcdonalds.net for free, too?