# More famous George Martin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2016, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515 "2016-03-10T03:43:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/1 "2016-03-10T03:43:38Z")
As you probably know by now, Beatles producer George Martin passed away this week…but I’ve noticed a lot of internet posts by people who assumed the writer George R.R. Martin (of “Game of Thrones” fame) passed away. So who in your eyes is the more famous George Martin? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/2 "2016-03-10T03:47:11Z")
The author is George _R. R._ Martin, presumably a slightly pretentious attempt to emulate Tolkien (Martin only has one middle name, though it does start with R) and to avoid being confused with the producer. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/3 "2016-03-10T03:52:40Z")
When I hear George Martin, I think Fifth Beatle, so yes, the producer. Considering the author always goes by George R.R. Martin, I don’t see how anyone would really confuse them. They are possibly equally famous, but they don’t have the same name. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/4 "2016-03-10T03:59:21Z")
George Martin the producer by far. I’ve known about George R.R. since _ **Sandkings** _ and I like his stuff. But Sir George…his work has been the soundtrack for so many times in my life…there’s just no comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/5 "2016-03-10T04:12:21Z")
Never heard of the Beatles guy, but I didn’t confuse the news with GRRM, who I’m quite familiar with, due to the initials thing. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/6 "2016-03-10T04:13:47Z")
Thanks to the _Game of Thrones_ TV series and books George R.R. Martin is currently far more in the news. George Martin’s heyday was four decades ago. I think the author is at present much better known (and I’m a fogy.) ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/7 "2016-03-10T05:25:01Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Thanks to the _Game of Thrones_ TV series and books George R.R. Martin is currently far more in the news. George Martin’s heyday was four decades ago. I think the author is at present much better known (and I’m a fogy.) Also concerns about George R.R. Martin’s age, health and ability to finish the book series with ever increasing lengths of times between books has been an ongoing thing. > **[George RR Martin gives impatient readers the finger](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/10/george-rr-martin-tells-readers-fuck-off-game-of-thrones)** > > News: Game of Thrones author says readers' worries that he might die before finishing novel series the TV show is based on are 'pretty offensive' ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/8 "2016-03-10T05:37:03Z")
When I read the title of the George Martin obituary thread, I immediately thought of the Beatles’ producer. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/9 "2016-03-10T06:55:30Z")
I wouldn’t think of the author when I hear “George Martin” because he’s always referred to as “George R. R. Martin.” But I also had no idea who George Martin the producer was (having been born half a decade after Lennon was killed). ---
**Author:** ![williambaskerville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@williambaskerville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/williambaskerville)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/10 "2016-03-10T07:00:04Z")
There will likely be an age divide here. When I told my teenage daughter George Martin had died, her reaction was who’s going to finish the books ? She’d never heard of the record producer, and has barely heard of the Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/11 "2016-03-10T07:05:17Z")
I voted “other,” but when I hear the name I don’t think of anyone. The writer has the two Rs, and I never heard of the producer until he died. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/12 "2016-03-10T10:03:22Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > The author is George _R. R._ Martin, presumably a slightly pretentious attempt to emulate Tolkien (Martin only has one middle name, though it does start with R) and to avoid being confused with the producer. According to his [Wiki page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_R._R._Martin), the second R is for Richard, his [confirmation name](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation#Confirmation_name), which is certainly a real name, both legally and socially. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/13 "2016-03-10T10:26:56Z")
I’ve never heard of the producer, and I just started watching the TV show on Monday. So when I heard about it, I thought people were talking about the author. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/14 "2016-03-10T10:41:15Z")
I remember when I first bought the first “Game of Thrones” book back in the 90s, the guy at the comic shop told me that the “R R” part of his name stood for “Rail Road” and that’s why he wore the engine driver’s hat. I have no idea where he came up with that nonsense, but I’ve never forgotten, and think of it every time I see his full name. And for that reason I also distinguish them both quite clearly in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/15 "2016-03-10T10:43:28Z")
For all you ignorant, uncultured folk who think that somehow this “R.R.” guy is somethin’ special: I am obligated to describe you with the words of [Simon and Garfunkel](http://www.metrolyrics.com/a-simple-desultory-philippic-lyrics-simon-and-garfunkel.html) “You just ain’t got no culture. You’re so unhip, that when you hear Dylan, You think I’m talking 'bout Dyaln Thomas, Whoever he was.” George Martin worked with the Beatles. The Beatles sit at the right hand of God. There shall be no other Martins. And any youngsters who think otherwise are invited to get off my lawn. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/16 "2016-03-10T11:45:48Z")
“George Martin” is (was) the record producer. “George R R Martin” is the author. I’ve never heard the author referred to without the middle initials, so I would automatically assume anyone talking about “George Martin” was talking about the Beatles guy. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/17 "2016-03-10T12:02:24Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > George Martin the producer by far. > > I’ve known about George R.R. since _ **Sandkings** _ and I like his stuff. But Sir George…his work has been the soundtrack for so many times in my life…there’s just no comparison. I didn’t know he wrote [Sandkings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandkings_%28novelette%29). I remember reading that in Omni, what (googling) almost forty years ago. I was still in college! I read a lot but that short story, these many years later, left an impression. Highly recommended. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/18 "2016-03-10T12:08:42Z")
The only place I have encountered the name of the author is on this message board. The record producer, on the other hand, is someone I think about whenever I hear a Beatles song, which is often. ETA: I am 62 years old. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/19 "2016-03-10T12:15:10Z")
The producer is more famous, but right now the author is probably more relevant. When I saw the obituary thread title one of my first thoughts was “Did they mean the author but just spelled it different to the norm?”, but a large part of the reason for that is the meme about GRRM dying before finishing the books and the fact that it will definitely make headlines when he kicks the bucket, added to the fact that yesterday I didn’t know if George Martin was alive or dead. If I was in a quiz and they asked a question about “George Martin” I would assume it was the Beatles guy, because it would have the “RR” otherwise. Anyway, the fifth Beatle is royalty, GRRM is just middle class. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515/20 "2016-03-10T13:09:54Z")
I didn’t think it was GRRM, but I didn’t know who George Martin was. I was around back in the day but to me the Beatles were just an early version of what we now call a boy band. Even worse, to me, is they became a pretentious boy band. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-famous-george-martin/748515.md?page=2)