# "Office Space Michael Bolton" Syndrome: Feel free to share stories **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 9, 2004, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989 "2004-08-09T05:02:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/21 "2004-08-10T15:37:20Z")
My middle name is Madonna. I was born in '80. There’s no way my father could have known that by the time I started kindergarten, there would be a famous person by the same name. My kindergarten teacher had a habit of introducing her students to each other by their full name. And so began 10 years of torment. My children will have nice normal names. ---
**Author:** ![TwoTrouts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@TwoTrouts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoTrouts)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/22 "2004-08-10T15:57:47Z")
My current boss is a Tom Jones, and I work with a Paul Newman. I knew a guy named John Wayne, but he went by the nickname Jack. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/23 "2004-08-10T16:06:17Z")
I worked with a guy a few years back whose name was Ian Fleming. He was born _just_ before the James Bond books started being published. Oh, and he was English, even. There was a kid at a grade school named Robin Williams, and also a Rickyricardo (first name). I think Robin may have been a girl, but can’t remember (I was seeing the enrollment lists, not the actual children). Robin is a nice name for a girl, but _not_ if your last name is Williams! ---
**Author:** ![Ultraviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c77e96/32.png) [@Ultraviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ultraviolet)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/24 "2004-08-10T16:14:26Z")
My uncle’s name is Jim Morrison, but he’s nothing like the Doors singer (unfortunately … he might be more interesting then!) ---
**Author:** ![Frank\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Frank\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank_2)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/25 "2004-08-10T17:28:53Z")
Michael Moore works in our accounting department. I guess he doesn’t make enough money from his movies. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/26 "2004-08-10T18:20:54Z")
I went to high school with Jimmie Carter. By the time the peanut farmer became President, my classmate was a Baptist minister. He took a lot of ribbing, but was very good-natured about it. ---
**Author:** ![alimarx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@alimarx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alimarx)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/27 "2004-08-10T18:49:50Z")
I worked with a Ronald McDonald. He was black. No, it wasn’t flippin’ burgers. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/28 "2004-08-10T19:14:15Z")
A friend of mine is named Ben Stein. I ended up palling around with him for a day at Origins (a gaming convention.) This meant meeting a lot of new people. After the twentieth “Hey, can I win all your money?”, he turned to me and said, “Now you have seen my personal hell.” ---
**Author:** ![blinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@blinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinx)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/29 "2004-08-10T19:52:18Z")
I once picked up a support call while working at a small ISP, on the other end was a woman who introduced herself as “Tina Turner”. This is not a common name in Denmark, and I assumed it was my sister playing a prank on me and said “Yeah right”. Turns out we really did have a subscriber named Tina Turner. ---
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/30 "2004-08-10T20:01:06Z")
My first/middle names are “John Wayne”. And yes, I do usually avoid mentioning the middle name when at all possible. ---
**Author:** ![Grant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a5b964/32.png) [@Grant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grant)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/31 "2004-08-10T20:07:54Z")
My GF’s mother is now Carol Burnett. Her husband died 4 years ago and recently remarried and took on her new husband’s name. I tried to get her to hyphenate her name but she didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/32 "2004-08-10T20:16:18Z")
> [@JohnM](#): > > My first/middle names are “John Wayne”. And yes, I do usually avoid mentioning the middle name when at all possible. Maybe it’s just me, but my second thought, after the actor, was of John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/33 "2004-08-10T20:38:14Z")
> [@Ferret Herder](#): > > Maybe it’s just me, but my second thought, after the actor, was of John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer. Not just you. 🙂 My best friend, was, unfortunately, named after the Barry Manilow song “Mandy.” Rather than hating her parents for it, she has transferred all her agression and loathing directly to Barry. ---
**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/34 "2004-08-10T21:03:28Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > …and also a Rickyricardo (first name)… That’s just evil! ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/35 "2004-08-10T21:16:57Z")
My voice teacher was named Jean Kelly. My mom always joked about…_always_. :rolleyes: 🙂 > [@JerH](#): > > I’ve got a good friend named Dave Thomas. It is easy to differentiate between him, the actor, and the fast food magnate who share his name because he is (1) several decades younger; (2) significantly thinner; and (3) black. And, presumably, your friend is still alive. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/36 "2004-08-10T23:32:48Z")
**Ferret Herder** and **Draelin** , could have been worse, you could have thought of [John Wayne Bobbit](http://www.jokes.com/results/detail.asp?id=2805&sql=2&cat=20)! ---
**Author:** ![Treviathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@Treviathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treviathan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/37 "2004-08-11T01:57:23Z")
I used to work a summer job with Garth Brooks. One of the department secretaries at my university is named Shelley Long. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/38 "2004-08-11T03:57:08Z")
I used to know a kid named James Dean. He absolutely preferred to be called ‘James’. Never Jim, and never Jimmy. Only James. Weirder yet was the one at my tiny lil college that just happened to have the same last name as an NHL coach, and I thought it was just some coincidence… until I had to call his house. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/39 "2004-08-11T04:15:11Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > Rickyricardo That is some freaky-a\*\* sh\*&. Did he have twin brothers named Oranjello and Lemonjello? There was a kid named Pat Robertson in my junior high school. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989/40 "2004-08-11T05:16:38Z")
I know a Michael Collins and in high school there was a guy named Michael Cox. Marc [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-space-michael-bolton-syndrome-feel-free-to-share-stories/258989.md?page=3)