# Question about The Artist Formerly Known As Prince **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 22, 2015, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708 "2015-03-22T20:20:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/1 "2015-03-22T20:20:45Z")
Back when Prince started going by an unpronounceable symbol, who was the first person to refer to him as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/2 "2015-03-22T20:28:49Z")
I think that it was Prince. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/3 "2015-03-22T21:35:37Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I think that it was Prince. I am pretty sure that is correct. He announced he was changing his name and wanted to be referred to as that, which folks immediately shortened to TAFKAP and The Glyph. Since it was an obvious attempt to piss off Warner Bros and get out of his contract, it was amusiing to watch folks scratch their heads. And since Prince is crazy the way physicist Richard Feynman was crazy - i.e., a genius and if we don’t get him, it’s our problem - folks were willing to roll with it. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/4 "2015-03-22T22:51:30Z")
This is very rude usage: if someone changes their name you should either refer to them by their new name or not refer to them at all–rather than some garbage like “the person former known as X”. If someone doesn’t have the ability to do the first the obvious alternative is to do the second. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/5 "2015-03-22T23:13:23Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > This is very rude usage: if someone changes their name you should either refer to them by their new name or not refer to them at all–rather than some garbage like “the person former known as X”. If someone doesn’t have the ability to do the first the obvious alternative is to do the second. Nice user/post combo. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/6 "2015-03-22T23:23:26Z")
Here’s a partial timeline, though it’s not definitive as to who first came up with it. > **[The Artist, formerly known as Prince](https://ew.com/article/1999/06/04/artist-formerly-known-prince-2/)** > > Changing his name on June 7, 1993, the ''Purple Rain'' musician puzzled the nation ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/7 "2015-03-22T23:32:29Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > This is very rude usage: if someone changes their name you should either refer to them by their new name or not refer to them at all–rather than some garbage like “the person former known as X”. If someone doesn’t have the ability to do the first the obvious alternative is to do the second. The pretentious little freak was asking for it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nom\_de\_Plume](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/85f322/32.png) [@Nom\_de\_Plume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nom_de_Plume)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/8 "2015-03-23T13:27:09Z")
I remember my friends and I just calling him Squiggle. ---
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/9 "2015-03-23T14:03:45Z")
His Mama name him Prince, I’ma call him Prince. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/10 "2015-03-23T15:31:04Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > This is very rude usage: if someone changes their name you should either refer to them by their new name or not refer to them at all–rather than some garbage like “the person former known as X”. If someone doesn’t have the ability to do the first the obvious alternative is to do the second. As running coach points out, [he actually was asking for it.](http://www.ew.com/article/1999/06/04/artist-formerly-known-prince) > [@](#): > > As he told an interviewer in 1995, ”I get by. I don’t need a name as such, really.” Finally leading to > [@](#): > > Eventually, spokespeople for the singer relented and condoned the use of a slightly more wieldy title: the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/11 "2015-03-23T15:41:16Z")
> [@Nom\_de\_Plume](#): > > I remember my friends and I just calling him Squiggle. We called him “Dingbat”, which had the added advantage of being accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/12 "2015-03-23T17:45:56Z")
If you watch the credits for _Fargo_, one of the motorists Peter Stormare murders after he kills the cop uses Prince’s logo instead of his name. ---
**Author:** ![Pashnish\_Ewing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8797f3/32.png) [@Pashnish\_Ewing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pashnish_Ewing)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/13 "2015-03-23T18:21:08Z")
> [@SykoSkotty](#): > > His Mama name him Prince, I’ma call him Prince. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/14 "2015-03-23T18:26:37Z")
One has to wonder what his royalty checks look like. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/15 "2015-03-23T19:24:22Z")
I seem to recall reading an article at the time that said Ticketmaster started using the “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince” because they couldn’t print the symbol on his concert tickets. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/16 "2015-03-23T19:37:50Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > I seem to recall reading an article at the time that said Ticketmaster started using the “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince” because they couldn’t print the symbol on his concert tickets. That makes no sense at all. Do you honestly think that 1993 technology was so rudimentary that they couldn’t print a symbol on a concert ticket? Totally ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/17 "2015-03-23T19:53:00Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > That makes no sense at all. Do you honestly think that 1993 technology was so rudimentary that they couldn’t print a symbol on a concert ticket? Totally ridiculous. If they’re like any other business, these tickets were probably being printed out on some old HP printer that was built early in the Reagan administation. So, yeah, not being able to print the symbol was likely a bit of a problem 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/18 "2015-03-23T20:04:24Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > If they’re like any other business, these tickets were probably being printed out on some old HP printer that was built early in the Reagan administation. > > So, yeah, not being able to print the symbol was likely a bit of a problem 🙂 So no one can buy tickets to his concerts. I don’t see the problem. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/19 "2015-03-23T20:13:41Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > If they’re like any other business, these tickets were probably being printed out on some old HP printer that was built early in the Reagan administation. > > So, yeah, not being able to print the symbol was likely a bit of a problem 🙂 I know that you’re making a joke but I have been to many hundreds of concerts over the last three decades and I have plenty of pre-1993 Ticketmaster stubs have symbols on them. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708/20 "2015-03-23T20:18:40Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I know that you’re making a joke but I have been to many hundreds of concerts over the last three decades and I have plenty of pre-1993 Ticketmaster stubs have symbols on them. It would have been a problem all through their system though. An artist not having an alphanumeric name would cause a whole host of problems. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-artist-formerly-known-as-prince/715708.md?page=2)