If You Were Famous . . .

[MikeZito]

. . . (along the lines of Ricky Skaggs, Sam Bush, etc.); would you use your real name while posting here on the Cafe, and let fans interact with you?

[Sterling]

Sterling is not my real name nor my stage name.....

[William Smith]

Why not, fans are important to their success but they usually don't have the time as most are always playing and touring on the road and when they're home they want some relaxation with their family. Case in point my one Uncle has been playing and touring since the 60's I'd say and up to a few years ago he didn't even know about this site till I mentioned it to him while I was visiting him down at his place by Nashville.

[Bertram Henze]

You mean I'm not?

Whew!

[Greg P. Stone]

On Drumforum we had a number of prominent players who were members. It didn't cause any problems. Threads they started tended to gather more comments but it must be said that the content of their posts was superior to the average due to their greater experience.

[Bob Buckingham]

The best mandolin players I have heard were not famous. Fame is a choice. There are great famous mandolin players out there but some who are very good do not want fame. It does feed the ego though, fame that is.

[Tom C]

If one just lurked here and read posts, maybe they don't want to interact. If they are posting and giving input, making suggestions and recommendations why wouldn't they? Its all about credentials. I'd me more apt to take advice from Rickey Skaggs than a "Tom C"

[Matt DeBlass]

I'm pretty sure I would. It seems like it would be a good way to keep in touch with fans and fellow players outside of the more formal workshop or performance contexts.
On the other hand, if I were really a name, I might be inclined to have a second account that I could post under when I wanted to be low-key, or even ask a question without my reputation influencing things. So if I ever make it big, look for "Mack DuBois" to start wading into silly online arguments.

[pops1]

I have seen posts of more than one famous musician here, using their name.

[Charlie Bernstein]

. . . (along the lines of Ricky Skaggs, Sam Bush, etc.); would you use your real name while posting here on the Cafe, and let fans interact with you?

Not on a bet. I don't even like using it for open mics and pub gigs. And I don't even think my parents have heard of me!

[Pittsburgh Bill]

Heard a very famous Country star state in an interview, " I'm only famous because I got lucky, I live in Nashville and can go into almost any resturant and find a resturant staff person that can play or sing better than me".
By the way, if I were ever famous, I wouldn't know what it might be for, but pretty sure it wouldn't be for my mandolin playing".

[foldedpath]

It's an interesting question. If it were me, I would use my real name but only post on a forum like this very occasionally, not on a regular basis.

For one thing, a famous musician in a relatively niche category of music -- and let's face it, that's every style where mandolin is prominent -- is going to have a very busy performing and teaching schedule. I look at the tour schedule of Lúnasa, one of the most famous bands in the genre of music I play, and it's absolutely nuts how much those guys travel and perform all over the world, year after year. That doesn't leave a huge amount of time and energy for casually hanging out on forums. Me, I'm retired. I can do that.

Another reason I wouldn't spend much time on forums, is that a famous performer usually wants every interaction with the general public to be a positive one. You can't get into online arguments. You can't argue that artificial vibration doesn't "break in" a mandolin any faster than just playing it. Or that tremolo isn't a suitable technique for playing Irish slow airs. Or that you don't need a "Celtic mandolin" to play Irish and Scottish traditional music.


I've argued all those points here on the Cafe, and I enjoy a spirited discussion with those who disagree. I couldn't do that if I was a famous player. At least, not one still building and maintaining a career in music. And I don't think I could stomach reading a conversation where I disagreed with something, and couldn't chime in for fear of losing a fan.

There are occasional famous players who go against the grain. Like Mark O'Connor taking on the Suzuki Method in the violin world. Or Ricky Skagg's evangelism that can rub people the wrong way. I guess Sinéad O'Connor is a prime example (what is it with those O'Connors?). But those are the exceptions. Most famous musicians bend over backwards to be non-confrontational. It's hard enough to make a living in music without alienating your audience. So I would mostly stay off forums like this one.

[dhergert]

All of us are famous, just not necessarily for our mandolin playing.

Just do a web search of your name sometime.

[EdHanrahan]

Just do a web search of your name sometime.

Yeah... I hadn't realized that I was some big-time Chicago politico, maybe back in the '80s or '90s, often indicted but only occasionally convicted!

[CarlM]

It is cool when they do though some people will be jerks to them. I read a forum that Tony McManus came on when someone trashed one of his workshops. The whole exchange did not go well The guy went out of his way to be a jerk to McManus till McManus finally responded in the same way. Even though McManus had been provoked deliberately and it was easy to see why he responded the way he did the whole exchange did not look very good.

Another time I saw a forum where John Cowan came out from a somewhat incognito mode to defend Bela Fleck when some people spoke badly of him and how he appeared to relate to the other Newgrass Revival guys on stage. Cowan came off looking really decent but no one got in his face.

Last story, hopefully not violating forum guidelines with this one, Bernie Sanders has a really good You tube channel devoted to jazz. Someone asked him in one of the thread "Who are you?" A number of the posters kind of made fun of the guy asking questions like are you serious or wondering what rock he had been sleeping under and he got somewhat defensive. Finally Sanders posts a response "For now I shall have to do my work from the shadows" with his tongue buried deeply in his cheek.

[Caleb]

I would not. The mystery is part of the allure.

[Kevin Winn]

If it were me, I'd stay incognito. I've seen it go badly on a couple of other forums. As Carl described above, there's a certain number (albeit very few) of folks who get off on getting in the face of anyone they see who has some measure of "fame." I wouldn't even want to risk that, especially in a forum like this, where the exchanges are so helpful.

Also, it opens up the possibility of all kinds of PM's from those who just want to be buds with someone famous, or asking for stuff.

I'd rather come to a discussion as just another guy who plays mandolin, rather than walking in with my credentials up front.

[Mark Gunter]

There are legitimate reasons to use a pseudonym online, whether or not the person is famous. Fame itself can generate good reasons, and for others there can be safety concerns, etc. due to personal circumstances.

I think it's a great idea, though, to use your real name in a community like this one, whether you are famous or not. If there is not some legitimate personal concern, then it makes sense to me to let people know who you are. I think that's why Scott offered this thread, and why so many of us have taken advantage of his offer to forsake our pseudonyms in favor of using real names.

To the specific question, if I were a famous musician, I'd post under my real name, infrequently, like some famous people do already ... unless I had what I thought was a valid and necessary reason for posting under a pseudonym. So I have an unsatisfying answer.

Fortunately, I'm another one of those who will never be famous for my mandolin playing - and grateful for the helpful advice and occasional banter offered by those who are famous for their mandolin playing. There is a lot of great advice given by guys here who I think are great mandolin players and are not "famous" musicians too. Cheers to you guys and gals.

[Ryk Loske]

I hope i'd be as class an act as Don Stiernberg is here.

Ryk

[Br1ck]

We shouldn't forget that if we pulled 100 people off a city street, most would not know what a mandolin is, much less who Sam Bush is. Who is the world's best fly caster?

Ask a non golfer after Tiger Woods, to name five current golf pros. Who is the best surfer in the world?

We live in a teeny tiny sub culture.

[soliver]

All of us are famous, just not necessarily for our mandolin playing.

Just do a web search of your name sometime.

Apparently I'm a British boxer,... who knew!

[Mandobart]

Dawg does. I don't even use my real name (my parents didn't name me Mandobart. My real name is John Bartholomew. Now I'm (in)famous). I'm not the chess guy. Or this guy.

[Eric Platt]

I would. But not sure I'd have the time to post on a forum. Jack Lawrence used to be active on flatpick-l years ago. It's where I first interacted with him and then we had a nice in person discussion later when he was up here playing with Doc Watson.

Then again, if I were really, actually, like, famous, I probably would only lurk.

[jim simpson]

I wish everyone used their real name, I feel like a minority. I may change my name once I become famous but I'm afraid time is running out, lol!

[foldedpath]

I wish everyone used their real name, I feel like a minority. I may change my name once I become famous but I'm afraid time is running out, lol!

I sympathize, but I also appreciate that we have the option of either real name or a handle in this forum.

I have good reasons to use a handle for reasons I won't discuss here, and one reason I will discuss -- it makes it easier to talk about owning some very expensive musical instruments and recording gear, without feeling like I'm putting a target on my house. It's not that hard to find my real name based on info I've posted here, if anyone really needed it. I just don't need to scatter it on every one of these posts.

I would feel differently in other circumstances. My mandolin/guitar duo is on long-term hiatus. The last time I made any money playing music was in a "pickup band" for a St. Patrick's Day gig last year. I have nothing to promote or sell here, where accountability and marketing with a real name would matter. We all have different perspectives on online privacy, and I respect everyone's individual decision about that. I only ask the same in return.