Funny work quote OTD

[figmo]

Yesterday Sal Castaneda asked me, "If I were to refer to you as 'Lynn Gold' in front of other people, would you scream at me or anything?"

I looked at him quizzically. "No. Why would you even need to ask such a thing?"

"I figured if I'm telling folks who's around, I'd want to mention your name. Is that the name you usually use?"

"Yeah. After all, it's the one on my driver's license and my birth certificate."

Sal looked at me a little confused. "I've known you all these years, yet I wasn't sure which one was your real name. I thought you might've made it up or something."

"No," I replied. "It was my parents' idea."

Comments

[mneme]

Er...what's your other name?

[figmo.livejournal.com]

The air name I use the most is "Gail Alexander." I also sometimes use "Gail Smith" when I can't get away with either that one or "Lynn Gold."

[folkmew.livejournal.com]

Why? Just out of curiosity. I have never heard you use another name at a con (which is the only place I've seen you) ;-)

[figmo.livejournal.com]

Two words: Exclusivity contract.

Some stations insist you not show up on any other radio stations in the same market with the same "air name" you use on their station.

Since I have been "Lynn Gold" on KLIV for so many years, I had to come up with another name to use on KGO if I didn't want to leave KLIV. After several rounds of back and forth between my management and KGO's, we came up with "Gail Alexander."

Note that the extra name has to do with making money. I don't use a name other than my real one unless someone pays me to do it, which is why you never see or hear me using another name in fandom. That, and it can get too confusing.

[folkmew.livejournal.com]

Ah! That makes sense. Just curious. I didn't think it would be for safety or something but wasn't sure.

Making more money is good. :-) Usually anyway. ;-)

So one other pesky question - is Gail Alexander significant or just sounds nice? I mean was it your grandmother's name? Or the name of your best friend and a favorite cat? or...?? Or just rang on the ear nicely?

[figmo.livejournal.com]

So one other pesky question - is Gail Alexander significant or just sounds nice? I mean was it your grandmother's name? Or the name of your best friend and a favorite cat? or...?? Or just rang on the ear nicely?

When I first started minoring in music at my first college, I had a teacher with a really good reputation to start, but who was dying of cancer. This lady "decided" on the first day of class she didn't like me because I was late (I was doing shift work and my relief was late...sigh). Halfway through the semester, she died, and the music department chairman took over the class. Somehow when she died, all her records went with her.

On the second day of class, the new teacher was trying to learn our names. He looked at me and said, "I can't remember your name, but it's four letters, and it isn't 'Gail.'" Needless to say, for the rest of my tenure at that school, within the music department, I was "Gail."

At the same time, I was majoring in Communication Arts (Broadcasting and Journalism) and was very active at the school radio station. A bunch of us were hanging out, picking out air names "just in case we'd ever need them." We either started out with our real name or, if we wanted a drastic change, picked out another one with some significance, and then opened the phone book and plunked down our finger to find a last name.

I opened up the Nassau County White Pages and landed on Alexander's Department Store. Since "Gail" had already been "chosen" for me, I had "Gail Alexander" in the wings as my "air name if I need it," since, let's face it, "Lynn Gold" is a really terrific air name.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I've had a crush on Sal for the longest time. ;)

That's pretty funny, that folks just wouldn't know each other's real name. I guess it's no weirder than folks thinking my last name is really MacTavish. :)

[johno.livejournal.com]

SCA and Con folks have this issue all the time.

[chatworthy.livejournal.com]

Tell me about it. I got into some minor trouble in my distant youth and had to explain the SCA, and the fact that I only know Sir thus-and-such as Sir thus-and-such (but I do have his phone number), to certain officers of the court system. Then I had to do it all over again to get permission to go to an upcoming war.

The thought of having to go through that round of explanations again is a major factor in keeping me out of trouble since then.

Well, that and the whole growing up thing.

[keristor.livejournal.com]

It happens all the time in fandom, and even more in the SCA and similar organisations. Lots of people look blank when they use my real name, and then realise "Oh, you meanKeris, why didn't you say so?" I've come across it outside as well, even at work where I often can't remember the surname of a cow-orker because we hardly ever use it. And then there's places like China, where people have a Chinese name and then an 'English' one for use with foreigners (often with an anglicised form of their family name as a 'surname').

And of course a very large number of celebrities don't use their birth names, and in many cases their birth names have been hidden from all except family...

[figmo.livejournal.com]

Years ago I went to a job interview where the woman interviewing me was very much not fannish. In her office as I approached, I saw a long-time fannish friend. Unfortunately, I'd only heard his real name mentioned once and knew him only as "Renfield."

Without thinking, I started to exclaim "Hi," and realized I couldn't call him "Renfield" at work and stopped.

Fortunately, he saw where this was going quickly and, without missing a beat, exclaimed, "Why Hi!"

(Yes, I got the job. :-) )

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

Would it ruin your mystique to ask about your *other* name? All I can figure out is "Figmo of your imagination," but I suspect that's not the point.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

"FIGMO" is an Army acronym used to describe the lackadaisical attitude of someone about to get out of the military. When someone tells someone to do something unpleasant like "clean the latrine with a toothbrush," the person about to be discharged, knowing how long it'd take to prosecute defiance, typically responds, "F*** it, I've Got My [discharge] Orders!"

Hence, they're said to have a "FIGMO" attitude.

I picked up the acronym while an intern in high school with the production crew of New Jersey Public TV. Many of the crew members were Vietnam vets.

[howeird]

Well, at least he didn't think you were Lisa Carr
:-)

[figmo.livejournal.com]

Lisa Karr is a different reporter. (To those of you outside the SF Bay Area, yes, we really do have someone named "Lisa Karr" on our staff!)