If you are, well, a human, I highly assume that you have heard the phrase, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” This is a saying that I can remember since I was a very young child. What does this phrase mean? It means that you shouldn’t make a judgment about someone or something based solely on their or its outward appearance. This saying holds true also to a name. What is a name anyway? By definition, a “name “ is a word or set of words by which a person, animal, place, or thing is known, addressed, or referred to.
Names are a funny thing because just the sight of a name can find someone forming an opinion before knowing what and/or who is behind a name. If you saw a restaurant called “The Greasy Spoon,” you may find yourself grossed out and pass it by. Who is to say that you didn’t just pass up the best hamburger, the best milkshake, or the best order of cheese fries you could’ve had in your life? There you go. You judged the book by its cover, and you missed out on some magic that lay within.
Bands go through this every day. When you’re a band, your band name is your first impression. As a writer, I never judge a band by its name before I give them a listen. I am in a band myself, and I would never want to base their opinion on us without first hearing us. I once got a press release for a band called Shit the Cow. I kid you not. Shit the Cow. The name made me laugh, but I listened to them. Unfortunately, they were terrible, but I came to that conclusion only after listening to them instead of turning them down because of their name.
In an interview many years ago, singer/songwriter Natalie Merchant was discussing her previous band, 10,000 Maniacs. In this interview, she tells a story of how many people would assume that they were a hard rock band and then show up to their shows only to be stunned by a twirling alternative rock goddess and her band. Some people would even go as far as to give them a hard time for not being anything like their name described.
If you are reading this piece, you know that I am the owner and sole writer for a music blog called The Great Southern Brainfart. It’s not the classiest name in the world, but it’s mine. What lies behind the name? The name is a play on the Pantera album The Great Southern Trendkill. A friend of mine used to call me the Brainfart because of my scatteredness and ADD ability to switch from music topic to music topic sometimes without completing any of my thoughts.
When I started putting this blog together, I knew I had to have a name that would stick out from the rest. Music Talk, The Metal Hang Out, the Rock N’ Roll Blog were not even options. The Great Southern Brainfart spoke to me, and I knew it would catch people’s attention. I also knew that there was a chance that people (i.e., Artists, PR people, and management) could possibly look down on me and pass, but 90% or more of them proved me wrong.
Since 2009, I have had the opportunity to interview members of some of my favorite bands. Acts such as Anthrax, Megadeth, Dream Theater, Geoff Tate of Queensryche, and legendary Iron Maiden vocalist, to name a few, have all grace me with their presence, and some have done so multiple times. I have had the honor of talking with author/music journalist Katherine Turman, NYC jazz vocalist Rebecca Martin, and former legendary Iron Maiden vocalist Paul DiAnno. I am living a dream that I have had since I was a kid, and not a day goes by that I don’t pinch myself in disbelief.
The Great Southern Brainfart has had its moments of being judged, though. Recently someone emailed a press release announcing a new album by Blackmore’s Night. For those of you that don’t know, Blackmore’s Night is a medieval/Rennaissance festival band that features legendary Deep Purple/Rainbow guitarist Richie Blackmore. Blackmore’s Night is a collaboration between him and his wife, Candice Night. For 23 years, Blackmore’s Night has been doing their thing since 1997 and since then have been a massive point of ridicule by many in the hard rock/classic rock community because of everything from the style of music to the visual image of the band.
Blackmore’s Night. When I first heard that band name, I assumed Richie Blackmore’s new band played a darker, more brooding style of hard rock music, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard their music, and it was a nice change from the hard rock/metal music that I usually listen to. It was engaging, well played, and fun.
I was looking forward to interviewing vocalist Candice Night. As a fan, I had many questions regarding the music, but I also had many things I wanted to learn about, as I do with all of my other interviews. I awaited a reply from their PR person as I prepared for what I thought could be an entertaining interview.
Blackmore’s Night’s PR person replied, telling me that, unfortunately, they were unable to schedule interviews. I thought this was strange, so I asked if she could share the reason why. She told me that “management passed purely because of the name of the site. I was hesitant if I should tell you that, but I’m glad you asked. Am I assuming this is not the first time this has happened? I’m sorry ….if you changed the name, let’s talk about this.”
If I changed my name, let’s talk about this. Yes, I was a bit insulted at first, and she was right, though. Before, this has happened to me, but, believe it or not, since 2009, I have only had this happen with no more than four artists. I get it, though. Management and PR are responsible for filtering interview and press requests. I want to think that Mrs. Night doesn’t take herself so seriously that she wouldn’t talk to a site called The Great Southern Brainfart, but who knows.
This happening seriously threw a wrench in my gears and made me question whether I should change my site’s name. I pondered it, talked it over with friends, with Mrs. Brainfart, and they all said the same thing. They noted that The Great Southern Brainfart is an extension of me. It’s my “persona” of sorts, and it is what people have come to associate with me.
There was a brief moment when I considered changing the name of my site. The Great Southern Brainfart isn’t the classiest of names, but for over 11 years, it has become a persona. It is where I can freely and honestly (sometimes to a fault) express my thoughts and opinions about music. A few years ago, I wrote a review of a King Crimson show here in Atlanta. King Crimson guitarist/founding member himself liked my review so much that he linked it on his personal Facebook page along with pulling a quote from it: “Let me just start out by saying that a King Crimson concert is no fucking joke…”
Whenever I find myself getting bummed for being judged or turned away because of my site’s name, I remember the long list of people I have interviewed over the years. They all took a chance with me, and I had some entertaining, educational, and thought-provoking interviews. Why would I change my name at this point? Robert Fripp likes me, and that right there holds more weight than I could carry in 10 years.
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