Anglo-Irishman Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Hello, Folks, This is me. It doesn't matter whether I use a nickname, a pseudonym, an alias, a nom de plume or my real name. Nobody notices the difference. On the Net or off it ... Like when I strayed into a jazz session (with banjo, not concertina ) and was asked who I was. "John Dallas," sez I. "Cool!" sez the questioner, "And what's your real name?" Or when I joined an Internet banjo forum under my real name with middle initial: johnedallas. I asked a question about zither-banjos, and someone replied that zither-banjos made by John E. Dallas were hard to come by, though very good if you could get one made before 1945. He assumed that I had chosen a nickname to reflect my interest in this particular manufacturer. I googled at once, of course, and discovered that my namesake not only made banjos but also published music in London in the first half of the 20th century. And he was the perpetrator/marketer of the JEDcertina, that Lachenal instrument with the piano-like button arrangement. (BTW, if anyone has a Dallas classic 5-string banjo they don't need, I'd be glad to take it over . I'm not really looking for a Jedcertina, though ) My nickname here is more a description than a disguise. I am an English-speaking Irishman, for a start. And an Irishman whose concertina happens to be an Anglo. And my repertoire includes a lot of Anglo-Irish ballads. Just a fun nickname - no intention of sniping from behind cover. I say what I choose to say whether with or without an alias. I was once a subscriber to a mailing list that insisted on posting under real names. A lot of the members were performing musicians, and it was interesting to read an advert for a concert or workshop and realise, "Hey, I know that person!" The list was, on the whole, very well-behaved, but the lack of anonymity didn't prevent a couple of subscribers being thrown out for continued offensive posting. "A rose by any other name ..." (... and the same applies to pigs ) I also had the experience of having several classmates with the same forename. There were usually four Johns in each class. This was not a problem, because it was long ago at a high-class grammar school, where the masters addressed the boys by their surnames only. Except for our favourite teacher, who gave us all nicknames. Cheers, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo-Irishman Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 You have a castle down the road from you. *faintly* A real castle, like a big huge imposing stone building they talk about in fairy tales. Wow. Yes, I'm an American who has never actually seen a real castle, much less lived down the road from one and climbed the walls for fun. I plan to see one someday though. Ah, castles!! When I was your age, Fern, two friends and I went for a bicycle ride every Saturday. We lived near Belfast, Northern Ireland, and we could reach a differnt castle every Saturday with a liesurely round trip. Some were just late mediaeval tower-houses, some were real, big, rambling 12th century Anglo-Norman affairs. Or we might take in a 9th/10th-century Celtic monastery for a change, or a bronze-age "rath", or even a stone-age megalithic grave or dolmen. Now I live in Germany, and occasionally get to play gigs in a timbered building belonging to the city council, and dating from 1454. That really does have an atmosphere! See pic below. Cheers, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiddlehead Fern Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I'm terribly envious. Horrifically so, it's eating away at me and perhaps I'll scream! No, mustn't alarm anyone I suppose. Ah well..... Well, I guess I shouldn't say that, there's the Smithsonian castle in Washington, D.C. I've been there multiple times before! If that counts........I love museums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragtimer Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 (edited) I'm terribly envious. Horrifically so, it's eating away at me and perhaps I'll scream! No, mustn't alarm anyone I suppose. Ah well..... Well, I guess I shouldn't say that, there's the Smithsonian castle in Washington, D.C. I've been there multiple times before! If that counts........I love museums. Hi. As a kid, I visited the Smithsonian castle when it still held good museum pieces. Now it's jsut offices, and the newer buildings have all the good stuff. But I've seen real castles in Germany. I started using a pseudonym on groups because it seemed everyone else was doing it, and I wanted to fit in. I used to play piano ragtime (before The Sting, even) and still compose rags at a very slow rate, so I'm Ragtimer-something-or-other on most groups. More important, it was my ragtime compositions, posted on my Web site, that attracted the attention of another ragtime player/writer, named Richard Morse! He asked me to arrange some music for concertina orchestra, and that's how I got into squeezing. I'd never seen a 'tina before NESI 2004! So Ragtime got me into COncertinasm so only fitting I should use that name here. Look up Ragtimer1 on Flickr for some pix of my squeezeboxes. --Mike K. Edited February 21, 2009 by ragtimer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fidjit Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Where to start. With a song perhaps, or rather part of one for LDT. Oh Why did my Sarah Treat Me So No More Will I Stitch No More Will I Sew My Thimble And My Needle To The Winds I'll Throw And I'll Go And List For A Sailor Jim Lucas- What's Jim Short for? Chas is already a pseudonym of Charles A name my parents gave me, Although for some reason my Mother called me Lord John. At School was Charlie Didn't like that so became a Chas. Here in Sweden you are more often called by your surname. So over here I'm Clark. Fidjit came about when me and three friends were going to do our first gig together and couldn't decide on a name. I eventually said to them that if we don't come up with a name tonight it's going to be Chas Clark and the F**'king Idiots. We shortened it to, The Fidjits (with Irish undertones implied) I'll get me coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_boveri Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 the reason i use my real name has to do with why i joined the site. i joined the site because people i knew were talking about it and i wanted them to know it was me, to increase the likelihood of interacting with them online. i felt like the concertina world is so small that if i might as well put my real name out there now for networking reasons. in fact, there are many people here that i do not know, but i feel like i do, because they know people i know in real life. i do not know anyone in real life on the flute forums at the chiffboard or at the session. there, i use pseudonyms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Levine Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Daiv, I agree with you. I don't get the pseudonym thing at all. It's schizophrenic. In any case, your pseudonym is fairly transparent. With regard to not knowing "...anyone in real life on the flute forums at the chiffboard or at the session. there, i use pseudonyms.' How would you know that you know them or not, or if they know you - if you're all using pseudonyms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergus_fiddler Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 My real name is pretty common in my country, not in english speaking countries where it's associated to a disgusting ABBA song. So, I use the same nickname for everything in the internet. Cheers, Fer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDT Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 My real name is pretty common in my country, not in english speaking countries where it's associated to a disgusting ABBA song. So, I use the same nickname for everything in the internet. I think I can guess what that is. Same first name as a certain F1 racing driver perhaps? I don't get the pseudonym thing at all. It's schizophrenic. Some pseudonyms are used to protect identities from being stolen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergus_fiddler Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I think I can guess what that is. Same first name as a certain F1 racing driver perhaps? Yep. And same first name as a certain football player in the Liverpool Cheers, Fer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Lud Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Some pseudonyms are used to protect identities from being stolen. And sometimes because of Internet paranoia, especially amongst those of us with a luddite techno fear attitude. I am mighty pleased with myself for managing to join this forum but am still not sure about my 'real' name being put anywhere on the web. Especially as my real name is not a common one at all. I also hope I have finally got the hang of "quoting" in these replies, but apologies if not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_boveri Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Daiv, I agree with you. I don't get the pseudonym thing at all. It's schizophrenic. In any case, your pseudonym is fairly transparent. With regard to not knowing "...anyone in real life on the flute forums at the chiffboard or at the session. there, i use pseudonyms.' How would you know that you know them or not, or if they know you - if you're all using pseudonyms? haha, i guess you got me there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombilly Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I don't get the pseudonym thing at all. It's schizophrenic. But David, I could have sworn you were Cocusflute and Cocus etc. for a few years!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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