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CELEB SECRETS: NAME DROPPERS
MADONNA
Was once: Madonna Louise Ciccone
Now: M. During the run of West End Show Up For Grabs, she urged other cast members to call her M because she's so fed up with being called Madge.
We say: Well, we still say Madge, actually.
Helen says: `Madonna is trying to put some distance between herself and her fans. M is impersonal. It's only a letter - no information, not even a gender.'
JENNIFER LOPEZ
Was once: J-Lo
Now: Wants to be Jennifer Lopez again. Her first Latino pop album was credited to Jennifer Lopez, but she changed to a more hip-hop sounding name for her second album when, coincidentally on the silly name front, she was dating P. Diddy (see below).
We say: Make your mind up, love.
Helen says: `She was trying to be cooler with a street name. However, she still wanted to hang on to her own identity by keeping the beginnings of both names. J-Lo is also short and sing-song, like a child's name, so seemingly personal. She kept her full name for movies - J-Lo would sound like a hip-hop singer's cameo part.'
JOHNNY ROTTEN
Was once: Johnny Rotten, then John Lydon
Now: Johnny Rotten, again. Having reverted to his real surname after the demise of the Sex Pistols, Lydon has reinstated his former name now that they've come back.
We say: He means it, maaan.
Helen says: `Johnny is trying to relive his youth. Middle-aged men sometimes try to get people to call them by the nickname they had when they were 20. However, in this case he could just be cashing in on the renewed interest in punk. I suspect so, because he's a very strong character.'
P. DIDDY
Was once: Sean Puffy Combs, then Puff Daddy
Now: P. Diddy. P decided his name was `negative' and changed to a nickname given to him by his dead friend Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G.
We say: Sounds like a bit of a confession. Size isn't everything, P.
Helen says: `He's trying to get back to his innocent childhood, before the bad stuff happened. Diddy is a toddler's word, and it's a sentimental use of a childhood nickname he hopes will distance him from the tough `negativity' associated with his adult self. But because it's a unique, personal nickname, no one else understands its meaning and it just sounds silly.'
EMINEM
Was once: Marshall Mathers III
Now: Eminem. But just as criminals have aliases, Eminem is also Slim Shady (for his first album), Marshall Mathers (his second) and Eminem again (for the third).
We say: Is he having an identity crisis?
Helen says: `This shows Marshall Mathers' intelligence. Eminem is an interesting variation on his initials, reinforcing his reputation for being clever with words. For his second album he's chosen his own name. He's saying, "This is the real me".'
BONO
Was once: Paul Hewson, later Bono Vox
Now: Plain Bono. In Paul's first band, Lipton Village, he couldn't sing, which is why he chose as a stage name Bono Vox, `good voice' in Latin.
We say: Small name, very big head.
Helen says: `Bono Vox is a clever, laid-back about himself joke, which is who he wants to tell the public he is. Now he's just Bono he's outgrown that joke and is taking himself more seriously.'
CELEB SECRETS: NAME DROPPERS
MADONNA
Was once: Madonna Louise Ciccone
Now: M. During the run of West End Show Up For Grabs, she urged other cast members to call her M because she's so fed up with being called Madge.
We say: Well, we still say Madge, actually.
Helen says: `Madonna is trying to put some distance between herself and her fans. M is impersonal. It's only a letter - no information, not even a gender.'
JENNIFER LOPEZ
Was once: J-Lo
Now: Wants to be Jennifer Lopez again. Her first Latino pop album was credited to Jennifer Lopez, but she changed to a more hip-hop sounding name for her second album when, coincidentally on the silly name front, she was dating P. Diddy (see below).
We say: Make your mind up, love.
Helen says: `She was trying to be cooler with a street name. However, she still wanted to hang on to her own identity by keeping the beginnings of both names. J-Lo is also short and sing-song, like a child's name, so seemingly personal. She kept her full name for movies - J-Lo would sound like a hip-hop singer's cameo part.'
JOHNNY ROTTEN
Was once: Johnny Rotten, then John Lydon
Now: Johnny Rotten, again. Having reverted to his real surname after the demise of the Sex Pistols, Lydon has reinstated his former name now that they've come back.
We say: He means it, maaan.
Helen says: `Johnny is trying to relive his youth. Middle-aged men sometimes try to get people to call them by the nickname they had when they were 20. However, in this case he could just be cashing in on the renewed interest in punk. I suspect so, because he's a very strong character.'
P. DIDDY
Was once: Sean Puffy Combs, then Puff Daddy
Now: P. Diddy. P decided his name was `negative' and changed to a nickname given to him by his dead friend Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G.
We say: Sounds like a bit of a confession. Size isn't everything, P.
Helen says: `He's trying to get back to his innocent childhood, before the bad stuff happened. Diddy is a toddler's word, and it's a sentimental use of a childhood nickname he hopes will distance him from the tough `negativity' associated with his adult self. But because it's a unique, personal nickname, no one else understands its meaning and it just sounds silly.'
EMINEM
Was once: Marshall Mathers III
Now: Eminem. But just as criminals have aliases, Eminem is also Slim Shady (for his first album), Marshall Mathers (his second) and Eminem again (for the third).
We say: Is he having an identity crisis?
Helen says: `This shows Marshall Mathers' intelligence. Eminem is an interesting variation on his initials, reinforcing his reputation for being clever with words. For his second album he's chosen his own name. He's saying, "This is the real me".'
BONO
Was once: Paul Hewson, later Bono Vox
Now: Plain Bono. In Paul's first band, Lipton Village, he couldn't sing, which is why he chose as a stage name Bono Vox, `good voice' in Latin.
We say: Small name, very big head.
Helen says: `Bono Vox is a clever, laid-back about himself joke, which is who he wants to tell the public he is. Now he's just Bono he's outgrown that joke and is taking himself more seriously.'