Stuck

I’ve had this fantasy for a little while now that at some point in the mid-60’s, John Lennon turned to Paul McCartney and said “We’re the biggest band in the world and we’re named after a fucking bug.” Or maybe I read something like that somewhere. I don’t remember. Either way, it’s funny how something that starts off as an inside joke or an off-the-cuff idea ends up being something you’re stuck with forever. Who knew that a tribute to Buddy Holly’s backing band The Crickets and a play on the word “beat” would end up being the word used to describe the most famous and influental band on Earth? Or that a blog title pulled out of nowhere and kept because it seemed memorable…

That’s right, I hate the name of this site. When I started blogging over three years ago, I wanted something simple and easy to remember. As I was thinking up ideas, I remembered how much I love watching the Spelling Bee every year with my friends. Writing for an audience of strangers for the first time, I felt like those kids on stage, confused, awkward, shy, etc. It seemed like a pretty good fit, though somewhere through the brainstorming process, “The Spelling Bee” turned into “The Talent Show”.

Fast forward to now and every time I see the words “Talent Show”, I feel like everyone assumes I chose this title because I’m an arrogant prick, when really I still feel like I’ve got more in common with that kid who sounds like a musical robot. The name of the site seems so far removed from that tiny nugget of a not-very-good idea I had in 2003 that I can’t help but think the words “Talent Show” conjure images of a self-righteousness egomaniac who’s set up a blog to highlight his own brilliance. The idea that the name of this site might give people the exact opposite impression of what I want to convey really bugs me.

So that’s that. I’ve been thinking about renaming the site for a while now, but every idea I have is either taken or stupid or fraught with its own problems. At the very least, I wish the name of the site had something to do with politics. Should I even bother?


posted by greg on April 14, 2006 @ 12:37 am

40 comments

  1. I assumed the title was ironic. Wait, is that a mean thing to say?

    Comment by Joe — April 14, 2006 @ 2:25 am

  2. Don’t change it, I’ll never be able to find you if you did!

    Comment by bl — April 14, 2006 @ 2:43 am

  3. Not that that wasn’t a rhetorical question, but I don’t think you should change it. If nothing else, no one else with a political blog has named it politically (with a few exceptions); most of them are vanity names anyway… what would you change it to, GregPost? Your content is why people come here (even the idiot trolls).

    If your rhetorical question was “should I even bother [to raise my voice]?” Then the answer is unequivocally yes.

    Comment by jwer — April 14, 2006 @ 5:35 am

  4. no reason to keep something you hate… can you can still maintain the talent show and redirect to the new site?

    Here’s a good place for ideas.

    I like:
    blow-back
    debunk
    dialectic
    gravitas
    status wo

    Comment by Erin — April 14, 2006 @ 6:18 am

  5. “the words “Talent Show” conjure images of a self-righteousness egomaniac who’s set up a blog to highlight his own brilliance” Don’t kid yourself. Everyone knows you set up the talent show to highlight my brilliance. I very much appreciate having an audience without extending any real effort.

    Comment by Kamachanda — April 14, 2006 @ 6:41 am

  6. I’ve been reading this for so long now it doesn’t even phase me. In fact anytime I hear the words “talent show” I think of this place. And it’s a fine place where I feel you’ve already redefined what it is that you’re looking to change. But that’s just me.

    Comment by Valerae — April 14, 2006 @ 7:01 am

  7. I have no problem with the name but if you want to change it you might look to musical lyrics. For example: Take Me Back to Tulsa (I’m too young to marry)

    Comment by Becky — April 14, 2006 @ 7:31 am

  8. Greg - if you want it to confer the subject of politics, call it The No Talent Show

    Comment by Lieutenant Breakfast — April 14, 2006 @ 8:41 am

  9. Somehow I read the last paragraph of this post as if it were attached to the previous post (probably because I read the latter over at TMW and clicked through).

    So let me amend my previous comment: if you hate it, change it. We still don’t come here for the site name, but for the content.

    Comment by jwer — April 14, 2006 @ 8:57 am

  10. I don’t mind the name, but you’re right that it has nothing to do with what the site offers. It seems like you already have built your name with the site name, so you should keep it.

    Comment by Unstable Isotope — April 14, 2006 @ 9:21 am

  11. If people think your egotistical or a prick, so what, let people think whatever they want that’s what the internet is all about, that’s what AMERICA is all about.

    Comment by Mike Meyer — April 14, 2006 @ 9:21 am

  12. Keep the name Greg - no offense Erin - but Dialectic and Gravitas WOULD make you sound like an arrogant prick.

    The Talent Show does evoke a sense of irony. It also seems like it refers more to the the cast of characters in the posts (Tom Delay, Bush, etc.) Or, it could be seen to refer to the commenters. But, you’re waaay down the list, Greg.

    Comment by dAVE — April 14, 2006 @ 9:25 am

  13. Y’know, I never gave more than a passing thought to the name after I first found this site (through TMW) beyond “Huh. I wonder why he called it that.” I wouldn’t worry too much; after all these years (forever on the internets!) your readers have already formed their opinion of you. New readers might be confused at the lack of continuity.

    And honestly? Almost any good name (especially one that has to do with politics) will inevitably sound more pompous, thus defeating your whole purpose. I could be wrong, but your only option is to come up with something so painfully obscure/hip/self-aware that it collapses under its own pretension - again, defeating your purpose.

    Comment by Ben — April 14, 2006 @ 9:34 am

  14. DON’T CHANGE IT! that would be a bad idea.

    after 3+ years of establishing that name, it would be a bad move to try to rename yourself.

    what’s in a name? it really doesn’t matter… i doubt many people sit around thinking about the deeper meaning behind the name of any website.

    i chose “i will destroy you” for my website/company/persona a decade ago. i still like it, but it does occaionally cause confusion to some people. i’ve even received hate-mail from people who were offended by the aggressive tone of that title. i could try to explain the significance of that title to them, but they probably wouldn’t understand. but i don’t lose any sleep over it.

    the best thing about the name is that it’s simple, catchy, and memorable. and you’ve already got thousands of people who know it. so, changing it would be a bad idea. DON’T CHANGE YOUR NAME!

    Comment by tomN! — April 14, 2006 @ 9:56 am

  15. It’s sadly apolitical, but I’ve always thought Treppenwitz would be a good (and, in most cases, accurate) name for a blog.

    Comment by Tom Hilton — April 14, 2006 @ 10:07 am

  16. It never occurred to me to think of the title like that, Greg. Seriously.

    Comment by Cakesniffer — April 14, 2006 @ 10:19 am

  17. Never thought much about the name. Names are compromises. Most things on the Internet have reasonably dumb names (most things in the real world, come to think of it). (Yahoo. Who the hell would name an Internet portal Yahoo?)

    “Talent Show” means a diverse array of people trying to show something interesting. I’ve paid to see several real-world talent shows, and been very glad that I did.

    To me “Talent Show” has no connotations of self-righteousness egomania whatsoever; in fact I was surprised to read you saying this. To me it sounds like earnest people trying to do their best.

    Don’t change the name. All suitspeak aside, in the modern world branding is, if not the only thing or perhaps even the most important thing, certainly one of the most important things. (Notice that the Beatles did not in fact change their name.)

    Comment by anon — April 14, 2006 @ 10:27 am

  18. I’d say go ahead and change it if you can think of a better one and you really don’t like the one you have. You can always redirect from here to the new location.

    But: I don’t think you need to change it to make it more germane. Search engines and internet directories know what you’re about, and they’ll send readers here if the readers are looking for lefty political commentary.

    Personally I have always thought (if I thought about it at all) that this blog was originally something else, a showcase for your movie project(s), maybe, and it just morphed into what it is now. I haven’t read the earliest posts, so what do I know?

    And I don’t believe there are any connotations of arrogance or prickitude in the name, so I think you’re OK there.

    Comment by Larry Jones — April 14, 2006 @ 12:58 pm

  19. this has always been probably my favorite site name. it would be sad to see it changed

    Comment by james — April 14, 2006 @ 1:26 pm

  20. I like the name and never thought of it as arrogant. I thought it had something to do with that picture on the right.

    I like the name of my blog, Fact-esque, but I struggle with the hyphen issue and when I set it up, I didn’t know what I was doing so the URL is horrible and only serves to confuse people.

    Blogging is hard work.

    Comment by eRobin — April 14, 2006 @ 3:17 pm

  21. I think you’ve answered your own question. If clever, creative, catchy or interesting names made any difference at all, Greg, then Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Velvet Underground, and maybe even the Plastic Ono Band might have surpassed the Beatles, right? I think you should keep the name.

    Comment by pickleweedpete — April 14, 2006 @ 6:21 pm

  22. I’m sure this has been said, but

    1) I consider the name tongue-in-cheek
    2) The name is better than most a) unoriginal or b) “clever” blog names
    3) C’mon, the name’s funny, lighten up

    Comment by ChrisV82 — April 14, 2006 @ 11:35 pm

  23. You’ve heard of “Rage Against the Machine”, right? Have you ever heard of “Audioslave”? I certainly hadn’t until I did some digging. Changing the name will probably just lose people.
    Also, the name is not a big deal except when you start out. After that it’s just a placeholder.

    Comment by me — April 15, 2006 @ 2:34 am

  24. dAVE, yeah you’re right gravitas and dialectic are kinda lame… the Talent Show isn’t bad, it just connotes that it is a forum for many different talents. What about a subtitle like “Watching the train wreck unravel…”?

    Comment by erin — April 15, 2006 @ 9:56 am

  25. Hey Greg,

    Names mean nothing. Or are you saying all those things the kids called me in elementary school were true?

    The Talent Show, for me, means a showcase of increasingly atrocious acts performed by people who really should be doing something else. That describes the current world situation perfectly.

    Comment by Blogtopus — April 15, 2006 @ 6:08 pm

  26. Said “increasingly atrocious acts” highlighted and described, explained and debunked, but never, ever performed by The Talent Show.

    Comment by Blogtopus — April 15, 2006 @ 6:16 pm

  27. How about “Daily Kos”? That’s got a nice ring to it…

    (Hey, somebody had to say something dumb like this.)

    Comment by USJogger — April 16, 2006 @ 4:45 pm

  28. And don’t forget, all the good (short) domain names are taken. Besides coming up with a name you like, you have to find one that isn’t already parked by some linkfarm. That’s why people keep coming up with absurd, surreal sounding names like paranoidbanana.com or everythingiscornflakes.com. (I didn’t check, but for all I know even those are probably already squatted.)

    Comment by Cris — April 17, 2006 @ 7:22 am

  29. Blogger lets me change blog title without changing URL. That helps prevent broken links for my blogrolled regulars. For the few who search on the name, its like changing your phone number. Unles you contact everyone and tell them, you fall out of touch with people for a while.

    I get a better idea than “the executioners thong” about once a week. “Thong”, on the other hand, gives me 80% of my traffic [none of whom actually read my blog as it lacks pictures, let alone naughty underware pictures].

    What names have you considered? If you don’t want to look like an arrogant prick you can call your blog something like “blathering license” but who will come read it?
    And there are lots of words that carry two or more very different meanings. e.g. “Flush”.
    Start googling now. If you ever do change the blogs name, you will have to be very original and almost necessarily oddball in your choice, the good stuff and plenty of the bad are all taken [I loved “cloaca” but someone else loved it before me]

    Comment by greensmile — April 17, 2006 @ 11:02 am

  30. Blogger lets me change blog title without changing URL. That helps prevent broken links for my blogrolled regulars. For the few who search on the name, its like changing your phone number. Unles you contact everyone and tell them, you fall out of touch with people for a while.

    I get a better idea than “the executioners thong” about once a week. “Thong”, on the other hand, gives me 80% of my traffic [none of whom actually read my blog as it lacks pictures, let alone naughty underware pictures].

    What names have you considered? If you don’t want to look like an arrogant prick you can call your blog something like “blathering license” but who will come read it?
    And there are lots of words that carry two or more very different meanings. e.g. “Flush”.
    Start googling now. If you ever do change the blogs name, you will have to be very original and almost necessarily oddball in your choice, the good stuff and plenty of the bad are all taken [I loved “cloaca” but someone else loved it before me]

    Comment by greensmile — April 17, 2006 @ 11:10 am

  31. I dig it the way it is, and the name is half the reason I took a peek in the first place.

    Comment by jer — April 17, 2006 @ 6:58 pm

  32. Sounds like a bloggy mid-life crisis. Hang in there, the name is established, and has an air of mystery.

    Comment by Rob G — April 18, 2006 @ 10:12 am

  33. I’m with jer, although in my case it was the entire reason for my first peek. I linked to you from some site’s (can’t remember which) blogroll. I figured with a name like The Talent Show the offerings had to be good. I was not disappointed.

    Comment by metricpenny — April 18, 2006 @ 11:17 am

  34. I think “Greg” is a perfectly fine name. Although you *do* look a little like an Ed. Maybe Edward. Or Eddie.

    Incidentally, if you decided to change the name of your site, you could always call it “Status Woah”. But maybe that’s just me.

    Hell, maybe I’ll use that….

    Comment by Richard Moore — April 24, 2006 @ 11:35 am

  35. Not much on my mind. I don’t care. I’ve just been letting everything happen without me , but shrug. Whatever. I feel like a void.

    Comment by Kaka56367 — April 30, 2006 @ 2:38 pm

  36. I haven’t been up to anything today. I can’t be bothered with anything recently. Nothing seems worth thinking about. I haven’t gotten anything done recently, but oh well. Not much noteworthy going on worth mentioning.

    Comment by Kaka8637 — May 1, 2006 @ 11:22 am

  37. My mind is like a bunch of nothing, but I guess it doesn’t bother me. I haven’t been up to anything recently. I’ve pretty much been doing nothing to speak of.

    Comment by Kaka43481 — May 3, 2006 @ 9:04 am

  38. Basically nothing seems worth thinking about. I haven’t been up to much these days. I just don’t have much to say right now. I can’t be bothered with anything , but whatever.

    Comment by Kaka59083 — May 4, 2006 @ 6:17 pm

  39. Basically nothing noteworthy happening right now, but eh. Today was a complete loss. I haven’t been up to much recently. I’ve pretty much been doing nothing worth mentioning.

    Comment by Kaka59301 — May 9, 2006 @ 2:04 pm

  40. I haven’t been up to anything these days. So it goes. I can’t be bothered with anything these days.

    Comment by Kaka84629 — May 11, 2006 @ 8:47 pm

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