Linden Gilliaert
I've decided to make my stage name Linden Gilliaert, and no, you can't convince me to change my mind. Changing names is an ancient pseudonomic art form. Um, that's a shot in the dark; I have no idea if pseudonym can be used as an adjective. Hold on, let me check...yep, turns out it can, pseudonymous. Apparently pseudonomic is an antibacterial acid. Imagine my embarrassment.
Look, I know I've been All-Talk-No-Show-McGee about this demo thing. It's been five months since I first hatched the plan. Four recordings later, self-doubt kicks in and everything is put on hold - Who am I kidding? My stuff is nowhere near as good as what's already out there. Nothing new. But there's no harm in trying, especially under a stage name. So I'm recording two final songs over these next few weeks, re-envisioning the packaging (no more cartoon Dave), and selling myself to Atlanta. Why the name? Linden - the small town in Virginia where my Grandpa retired to. Gilliaert - my middle name that I couldn't spell until I was in middle school. As well as...
1) Safety net. If I make an idiot of myself (likely), no problem. Prospective employers won't say "Oh, so you're the Dave Werner who drop-kicked a puppy onstage."
2) Something to stand out. There are too many Daves out there already: Matthews, Gray, Grohl, Navarro, Bowie, Cassidy, Lee Roth. There are no Lindens on the planet except for Linden Ashby of Johnny Cage Mortal Kombat movie fame.
3) Cool factor. Granted, Linden Gilliaert doesn't really sound like a rockstar name. But it sounds foreign and three vowels really shouldn't be able to stand in a row like that. It will be mispronounced, misspelled and butchered, easily upping the cool status (it's pronounced LYNNE-DIN GILL-E-ART). Maybe I can fake people out into thinking I'm from Iceland or something.
4) An escape. As silly as it may seem, the name change relaxes me. As Dave, in school or music or whatever, I feel like I have to please a lot of people. As Linden, I can do whatever I want. And as Chris Gaines, I can make a commercial disaster.
I've thought about all of this at great length, writing down hundreds of name combinations. Everyone's had an opinion on it, but I can't please them all. I could've stuck with Dave, but couldn't pass up this one and only opportunity to try something different. In all honesty, I'll probably end up only playing a handful of small shows here and there, and it'll just be fun to be back on stage again. I have always said that I have no delusions of rockstar grandeur, and I think that's the healthiest and sanest way to go about something like this. Papa's got a brand new bag, metaphorically corrugated with holes for your eyes.
Monday, March 22 at 10:26 PM
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