Re: [Harp-L] What do you want to be called?

["Bob Laughlin" <rlaughlin@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mojo Red" <harplicks@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, April 04, 2008 3:10 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] What do you want to be called?


> You can call me anything you want...just don't call me late to dinner.
>
> Harpin in Colorado,
> --Ken M.

Exactly my sentiments.

I know this isn't exactly what's being asked, but I have an amusing story
along the line of what people call you when you go onstage.

I keep thinking of the Rolling Stones song,,

"You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need"

That's usually the way it is, when you "want" to be called something. You
may end up "being called something else",,and it may be just what you needed
to be called.

This problem arose, however, when I first went onstage, and the guy I was
backing asked me this very question,,"Who would you like to be introduced
as?"

I tried thinking of a few things,,"Harmonicaman", "Big Bob" (However, I'm
really not that big,,), the underlying problem being that my real
name,,Robert Laughlin,,comes across through the noise of a bar as "Wobaah
Waffwimh" or something else undecipherable. No one EVER gets it right the
first time. Then, it's either take time being obsessive/compulsive,
explaining your name, "enunciating" it loudly over the noise of the crowd,
the music, etc..or just let it go, and fade into nameless anonymity,,,,

When you do well,,people come up afterwards, and call you "Dude", as in
"Dude, that was awesome,,", or at least, "nice harp, Dude", so maybe that's
a good stage name,,"Dude", or "Dude-something",,"Socal Dude",,or "LA Dude".
If you don't, then they call you "Hey man", as in "Hey man,,it's okay,,". So
"Heyman" might work, if you're relatively new and inexperienced.

I asked my ex-work buddy, whom I dragged into the club the first time I
played,,what I should tell the guy. He said, to be funny, "Well, Bob, we
always used to call you 'Sweet Lips' on the job."

So,,humorously, I told the guy,,,"Just call me 'Sweet Lips'", and he did.

It lasted until he left town several years later. "Sweet Lips Bob". I'm glad
he's gone.

Next time someone asks,,it's "Wawuh Wawaaa"

BL