YOUR NAME, YOUR TRUTH

In a time not so long ago your name wasn’t good enough.

Hard to believe in the land of straight shooters and honor, but John Wayne didn’t start out as John Wayne.

Neither did Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis. It was a different time.

Benedict Cumberbatch says those days are long gone.

Still, there’s something primal about short names, especially for men. They’re rugged, simple, and easy to remember.

Who doesn’t like saying John Wayne? It’s a great American name. Parents even name their kids after John Wayne to give them a step up.

Those parents didn’t know John Wayne is code for f-you?

‘What Would John Wayne Do’ is what we’d all do in hard times if we weren’t such pussies. At least that’s the theory.

Better name associations create better understanding. Whatever name you call yourself, believe in it. That’s who you are.

How else did Marion Mitchell Morrison become John Wayne?

A new name works best with a new past.

Instead of Joe Shanker from Podunk, Colorado, you’re Joseph from, “so man incredible places that mean so much in my life. Where to start?”

Say you’re from Brooklyn if you’re starting over. Watch Saturday Night Fever again for reference.

If a real Brooklyn guy starts asking questions, and they will, say you meant the Brooklyn section of Portland, Oregon.

Few people have been to both, so you’re covered.

Who you think you are isn’t always connected to your name; where you say you’re from isn’t always connected to where you’re really from.

Saying you’re from Portland is easier than explaining Vancouver when everyone’s first thought is Canada. It’s geographical shorthand.

Are you from NYC or Staten Island? Philadelphia or Paoli? LA or Lennox?

Are you from Oregon or the Pacific Northwest? From New Hampshire or Northeast? Alabama or down south? Iowa or Midwest?

Know where you’re from with precision. If you want someone to know where you’re from, tell them.

They’ll figure out the rest.

Like this:

“Where are you from?”

“North Bend, Oregon.”

“My grandparents live east of Bend.”

“North Bend is on the coast.”

The location clicks every time you mention Coos Bay.

“How long have you lived in Coos Bay?”

“North Bend.”

“Pardon me?”

“The biggest bay on the Southwest coast is called Coos Bay. One of the cities on Coos Bay is North Bend.”

“Oh. Ok. Oregon is so beautiful.”

“I haven’t lived there in forty years but even now I can’t sit on a beach without feeling like I’m cheating on my hometown beaches. Bastendorf Beach, Horsefall Beach, Sunset Beach.”

“But it’s so cold.”

“No one calls this the Oregon Riviera, that’s for sure.”

Every name asks for definition; the best name is it’s own.

Organized crime nicknames do it best with names like Jimmy Three Legs, Crazy Joey, Nicky Lips, Scarface, Sammy The Bull.

Keeping the name you were born with is neither stubborn or prideful. It’s a choice.

So is remembering where you come from.

Aren’t there enough nomads already?