Namely Marly

Elvis Costello makes a spectacle of himself in his new talk show series on the Sundance Channel. I just recently learned about Mr. Costello’s talk show, Spectacle, while watching him on the Colbert Report. I was excited about this news because Elvis Costello has a great name change story and his show provides the opportunity to talk about it.

Elvis Costello was born Declan Patrick McManus. I don’t know why anyone would change a name like Declan, but it obviously wasn’t the England-born star’s cup of tea. His name change took an evolutionary path, beginning by changing his last name to Costello in honor of his father who was also a performer and used the name Day Costello, his mother’s maiden name.

At first Elvis went by the stage name D.P. Costello. But once he began to seriously bid for a solo album, his manager suggested yet another change. In honor of the King of Rock ‘n Roll, Elvis Presley, his manager suggested Elvis Costello. The name change christened a long and successful career for the artist.

I’ve come to the conclusion that Mr. Costello must share my passion for name changing because on his talk show, Spectactle, he has included a number of guests who have also changed their names. Proof of Mr. Costello’s moniker mission is revealed by looking at his list of guests:

• Elton John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight)
• Sting (born Gordon Matthew Sumner)
• Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe)
• Smoky Robinson (born William Robinson, Jr)

I’m thrilled to find someone else who sees the value in name changing enough to include so many of his guests who’ve done the same. I’ll be sure to stay tuned to see what other famous name changers he’ll have on the show next. I would love to suggest Bono, Tina Turner, Queen Latifah, Stevie Wonder, Maya Angelou, or Jon Stewart…just as a start!

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Tags: bill clinton, changing your name, elton john, elvis costello, famous name changes, smoky robinson, spectacle, sting

This entry was posted on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 11:03 pm and is filed under Namely Names. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.