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[Opinions] Warhol?
How would you feel about Warhol as a middle name for a boy? I must confess that it wouldn't be for Andy Warhol--though since I don't know his work very well, it could come to be for him--so much as for David Bowie's "Andy Warhol," off his Hunky-Dory album.The reason it appeals to me (besides its neat sound) is because I haven't been able to find any other Bowie-related names that I really like. David is boring, Bowie is violent and too trendy-sounding. I like Ziggy, but nothing it could be short for--and I like Iggy better. Beyond those, there's...what? Aladdin? No, thanks. So while the connection is tenuous, to me the name means "Andy Warhol looks a scream/Have him on my wall" rather than "In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes."Would it need to be paired with something rather dull, like James or Christopher? I rather like Cornelius with it, but Cornelius Warhol Surname seems pretentious, so I don't know.ArrayETA: I've been thinking about it, and if Warhol is utterly painful, I suppose Stardust probably would be, too, ha! (I rather like it, though; Nico Stardust is one of those combos that I don't mention but really, really like.) Would Freecloud (as in The Wild-Eyed Boy From...) be equally awful? It also reminds me of my father, who likes the song.A second ETA: If you absolutely hate Warhol and have ideas for a nice, Bowie-riffic name, I'd love to hear them. I'm working through the albums in order and am only up to Ziggy Stardust right now (I have Space Oddity, Hunky-Dory, Ziggy, and Best of Bowie, and am in the process of finding a copy of The Man Who Sold The World). So any references from his work outside of those albums and the movie Labyrinth could very well fly over my head, heh.

I've seen the needle and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie's like a settin' sun.

This message was edited 1/22/2006, 8:51 PM

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Sorry, I don't find David at all boring and of all the options, I think it's the best of the lot if you want to honor David Bowie. It seems a stretch to use "Warhol" to honor Bowie and have nothing to do with Andy Warhol. People will always assume it's for A.W. and if you try to explain how it honors Bowie people will just find it confusing.
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If I'm the sort of person who'd be willing to use Warhol, I'm also probably not the sort of person who finds David interesting. ;) The other problem (besides its overuse) is the fact that David means Daffy of Emma Donoghue's Slammerkin to me. I don't immediately picture Bowie, so it doesn't work for me.Do you really think it'd be complicated to use Warhol for Bowie if it was a middle name? I could see as much if I was gunning for a first name, but it wouldn't be heard much, aside from when I happened to be angry or he graduated. The question of it being a stretch is probably the most complicated one for me.Thanks for your help, though. :)Array
I've seen the needle and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie's like a settin' sun.
vote up1

Um...Tom, with Major as a middle name as in Major Tom.That's all I can think of, aside from Rebel. And Hero. And Starman. But those are kind of weird.
~~she came in through the bathroom window~~
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That's all I can think of, aside from Rebel. And Hero. And Starman. But those are kind of weird."Kind of weird" is how I work, ha. I have to admit, I have this huge weakness for Starman, as well as Stardust--probably because "Starman" is such a darned catchy song. Rebel is really quite fun, too, and it wouldn't be that bad a middle name, would it? It does sound a bit celebrity-chic (ugh), but it's a great song.There's one that I know I won't use, and that's Henry--but that one's a really odd one that only I seem to think of! :D Thanks.Array
I've seen the needle and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie's like a settin' sun.
vote up1
Starman RebelI like that.~~she came in through the bathroom window~~
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How about:
Some take on Thomas Jerome Newton, his character in The Man Who Fell To Earth.
Major Tom ( I know, I know...)
Some Ash-name (Ashes to Ashes)
Something including Zowie, Duncan or Heywood after his son.
Duke
Tony Day
Mars
Bewlay
Moss
Lester
Nathan Adler
LeonAs for girls names there's Hermione ( I myself got this from the song, not Harry Potter), Ramona A. Stone and Rosalyn.If these references flew "over your head" I can clarify, just spitting out ideas here.
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Thanks for helping me out. :)Thomas Jerome Newton~ Unfortunately, none of the names scream "Bowie" to me; Thomas is my uncle, Jerome is a saint, and Newton is Isaac or Jimmy. :(
Major Tom~ Neither of these do, either, sadly enough. Major is very Catch-22 (Major Major Major, right?), while Tom's still more my uncle than a space oddity. :)
Some Ash-name~ Would it be cruel of me to use Ashes as a middle name? Probably--but that would be the one that would mean a song to me, rather than another character.
Something including Zowie, Duncan or Heywood after his son.~ The fact that Zowie's now a Duncan means that's out, ha. Duncan is the character on Monarch of the Glen, whereas Heywood sounds rather dirty to me. :/
Duke~ This could work--we'll see about it when I finally move past his glam rock stage, ha! The image that it casts in my mind, though, is probably not one that most people have.
Tony Day~ This one I don't understand--explain?
Mars~ I could see it, since "Life on Mars" is just SO amazing a song (and easier to name after than "Oh! You Pretty Things", heh). I'll keep this in mind.
Bewlay~ *embarrassed* I don't know the song well enough, I don't think. I don't always make through the entire CD when I'm cooking, heh.
Moss~ Another I don't recognize as a reference. It might work, if the Bowie connection is strong in my mind--otherwise, I think of one of my characters.

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explanationsI don't know that much really, I just flipped through all my Bowie songs for names. Some of it is sort of obscure maybe.
But had I known you wanted names like Starman or Rebel I would have suggested you Freecloud (Wild eyed Boy From Freecloud).
I hope you find something (other than Warhol, sorry) that fits for you, I fully understand the naming after someone/ something.Tony Day - The Gospel According To Tony Day is the b-side to the single The Laughing Gnome from his first album. It appears here and there due to some cult status.
Bewlay - The Bewlay Brothers is a song on the album Hunky Dory.
Moss - the song Moss Garden on the album Heroes.
Lester -Looking For Lester from the album Black Tie White Noise.
Yes, Rosalyn is on Pin Ups.Leon, Nathan Adler and Ramona all come from the album Outside from -95, so that's way later than the albums you are listening to. I'm mostly into the older stuff myself, like I said I threw you everything that is or seemede like it could be a name.
( Leon Takes Us Outside, RamonaA. Stone/I Am With Name, Nathan Adler)
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Warhol is painful to me - I hear "whore" hiding in it. And it might be difficult for the child if you give him such a well-known name but with an obscure, non-standard namesake, even as a middle name.If you really want a Bowie-related middle name, why not Jareth? I know it sounds really trendy, but it's 100% Bowie.
ChrisellAll we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.

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Oh, dear. Whore? I didn't see that at all--though I still don't, really. I think I'm blinded by my love of that song, darn it.And Jareth just doesn't work, I'm afraid. I wish I knew why, but I haven't been a big fan of it since middle school (when one of my favourite combos was Jareth Delfino). And now I'm thinking that that name would've been hilariously Bowie-ish in my mind. I was under the impression that Delfino meant "dolphin"--blame Oxygen's baby namer--and whenever I think of dolphins, I hear the first lines of "Heroes"!Array
I've seen the needle and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie's like a settin' sun.
vote up1
What about Jareth? It's the name of Bowie's character on Labyrinth, so...:)
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While I love the film, the Goblin King's name has never been a favourite of mine. I wish I knew why that's so, but I don't. :(Array
I've seen the needle and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie's like a settin' sun.
vote up1
People will definitely assume Andy Warhol. There is no way around it. So I guess you'd better be a fan or switch to Stardust;) or something.On it's own, Warhol is certainly not an attractive name, in my opinion. It's one letter away from war-hole and reminds me of warthog.
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I should point out that people thinking of Andy Warhol doesn't really bother me--it's something that's quickly cleared up, after all, and he's sort of benignly interesting in my mind. Array
I've seen the needle and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie's like a settin' sun.
vote up1
Well, I just couldn't do it because I'm not a fan of Andy Warhol. But I got to say, I love the reason you want to do it! My sister-in-law is a HUGE Bowie fan!How about Bowen or another name from his songs?
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I don't find Bowen particularly attractive--and more problematically, I don't see Bowie when I hear it. It doesn't work as a namesake if the namesake isn't the first thing I picture when I hear it, you see. :)While I like several other names from his songs, they generally have one of two problems. Either they're obscenely common, or I don't immediately think of him--or both. Jean's out for the second reason, for an example. The closest I've come to another name that "works" is Janine. That one would be quite subtle, since most people don't know the song (it's off Space Oddity), but it somehow doesn't feel quite right. I like the name a great deal, but I don't know that I could use it and properly call it a tribute, you know?Thanks for the ideas, though. :) I should probably trawl through the names he uses again.Array
I've seen the needle and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie's like a settin' sun.
vote up1