what's in a name?

[Marc Majcher]

Anything like numerology or astrology I take with a grain of salt. But for the fun of it let's go line by line:

Or just read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forer_effect

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

Anything like numerology or astrology I take with a grain of salt. But for the fun of it let's go line by line:

Or just read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forer_effect

man...i feel like that entry was written just for me! spoooooky!

[Spots]

Ah, I was going to define that VERY concept but had no name for it. Thanks Marc for coming to the rescue. I wonder why James Randi failed me in this instance...

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

i also think of it as the Drunk Girl Effect (ie: "this song is totally about ME!"). also known as the Pop Music When You're 15 Syndrome and Every Sad Song You Hear After A Break Up Disorder.

[KathyRose]

there was talk at one point of changing Well Hung Jury's name (since dick jokes, no matter how clever, can sometimes alienate potential audiences)...

I really like "Well Hung Jury." It's a very clever turn of phrase and naughty without being skanky. On the other hand, there's a Friend on Facebook who sent me an invitation to "like" the band "Bonedome." Sorry, just won't go there. It's a fine line.

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

there was talk at one point of changing Well Hung Jury's name (since dick jokes, no matter how clever, can sometimes alienate potential audiences)...

I really like "Well Hung Jury." It's a very clever turn of phrase and naughty without being skanky. On the other hand, there's a Friend on Facebook who sent me an invitation to "like" the band "Bonedome." Sorry, just won't go there. It's a fine line.

as legend goes, Jeremy thought of it in Mr. Smiley's economics class at Westwood...proving that something worthwhile DID come out of Mr. Smiley's economics class at Westwood. :p

and i never thought it possible, but you have a dirtier mind than me...all i thought of when i read "Bonedome" was "skull." lol!

[B. Tribe]

I think there was a part in Freakanomics about child names and how one parent named one kid Winner and one kid Loser and it actually turned out that way.

Actually, Loser became a quite successful NYPD detective (who prefers to be called "Lou"). Winner ended up in jail.

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2 ... ana-pepsi/

What's in a name?

[KathyRose]

... and i never thought it possible, but you have a dirtier mind than me...all i thought of when i read "Bonedome" was "skull." lol!

Ohhhhhhhhh, so THAT's what it means! I clearly missed the memo on that one. Bad assumption on my part...

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

... and i never thought it possible, but you have a dirtier mind than me...all i thought of when i read "Bonedome" was "skull." lol!

Ohhhhhhhhh, so THAT's what it means! I clearly missed the memo on that one. Bad assumption on my part...

you could be right! heck, for all i know it's really dirty (Bone Do Me!) or really maudlin (Boned, O Me!). or possibly French (Bon Edome!), in which case it would be both. :p

[B. Tribe]

I'm currently in 4 troupes. Each one came up with names in different ways. Some of them hold meaning, some don't.

Achatina, Achatina!: Found using 'random search' on Wikipedia. I wasn't there for this, but I suspect it was picked due to it's awesome sound. Eventually the name became part of our show. We would chant "Achatina, Achatina, Achatina" while snapping our fingers on the sides of the stage while the suggestions were given.

Secret Senate: 10 people in a small living room, each with at least 3 names. Every name was shot down. Much hemming and hawing ensued. Then a name was agreed upon. "Supermanifest Destiny". Then they talked themselves out of it. More hemming and hawing. One of their favorite scenes featured a young, possibly autistic senator. Out of that, "Secret Senate" was born.

Bad Boys: We discussed names for about 5 minutes. Then Byron sort of shouted "BAD BOYS." None of us could argue with it.

The Intentions: I was musing on the name while at work. Stephanie and I had discussed wanting the name to reflect Lauren's coaching style. She had us doing very direct, sharp, intentional movements and initiations. I came up with "Good Intentions", "Bad Intentions" and "The Intentions". Deano made a sweet-ass poster. That was that!

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

when Jeff and i decided to become a duo, we bounced various ideas around, none of them quite clicking. then Jeff IMed me from work one day: "710 Split. what do you think?" i loved it. someone once asked him why that was our name. we stood next to each other and said, "look at us." he got it.

at one point, we brought our friend Karie on to join the troupe (she had to withdraw after a few shows). Jeff wondered if this meant we'd have to change the name. i told him, "of course not. she's the ball." :p

[Jastroch]

I like it when the name of a troupe conveys what the troupe is about. I don't mean like the fact that Hitchcocked! conveys the format. But there are few troupes out there with a name that shows that they are comedy without it being one of those wacky names.

I have to say for that reason that Improv For Evil is a great name. And they've built a great image around it.

Speaking of Asaf, I have to say that Confidence Men might be one of my favorite all time group names. It's funny in a dry way, without being goofball-funny, and it fits the form perfectly.

[michaelmcgeary]

When we broke off from the committee we had an established group of about twenty improvisors looking for a home and a name . We were the only troupe of it's kind at the time right smack in the middle of Hollyweird.we came up with "the synergy trust" because the group was greater than the sum of it's parts[synergy] and trust was the foundation of improvising,,,mpm

[Brad Hawkins]

One thing to keep in mind in this day and age is Google. If people search for your troupe name, will there be a lot of other crap that comes up with the same name?

For instance, I love the Confidence Men, but in the first page of Google results there are only two links that have anything to do with them. Think of the band James. Now, Google wasn't a factor in naming a band in 1980s Manchester, but if it was, I wouldn't have had to answer the question "James who?" when asked what I was listening to in college. Simple is good, but specific is better than generic.

[Alex B]

"Confidence Men" is a great name; bold, pitch-perfect, fits them to a tee.