Shaun Meeks's Blog - Posts Tagged "burlesque"
What's in a name?
So this blog is a little different, a little less self indulgent than my usual, but I think for up coming artists and performers, it's an important subject that needs to be broached.
In the art and entertainment world, so many of us strive to stand out, to be heard and remembered, but there are a few that would rather ride the coattails of others as though this will help them get to the top. Sometimes, that may not be the actual intentions of a person, but it could be how they are perceived by others which will have the same effect. What I am talking about here is the name you choose to go by when you decide to walk down the path towards recognition.
Let's start with performers. If you are a musician, a dancer, a burlesque performer, a drag queen or any other entertainer that plans on making a stage name, please, research the name you are going to choose. There are so many performers already out there, you need to make sure you aren't stealing a name, or even part of one. You may think you are fine, that you only perform in your city and nobody knows, but I assure you, they know. It doesn't take much to find out, go to Google, type the name you are thinking and see what comes up. Let me help you with this link: http://lmgtfy.com/
Now, I know that some of those that have stage names that are copies of others, or are a little too close for comfort to established people may have been totally ignorant in the name picking, but I know that is not always the case. There are plenty of Dita Von Tassels, Nina LaFleurs, Dusty Martinis and the such that it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. These artist pick these names the way The Asylum makes movies. They want people to Google a name of something popular in hopes that their website and photos will pop up. Is that good business or just the acts of a shady person?
I think the latter.
As a writer, you should also Google your name and make sure that there are no other writers sporting the same. Some people might not think this is a big deal, but if you were also born with the name Stephen King and you don't change it, I guarantee you will never make it as a writer. You want to stand out and away as a writer, you want people to search you name and not see ten pages of other writers before they finally find you, if they even search that far.
I know some writers out there are thinking that they would never change their name, that they were born with it, and that is how everyone knows them, but remember, at the end of the day, if nobody can find you, nobody will read you. If you are making this decision based on the fact that you want your family and friends to see your name on a book cover, they'll still know it's you so relax. What I think, is that people who just don't care and keep the name anyway do so because they want the people they dislike, the middle school and high school enemies, the teachers and ex's that said they'd be nothing, to see that they HAD made it.
Remember they can still see that with a photo, or a simple change in your name. Your name is Tim Lebbon, well change it to Timothy S. Lebbon, or T.S. Lebbon. Do something to change it so you stand out and when you check Google, nobody else in the same field shows up. This goes the same for actors.
In the end, you need to know that your name stands for who you are, it's not just a simple title. You have to ask yourself, do you want to be lumped in with a crowd or stand on your own for all to see?
What's in a name?
In the art and entertainment world, so many of us strive to stand out, to be heard and remembered, but there are a few that would rather ride the coattails of others as though this will help them get to the top. Sometimes, that may not be the actual intentions of a person, but it could be how they are perceived by others which will have the same effect. What I am talking about here is the name you choose to go by when you decide to walk down the path towards recognition.
Let's start with performers. If you are a musician, a dancer, a burlesque performer, a drag queen or any other entertainer that plans on making a stage name, please, research the name you are going to choose. There are so many performers already out there, you need to make sure you aren't stealing a name, or even part of one. You may think you are fine, that you only perform in your city and nobody knows, but I assure you, they know. It doesn't take much to find out, go to Google, type the name you are thinking and see what comes up. Let me help you with this link: http://lmgtfy.com/
Now, I know that some of those that have stage names that are copies of others, or are a little too close for comfort to established people may have been totally ignorant in the name picking, but I know that is not always the case. There are plenty of Dita Von Tassels, Nina LaFleurs, Dusty Martinis and the such that it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. These artist pick these names the way The Asylum makes movies. They want people to Google a name of something popular in hopes that their website and photos will pop up. Is that good business or just the acts of a shady person?
I think the latter.
As a writer, you should also Google your name and make sure that there are no other writers sporting the same. Some people might not think this is a big deal, but if you were also born with the name Stephen King and you don't change it, I guarantee you will never make it as a writer. You want to stand out and away as a writer, you want people to search you name and not see ten pages of other writers before they finally find you, if they even search that far.
I know some writers out there are thinking that they would never change their name, that they were born with it, and that is how everyone knows them, but remember, at the end of the day, if nobody can find you, nobody will read you. If you are making this decision based on the fact that you want your family and friends to see your name on a book cover, they'll still know it's you so relax. What I think, is that people who just don't care and keep the name anyway do so because they want the people they dislike, the middle school and high school enemies, the teachers and ex's that said they'd be nothing, to see that they HAD made it.
Remember they can still see that with a photo, or a simple change in your name. Your name is Tim Lebbon, well change it to Timothy S. Lebbon, or T.S. Lebbon. Do something to change it so you stand out and when you check Google, nobody else in the same field shows up. This goes the same for actors.
In the end, you need to know that your name stands for who you are, it's not just a simple title. You have to ask yourself, do you want to be lumped in with a crowd or stand on your own for all to see?
What's in a name?
The Gate at Lake Drive
The Gate at Lake Drive
Well, it's finally here. The Gate at Lake Drive has been released from IFWG Publishing. If you've read the short story, The Undergarment Eater, you'll be familiar with the main character, Dillon the Monster Dick. If you're not, don't worry, this'll be the first of many novels featuring him. It also includes the short story mentioned above.
So what's it all about? Here's a clip from the back of the book:
"Meet Dillon, the Monster Dick. He’s a detective of sorts, a man hired to hunt down things that have come into our world that have no right to be here. Whether it’s a monster made up of paint cans and rags, spirits hidden in carpets or animals possessed by demons, Dillon will dispatch them as soon as he finds them.
His new job is up in northern Ontario, where the mayor has hired him to deal a swarm of creatures that seem to be coming from a whirlpool in the middle of the lake. When he hears this, he’s more worried than he’s ever been. In all the years Dillon has been a hunter, he’s never once heard of a flock of monsters coming into this realm at the same time.
Dillon heads there with his new friend, burlesque performer Rouge Hills and finds nothing is what it seems. It’s not just one type of monster, but something far worse trying to be born into our world. The odds are stacked against him, but since the money is good, there’s no turning back.
From Shaun Meeks, the author of At the Gates of Madness and Shutdown, comes book one in the Dillon the Monster Dick series."
If you like horror, monsters, demons, monster hunters, zombies, noir and burlesque, this one is for you.
Well, it's finally here. The Gate at Lake Drive has been released from IFWG Publishing. If you've read the short story, The Undergarment Eater, you'll be familiar with the main character, Dillon the Monster Dick. If you're not, don't worry, this'll be the first of many novels featuring him. It also includes the short story mentioned above.
So what's it all about? Here's a clip from the back of the book:
"Meet Dillon, the Monster Dick. He’s a detective of sorts, a man hired to hunt down things that have come into our world that have no right to be here. Whether it’s a monster made up of paint cans and rags, spirits hidden in carpets or animals possessed by demons, Dillon will dispatch them as soon as he finds them.
His new job is up in northern Ontario, where the mayor has hired him to deal a swarm of creatures that seem to be coming from a whirlpool in the middle of the lake. When he hears this, he’s more worried than he’s ever been. In all the years Dillon has been a hunter, he’s never once heard of a flock of monsters coming into this realm at the same time.
Dillon heads there with his new friend, burlesque performer Rouge Hills and finds nothing is what it seems. It’s not just one type of monster, but something far worse trying to be born into our world. The odds are stacked against him, but since the money is good, there’s no turning back.
From Shaun Meeks, the author of At the Gates of Madness and Shutdown, comes book one in the Dillon the Monster Dick series."
If you like horror, monsters, demons, monster hunters, zombies, noir and burlesque, this one is for you.
Dillon is back!
After a bit of an absence, Dillon the Monster Dick returns in book 2 of the series, Earthbound and Down. The book continues where The Gate at Lake Drive left off. Bringing back old characters and introducing you to new ones, Earthbound and Down has the same humor, horror, and bizarre world the first had.
From the back cover:
Around the city, kids are going missing and the police are at their wits end to come up with any sort of clue as to who or what might be involved. Despite his beliefs, the lead detective involved listens to a friend and contacts Dillon, someone claiming to be a monster hunter. Dillon listens to what the detective says and agrees to help. Lucky for them.
Not so lucky for Dillon.
While he's normally game to hunt down any strange creature that might've found their way to this world - even a giant Hellion bent on consuming the planet - he is unprepared for what lies in wait for him. Despite how strange his job is, there are still rules even a monster detective must follow, but to ignore the situation might only put more innocent lives at risk.
Unable to ignore his feeling of duty, Dillon forgoes the rules and joins forces with the detective and an old friend to find the monster who is stealing kids and the master who is controlling it.
