1 00:00:30,834 --> 00:00:33,600 [mellow piano music] 2 00:00:45,100 --> 00:00:46,467 - Hey, Erica. 3 00:00:46,467 --> 00:00:47,834 My name is Lisa, and I'm calling 4 00:00:47,834 --> 00:00:49,734 from a video production company in Boston. 5 00:00:49,734 --> 00:00:51,700 - We're producing a documentary on people 6 00:00:51,700 --> 00:00:53,166 with interesting and unusual names. 7 00:00:53,166 --> 00:00:55,367 - And we were wondering if you would be interested 8 00:00:55,367 --> 00:00:57,133 in sharing some of your experiences 9 00:00:57,133 --> 00:00:58,734 having the name Bill Cosby. 10 00:00:58,734 --> 00:01:02,533 - I know that you pronounce your name Bails and not Balls. 11 00:01:02,533 --> 00:01:04,467 - Is Ronald McDonald in? 12 00:01:04,467 --> 00:01:08,066 - Hi, I'm trying to get in touch with Dr. Bonnie Beaver. 13 00:01:08,066 --> 00:01:10,934 - Hey, this message is for Mr. David Boring. 14 00:01:10,934 --> 00:01:13,333 - Hello, this message is for Jack Goff. 15 00:01:13,333 --> 00:01:15,467 - I'm wondering if you've had any experiences 16 00:01:15,467 --> 00:01:17,133 with your name. 17 00:01:17,133 --> 00:01:19,400 I'm not even sure exactly how it's pronounced. 18 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,467 [woman] It is as you would imagine. Hore. 19 00:01:22,467 --> 00:01:24,867 - Okay, all right. Have you-- 20 00:01:24,867 --> 00:01:28,066 ...problems with it all the time. All the time. 21 00:01:28,066 --> 00:01:31,600 - [Narrator] Most of us have names that are neutral, 22 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:34,867 they don't provoke dumb jokes when we're introduced. 23 00:01:34,867 --> 00:01:37,700 As kids, we didn't get mocked at roll call. 24 00:01:37,700 --> 00:01:40,066 But many names are not neutral. 25 00:01:40,066 --> 00:01:42,834 They suggest a negative attribute, 26 00:01:42,834 --> 00:01:45,066 or have sexual connotations. 27 00:01:45,066 --> 00:01:46,734 The name may already belong 28 00:01:46,734 --> 00:01:49,633 to a famous or a notorious person. 29 00:01:49,633 --> 00:01:51,500 It may, for any number of reasons, 30 00:01:51,500 --> 00:01:53,066 quite simply be funny. 31 00:01:59,133 --> 00:02:01,900 - My name is Mark Gotobed. 32 00:02:01,900 --> 00:02:04,066 A smile will come across people's faces, 33 00:02:04,066 --> 00:02:06,467 and they will say, "Hold on. 34 00:02:06,467 --> 00:02:08,300 "As in go to bed?" 35 00:02:08,300 --> 00:02:11,166 And I will say, often now, 36 00:02:11,166 --> 00:02:13,367 "Yes, just like you're telling your children 37 00:02:13,367 --> 00:02:15,900 "to go to bed." 38 00:02:15,900 --> 00:02:18,800 - When I'm addressed in court, things are kind of formal. 39 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:20,800 Just as I would say Your Honor or Judge, 40 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,467 I'm addressed as Attorney Doktor. 41 00:02:23,467 --> 00:02:25,734 My name is Joseph Doktor, 42 00:02:25,734 --> 00:02:27,900 and people call me Joe Doktor. 43 00:02:27,900 --> 00:02:29,166 You'd get a lot of people say, 44 00:02:29,166 --> 00:02:30,467 "Well, you know, if you became a doctor, 45 00:02:30,467 --> 00:02:32,100 "you'd be Dr. Doktor." 46 00:02:32,100 --> 00:02:34,467 Well, yeah, I was a great disappointment to my mother 47 00:02:34,467 --> 00:02:35,967 because I became a lawyer and she really wanted me 48 00:02:35,967 --> 00:02:37,433 to be a doctor. 49 00:02:37,433 --> 00:02:39,600 - My name is Linda Slutsky. 50 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:41,600 The name is from Russia, 51 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:44,900 and their name was Slutzky, 52 00:02:44,900 --> 00:02:46,600 [spells name aloud] 53 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:48,200 And then one day, 54 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:50,700 my family decided to change it to Slutsky. 55 00:02:50,700 --> 00:02:53,700 First time I realized the name was unusual 56 00:02:53,700 --> 00:02:56,300 was when I was in high school. 57 00:02:56,300 --> 00:02:58,233 A friend of mine said, "Slut," 58 00:02:58,233 --> 00:03:00,266 and I went, "What?" 59 00:03:00,266 --> 00:03:01,934 And then all of a sudden, 60 00:03:01,934 --> 00:03:05,333 a group of boys was following me down the hall, 61 00:03:05,333 --> 00:03:08,467 and I had to run down the stairwell. 62 00:03:08,467 --> 00:03:10,600 And I didn't know what was going on. 63 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:12,767 I went home and I looked it up in the dictionary, 64 00:03:12,767 --> 00:03:15,133 and lo and behold, 65 00:03:15,133 --> 00:03:17,867 I found out it meant, I think, a whore? 66 00:03:17,867 --> 00:03:19,767 I was devastated 'cause I wasn't like that. 67 00:03:19,767 --> 00:03:23,934 I was like a really prudish little girl in high school. 68 00:03:25,233 --> 00:03:27,967 - My name is Stuart Putz. 69 00:03:27,967 --> 00:03:30,100 I've had the name since I've been, 70 00:03:30,100 --> 00:03:31,767 I think, around three months old. 71 00:03:31,767 --> 00:03:33,133 I was adopted. 72 00:03:33,133 --> 00:03:34,700 There probably was some heckling here and there, 73 00:03:34,700 --> 00:03:37,667 but I've always been a pretty jovial kid 74 00:03:37,667 --> 00:03:39,834 as well as like to wrassle, 75 00:03:39,834 --> 00:03:42,333 so if somebody gave me too much of a hard time, 76 00:03:42,333 --> 00:03:45,600 I'd go have a good rough tumble with them, 77 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,100 and that usually would stop. 78 00:03:49,066 --> 00:03:51,066 - This is my adopted mother, 79 00:03:51,066 --> 00:03:53,066 Jeannie Escobar Putz. 80 00:03:53,066 --> 00:03:55,533 This is my grandfather, Clifford Putz, 81 00:03:55,533 --> 00:03:57,900 with my cousin Lonnie Putz, 82 00:03:57,900 --> 00:04:00,767 who is the son of Larry Putz. 83 00:04:00,767 --> 00:04:02,500 This was on the Putz Ranch. 84 00:04:02,500 --> 00:04:04,433 Probably the biggest thing I've heard is, 85 00:04:04,433 --> 00:04:06,166 "You're such a putz!" 86 00:04:06,166 --> 00:04:09,533 Okay. All right. Guess that's my last name, 87 00:04:09,533 --> 00:04:12,333 so yes, I am a Putz. 88 00:04:12,333 --> 00:04:14,767 But you know, some people look at that as 89 00:04:14,767 --> 00:04:17,200 you're a klutz, or you're a failure. 90 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,900 - We're the Clutzes. - We're the Clutzes. 91 00:04:20,900 --> 00:04:22,233 - Why did you do this? 92 00:04:22,233 --> 00:04:25,433 - I was voted Most Clumsy in high school, 93 00:04:25,433 --> 00:04:27,900 so you know, that was the superlative I got. 94 00:04:27,900 --> 00:04:29,967 It was the only superlative I got, 95 00:04:29,967 --> 00:04:32,734 so clumsiest person because of my name, 96 00:04:32,734 --> 00:04:34,266 not because I'm generally clumsy. 97 00:04:34,266 --> 00:04:35,900 All the way through grade school, 98 00:04:35,900 --> 00:04:40,266 I kind of, kinda had that little pit in my stomach 99 00:04:40,266 --> 00:04:43,066 anytime it was gonna be named in an assembly 100 00:04:43,066 --> 00:04:46,233 or at roll call or anything like that. 101 00:04:46,233 --> 00:04:48,367 - [Narrator] Having a name like Clutz or Putz 102 00:04:48,367 --> 00:04:51,266 might not seem like a big deal, 103 00:04:51,266 --> 00:04:54,200 but imagine having to brace yourself for a reaction 104 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:56,934 every single time you introduce yourself. 105 00:04:56,934 --> 00:04:58,967 Imagine always having to plan ahead, 106 00:04:58,967 --> 00:05:02,200 devise strategies, prepare a ready comeback 107 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:05,266 for the inevitable lame remark. 108 00:05:05,266 --> 00:05:08,300 Problems that a Smith or Jones never even has to think about 109 00:05:08,300 --> 00:05:12,333 loom large in every social or professional interaction. 110 00:05:12,333 --> 00:05:16,200 But there's no support group for people with strange names. 111 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:17,500 You're on your own. 112 00:05:17,500 --> 00:05:20,066 It's every schmuck for himself. 113 00:05:20,066 --> 00:05:21,567 - My name is Howard Schmuck. 114 00:05:21,567 --> 00:05:23,300 The first time I became aware of it, 115 00:05:23,300 --> 00:05:25,200 I was in ninth grade. 116 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:30,633 I was reading Harold Robbins' book, The Carpetbaggers, 117 00:05:30,633 --> 00:05:33,200 and schmuck was in there a lot, 118 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:36,867 and I had no idea what it was meaning, 119 00:05:36,867 --> 00:05:39,433 so I went to my English teacher, 120 00:05:39,433 --> 00:05:41,667 and I asked him. 121 00:05:41,667 --> 00:05:44,133 And he said it's time you knew. 122 00:05:44,133 --> 00:05:46,233 It's humorous when I am picked up 123 00:05:46,233 --> 00:05:49,266 at a major airport and my last name 124 00:05:49,266 --> 00:05:52,667 is on the board for the driver. 125 00:05:52,667 --> 00:05:54,667 People are looking and looking to see 126 00:05:54,667 --> 00:05:58,567 who's gonna actually walk to that name. 127 00:05:58,567 --> 00:06:01,166 - My name is Greg Boggis. 128 00:06:01,166 --> 00:06:04,400 I imagine it's probably in the Urban Dictionary 129 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:06,834 under a number of unsavory things, 130 00:06:06,834 --> 00:06:10,100 but you know, it's the family name and I like it. 131 00:06:10,100 --> 00:06:11,867 - Everyone thought they were original 132 00:06:11,867 --> 00:06:16,233 in calling me Crapo or telling me that I was full of crap. 133 00:06:16,233 --> 00:06:17,600 Where I grew up, 134 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:20,266 my dad owned a funeral home in town. 135 00:06:20,266 --> 00:06:25,400 At Halloween, people would put the letter Y 136 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:28,200 over the O, so it would read Crapy Funeral Home 137 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:29,500 as everyone drove by. 138 00:06:29,500 --> 00:06:31,967 People seemed to have a lot of fun with that. 139 00:06:31,967 --> 00:06:33,533 And I asked my parents 140 00:06:33,533 --> 00:06:35,967 why we had to have the last name Crapo, 141 00:06:35,967 --> 00:06:39,066 and in fact, in town, it was a well-known name. 142 00:06:39,066 --> 00:06:41,800 We'd been there for generations. 143 00:06:43,133 --> 00:06:44,800 - The history behind my name is honestly, 144 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:46,633 it's kind of funny. 145 00:06:46,633 --> 00:06:49,200 We got in the back of a cab after asking a half-dozen locals 146 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:50,934 around Dublin and Cork, like, "You guys know any Mullarkeys? 147 00:06:50,934 --> 00:06:54,100 "You know anything about 'em?" No. So we got in this cab. 148 00:06:54,100 --> 00:06:55,667 You know, it was the oldest cab driver in the country. 149 00:06:55,667 --> 00:06:57,700 I swear to God. He was like, "Mullarkey? 150 00:06:57,700 --> 00:06:59,433 "I think most of you died out in the famine, 151 00:06:59,433 --> 00:07:00,900 "or left the place." 152 00:07:00,900 --> 00:07:02,767 You ever heard that expression, "You're full of mullarkey"? 153 00:07:02,767 --> 00:07:05,600 So he says that, back in the day, 154 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:07,200 the Mullarkey Clan, 155 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:10,300 not wanting to pay taxes on British pounds, 156 00:07:10,300 --> 00:07:12,500 would melt down the coin, 157 00:07:12,500 --> 00:07:15,567 and coined their own currency, the mullarkey. 158 00:07:15,567 --> 00:07:18,200 Then when they went and tried to use this coin 159 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:20,200 in other villages, they wouldn't take it. 160 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:21,633 They wouldn't accept it because you were to be put to death 161 00:07:21,633 --> 00:07:23,133 if you were found with the currency. 162 00:07:23,133 --> 00:07:25,467 You're full of mullarkey. Get outta here. 163 00:07:25,467 --> 00:07:28,367 That's about all we know of our family history. 164 00:07:28,367 --> 00:07:32,934 - My legal name is Adelaide Smoki Bacon. 165 00:07:32,934 --> 00:07:34,767 I was at Brookline High School. 166 00:07:34,767 --> 00:07:36,767 It was kind of a verbal bullying that I took 167 00:07:36,767 --> 00:07:39,800 when I would come in to watch the basketball games. 168 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:41,100 There was a Smoky Kelleher, 169 00:07:41,100 --> 00:07:43,700 who was a famous basketball coach, 170 00:07:43,700 --> 00:07:45,266 and I would walk in and I would hear, 171 00:07:45,266 --> 00:07:47,300 "Smoky Joe, rah rah. 172 00:07:47,300 --> 00:07:49,066 "Smoky Joe, rah rah." 173 00:07:49,066 --> 00:07:51,400 The idea that I was being called Smoki at that time, 174 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:55,300 this was like 1943, 1944, 175 00:07:55,300 --> 00:07:58,367 women who smoked were considered women of the streets. 176 00:07:58,367 --> 00:08:02,066 And that would just totally destroy me. 177 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,133 - [Narrator] An unusual name is far from the worst handicap 178 00:08:06,133 --> 00:08:08,200 to have as you go through life, 179 00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:11,700 but it is something you have to deal with every day. 180 00:08:11,700 --> 00:08:13,600 It's something you had to face as a kid 181 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:16,233 when you wanted desperately to fit in. 182 00:08:16,233 --> 00:08:18,967 An unusual name can make you stronger. 183 00:08:18,967 --> 00:08:21,333 It can help you develop a sense of humor. 184 00:08:21,333 --> 00:08:23,400 But make no mistake, 185 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:25,867 your name can influence your personality 186 00:08:25,867 --> 00:08:28,500 and affect the course of your life. 187 00:08:28,500 --> 00:08:31,100 - I have spent the last decade studying 188 00:08:31,100 --> 00:08:33,066 and writing about names. 189 00:08:33,066 --> 00:08:34,934 I look at how we choose names, 190 00:08:34,934 --> 00:08:36,467 how we perceive them, 191 00:08:36,467 --> 00:08:39,233 and how name trends change over time. 192 00:08:39,233 --> 00:08:40,767 When people ask me what I do, 193 00:08:40,767 --> 00:08:42,600 and I say I'm a baby name expert, 194 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:45,200 there's always this moment of confusion. 195 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:47,934 What could there possibly be to be expert about? 196 00:08:47,934 --> 00:08:50,600 Names are just names. 197 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:52,834 But then, as soon as you get talking on the subject, 198 00:08:52,834 --> 00:08:55,834 everyone has a thousand stories. 199 00:08:55,834 --> 00:08:57,533 Everyone has a thousand opinions. 200 00:08:57,533 --> 00:08:59,867 And everybody realizes that their name, 201 00:08:59,867 --> 00:09:01,967 and the names of everyone they know 202 00:09:01,967 --> 00:09:04,633 send enormous signals to the world. 203 00:09:05,967 --> 00:09:08,266 - I was just Jeff, right? 204 00:09:08,266 --> 00:09:09,967 Until I went out into the real world after high school, 205 00:09:09,967 --> 00:09:11,900 and college, et cetera, and met other people that, 206 00:09:11,900 --> 00:09:14,367 I became Studley. 207 00:09:16,767 --> 00:09:18,767 And there was some pressure to live up to a name 208 00:09:18,767 --> 00:09:21,633 that just immediately has that type of reaction. 209 00:09:21,633 --> 00:09:25,500 Well, he's gotta be 6'5, 225 pounds, 210 00:09:25,500 --> 00:09:26,967 and perfectly built. 211 00:09:26,967 --> 00:09:30,133 Somehow, you had to live up to some of that, all right? 212 00:09:30,133 --> 00:09:32,967 And so I always tried to take care of myself, 213 00:09:32,967 --> 00:09:35,367 and maybe stay in shape, or stay well-read, 214 00:09:35,367 --> 00:09:36,767 or be interesting. 215 00:09:36,767 --> 00:09:42,633 Not be disappointing when people meet Studley. 216 00:09:42,633 --> 00:09:45,934 - [Narrator] At worst, a name like Studley 217 00:09:45,934 --> 00:09:49,533 might set up unrealistic expectations. 218 00:09:49,533 --> 00:09:53,600 But in a world all but overrun with bullies and dimwits, 219 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:54,934 your name can make you 220 00:09:54,934 --> 00:09:59,200 the object of contempt, derision, or worse. 221 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:02,533 - My name is Richard, and the last name is Gay. 222 00:10:02,533 --> 00:10:04,333 That's spelled G-A-Y. 223 00:10:06,233 --> 00:10:09,967 You know, when I was a kid, being gay, homosexual, 224 00:10:09,967 --> 00:10:13,600 wasn't as accepted as it is today. 225 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:16,633 Living with that name today is different 226 00:10:16,633 --> 00:10:18,934 than it was when I was a kid. 227 00:10:18,934 --> 00:10:23,433 You know, I'd get taunted and sometimes physically accosted. 228 00:10:23,433 --> 00:10:27,400 You know, I can remember females, you know, 229 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:30,033 kinda whacking me around a little bit here and there. 230 00:10:30,033 --> 00:10:34,367 So I received a lot of ridicule from other kids. 231 00:10:34,367 --> 00:10:36,767 - Most kids can't handle being bullied. 232 00:10:36,767 --> 00:10:40,433 It would be a very rare child who could do it, 233 00:10:40,433 --> 00:10:44,400 mostly because they generally identify with the thing 234 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:46,200 they're being bullied about. 235 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:48,266 So they don't have any perspective on it. 236 00:10:48,266 --> 00:10:50,000 - [Richard] You're gay. 237 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:52,567 He's gay, or something like that. 238 00:10:52,567 --> 00:10:54,800 I'm not gay. I'm straight. 239 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:57,467 I was bullied because of my last name, 240 00:10:57,467 --> 00:11:00,633 and it just didn't make me feel good at all. 241 00:11:00,633 --> 00:11:01,967 It made me feel bad. 242 00:11:01,967 --> 00:11:05,400 All the other kids keep telling me that I'm gay. 243 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:06,500 My mother used to say, 244 00:11:06,500 --> 00:11:08,233 "Well, tell them that you are gay. 245 00:11:08,233 --> 00:11:09,767 "Tell 'em that you're a very happy person." 246 00:11:09,767 --> 00:11:11,967 I'd say, "Okay, Ma." 247 00:11:11,967 --> 00:11:14,734 - So if a child is being bullied, 248 00:11:14,734 --> 00:11:17,567 it can really impact the way they view themselves. 249 00:11:17,567 --> 00:11:20,567 It could impact their level of motivation, 250 00:11:20,567 --> 00:11:22,667 and compounded over time, 251 00:11:22,667 --> 00:11:24,900 it could really lead to other issues. 252 00:11:24,900 --> 00:11:26,734 - [Richard] At some points in my life, 253 00:11:26,734 --> 00:11:28,533 I did try to overcompensate 254 00:11:28,533 --> 00:11:31,700 my masculine traits, so to speak. 255 00:11:31,700 --> 00:11:32,834 My bravado. 256 00:11:32,834 --> 00:11:36,066 I am an alcoholic. I'm in recovery. 257 00:11:36,066 --> 00:11:38,600 I've been sober for a long time now. 258 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:41,800 People talk about, you know, 259 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:44,734 what their childhood was like and feeling different. 260 00:11:44,734 --> 00:11:48,800 And putting alcohol in your system is a way 261 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:53,066 to relieve those fears and make you feel like you fit in. 262 00:11:53,066 --> 00:11:55,266 - If they start making fun of you, 263 00:11:55,266 --> 00:11:57,233 you can just say I don't have to take it personally 264 00:11:57,233 --> 00:11:58,767 'cause it's not who I am. 265 00:11:58,767 --> 00:12:04,300 Try to witness the name and not identify with the name. 266 00:12:04,300 --> 00:12:05,767 - You know, having the last name Gay 267 00:12:05,767 --> 00:12:07,934 has definitely affected who I am. 268 00:12:07,934 --> 00:12:10,066 - [Narrator] Being mocked because of your name 269 00:12:10,066 --> 00:12:12,867 can do a number on your self-esteem. 270 00:12:12,867 --> 00:12:14,900 For some, an effective strategy 271 00:12:14,900 --> 00:12:19,233 is to roll with the punches and counterattack with humor. 272 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:22,667 - So my name is Nardizzi, 273 00:12:22,667 --> 00:12:26,166 and it's not quite as unique as some of these names, 274 00:12:26,166 --> 00:12:28,567 but I had issues with my name at school. 275 00:12:28,567 --> 00:12:30,600 The teasing that I remember is basically 276 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:34,166 just simply asking me why I was dizzy all the time. 277 00:12:34,166 --> 00:12:35,834 This kid over here is dizzy. 278 00:12:35,834 --> 00:12:38,300 Spin him around. He's dizzy. 279 00:12:38,300 --> 00:12:41,500 I just wish knowing now what I know about humor 280 00:12:41,500 --> 00:12:43,200 that I had more of a, 281 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:48,100 some wit to fire back at these punks. 282 00:12:48,100 --> 00:12:51,066 These people that torment you, they'll leave you alone 283 00:12:51,066 --> 00:12:53,734 once you hit 'em with a few zingers. 284 00:12:53,734 --> 00:12:56,934 I'm a real stickler for fresh milk. 285 00:12:56,934 --> 00:12:59,233 My fantasy is to suck a cow's udder 286 00:12:59,233 --> 00:13:00,934 during a solar eclipse. 287 00:13:02,266 --> 00:13:03,433 As a comedian, 288 00:13:03,433 --> 00:13:05,200 I have to use humor all the time. 289 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:07,333 Like I said, I don't get heckled very often, 290 00:13:07,333 --> 00:13:08,600 but I gotta be able to talk 291 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:10,834 about myself and make fun of myself 292 00:13:10,834 --> 00:13:12,800 and people are laughing at me. 293 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:14,934 And I think it's great that these people, you know, 294 00:13:14,934 --> 00:13:17,266 they're not professional comedians. 295 00:13:17,266 --> 00:13:19,500 They're not writers, but they're sensing as well 296 00:13:19,500 --> 00:13:21,734 that they're in situations. This guy's bustin' my balls, 297 00:13:21,734 --> 00:13:23,600 or this guy's just a douche, 298 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:25,500 and I need humor here 299 00:13:25,500 --> 00:13:26,800 'cause if I get pissed and walk out, 300 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:29,266 I'm in the company of my co-workers, 301 00:13:29,266 --> 00:13:30,934 or what have you, 302 00:13:30,934 --> 00:13:33,734 so you gotta use humor and make the best of that situation. 303 00:13:33,734 --> 00:13:35,200 - My name is Al Dente. 304 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:37,600 When I get pasta, it's always al dente. 305 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:39,066 I was named after my grandfather, 306 00:13:39,066 --> 00:13:41,667 who passed just before I was born. 307 00:13:41,667 --> 00:13:43,567 His name was Albert James Dente. 308 00:13:43,567 --> 00:13:45,233 I know after he passed, 309 00:13:45,233 --> 00:13:46,934 a bill collector called my grandmother 310 00:13:46,934 --> 00:13:48,567 and asked if Peg Dente was home, and she said, "Oh, yeah. 311 00:13:48,567 --> 00:13:49,900 "Well, I'm Peg Dente." 312 00:13:49,900 --> 00:13:51,567 And then the guy thought he was very clever and said, 313 00:13:51,567 --> 00:13:53,233 "Oh, who's your husband, Al Dente?" 314 00:13:53,233 --> 00:13:55,200 And he got a chuckle out of it, and she said, "Well, yes. 315 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:58,100 "Actually he was Al Dente and he just passed." 316 00:13:58,100 --> 00:14:00,633 - My name is Barb Dwyer, 317 00:14:00,633 --> 00:14:03,133 and I'm a real estate agent. 318 00:14:03,133 --> 00:14:04,667 And I remember the day. 319 00:14:04,667 --> 00:14:06,233 I was sitting there at the lunch table, 320 00:14:06,233 --> 00:14:07,967 and with people. 321 00:14:07,967 --> 00:14:09,800 I had no idea who they were. 322 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,734 Sat down, introduced myself as Barb Dwyer, 323 00:14:12,734 --> 00:14:15,333 and the whole place cracked up. 324 00:14:15,333 --> 00:14:16,600 And I says, "What's so funny? 325 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:18,900 "It's my name." And they said, 326 00:14:18,900 --> 00:14:20,600 "Barbed wire, like the fence?" 327 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:23,066 And I got it. 328 00:14:23,066 --> 00:14:27,500 I was 13 before I realized my name was a little unusual. 329 00:14:27,500 --> 00:14:29,633 - There are certain names that are kind of a gimmick. 330 00:14:29,633 --> 00:14:31,834 Whether it's the first and last name matching, 331 00:14:31,834 --> 00:14:36,266 like Philip Philips or forming a phrase like Shanda Leer. 332 00:14:36,266 --> 00:14:39,166 A lot of people say, "How could the parents do that?" 333 00:14:39,166 --> 00:14:40,667 But to those parents, 334 00:14:40,667 --> 00:14:43,333 often it's, "How can I not do that?" 335 00:14:43,333 --> 00:14:44,900 That one name is different 336 00:14:44,900 --> 00:14:47,834 from every other name that I could give my child. 337 00:14:47,834 --> 00:14:49,800 It stands out in a way that no other could. 338 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:51,467 - I've certainly got enough falling tree jokes 339 00:14:51,467 --> 00:14:53,133 in my time. 340 00:14:53,133 --> 00:14:55,934 Someone would say, "Oh, Tim Burr. 341 00:14:55,934 --> 00:14:58,367 "Tim-ber." 342 00:14:58,367 --> 00:15:01,066 I don't think my mother had any negative intent. 343 00:15:01,066 --> 00:15:03,600 [laughter] - I worked with a young lady, 344 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:07,066 who happened to be in our wedding party also. 345 00:15:07,066 --> 00:15:11,834 And she said to me one day when I was pregnant with him, 346 00:15:11,834 --> 00:15:14,867 "If you have a boy, you should name him Timothy." 347 00:15:14,867 --> 00:15:16,967 And I kind of looked at her, and you know, 348 00:15:16,967 --> 00:15:19,166 didn't make much of it. 349 00:15:19,166 --> 00:15:22,100 She said, "Then you could go out and yell Tim Burr." 350 00:15:22,100 --> 00:15:24,266 And I thought, "Well, that's kinda cute." 351 00:15:24,266 --> 00:15:26,934 So I told his dad about it, 352 00:15:26,934 --> 00:15:30,567 and there you go. [laughs] 353 00:15:30,567 --> 00:15:34,700 - When I was a kid, my mother used to yell from home 354 00:15:34,700 --> 00:15:37,734 to find where we were, 'cause back in those days, 355 00:15:37,734 --> 00:15:40,300 kids still could be anywhere in the neighborhood, you know. 356 00:15:40,300 --> 00:15:42,200 And so she used to call. 357 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:43,934 - Tim Burr! 358 00:15:43,934 --> 00:15:45,333 And he would trot home. 359 00:15:45,333 --> 00:15:46,900 [laughs] 360 00:15:46,900 --> 00:15:50,667 - It's a vivid memory because she would do it often. 361 00:15:50,667 --> 00:15:53,533 You know, almost every night for dinner. 362 00:15:53,533 --> 00:15:55,834 - It worked every time. 363 00:15:55,834 --> 00:15:57,834 - That's funny. 364 00:15:57,834 --> 00:15:59,133 I don't recall her calling the other names out. 365 00:15:59,133 --> 00:16:02,867 - If I had to do it all over again, 366 00:16:02,867 --> 00:16:06,266 he definitely would be Tim Burr. 367 00:16:06,266 --> 00:16:08,300 It was done with love. 368 00:16:10,233 --> 00:16:12,367 - [Narrator] I doubt that Tim ever suffered any distress 369 00:16:12,367 --> 00:16:15,066 from the name so lightheartedly conferred 370 00:16:15,066 --> 00:16:17,066 by Mr. and Mrs. Burr. 371 00:16:17,066 --> 00:16:19,767 Most often, the culprit isn't the parents, 372 00:16:19,767 --> 00:16:21,834 but rather the language itself. 373 00:16:21,834 --> 00:16:24,800 Certain words have a way of creating mischief 374 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:26,300 when they get together. 375 00:16:26,300 --> 00:16:28,300 A union that might have happened centuries ago, 376 00:16:28,300 --> 00:16:30,333 quite arbitrarily. 377 00:16:30,333 --> 00:16:32,867 In other words, it's nobody's fault, 378 00:16:32,867 --> 00:16:35,433 but if you have one those names, 379 00:16:35,433 --> 00:16:39,133 it might seem like more of a curse than a legacy. 380 00:16:40,166 --> 00:16:41,734 - My name is Elana Cockburn, 381 00:16:41,734 --> 00:16:44,066 and my last name is spelled 382 00:16:44,066 --> 00:16:47,066 [spells name aloud] 383 00:17:05,900 --> 00:17:07,734 And I didn't know what cock was, 384 00:17:07,734 --> 00:17:10,934 so I was totally just not getting it. 385 00:17:10,934 --> 00:17:12,900 And kids were starting to laugh, 386 00:17:12,900 --> 00:17:15,133 and I don't know where the teachers were, 387 00:17:15,133 --> 00:17:18,166 where the chaperones were, but I was totally caught off guard, 388 00:17:18,166 --> 00:17:19,700 and it really affected me. 389 00:17:19,700 --> 00:17:21,700 I felt really embarrassed. 390 00:17:21,700 --> 00:17:24,533 - A sexually suggestive name could bring up 391 00:17:24,533 --> 00:17:27,967 issues of confusion and shame for the child, 392 00:17:27,967 --> 00:17:31,600 and it would be important that a child understands 393 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:34,667 what their name means so that they don't make up 394 00:17:34,667 --> 00:17:36,400 ideas in their mind, 395 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:37,900 which is very common for children to do. 396 00:17:37,900 --> 00:17:40,066 - When I first realized that my name was unusual 397 00:17:40,066 --> 00:17:43,333 was when kids started mentioning something about it. 398 00:17:43,333 --> 00:17:45,467 And I got the fuller meaning when I came home, 399 00:17:45,467 --> 00:17:47,133 and "Like, Mom, this kid's making fun of me." 400 00:17:47,133 --> 00:17:49,767 Like, I knew it was something inappropriate, 401 00:17:49,767 --> 00:17:52,333 but that's when I finally found out that it was like 402 00:17:52,333 --> 00:17:54,867 a hooker, what a hooker is. 403 00:17:54,867 --> 00:17:58,100 - If a girl has a sexually suggestive name, 404 00:17:58,100 --> 00:18:00,800 it would be a nightmare for most girls. 405 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:02,400 Now how they deal with the nightmare, 406 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:05,533 they may react to it in very, very different ways. 407 00:18:05,533 --> 00:18:07,467 Some of them may say, "I never want to have sex." 408 00:18:07,467 --> 00:18:09,100 Some of them might become hypersexual. 409 00:18:09,100 --> 00:18:10,700 There may be a lot of different ways 410 00:18:10,700 --> 00:18:12,200 that they'll deal with it, 411 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:14,533 but no matter what, it's gonna be a nightmare. 412 00:18:14,533 --> 00:18:17,266 - I explained to my kids when they asked me the question, 413 00:18:17,266 --> 00:18:19,567 "What is a hooker?" 414 00:18:19,567 --> 00:18:21,900 I told them that they were ladies of the evening 415 00:18:21,900 --> 00:18:26,333 or prostitutes that would sell themselves to men for money. 416 00:18:26,333 --> 00:18:29,500 And they kind of looked at me like, "Okay." 417 00:18:29,500 --> 00:18:32,567 We are a descendant of Fightin' Joe Hooker. 418 00:18:32,567 --> 00:18:35,233 General Hooker was in the Civil War, 419 00:18:35,233 --> 00:18:39,333 and he was like a crazy... brought all these girls back. 420 00:18:39,333 --> 00:18:40,667 Always liked drinking. 421 00:18:40,667 --> 00:18:43,867 - Hooker was associated with Fightin' Joe, 422 00:18:43,867 --> 00:18:46,066 because he used to bring ladies of the evening 423 00:18:46,066 --> 00:18:50,567 to his troops before they fought battle. 424 00:18:50,567 --> 00:18:53,433 - Being teased as a kid was a little hard. 425 00:18:53,433 --> 00:18:55,300 And then, of course, as you become a teenager, 426 00:18:55,300 --> 00:18:57,166 it gets a little bit different. 427 00:18:57,166 --> 00:18:59,200 On a higher level. 428 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:01,834 And substitute teachers were always 429 00:19:01,834 --> 00:19:03,200 pronouncing my name incorrectly, 430 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:05,767 which was always embarrassing in the middle of class. 431 00:19:05,767 --> 00:19:10,066 They, too, stumbled over my first and last name constantly. 432 00:19:10,066 --> 00:19:12,100 When somebody heard my last name for the first time, 433 00:19:12,100 --> 00:19:14,900 or saw my last name for the first time, 434 00:19:14,900 --> 00:19:18,367 usually was followed by giggling and laughter. 435 00:19:18,367 --> 00:19:19,800 As I got older, 436 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:22,300 yes, the C from Cobbledick got changed to a G. 437 00:19:22,300 --> 00:19:24,333 Gobbledick. 438 00:19:24,333 --> 00:19:25,967 Ha, ha, ha, ha. 439 00:19:25,967 --> 00:19:27,367 Your last name is Dick. 440 00:19:27,367 --> 00:19:29,667 My father did share with me from his generation, 441 00:19:29,667 --> 00:19:32,133 they used to refer to him as Wrinkledork. 442 00:19:32,133 --> 00:19:35,066 - [Narrator] A name that includes intimate body parts 443 00:19:35,066 --> 00:19:38,967 or suggests promiscuity is sure to get attention, 444 00:19:38,967 --> 00:19:41,533 but for every Cobbledick or Cockburn, 445 00:19:41,533 --> 00:19:44,633 there are 100 others who were, quite accidentally, 446 00:19:44,633 --> 00:19:48,233 named after celebrities or cultural icons. 447 00:19:48,233 --> 00:19:50,500 So what happens when your name is famous, 448 00:19:50,500 --> 00:19:52,300 but you, personally, are not? 449 00:19:55,233 --> 00:19:57,600 - The Beatles arrived in 1964, 450 00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:00,400 and I was born in 1958. 451 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:03,100 As a kid, it was very tough to deal with having 452 00:20:03,100 --> 00:20:04,400 the name Paul McCartney. 453 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:06,300 No child wants that kind of attention. 454 00:20:06,300 --> 00:20:09,533 And I remember being at awards ceremonies 455 00:20:09,533 --> 00:20:11,633 for Little League, 456 00:20:11,633 --> 00:20:13,800 and I was probably the only kid in that room 457 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:17,033 that was saying, "Please don't call my name." 458 00:20:17,033 --> 00:20:21,166 It felt more, to me, like I was being laughed at 459 00:20:21,166 --> 00:20:23,767 whenever my name was called out. 460 00:20:23,767 --> 00:20:27,367 I actually think it had a huge impact on my personality. 461 00:20:27,367 --> 00:20:29,133 Her name is Linda McCartney. 462 00:20:29,133 --> 00:20:31,767 - Stop it. 463 00:20:31,767 --> 00:20:33,433 Okay. 464 00:20:33,433 --> 00:20:35,967 My name is Linda McCartney. 465 00:20:35,967 --> 00:20:37,734 - And my name is Paul McCartney. 466 00:20:37,734 --> 00:20:39,700 We've been married for 26 years. 467 00:20:39,700 --> 00:20:41,767 - 26 years. 468 00:20:41,767 --> 00:20:45,300 You cannot say Paul and Linda McCartney 469 00:20:45,300 --> 00:20:46,900 without having people go, 470 00:20:46,900 --> 00:20:50,367 "Paul and Linda McCartney? Really, really?" 471 00:20:50,367 --> 00:20:54,734 - My full name is Ronald James McDonald IV. 472 00:20:54,734 --> 00:20:57,367 My grandfather and great-grandfather were around 473 00:20:57,367 --> 00:21:00,967 before the hamburger, so they didn't have to deal with this. 474 00:21:00,967 --> 00:21:03,100 So my father was born in '48, 475 00:21:03,100 --> 00:21:05,767 so he barely had to tolerate it. 476 00:21:05,767 --> 00:21:08,734 For me, it was horrible. 477 00:21:08,734 --> 00:21:12,066 And I think if I was born in the current times, 478 00:21:12,066 --> 00:21:13,800 they would have called it school bullying 479 00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:14,934 probably from the beginning. 480 00:21:14,934 --> 00:21:16,800 As a child, it was very difficult. 481 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:19,066 It was worse for me than it may have been 482 00:21:19,066 --> 00:21:21,066 if I lived in one town my whole life. 483 00:21:21,066 --> 00:21:23,133 My mother moved us wherever she could find good work, 484 00:21:23,133 --> 00:21:27,166 which meant in my first four grades, 485 00:21:27,166 --> 00:21:28,734 I went to 15 schools. 486 00:21:28,734 --> 00:21:31,867 So that's 15 new schools, new roll call. 487 00:21:31,867 --> 00:21:34,800 I never let it shame me, 488 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:36,867 but it didn't make it any easier 489 00:21:36,867 --> 00:21:38,400 to be teased. 490 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:42,133 Each school, each circumstance, was pretty much 491 00:21:42,133 --> 00:21:45,166 the same reaction when I would be announced. 492 00:21:45,166 --> 00:21:47,233 You know, they would say Ronald McDonald, 493 00:21:47,233 --> 00:21:48,667 and before I could even say, "Here," 494 00:21:48,667 --> 00:21:51,066 there would be laughter, 495 00:21:51,066 --> 00:21:52,934 sometimes for five, ten minutes. 496 00:21:52,934 --> 00:21:54,467 I can't tell you how many teachers 497 00:21:54,467 --> 00:21:57,066 would just remark that having a name like that 498 00:21:57,066 --> 00:21:58,533 would build character, 499 00:21:58,533 --> 00:22:00,533 and later in life, I would appreciate it. 500 00:22:02,900 --> 00:22:04,967 - When I tell people my name is Alfred Capone, 501 00:22:04,967 --> 00:22:07,934 they usually ask me if I'm related to the real Al Capone, 502 00:22:07,934 --> 00:22:10,767 or if I'm in some way associated with the Mafia, 503 00:22:10,767 --> 00:22:13,066 I normally tell them no. 504 00:22:13,066 --> 00:22:16,233 The name actually, Alfred Capone, has been in my family 505 00:22:16,233 --> 00:22:18,100 for about three or four generations. 506 00:22:18,100 --> 00:22:20,900 I did get a tattoo of Capone 507 00:22:20,900 --> 00:22:22,767 with the Italian flag on my ankle, 508 00:22:22,767 --> 00:22:25,767 so it's something that I'm proud of. 509 00:22:25,767 --> 00:22:29,367 Certainly proud of my family and my heritage and my name. 510 00:22:29,367 --> 00:22:31,266 I think there are plenty of names out there 511 00:22:31,266 --> 00:22:35,633 that are a lot worse than being named Alfred Capone, 512 00:22:35,633 --> 00:22:38,867 such as serial killers or murderers. 513 00:22:42,433 --> 00:22:45,734 - My full name is Donald L. Trump. 514 00:22:45,734 --> 00:22:49,900 My dad's full name was Donald L. Trump. 515 00:22:49,900 --> 00:22:52,767 My mother named me Skip Trump. 516 00:22:52,767 --> 00:22:55,333 In the last few months, 517 00:22:55,333 --> 00:22:57,533 I've increasingly used Skip Trump, 518 00:22:57,533 --> 00:23:00,433 even in professional situations, 519 00:23:00,433 --> 00:23:03,233 because the other Donald Trump 520 00:23:03,233 --> 00:23:04,900 has gotten a lot of attention. 521 00:23:04,900 --> 00:23:08,100 When it's a phone call, I often get the response, 522 00:23:08,100 --> 00:23:10,400 "No, that can't be your name." 523 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:13,066 When I show my ID, 524 00:23:13,066 --> 00:23:15,500 I've had TSA agents at the airport say, 525 00:23:15,500 --> 00:23:16,900 "Is that really your name?" 526 00:23:16,900 --> 00:23:18,433 This is a U.S. passport, 527 00:23:18,433 --> 00:23:20,333 and they're asking me if it's forged, basically. 528 00:23:22,266 --> 00:23:25,066 - Go ahead, Dad. Introduce yourself. 529 00:23:25,066 --> 00:23:28,066 - I'm Donald R. Duck, Senior. 530 00:23:28,066 --> 00:23:30,266 - And I'm Donald R. Duck, Junior. 531 00:23:30,266 --> 00:23:31,900 - And I'm Donald R. Duck III. 532 00:23:31,900 --> 00:23:33,867 - Is that better? 533 00:23:33,867 --> 00:23:35,800 - Go for it. - Go ahead. 534 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:38,266 - What? - Do it again. 535 00:23:38,266 --> 00:23:40,233 - Oh. 536 00:23:40,233 --> 00:23:42,900 I'm Donald R. Duck, Senior. 537 00:23:42,900 --> 00:23:45,266 - And I'm Donald R. Duck, Junior. 538 00:23:45,266 --> 00:23:46,667 - And I'm Donald R. Duck III. 539 00:23:46,667 --> 00:23:48,266 - [all] And we're the Ducks. 540 00:23:49,700 --> 00:23:51,300 - You didn't get that memo. 541 00:23:51,300 --> 00:23:53,467 - I didn't say that. 542 00:23:53,467 --> 00:23:55,800 - And we're the three Ducks in a row. 543 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:57,667 No? 544 00:23:57,667 --> 00:24:00,100 - And we're all the three Ducks in a row. 545 00:24:00,100 --> 00:24:01,133 [laughter] 546 00:24:01,133 --> 00:24:02,800 - That wasn't good. 547 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:05,433 - And we're the three Ducks in a row. 548 00:24:05,433 --> 00:24:08,066 We are the Duck family. 549 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:15,567 - I got lost in 1967 at the Expo in Montreal, Canada. 550 00:24:15,567 --> 00:24:19,667 We were going into the United States Pavilion. 551 00:24:19,667 --> 00:24:22,367 I was at the bottom of the escalator, and my parents 552 00:24:22,367 --> 00:24:24,133 ended up at the top of the escalator, 553 00:24:24,133 --> 00:24:27,767 so I got lost and I remember contacting security, 554 00:24:27,767 --> 00:24:29,467 and they asked me my name, 555 00:24:29,467 --> 00:24:31,533 and I said, "My name's Donald Duck." 556 00:24:31,533 --> 00:24:34,066 And they said, "Well, what's your father's name?" 557 00:24:34,066 --> 00:24:37,633 And I said, "My father's name is Donald Duck as well. 558 00:24:37,633 --> 00:24:41,266 And I remember the one person saying to the other one, 559 00:24:41,266 --> 00:24:43,834 "I'm not saying that over the intercom." 560 00:24:43,834 --> 00:24:46,300 - When I was in school and a youngster, 561 00:24:46,300 --> 00:24:47,934 Trump was just another name. 562 00:24:47,934 --> 00:24:50,300 I first became aware of Donald J. Trump 563 00:24:50,300 --> 00:24:53,800 probably in the early to mid 1980's. 564 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:57,767 I began to be curious about his lineage, 565 00:24:57,767 --> 00:25:01,567 and so thought it would be interesting, perhaps, 566 00:25:01,567 --> 00:25:03,867 to write him a note and let him know 567 00:25:03,867 --> 00:25:05,667 that there was another Donald Trump, 568 00:25:05,667 --> 00:25:07,300 and asked if there was any relationship. 569 00:25:07,300 --> 00:25:11,200 I was the president of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute. 570 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:14,834 We were beginning a fundraising campaign called 571 00:25:14,834 --> 00:25:17,533 Going Bald for Bucks, 572 00:25:17,533 --> 00:25:20,900 so I suggested to Mr. Trump that perhaps 573 00:25:20,900 --> 00:25:22,700 he'd like to join me. 574 00:25:24,233 --> 00:25:27,367 - The other Donald Trump is me, because you're the famous one. 575 00:25:27,367 --> 00:25:29,800 I've been hearing your name for years and years. 576 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:32,333 - He was willing to do a video that we showed 577 00:25:32,333 --> 00:25:35,367 at the kickoff for this event. 578 00:25:35,367 --> 00:25:37,066 - What you do in life is more important 579 00:25:37,066 --> 00:25:38,500 than what I do in life, 580 00:25:38,500 --> 00:25:41,200 so I say Donald L. Trump, which is you, 581 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:44,767 is probably more important than Donald J. Trump. 582 00:25:44,767 --> 00:25:47,734 - He was very gracious and took it in good humor. 583 00:25:47,734 --> 00:25:49,700 - I just wanna congratulate you 584 00:25:49,700 --> 00:25:51,166 on the great work you've done, 585 00:25:51,166 --> 00:25:52,500 the shaving the head thing. 586 00:25:52,500 --> 00:25:54,433 Donald, I really... 587 00:25:54,433 --> 00:25:57,133 I'm glad it's you and it's not me. 588 00:25:57,133 --> 00:26:00,433 - And Mr. Trump did give quite a generous contribution 589 00:26:00,433 --> 00:26:03,100 to cancer research at Roswell Park. 590 00:26:03,100 --> 00:26:04,200 - If you saw my name officially, 591 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:06,133 it'll be Harold William Potter, Jr. 592 00:26:06,133 --> 00:26:09,867 But kids are not gonna call you Harold, 593 00:26:09,867 --> 00:26:11,400 so they started calling me Harry, 594 00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:13,767 and that's been my name ever since. 595 00:26:13,767 --> 00:26:16,433 When the book first came out, I was aware of it, 596 00:26:16,433 --> 00:26:19,066 but I didn't think too much of it because 597 00:26:19,066 --> 00:26:20,633 I didn't perceive, at that time, 598 00:26:20,633 --> 00:26:23,467 what kind of phenomenon this was going to be. 599 00:26:23,467 --> 00:26:25,233 - Where I work, 600 00:26:25,233 --> 00:26:27,867 you have to present a badge to open the door. 601 00:26:27,867 --> 00:26:31,333 So I'll just say, "My name is Bond." 602 00:26:31,333 --> 00:26:33,333 And then they was like, "Okay, so what's your first name?" 603 00:26:33,333 --> 00:26:35,934 James. And they just like, 604 00:26:35,934 --> 00:26:40,066 they turn around slowly like, "Really? 605 00:26:40,066 --> 00:26:42,166 "That's the coolest name ever. 606 00:26:42,166 --> 00:26:43,867 "Do you say it like that all the time?" 607 00:26:43,867 --> 00:26:45,934 And I was like, "Yeah, I say it like that all the time." 608 00:26:45,934 --> 00:26:48,533 - As new students on the first day, 609 00:26:48,533 --> 00:26:50,066 you stand up and say your name. 610 00:26:50,066 --> 00:26:51,400 So here I am in the classroom. 611 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:54,800 I stand up and I said my name is Donald Sutherland. 612 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:57,834 And I remember hearing someone in the background chirping, 613 00:26:57,834 --> 00:27:00,734 and they said, "Oh, my God, there's the class clown." 614 00:27:00,734 --> 00:27:02,834 I actually went home and asked my parents. 615 00:27:02,834 --> 00:27:04,333 Why would someone say that? 616 00:27:04,333 --> 00:27:06,467 Who's Donald Sutherland? And that's when they told me, 617 00:27:06,467 --> 00:27:09,166 at that point, that it was some famous actor. 618 00:27:09,166 --> 00:27:11,834 - I did have one occasion, 619 00:27:11,834 --> 00:27:14,100 trying a case in the Federal District Court. 620 00:27:14,100 --> 00:27:16,667 The judge looked at me and she said, 621 00:27:16,667 --> 00:27:19,900 "Do you realize that your name is a fictional character?" 622 00:27:19,900 --> 00:27:21,467 And, of course, I knew that, 623 00:27:21,467 --> 00:27:23,934 and I said, "Yes, Your Honor, I do." 624 00:27:23,934 --> 00:27:28,066 And she then said, "I can't look at you without 625 00:27:28,066 --> 00:27:30,600 "thinking of Harry Potter." 626 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:33,700 And I laughed about it, 627 00:27:33,700 --> 00:27:35,700 and thankfully, I won the case. 628 00:27:37,700 --> 00:27:39,166 - When I show up for a reservation, 629 00:27:39,166 --> 00:27:40,900 they know Donald Sutherland's not gonna be there. 630 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:45,066 Hi, I'm Donald Sutherland. 631 00:27:45,066 --> 00:27:48,233 - You're Donald Sutherland? - Yes. 632 00:27:48,233 --> 00:27:49,200 But even when I show up, 633 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:50,533 they kinda still, you can feel that. 634 00:27:50,533 --> 00:27:52,066 [slight gasp] That disappointment. 635 00:27:52,066 --> 00:27:53,200 - You look different than the movies. 636 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:54,700 - I'm a little shorter. 637 00:27:54,700 --> 00:27:55,934 - A little shorter? 638 00:27:55,934 --> 00:27:58,166 Did they give you lifts in the movie? 639 00:27:58,166 --> 00:27:59,900 - I would hear that a lot from people. 640 00:27:59,900 --> 00:28:03,066 Donald Sutherland? You looked taller in MASH. 641 00:28:03,066 --> 00:28:04,667 - It puts people at ease. 642 00:28:04,667 --> 00:28:07,567 As soon as they know my name, it's more comfortable. 643 00:28:07,567 --> 00:28:09,066 They can relax. 644 00:28:09,066 --> 00:28:10,734 Oh, you're James Bond, you know. 645 00:28:10,734 --> 00:28:13,200 Do you have any gadgets on you? 646 00:28:14,667 --> 00:28:18,066 I was actually calling a young lady, 647 00:28:18,066 --> 00:28:19,233 and she wasn't home. 648 00:28:19,233 --> 00:28:20,633 I think her mom picked up the phone, 649 00:28:20,633 --> 00:28:22,400 so she was like, "Oh, so who's calling?" 650 00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:24,900 I said, "James." And she says, "James who?" 651 00:28:24,900 --> 00:28:27,500 I said, "James Bond," so she said, "Oh, no. 652 00:28:27,500 --> 00:28:28,767 "And I'm Tina Turner." 653 00:28:28,767 --> 00:28:30,200 And she hung up the phone. 654 00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:33,200 - Yeah, my name is Gunther Frankenstein, 655 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:37,333 and the nickname is Guinea, 656 00:28:37,333 --> 00:28:40,900 and we're in Lebanon, New Hampshire, 657 00:28:40,900 --> 00:28:44,166 and it's snowing outside right now. 658 00:28:44,166 --> 00:28:46,600 Oh, there was a lot of joking, 659 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:48,467 but because we were German, 660 00:28:48,467 --> 00:28:52,433 I don't think it had anything to do with the name Frankenstein. 661 00:28:52,433 --> 00:28:56,233 Everyone in the United States resented Germany, 662 00:28:56,233 --> 00:28:58,567 and rightly so. 663 00:28:58,567 --> 00:29:02,400 Because we were German, that we were automatically the enemy. 664 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:05,467 - They had such an association with one aspect of him, 665 00:29:05,467 --> 00:29:07,467 that they couldn't see him for who he was. 666 00:29:07,467 --> 00:29:09,800 I would say, for example, since we're talking about Germany, 667 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:11,967 it's the same thing about the swastika. 668 00:29:11,967 --> 00:29:13,767 But the swastika as a symbol 669 00:29:13,767 --> 00:29:16,600 has been around for thousands of years. 670 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:18,633 If I show you a swastika now, 671 00:29:18,633 --> 00:29:20,767 you won't be able to know the thing for itself 672 00:29:20,767 --> 00:29:22,834 because of what's been associated with it 673 00:29:22,834 --> 00:29:25,400 only for the last 70 years. 674 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:27,633 - Many time, we had to fight our way to school. 675 00:29:27,633 --> 00:29:32,233 And then one time, it was the FBI checkin' us out. 676 00:29:32,233 --> 00:29:34,700 Someone probably said we were spies or something. 677 00:29:34,700 --> 00:29:36,433 Who knows? 678 00:29:36,433 --> 00:29:39,667 - We make assumptions based off of our past experiences. 679 00:29:39,667 --> 00:29:42,900 Someone might hear a name and it might 680 00:29:42,900 --> 00:29:46,066 hit some type of internal trigger for them 681 00:29:46,066 --> 00:29:48,500 where they're already making assumptions about that person 682 00:29:48,500 --> 00:29:50,467 before they've even given that person a chance 683 00:29:50,467 --> 00:29:52,967 to understand who they are. 684 00:29:56,100 --> 00:29:57,767 - You know, the folks that have helped me 685 00:29:57,767 --> 00:30:01,233 in my life have often encountered the same sort of 686 00:30:01,233 --> 00:30:03,367 disbelief that I encounter. 687 00:30:03,367 --> 00:30:06,900 My assistant will call to make an airplane reservation 688 00:30:06,900 --> 00:30:09,467 or a restaurant reservation and not infrequently 689 00:30:09,467 --> 00:30:11,467 be met with a, "Is that really the name?" 690 00:30:11,467 --> 00:30:12,800 Or, "You're kidding." 691 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:16,133 - For three. Donald Trump. 692 00:30:16,133 --> 00:30:19,033 - I don't know how Donald J. Trump feels about 693 00:30:19,033 --> 00:30:22,266 the name, but I love it 'cause it's my dad. 694 00:30:22,266 --> 00:30:23,567 - Actually, before we got married, 695 00:30:23,567 --> 00:30:25,133 I said to her, 696 00:30:25,133 --> 00:30:27,467 I said, "Don't marry me if you do not want to name 697 00:30:27,467 --> 00:30:31,166 "your first son Donald III." 698 00:30:31,166 --> 00:30:33,000 And she said to me, 699 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:36,266 "Well, that's okay with me as long as we call him Bobby." 700 00:30:36,266 --> 00:30:37,934 - My name is Donald Robert Duck III. 701 00:30:37,934 --> 00:30:39,934 But I go by Bobby 'cause it differentiates 702 00:30:39,934 --> 00:30:42,166 between my dad and my grandfather. 703 00:30:42,166 --> 00:30:43,734 - It was just easier. 704 00:30:43,734 --> 00:30:46,233 It was just easier to be something 705 00:30:46,233 --> 00:30:48,367 other than Donald Duck, because Donald Duck 706 00:30:48,367 --> 00:30:50,400 doesn't get believed as a name. 707 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:51,834 Can you talk like Donald Duck? 708 00:30:51,834 --> 00:30:54,300 No, I cannot talk like Donald Duck. 709 00:30:54,300 --> 00:30:56,367 Never could. 710 00:30:56,367 --> 00:30:57,700 - My name is Robin Williams, 711 00:30:57,700 --> 00:31:00,600 and I've been living with that name almost 21 years. 712 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:01,767 When people start to say, 713 00:31:01,767 --> 00:31:03,500 "Robin Williams, Robin Williams," 714 00:31:03,500 --> 00:31:04,967 and I realized that, okay, 715 00:31:04,967 --> 00:31:06,834 I'm gonna have a problem with this name. 716 00:31:06,834 --> 00:31:09,400 And I still do, but it's a good problem, 717 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:11,233 and I'm proud of that name. 718 00:31:11,233 --> 00:31:14,266 - Well, it's been a lot of fun. Let's put it that way. 719 00:31:14,266 --> 00:31:16,066 The name is definitely different. 720 00:31:16,066 --> 00:31:19,266 I got it when I was about seven years old. 721 00:31:19,266 --> 00:31:22,066 There was a famous baseball player named 722 00:31:22,066 --> 00:31:24,734 Dusty Rhodes who helped win the World Series 723 00:31:24,734 --> 00:31:27,066 for, at the time, the New York Giants. 724 00:31:27,066 --> 00:31:29,066 And I was a scrappy little tomboy. 725 00:31:29,066 --> 00:31:32,100 My Christian name was Susan. How boring is that? 726 00:31:32,100 --> 00:31:34,133 - In the mid 90's, 727 00:31:34,133 --> 00:31:36,800 I took all of my employees to Florida for a week. 728 00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:38,600 When we got to the airport, 729 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:41,300 security was maxed out and they were waiting for us. 730 00:31:41,300 --> 00:31:42,734 My secretary ran up to us, 731 00:31:42,734 --> 00:31:44,433 and she said, "These people are going nuts. 732 00:31:44,433 --> 00:31:46,934 "They think you're the famous Paul McCartney." 733 00:31:46,934 --> 00:31:49,567 A few minutes later, a big shot from airport security 734 00:31:49,567 --> 00:31:50,633 looks up and says, 735 00:31:50,633 --> 00:31:52,367 "Ramp way's clear, Mr. McCartney. 736 00:31:52,367 --> 00:31:55,066 "Your party may now board." The entire bunch of us 737 00:31:55,066 --> 00:31:57,066 were put right up in the front of the plane, 738 00:31:57,066 --> 00:31:59,734 and my momma didn't raise a fool. 739 00:31:59,734 --> 00:32:03,133 I wasn't going to say, "Excuse me, I paid for coach." 740 00:32:03,133 --> 00:32:06,533 We got to Disney, and our rooms were upgraded. 741 00:32:06,533 --> 00:32:09,066 I believe the entire trip was a success 742 00:32:09,066 --> 00:32:10,633 just because of my name. 743 00:32:10,633 --> 00:32:12,934 - I received calls from a few different casting agents 744 00:32:12,934 --> 00:32:18,066 that were randomly searchin' for people with unique names. 745 00:32:18,066 --> 00:32:22,600 They offered to pay to come out to California 746 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:24,400 to be interviewed, and we got out there. 747 00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:27,233 And sure enough, in my hotel 748 00:32:27,233 --> 00:32:30,533 there was an army of Ronald McDonalds. 749 00:32:30,533 --> 00:32:32,400 So they picked us up in a long van, 750 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:33,633 5:00 in the morning and start driving. 751 00:32:33,633 --> 00:32:35,166 - [Conductor] All aboard! 752 00:32:35,166 --> 00:32:36,633 - [Ronald] Well, suddenly, we don't know where we are. 753 00:32:36,633 --> 00:32:38,667 It's an hour out from L.A., 754 00:32:38,667 --> 00:32:40,266 so we start thinking, you know, 755 00:32:40,266 --> 00:32:42,066 he could be driving us into Mexico. 756 00:32:42,066 --> 00:32:44,567 We'd be sold into servitude. 757 00:32:44,567 --> 00:32:46,900 Eventually, we came to where they were gonna film, 758 00:32:46,900 --> 00:32:49,734 and at that point, told us that they were 759 00:32:49,734 --> 00:32:52,333 introducing Taco Bell's new breakfasts, 760 00:32:52,333 --> 00:32:54,600 and it wasn't until a couple weeks later 761 00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:58,734 that we discovered that I was in the first commercial. 762 00:32:58,734 --> 00:33:00,800 - My name is Ronald McDonald. - [Heckler] You're who?! 763 00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:02,233 - I am Ronald McDonald. 764 00:33:02,233 --> 00:33:03,533 - I'm Ronald McDonald, Jr., 765 00:33:03,533 --> 00:33:06,400 and this is Ronald McDonald III. 766 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:07,934 - My name is Ronald McDonald. 767 00:33:07,934 --> 00:33:09,934 - [Interviewer] What do you think? - That's really good. 768 00:33:09,934 --> 00:33:11,266 - I was surprised how good it is. 769 00:33:11,266 --> 00:33:13,567 - I love the new AM Crunch Wrap. - I'm Ronald McDonald. 770 00:33:13,567 --> 00:33:14,867 - Ronald. - McDonald. 771 00:33:14,867 --> 00:33:16,967 - [All] I'm Ronald McDonald and I love 772 00:33:16,967 --> 00:33:18,633 Taco Bell's new breakfast. 773 00:33:20,367 --> 00:33:22,066 - [Narrator] People with interesting names often 774 00:33:22,066 --> 00:33:24,734 have unlisted phone numbers to avoid pranksters. 775 00:33:24,734 --> 00:33:26,133 [busy signal drones] 776 00:33:26,133 --> 00:33:29,233 - We used to get all kinds of calls in the middle 777 00:33:29,233 --> 00:33:31,934 of the night asking if Igor was home, 778 00:33:31,934 --> 00:33:34,100 or is the Monster there. 779 00:33:34,100 --> 00:33:35,467 And when we answered the call, 780 00:33:35,467 --> 00:33:36,800 we thought that people were nuts 781 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:41,066 and having a party and drinking and teenagers 782 00:33:41,066 --> 00:33:44,700 just out late and having a good time. 783 00:33:44,700 --> 00:33:47,266 When Shelley came up with that book, 784 00:33:47,266 --> 00:33:49,800 that ruined our good name. 785 00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:50,867 That book. 786 00:33:50,867 --> 00:33:54,200 After a while, you just grin and bear it. 787 00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:55,867 And sometimes you say, 788 00:33:55,867 --> 00:33:58,767 "You stupid so-and-so," 789 00:33:58,767 --> 00:34:02,133 and... let it go. 790 00:34:02,133 --> 00:34:04,734 - Even though my mother's name wasn't Ronald McDonald, 791 00:34:04,734 --> 00:34:06,066 they knew I lived there, 792 00:34:06,066 --> 00:34:08,100 so we would get kids calling late at night, you know, 793 00:34:08,100 --> 00:34:10,600 asking for cheeseburgers. 794 00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:13,567 - [Narrator] Unfortunately, their understandable wariness 795 00:34:13,567 --> 00:34:15,600 might also extend to filmmakers 796 00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:17,066 who call them out of the blue. 797 00:34:17,066 --> 00:34:19,734 [beep tones] 798 00:34:22,266 --> 00:34:24,700 [phone rings] 799 00:34:27,633 --> 00:34:30,300 - Hi, is this a Daniel Doom? 800 00:34:30,300 --> 00:34:32,633 - Hi, is Harold Rude in, please? 801 00:34:32,633 --> 00:34:35,300 - I'm trying to find Francis Mangina. 802 00:34:35,300 --> 00:34:37,567 - Are you sure it's Mangina? 803 00:34:38,967 --> 00:34:41,066 Can I say Mangeena? - [Co-Worker] No! 804 00:34:41,066 --> 00:34:43,133 - Your name is very unusual, 805 00:34:43,133 --> 00:34:45,266 and there's a lot of history behind it. 806 00:34:45,266 --> 00:34:47,066 [exasperated breathing] 807 00:34:47,066 --> 00:34:48,967 [dial tone] 808 00:34:48,967 --> 00:34:50,600 - We had flagged your name. 809 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:52,233 - This is nerve-wracking. 810 00:34:52,233 --> 00:34:54,066 - Do have any forwarding information? 811 00:34:54,066 --> 00:34:56,367 - [Recording] If you know your party's extension, 812 00:34:56,367 --> 00:34:58,066 you may dial at any time. 813 00:34:58,066 --> 00:35:01,433 [recorded wait tunes play] 814 00:35:01,433 --> 00:35:02,867 - All right, you too. Have a nice day. 815 00:35:07,166 --> 00:35:08,934 - [Narrator] An amazing discovery we made 816 00:35:08,934 --> 00:35:12,367 is how lightly the Clutzes, Putzes, and Boggises 817 00:35:12,367 --> 00:35:16,800 of the world wear the so-called burden of their names. 818 00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:19,066 It seems that like a lot of problems, 819 00:35:19,066 --> 00:35:22,533 it's only as much of an issue as you allow it to be. 820 00:35:22,533 --> 00:35:23,967 - I would go on dates, 821 00:35:23,967 --> 00:35:26,333 and put my name in at a restaurant, 822 00:35:26,333 --> 00:35:30,500 and I would spell it out C-R-A-Y-P-O, 823 00:35:30,500 --> 00:35:33,467 and one time, the hostess looked at me and said, 824 00:35:33,467 --> 00:35:36,166 "That's not how you spell it." 825 00:35:36,166 --> 00:35:38,133 I told her, "That's how you're gonna pronounce it. 826 00:35:38,133 --> 00:35:39,600 "I'm on a first date." 827 00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:42,767 Very close uncle told me that you will know 828 00:35:42,767 --> 00:35:44,266 when it's time to get married 829 00:35:44,266 --> 00:35:46,667 if they're willing to take on the last name Crapo. 830 00:35:46,667 --> 00:35:48,967 Then you've got someone that really cares for you. 831 00:35:48,967 --> 00:35:51,467 - The fact that they develop a personality 832 00:35:51,467 --> 00:35:54,867 from their name, I think, is special. 833 00:35:54,867 --> 00:35:58,567 And then that you use it as a springboard to what's 834 00:35:58,567 --> 00:36:02,734 becoming quick-witted or socially adaptable 835 00:36:02,734 --> 00:36:03,867 to different situations, 836 00:36:03,867 --> 00:36:05,667 and you gotta deal with people all the time, 837 00:36:05,667 --> 00:36:07,633 and some people just like to bust balls. 838 00:36:07,633 --> 00:36:10,166 And are you gonna crumble in that situation, 839 00:36:10,166 --> 00:36:13,266 or are you gonna be able to stand strong? 840 00:36:13,266 --> 00:36:15,734 My persona on stage is kind of a mean, nasty guy, 841 00:36:15,734 --> 00:36:18,900 so people keep their mouth shut. 842 00:36:18,900 --> 00:36:20,367 Humor's a great weapon. 843 00:36:21,900 --> 00:36:24,700 You really gotta watch out for these old people driving. 844 00:36:26,133 --> 00:36:27,600 They always have that excuse, 845 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:30,834 "Well, I mistook the gas pedal for the brake." 846 00:36:30,834 --> 00:36:33,066 It's not like you're driving around in a piano. 847 00:36:33,066 --> 00:36:34,400 There's only two pedals down there. 848 00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:36,867 Pick one, Beethoven. 849 00:36:36,867 --> 00:36:38,133 If you're driving a car, 850 00:36:38,133 --> 00:36:40,233 and it suddenly accelerates into some people, 851 00:36:40,233 --> 00:36:42,400 try the other pedal. 852 00:36:44,533 --> 00:36:46,533 I mean, how many bodies have to flip over the hood 853 00:36:46,533 --> 00:36:50,166 before you go, "Ohh, this isn't the brake"? 854 00:36:50,166 --> 00:36:52,500 - I was teaching inner city 855 00:36:52,500 --> 00:36:54,734 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. 856 00:36:54,734 --> 00:36:58,200 And I didn't want to put that name up there. 857 00:36:58,200 --> 00:37:01,233 So I did not put Slutsky up there. 858 00:37:01,233 --> 00:37:04,700 For some reason, I wrote Slotsky. 859 00:37:04,700 --> 00:37:08,233 S-L-O-T-S-K-Y. 860 00:37:08,233 --> 00:37:13,133 And I had no idea that I was gonna be in that school 861 00:37:13,133 --> 00:37:17,200 for two years as a permanent substitute. 862 00:37:17,200 --> 00:37:18,433 So I would go down the hall, 863 00:37:18,433 --> 00:37:20,567 and they'd go, "Hello, Ms. Slotsky," 864 00:37:20,567 --> 00:37:23,133 and I'd go, "Hello!" 865 00:37:23,133 --> 00:37:26,066 They never found out, thank goodness, 866 00:37:26,066 --> 00:37:28,166 that my name was Slutsky. 867 00:37:28,166 --> 00:37:31,166 I never would have lived that one down in that school. 868 00:37:31,166 --> 00:37:33,367 - [Narrator] There's no doubt that having a name 869 00:37:33,367 --> 00:37:36,667 like Boggis, Crapo, or Slutsky can be a challenge. 870 00:37:36,667 --> 00:37:39,867 But now let's consider a worst-case scenario, 871 00:37:39,867 --> 00:37:42,467 one that posed fundamental and serious questions 872 00:37:42,467 --> 00:37:45,433 of personal identity and cultural imperialism... 873 00:37:45,433 --> 00:37:46,800 [deep gasp] 874 00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:48,633 while shocking the sensibilities 875 00:37:48,633 --> 00:37:52,500 of basketball fans from Wyoming to Saskatchewan. 876 00:37:52,500 --> 00:37:54,633 - My full, full name is, 877 00:37:54,633 --> 00:37:56,967 I'll say it like in Portuguese. 878 00:37:56,967 --> 00:37:59,834 [pronounces name] 879 00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:06,467 If you look at my last name, 880 00:38:06,467 --> 00:38:08,433 you're gonna say, wow, it's not Fook; 881 00:38:08,433 --> 00:38:09,700 it's Fuck because in my whole life, 882 00:38:09,700 --> 00:38:12,066 I said Fuck because it's F-U-C-K. 883 00:38:12,066 --> 00:38:13,600 But where I come from, 884 00:38:13,600 --> 00:38:15,066 it's not pronounced like that. 885 00:38:15,066 --> 00:38:17,700 It's Fook or Fookie. 886 00:38:17,700 --> 00:38:23,900 My grandmother's hometown is called Canoinhas. 887 00:38:23,900 --> 00:38:25,934 Half of the city, pretty much, 888 00:38:25,934 --> 00:38:29,900 people with my last name, F-U-C-K, live there. 889 00:38:29,900 --> 00:38:31,667 My uncle's insurance company. 890 00:38:31,667 --> 00:38:35,367 The name of the company is Fuck's Insurance. 891 00:38:35,367 --> 00:38:36,834 Basketball changed my life, 892 00:38:36,834 --> 00:38:40,600 and I played from 1999 until now. 893 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:43,700 I prepared a DVD, 894 00:38:43,700 --> 00:38:45,467 put my name and my last name in it, 895 00:38:45,467 --> 00:38:48,867 and then I sent it to my future coach. 896 00:38:48,867 --> 00:38:50,800 - I first found out about Gui 897 00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:53,333 when he was playing basketball, 898 00:38:53,333 --> 00:38:56,300 going to school at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. 899 00:38:56,300 --> 00:38:57,200 - When looking at the DVD, 900 00:38:57,200 --> 00:38:58,600 especially my last name, 901 00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:01,533 the coach just didn't accept. 902 00:39:01,533 --> 00:39:03,333 Like it was like, 903 00:39:03,333 --> 00:39:06,200 "I'm not looking at a DVD of a guy with his name." Like, are you kidding me? 904 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:09,900 Is this for real? Then he watched. He really liked my game, 905 00:39:09,900 --> 00:39:12,133 and he offered me a scholarship. 906 00:39:12,133 --> 00:39:15,066 - People started to realize that his last name 907 00:39:15,066 --> 00:39:16,333 is spelled F-U-C-K. 908 00:39:16,333 --> 00:39:17,767 There started to become questions. 909 00:39:17,767 --> 00:39:19,200 - They have like the scoreboard, 910 00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:21,800 and right beside, they have like the last name 911 00:39:21,800 --> 00:39:25,166 of each player with the number showing to everybody. 912 00:39:25,166 --> 00:39:27,066 So they were like, 913 00:39:27,066 --> 00:39:31,066 "Um, I'm not gonna put like your F last name." 914 00:39:31,066 --> 00:39:32,500 I was like, "Come on. 915 00:39:32,500 --> 00:39:34,467 Just use my last name." 916 00:39:36,934 --> 00:39:39,600 - In past generations, people who came to America 917 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:42,100 with a name that sounded really unusual or embarrassing 918 00:39:42,100 --> 00:39:44,300 in English, would typically change it. 919 00:39:44,300 --> 00:39:48,066 That has virtually disappeared over the past 50 years. 920 00:39:48,066 --> 00:39:50,467 Today, people do want to keep their names, 921 00:39:50,467 --> 00:39:52,700 keep their connection to their heritage, 922 00:39:52,700 --> 00:39:54,700 even if that name raises some eyebrows. 923 00:39:54,700 --> 00:39:56,567 - [Craig] Gui's proud of his heritage. 924 00:39:56,567 --> 00:39:58,333 He's proud of his last name. 925 00:39:58,333 --> 00:40:01,400 We didn't feel it was something we should take away from him. 926 00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:05,667 So we just felt we should go with his full name. 927 00:40:05,667 --> 00:40:07,934 - [Narrator] So what happened when they stopped 928 00:40:07,934 --> 00:40:09,867 obsessing about Gui's name and just treated it 929 00:40:09,867 --> 00:40:11,900 like anyone else's? 930 00:40:11,900 --> 00:40:15,333 Whose problem was it that it had a sexual meaning 931 00:40:15,333 --> 00:40:19,834 in just one of the 6,500 spoken languages in the world? 932 00:40:19,834 --> 00:40:22,333 - In the first game of the second semester, 933 00:40:22,333 --> 00:40:25,767 when they saw there on the scoreboard 934 00:40:25,767 --> 00:40:27,333 my last last name, 935 00:40:27,333 --> 00:40:28,700 they were like, "Oh, my God. 936 00:40:28,700 --> 00:40:30,900 "Look at that. They finally put it." 937 00:40:30,900 --> 00:40:34,433 Like they're giving you the pride, let's say. 938 00:40:34,433 --> 00:40:36,200 - I think it's fantastic. 939 00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:39,000 He's standing up for his family line, 940 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:40,667 his bloodline. 941 00:40:40,667 --> 00:40:43,166 - [Craig] All it really did was just bring us closer together, 942 00:40:43,166 --> 00:40:45,433 and knowing more about our teammate, 943 00:40:45,433 --> 00:40:47,467 our family, and our brotherhood. 944 00:40:47,467 --> 00:40:48,667 - You're too big. [laughter] 945 00:40:48,667 --> 00:40:50,400 Fookie too big. Come on, Fookie. 946 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:52,200 - You're too skinny, come on! 947 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:54,467 - As in so much of life, 948 00:40:54,467 --> 00:40:57,500 I think we all think the grass is greener 949 00:40:57,500 --> 00:41:00,367 in terms of our own names. 950 00:41:00,367 --> 00:41:03,233 Any John Jones is going to be a little bit envious 951 00:41:03,233 --> 00:41:05,934 with someone with an usual name, and someone with a name 952 00:41:05,934 --> 00:41:07,800 that they always have to spell a dozen times 953 00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:09,867 is gonna be envious of John Jones. 954 00:41:09,867 --> 00:41:14,233 - Having my last name in North America changed my life. 955 00:41:18,533 --> 00:41:20,633 It feels awesome, of course. Like you feel important. 956 00:41:20,633 --> 00:41:22,700 You feel like now people know you. 957 00:41:22,700 --> 00:41:26,834 - My father was interviewed for a national newspaper 958 00:41:26,834 --> 00:41:30,567 for schools when he was probably six or seven years old. 959 00:41:30,567 --> 00:41:32,834 Apparently, it happened to be noticed 960 00:41:32,834 --> 00:41:34,633 by someone at Disney. 961 00:41:34,633 --> 00:41:38,066 Disney contacted my grandparents through a telegram, 962 00:41:38,066 --> 00:41:43,500 and also sent a drawing from Disney itself. 963 00:41:43,500 --> 00:41:46,333 - [Donald III] It's Donald Duck in a bed looking at a mirror 964 00:41:46,333 --> 00:41:48,300 that he doesn't know in the dark at his eyes, 965 00:41:48,300 --> 00:41:50,066 and takes a gun out and shoots the mirror, 966 00:41:50,066 --> 00:41:51,567 and then turns the light on and see that he's 967 00:41:51,567 --> 00:41:53,066 shot his mirror. 968 00:41:53,066 --> 00:41:54,700 I thought it was really interesting 969 00:41:54,700 --> 00:41:56,467 that it was drawn by Disney. I thought that was really cool. 970 00:41:56,467 --> 00:41:59,667 - I went into the non-profit world 971 00:41:59,667 --> 00:42:01,066 in raising money professionally. 972 00:42:01,066 --> 00:42:03,066 I found that with a name like Smoki Bacon, 973 00:42:03,066 --> 00:42:04,700 when I would talk to the person that 974 00:42:04,700 --> 00:42:06,633 would direct me to the executive, 975 00:42:06,633 --> 00:42:08,633 and I would say, you know, 976 00:42:08,633 --> 00:42:10,600 "Just tell him that Smoki Bacon is calling," 977 00:42:10,600 --> 00:42:12,367 and they would say, "No, no, no. 978 00:42:12,367 --> 00:42:13,900 "We don't want the name of the company. 979 00:42:13,900 --> 00:42:15,467 "What is your name?" 980 00:42:15,467 --> 00:42:17,133 And the person that I would be talking to 981 00:42:17,133 --> 00:42:20,834 would start laughing and plug me into the executive. 982 00:42:20,834 --> 00:42:22,967 It branded me before I realized 983 00:42:22,967 --> 00:42:24,433 what branding was all about. 984 00:42:24,433 --> 00:42:27,066 Now everybody is branding everything. 985 00:42:27,066 --> 00:42:29,100 And I realized, oh, my God, 986 00:42:29,100 --> 00:42:32,166 I branded myself several decades ago 987 00:42:32,166 --> 00:42:33,300 with Smoki Bacon. 988 00:42:33,300 --> 00:42:35,433 - I got a letter once in the mail, 989 00:42:35,433 --> 00:42:41,533 and it was from a stadium in Soviet Georgia. 990 00:42:41,533 --> 00:42:44,800 And evidently, the stadium had 50,000 seats, 991 00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:47,533 but they clearly meant this letter 992 00:42:47,533 --> 00:42:49,600 for the other Paul McCartney. 993 00:42:49,600 --> 00:42:51,867 But a little part of me thought it would be kind of fun 994 00:42:51,867 --> 00:42:54,967 to go over there and see if they knew the difference, 995 00:42:54,967 --> 00:42:57,400 and maybe stand up on stage and sing, 996 00:42:57,400 --> 00:42:59,500 "I'm A Little Teapot, Short and Stout," 997 00:42:59,500 --> 00:43:02,600 and see if I could entertain the people. 998 00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:04,600 ♪ Here is my handle 999 00:43:04,600 --> 00:43:06,300 ♪ Here is my spout 1000 00:43:06,300 --> 00:43:08,867 Two notes. Two notes. 1001 00:43:08,867 --> 00:43:10,834 - [loud piano note] - That is impressive. 1002 00:43:10,834 --> 00:43:12,834 But obviously, if I did that, 1003 00:43:12,834 --> 00:43:16,900 I'd probably be in a prison in Siberia right now. 1004 00:43:16,900 --> 00:43:20,533 - My husband and I were at Woodman's in Ipswich, 1005 00:43:20,533 --> 00:43:25,367 and we were walking around, and we saw Larry David, 1006 00:43:25,367 --> 00:43:27,433 and I looked up and there he was, 1007 00:43:27,433 --> 00:43:30,533 and I went, "Hello, Larry David. 1008 00:43:30,533 --> 00:43:32,633 "My name is Linda Slutsky." 1009 00:43:32,633 --> 00:43:34,567 The way I said my name was really funny. 1010 00:43:34,567 --> 00:43:37,367 Went I'm Linda Slutsky. 1011 00:43:37,367 --> 00:43:39,400 I just blurted it out that way. 1012 00:43:39,400 --> 00:43:40,800 I don't know why. 1013 00:43:40,800 --> 00:43:44,934 And he just came over like he was my best friend, 1014 00:43:44,934 --> 00:43:46,900 and started talking to me. 1015 00:43:46,900 --> 00:43:49,767 And it was really great, 1016 00:43:49,767 --> 00:43:52,066 because he wouldn't stop talking, 1017 00:43:52,066 --> 00:43:54,066 and then they were producing, 1018 00:43:54,066 --> 00:43:55,567 and his assistant kept saying, 1019 00:43:55,567 --> 00:43:56,900 "You have to go, Mr. David. 1020 00:43:56,900 --> 00:43:59,066 "You have to go." And he wouldn't go. 1021 00:43:59,066 --> 00:44:00,567 He just wanted to just keep talking to me. 1022 00:44:00,567 --> 00:44:01,934 - Well, my current girlfriend likes it 1023 00:44:01,934 --> 00:44:04,133 because she's named after a drink. 1024 00:44:04,133 --> 00:44:05,500 - All my whole life, 1025 00:44:05,500 --> 00:44:07,066 I always got not picked on, 1026 00:44:07,066 --> 00:44:08,400 but people would make jokes 1027 00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:11,533 and when I met Al, it wasn't like that. 1028 00:44:11,533 --> 00:44:13,400 It was always about his name. 1029 00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:14,467 A lot of people make jokes 1030 00:44:14,467 --> 00:44:15,834 about both of our names together, 1031 00:44:15,834 --> 00:44:16,967 'cause it's like a full meal. 1032 00:44:16,967 --> 00:44:19,066 He's the pasta, I'm the juice. 1033 00:44:19,066 --> 00:44:20,533 When we first met, 1034 00:44:20,533 --> 00:44:22,300 he actually told me he had a picture of the two of us, 1035 00:44:22,300 --> 00:44:24,500 and I couldn't remember a time that he, 1036 00:44:24,500 --> 00:44:25,834 we'd taken a picture together. 1037 00:44:25,834 --> 00:44:28,266 And he actually went to the grocery store, 1038 00:44:28,266 --> 00:44:30,700 and Sunny D was right next to the al dente pasta, 1039 00:44:30,700 --> 00:44:31,800 so we took a picture, 1040 00:44:31,800 --> 00:44:33,600 and that was our first picture together. 1041 00:44:33,600 --> 00:44:35,600 - You know, I think I was pulled over 1042 00:44:35,600 --> 00:44:37,767 for a speeding ticket at one time in my life, 1043 00:44:37,767 --> 00:44:40,700 and when I gave the license to the officer, 1044 00:44:40,700 --> 00:44:42,066 he looked at it, 1045 00:44:42,066 --> 00:44:43,834 and he was like, "Are you serious?" 1046 00:44:43,834 --> 00:44:45,066 And I said, "Yeah." 1047 00:44:45,066 --> 00:44:48,467 And he said, "It might be your lucky day today. 1048 00:44:48,467 --> 00:44:51,333 "I might just give you a warning because you're a Putz." 1049 00:44:51,333 --> 00:44:53,066 And I said, "I'll take it." 1050 00:44:53,066 --> 00:44:56,367 - I was glad that we could carry the name on. 1051 00:44:56,367 --> 00:44:58,900 That really made me happy. 1052 00:44:58,900 --> 00:45:02,467 - I would hope that I could name my son Donald Duck, 1053 00:45:02,467 --> 00:45:04,166 if we have children. 1054 00:45:04,166 --> 00:45:06,900 - And if I had a common name of Smith, Jones, Sullivan, 1055 00:45:06,900 --> 00:45:08,900 I don't mean to make fun of anybody's name, 1056 00:45:08,900 --> 00:45:12,867 but you know, I would probably be a little disappointed. 1057 00:45:12,867 --> 00:45:15,300 - Jeff Studley, that's a good name. 1058 00:45:15,300 --> 00:45:17,066 I think every male in this movie 1059 00:45:17,066 --> 00:45:18,900 probably wishes they had that name. 1060 00:45:18,900 --> 00:45:21,333 But then again, you gotta deliver. 1061 00:45:21,333 --> 00:45:22,834 Kinda like Linda Slutsky. 1062 00:45:22,834 --> 00:45:24,300 You know, they're expecting a little something 1063 00:45:24,300 --> 00:45:26,667 if they're out on a date with Studley. 1064 00:45:26,667 --> 00:45:29,633 As opposed to going out with Howard Schmuck. 1065 00:45:29,633 --> 00:45:32,433 You know, I think we're all a product of our environment. 1066 00:45:32,433 --> 00:45:34,967 Absolutely it's gonna shape you. 1067 00:45:34,967 --> 00:45:36,600 - Having the last name of Gay, 1068 00:45:36,600 --> 00:45:38,433 and experiencing that, 1069 00:45:38,433 --> 00:45:41,900 you know, kinda being picked on for a little while 1070 00:45:41,900 --> 00:45:46,467 for a few years has made me less prejudiced, 1071 00:45:46,467 --> 00:45:49,533 more understanding of other people. 1072 00:45:49,533 --> 00:45:54,200 - I hope this movie brings this issue out 1073 00:45:54,200 --> 00:45:56,066 more into society. I mean, I don't think 1074 00:45:56,066 --> 00:45:58,433 there's ever gonna be a Hall of Fame for us. 1075 00:45:58,433 --> 00:46:00,667 You know, maybe something like this 1076 00:46:00,667 --> 00:46:03,200 will prevent a lot of, more bullying 1077 00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:05,100 in the lives of these people. 1078 00:46:05,100 --> 00:46:07,867 - I think it's really important that it's brought to light, 1079 00:46:07,867 --> 00:46:10,433 because when people go around making fun of other people 1080 00:46:10,433 --> 00:46:12,633 for something that is really out of their control, 1081 00:46:12,633 --> 00:46:15,100 it can really affect somebody on a deeper level 1082 00:46:15,100 --> 00:46:18,166 that others probably wouldn't be aware of. 1083 00:46:18,166 --> 00:46:20,066 - [Narrator] So at the beginning of the film, 1084 00:46:20,066 --> 00:46:21,800 we posed a question. 1085 00:46:21,800 --> 00:46:24,133 When people ask, "Who are you?" 1086 00:46:24,133 --> 00:46:28,100 we answer with a name, but is that who we are? 1087 00:46:28,100 --> 00:46:29,533 After all the phone calls, 1088 00:46:29,533 --> 00:46:32,066 after all the interviews, 1089 00:46:32,066 --> 00:46:34,600 personally, I like the idea that a name 1090 00:46:34,600 --> 00:46:36,967 is not who we are, or what we are, 1091 00:46:36,967 --> 00:46:39,500 it's something we have. 1092 00:46:39,500 --> 00:46:41,367 It belongs to us, 1093 00:46:41,367 --> 00:46:44,500 so we can use it in any way we choose. 1094 00:46:44,500 --> 00:46:46,367 Many of the individuals that we've met 1095 00:46:46,367 --> 00:46:48,567 have made a conscious decision to use their names 1096 00:46:48,567 --> 00:46:51,066 in a way that enriches their lives, 1097 00:46:51,066 --> 00:46:54,667 both professionally and personally. 1098 00:46:54,667 --> 00:46:57,066 - My name led me to become a stand-up comic 1099 00:46:57,066 --> 00:46:58,700 and a humorist. 1100 00:46:58,700 --> 00:47:01,367 Much of it was embracing the peculiar aspect of the name. 1101 00:47:01,367 --> 00:47:04,400 People would often use that as a way to attack me. 1102 00:47:04,400 --> 00:47:07,266 But I found that as something that I use instead. 1103 00:47:07,266 --> 00:47:09,867 Outgoingness and positiveness instead of introversion. 1104 00:47:09,867 --> 00:47:12,266 - I don't need business cards anymore, 1105 00:47:12,266 --> 00:47:14,166 because everybody remembers my name. 1106 00:47:14,166 --> 00:47:16,700 - Got a lot of customers that I had met years ago 1107 00:47:16,700 --> 00:47:19,133 that either moved or had forgotten me, 1108 00:47:19,133 --> 00:47:21,767 and saw the commercials and remembered me. 1109 00:47:21,767 --> 00:47:24,533 - I look on it as an opportunity to be able 1110 00:47:24,533 --> 00:47:25,800 to make connections with people 1111 00:47:25,800 --> 00:47:27,734 that I would never have had the opportunity 1112 00:47:27,734 --> 00:47:29,900 to make connections with. 1113 00:47:29,900 --> 00:47:31,900 - It kind of opens me up. 1114 00:47:31,900 --> 00:47:33,633 It makes me more of a person. 1115 00:47:33,633 --> 00:47:35,367 It makes me more alive. 1116 00:47:35,367 --> 00:47:38,300 - It definitely made me a little bit 1117 00:47:38,300 --> 00:47:39,867 less sensitive as I got older. 1118 00:47:39,867 --> 00:47:42,166 - Drawing attention, frankly, to what I do, 1119 00:47:42,166 --> 00:47:45,166 which I think is important, and where I do it, 1120 00:47:45,166 --> 00:47:48,600 in a cancer center that's trying to develop new treatments. 1121 00:47:48,600 --> 00:47:51,433 I think the more attention to that, the better. 1122 00:47:51,433 --> 00:47:55,166 - I think it's great that they've come through it, 1123 00:47:55,166 --> 00:47:57,400 and become better people because of it. 1124 00:47:58,800 --> 00:48:00,734 - That's gonna build their self-confidence, 1125 00:48:00,734 --> 00:48:03,233 and provide them with a sense of strength 1126 00:48:03,233 --> 00:48:04,967 that they've made it through something 1127 00:48:04,967 --> 00:48:06,934 that's been really difficult for them. 1128 00:48:06,934 --> 00:48:11,567 - Every person should be proud of the name they have. 1129 00:48:11,567 --> 00:48:14,233 - I think, you know, you're pretty open to create 1130 00:48:14,233 --> 00:48:16,066 who you wanna be. 1131 00:48:16,066 --> 00:48:19,266 Your name really shouldn't define who you are. 1132 00:48:19,266 --> 00:48:22,066 - There is no single perfect name. 1133 00:48:22,066 --> 00:48:24,233 There's just the way that you take your name, 1134 00:48:24,233 --> 00:48:25,734 and turn it into your life. 1135 00:48:25,734 --> 00:48:29,066 - When you have an oddball name like I have, 1136 00:48:29,066 --> 00:48:31,500 if you do something good, you're remembered for it. 1137 00:48:31,500 --> 00:48:33,400 - I would recommend anybody out there 1138 00:48:33,400 --> 00:48:35,834 to change their name to Paul McCartney. 1139 00:48:35,834 --> 00:48:37,200 - It's an unusual name, yes. 1140 00:48:37,200 --> 00:48:39,967 But we have a lot of fun with it. 1141 00:48:39,967 --> 00:48:42,500 - My name is Cockburn. 1142 00:48:43,900 --> 00:48:45,700 The C and the K are, indeed, silent. 1143 00:48:45,700 --> 00:48:47,133 - I'm proud of my name. 1144 00:48:47,133 --> 00:48:49,066 It is what I am. 1145 00:48:49,066 --> 00:48:51,166 - I will have kids, and they will have my last name. 1146 00:48:51,166 --> 00:48:53,633 I don't care. 1147 00:48:53,633 --> 00:48:55,166 - Two to three times a week, 1148 00:48:55,166 --> 00:48:57,200 somebody says to me, "That's a great name. 1149 00:48:57,200 --> 00:48:59,467 I wish I had that name." 1150 00:48:59,467 --> 00:49:03,567 I would not change this name for anything in the world. 1151 00:49:05,333 --> 00:49:07,700 [upbeat bluesy rock music] 1152 00:51:09,066 --> 00:51:10,900 - [Automated voice] Please enjoy this Verizon 1153 00:51:10,900 --> 00:51:13,066 ring-back tone while your party is reached. 1154 00:51:13,066 --> 00:51:16,066 [classical music] 1155 00:51:16,066 --> 00:51:18,200 - I think this is public domain. 1156 00:51:20,066 --> 00:51:21,633 - [Ben] It started at an early age. 1157 00:51:21,633 --> 00:51:25,300 Kids were always starting to tease me. 1158 00:51:25,300 --> 00:51:28,233 It started with Ben Mangina, 1159 00:51:28,233 --> 00:51:31,567 and then it went to just Mangina. 1160 00:51:31,567 --> 00:51:33,367 And Mangina, I didn't know 1161 00:51:33,367 --> 00:51:35,533 that it had any reference to, you know, 1162 00:51:35,533 --> 00:51:37,300 any parts of the female anatomy. 1163 00:51:37,300 --> 00:51:39,066 I didn't really put two and two together 1164 00:51:39,066 --> 00:51:42,166 until I started getting more into middle school. 1165 00:51:42,166 --> 00:51:45,567 - And can you tell me how you introduce yourself? 1166 00:51:45,567 --> 00:51:48,266 - [Ben] Yeah, just hi, this is Ben Mangeena. 1167 00:51:48,266 --> 00:51:51,066 - Oh, I thought you said it was pronounced Mangina. 1168 00:51:51,066 --> 00:51:52,700 - [Ben] No, it's Mangeena. 1169 00:51:52,700 --> 00:51:54,166 - Oh, it's Mangeena. Okay. 1170 00:51:54,166 --> 00:51:56,600 - Can I say Mangeena? - [Co-Worker] No. 1171 00:51:56,600 --> 00:52:00,400 - [Ben] So it's been a lifelong correction for people. 1172 00:52:00,400 --> 00:52:03,333 My kids, I tell 'em that it's something 1173 00:52:03,333 --> 00:52:07,066 that they're gonna hear probably for the rest of their life, 1174 00:52:07,066 --> 00:52:09,834 and just not show other kids that it bothers them, 1175 00:52:09,834 --> 00:52:13,400 and then, that way, it'll start going away. 1176 00:52:13,400 --> 00:52:15,734 - Well, thank you so much for participating in this. 1177 00:52:15,734 --> 00:52:16,834 We really appreciate it. 1178 00:52:16,834 --> 00:52:18,767 - [Ben] Well, you're very welcome. 1179 00:52:18,767 --> 00:52:20,533 I'm glad I had the opportunity to do so.