How did you get your Playa name?

[mars]

I'm curious about how you got your playa name. Post your stories here.

Neon
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[HughMungus]

My playa name this year was "Skipper" because we drove a boat-like 30' RV and since most of the "crew" were virgins, I was basically in charge.

[AntiM]

My old one was maggie mayday, and maggie mayhem earlier, from when I was a contributor to the old "George Hayduke" revenge books. Trouble was everyone shortened it to maggie or maggie may. I hate being called maggie.

My nieces and nephews call me Auntie Em, short for Aunt Margaret. One of them housesat for me, and when he left a note, Auntie Em got spelled Anti M. It stuck.

Anti M, 75% less evil than Maggie Mayhem.

[Kinetic IV]

Anti M, 75% less evil than Maggie Mayhem.

And one of the nicest people I've met on the playa bar none. And a great curator of wayward art, if I do say so.

[robbidobbs]

My grandfather started calling me RobbiDobbs when I was born, and exclusively called me that (or sometimes Robbi) until he died a few years ago.
In 1999, my first burn, I was standing in line to get my Ranger shirt and sign up for shifts. My grandfather had just had (what was to be his first) heart attack, and we all thought he was a gonner, including him. So I was feeling the distance between what was going on with him, and me on-playa. So I chose his term of endearment as my Ranger handle. Two days later someone asked me if I'd ever heard of Bob and the Church of the Subgenius.
Oh NO! I'd been a member of the Church for years prior to '99. The similarities of the name to J.R. "Bob" Dobbs was an easy assumption, and although I had not thought of that when I chose the handle, nor would I presume to be the daughter of Bob (heavens no), once it was pointed out, it was, as Dr. Howl told me "synergy." Ivan Stang was amused and delighted about the story about my grandfather, Philo Drummond (playa name: Ranger Philo) as well approved. Puzzling Evidence (playa-name: Ranger Coyote) had spontaneously introduced me to Hal as "RobbiDobbs: daughter of Bob."

It's all good.

[I am the River you saw Ye]

My Playa name is Robert Paulson.
I first made this my name as I wanted to represent who I most truly was @ the time. The combined sence of new purpose and futility that was embodied in the fight club carachter was what I happened to be living. It was a way to first represent to others something deep and true about myself.
Some of the first questions we ask each other to pin the other down are, where do you work? Where do you live? All of these different demigraphics narrow us down to an understandable level 4 the other to relate to. My parents picked my name. I hade the opportunity to choose who I was and put it out there on the playa.
I am changing my name. I will no longer be Robert Paulson.
My new playa name is "I am the river you saw yesterday" This is who I wish to be now. A new chapter in my life and a new joy. Alwayas the same and yet ever changing. Clever is good. Meaningful is better.

[Mister Jellyfish Mister]

Discover a new you with the Playa Name Generator at:
http://www.mutantvehicle.com/name_generator.htm

[mars]

I got my playa name last year after my second burn.

I was at a blacklight party and showed up in my favorite full-on blacklight regalia. I was practically glowing: orange and yellow boa that looked like flames, pink cowboy hat, bright yellow wig (or was it the green one? can't remember). Hot pink pants, psychedelic pink and orange top.

Not many people there were dressed up, other than the typical--hey it's a blacklight party, let's wear white--kind of thing. So I met this interesting couple, and it turned out, surprise surprise, they had just come back from burningman and we had this really nice converstion/connection, failing to introduce ourselves until we were parting.

At which point the man said, btw, I'm Conundrum, and this is __________ (I can't for the life of me remember her name, but it was a great one, like Pause, or something , and I so admired their sweet and creative playa names.

And then it was my turn and I was about to say my name, when I LITERALLY HEARD a voice, a man's voice (I'm female) tell me to say, I'm Neon, but I didn't listen and said my street name and felt like it landed with a thud, like it was a joke that fell flat, a name that wasn't me. So the next time someone asked me who I was, I just said Neon. And then I told my friends what happened and they started using it too.

If anyone knows Conundrum, please tell him thank-you, from me. And if you know the name of lady who was with him, I'd sure like to be able to use her actual playa name when i tell my story, if you could tell me what it is.

Neon


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[Rob the Wop]

Absolutely no idea.

[Magikal]

Actually, I was rather *ahem* indisposed the night I signed up on the e-playa, and was rather surprised when I woke the next day to find I had assigned myself the moniker of "Magikal". I suppose it was Freudian wishful thinking on my part, being a rather mundane character in most of my incantations. And living in California, i.e. Kalifornia, well... it IS distinctive. Calling myself "Burner" or something would hardly have been very unique. SO, until such time as I get that surplus Titan V rocket to run at burns, whereupon I will start calling myself "Cap'n Thunder", I guess I will stick with it.

[theCryptofishist]

I don't have a playa name, but if I did I'd claim I'd mooped off the playa at the end of the 03 event.