Knowing Pop Stars Names

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

How good are you at remembering the names of people in pop groups? Prompted by comments on the PCDs thread I realised to my surprise that I can't actually remember all five out of Girls Aloud who are one of my favourite acts.

Back in the day I had the names of several bassists and drummers neatly filed in my brain but my synapses have been failing me more and more of late, or maybe I just care a lot less.

Does it matter? Probably not, though I couldn't tell you who SINGS what on which GA track either. (I can't reliably tell Agnetha from Anni-Frid in ABBA either - I am poor at voice recognition.) (Can't recognise instruments either) (Pretty useless critic eh!)

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Better than I think - I didn't think I knew all the non-Nicole PCDs but I only missed one. And I somehow know most single-name r&b divas' surnames too.

It helps if they are interesting names eg I will remember Me'shell Ndegéocello far more easily than eg David Byrne

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

I am rubbish on detail. I can never remember the names of people in bands or of actors and actresses in films. (and actually I fail to understand why people would even want to know this stuff -- if I like a film or a song I'll remember the name of that, but beyond that it's all trivia!). I would like to say that this is because my mind is on higher things but it is more likely because I R a simpleton.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

I am quite disturbingly good at popstars' names, even ones I really couldn't give a monkeys about, except a few which I have massive mental blocks over eg: frontman of Gallows, who I contantly want to call Alex Turner even though I KNOW that's him out of Arctic Monkeys.

I am ultra-rubbish at voice recognition but then I constantly mishear lyrics, too.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

i have to concentrate very hard to remember all five GAs (nicola, cheryl, sarah, kimberley, um um the other one), and have 0 idea who sings what, even having seen them live TWICE.

i could probably do a lot of britpop bands though...

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

it's usually kimberly i leave til last cos i forget her name. but now i've forgotten who you've left out...

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

NADINE

irish one
violent geordie racist one
ginger BRILLIANT one
tall weird looking blonde one
and kimberly

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

is now:

mouthy footballer's wife one
hollywood girlfriend one
ginger one
drunk one
and kimberly

[sbp.livejournal.com]

Is
Irish one who can sing,
ginger one,
some other ones that I can't tell apart

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Yes it was Kimberly for me too.

[sbp.livejournal.com]

Sure I can remember, depends whether I like the band or not. (Let's see, Robbie Robertson, um...)

Girls Aloud I can only ever recognise the ginger one (Nicola), and Nadine, because she does the singing - at least, when I saw them at the Big Gay Out once, she was the only one who wasn't miming for most of it. The others aren't memorable, nice but not memorable. Unlike e.g. the Spice Girls where they all look and act and sing differently.

Frida usually takes the lower vocal lines and Agnetha the high lines. See Money Money Money for an example.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

That is v useful info about ABBA, thankyou!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Usually very good indeed, but that's because knowing who is in what band (and whether they write the songs or not) is my job.

[mooxyjoo.livejournal.com]

name memory goes along with:

- obsessive fandom (obv.)
- career narratives (having a career narrative, a story of development, failure, success, makes the musicians hero/protagonist figures whose names automatically become more desirable to remember)
- performance or creation norms (interest in the musicians' names goes along with interest in their individual roles in the music, or their signature style)
- branding biographical narratives/schemes a la the monkees, spice girls
- direct use of name on a track (usually in combination with any of the above)