Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Confession

I have to be honest, my real name isn't Nick DeWolfe. I was not born with that name at least. Real name, fake name, pseudonym, AKA it's all the same to me. But I will admit my momma never called me Nick and my daddy wasn't Mr DeWolfe.

So who am I then?

My father was an industry guy. Songwriter in his own right. Sold a lot of records, made some money, but his success was mired in questionable ethics. You see, he stole music and called it his own. He would argue the semantics of it but I was always a bigger fan of some antics than semantics so I just stuck with "plagiarist". Combine typical teenage angst with deep philosophical differences, throw in a seriou drinking problem and I did what I felt was right and left. Forced to take the only option left, to write. It was a time of contradictions and puns.

My father's name was Paul Campbell, you can look him up. He is credited with writing many classic folk songs, so classic they pre-dated him by 20 or 30 years in some cases. He and my mother, Mary Campbell named their first son Peter on July 7, 1969. Still stealing his material, but he was a legitmate fan of  In the Wind so maybe I can give him that.

What was less known was my family's connection to the Dianetics movement and its founder L Ron Hubbard. Uncle Ronnie growing up. I actually had very little to do with Wierd Uncle Ronnie and his crazy church friends, I was closer to his son Ron Jr. Ron Jr and myself both lamented out fathers' choices and legacy. When I couldn't take it anymore I ran away, changing my name to Nick DeWolfe. Little Ron left the church and denounced his father and changed his name shortly thereafter. I don't know why he dropped the e, but he is still my brother.

But I have been Nick DeWolfe longer than I was ever Peter Campbell. My cousin Bruce kept his last name and does quite well with it. But with his chin he could have been named Tiny Cox and done well. I have also been Charles Monroe, Dick Dragon, Hellvis, and a bunch of other names more descriptive and given to me by others. I am not sure what it will say on my gravestone. Nobody gave me one last time I died. It will probably just say

"At the bottom of this mine lies another deeper hole"

Keep howling




No comments:

Post a Comment