The Name Game Continues
While New Zealand may have outlawed some names, the USA, with the exception of what a judge may find to be a frivolous name, (Your Majesty; Copyright; Superman) still allows people to name themselves or their offspring pretty much whatever they want.
So when George Blackburn, 64, of Bethalto, IL recently got divorced, he wanted a fresh start and legally renamed himself Led Zeppelin II. According to an article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch the newly named Zeppelin said:
“I reinvented myself, since I became Led Zeppelin, my life has improved a thousand fold.
I don’t want to appear to be some off-the-wall, drug-addict idiot,” he said. “I just changed my name from the standpoint that I can be a better person than I used to be.
They changed my life, forever, and that’s my whole reason for doing this.”
When some fellow Led Zeppelin music fans learn his name, he said, they buy him drinks and dinner. They say they admire him for having the guts to do it. Even his ex-wife is supportive, calling him L.Z. or Zep.
Some folks still call him George instead of Led, and he said he’s fine with that, too. “I want them to be comfortable.”
If Mr. Zeppelin is attending a rock club, can they put “Led Zeppelin – Here Tonight” on their marquee?
I’m sure Jimmy Page can afford a good lawyer.