How to Have an Alter Ego

Everyone sometimes wishes they could be someone different. This is when some people go dye their hair or experiment a little bit with music, clothing, travel and so on. However, some people choose to take this to a different level and create whole different personalities. This is what we know as an “alter ego.” Do an alter ego correctly and you end up with a fun surprise now and again. Do an alter ego wrong? You end up either looking as if you have multiple personalities or you just confuse the hell out of people, leaving them wondering “what the hell was that about?” That being said let's look at the right way and the wrong way to have an alter ego by looking at a few celebrities who have gone this route.

Alter Ego Failure:

1. Garth Brooks IS Chris Gaines.
   People still like to wonder what the fuck Garth Brooks was thinking when he created Chris Gaines. At some point Garth probably got tired of doing the same old music- even though it was TOTALLY WORKING! The birth of Chris Gaines came along when Garth was set to star in a movie called The Lamb which chronicles a rock star and the emotional conflicts of life that come along with it. Garth decided to method act and BECOME Chris Gaines as a way to amp people up for the movie. The album came out and was named Greatest Hits- get it? Because Chris Gains is one of the biggest rock and roll stars you've never even heard of, and guess what? He's got a soft side. Gaines was debuted as a gentle tortured soul with a hipster gotee and hair cut. Not only was an album of Gaines' experimental music released, but he also appeared on Saturday Night Live- hosted by Garth Brooks. Garth appeared once as himself, and once again as an alter ego and sang his only song to be played on the radio- “Lost in You.”
Audiences were not “lost in Chris Gaines,” and Chris later disappeared completely. The album flopped mere weeks after it debuted and The Lamb went on an indefinite hiatus in 2001. Somewhere there HAS to be at least one scene of pure gold from that movie just waiting to be discovered and I have made it my life's mission to find this scene and bring it to light.
1. A.J. Mclean Creates an Alter Ego That Isn't Exactly an Alter Ego.

As someone who always loved the Backstreet Boys I was aware of ever move they made. They came out with a song? I already knew all the words. They came out with a new music video? I could already describe every minute aspect of it.

Which is why when A.J came out with “Johnny NoName,” I was sure to follow. What happened thereafter confused my 11 year old mind. What the hell was this?

Rather than create an off the wall character or create someone through which he can talk about his “feelings” a la Garth Brooks/ Chris Gains, he created someone with the same background info- single mom and a grandmother that died when he was young. He went all out for his back story to really reiterate the idea that this was an angsty angsty man.Not positive why he needed that background known but hey, whatever floats your boat. A.J also decided to give Johnny No Name a prison record and he would come out in handcuffs and leave in handcuffs. He never stated exactly what he was in prison for. According to A.J, Johnny was to be on “constant probation,” and was only let off to do the show. Again, why the prison record, I couldn't tell you. However, to end up in prison, one must commit a pretty serious crime. After creating the “bad boy” persona, A.J decided to give this bad boy a heart of gold. He wasn't just a criminal, oh no. He was a criminal bad boy with a heart of gold. He set up a foundation in Johnny No Name's honor and the proceeds were to go to saving music in schools. All great things, but again, was it necessary to create an alter ego to do all of this?

The icing on this glorious alter-ego cake? Johnny was British and from Nashville. How the FUCK does that happen? Who, from England, is going to say to themselves “Hey, I want to move to America. I know, I'll go to NASHVILLE!!” Johnny was supposed to be someone that A.J couldn't be on stage with the Backstreet Boys. So, all this time, you are wanting to be a bad boy British prisoner from Nashville? Of all the things you could have chosen to be, THAT was what you chose? Needless to say, Johnny No-Name followed into a kind of obscurity. He never gathered any kind of public interest enough for him to fade BACK into obscurity. That's how you know your alter ego was a major failure, when you can't even come out of obscurity. At least people know and remember Chris Gaines.

Alter Ego Success
David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust
If you want to look at a alter ego success. Look no further than David Bowie when he became Ziggy Stardust. I say “became Ziggy Stardust” because for a period of years, there was literally no distinction between David Bowie and Ziggy Stardust. David can be quoted as saying “Offstage I'm a robot. Onstage I achieve emotion. It's probably why I prefer dressing up as Ziggy to being David."
I hope Garth and Mr. Mclean are reading this and taking notes. This is how you have an alter ego bitches.
David Bowie started with creating a backup band called The Spiders from Mars-it was the 70's so it was acceptable to have a crazy ass name like that. Together they made an album called “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.” Shitballs, that's a long name. Nevertheless, David (Ziggy?) put together two kinds of music that he was amazing at- hard rock and folk music and mixed it with a story about a fictional band with its fictional asshole egocentric drug addicted lead singer. Ziggy wore makeup and outfits that would make Lady GaGa jealous. Actually, Ziggy was the original Lady GaGa. His shows were ultra theatrical, featuring frequent costume changes, stage acts that would make Prince blush.
This persona consumed Bowie so much that he questioned his sanity and even performed interviews as Ziggy. Eventually, Bowie ended up retiring while onstage in London.

The lesson of this story is that the only way to have an alter ego is to just forget about the old you. What that leaves you with is no alter ego, and just the new whacked out version of you. Instead of wondering why you have multiple personalities, people will just wonder who the fuck you are and why you are talking with a British accent.