You all know one. They’re that guy or girl who’s really “out there”. Over the top, outspoken, flamboyant, and infamous are all on their resumé. They’re entertaining, to be sure, but is it something that’s genuine? Are they just really good at a particular act so they run with it?

I’m constantly wondering if I should shift my outward image to something more like a character and less like me. The Elton John with the funky sunglasses. The David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust. Prince as… well, whatever the hell’s been wrong with him for decades now. In a word, GWAR. All of them are icons, permanently embossed into our cultural history, but is it an organic process?

I guess my fear is that any image I try to maintain will seem contrived. At worse, if the image is successful, the legitimate personality inside begins to atrophy until all you have left is… well, you’ve seen Little Richard lately, right? On the other hand, will anyone even pay attention to someone who’s just… a nice guy?

Nice guys never win, that’s a fact of life. Well, except for Barack Obama.

It’s a very fine line to walk, and it works for some. Bowie launched a career of his own personality on the platform of Ziggy Stardust. Could I be that lucky if I tried my own image adjustment?

So should I pick up the mantle of space pirate captain or giant bird creature, re-tool my PR machinery to run with that 24/7, and save the real me for the quiet, private moments with my loved ones? It might be more entertaining, you never know.

Or so sayeth [tag]Elton John[/tag]. Apparently, that’s a direct quote from the English knight who wrote some of the coolest damn [tag]piano rock[/tag] songs in history. He actually used those words from the stage:

Nobody would know the album has been out since September. My record label isn’t doing anything to help. F**k [tag]Universal[/tag]. Please drop me. I’m 58 and I don’t care anymore.

Hey Elton… ever consider going the podsafe route and sending your album cuts to [tag]podcasters[/tag]?

[tags]record labels, Universal Records, podsafe music, Yahoo! News[/tags]