'Cause who's gonna go see "Elton Finkelstein" perform pop classics?

Because their real names are boring/akward/stupid/or just really long... Edda Kathleen van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston is Audrey Hepburn's real name!

I'm not sure about them, but I would take up a stage name if I were famous! Only because I would get really sick of people saying my name wrong all the time!

I think it's to make it more unique, so people have a easier time remembering it.

because elton john sounds better than Reginald Dwight, elton johns real name.

1) Either they don't have a name that one could sell so easily or they want to convey a particular message with their names. 2) "When used by an actor, performer or model, a pseudonym is a stage name or screen name. In professional wrestling, and sometimes in other combat sports such as mixed martial arts, a pseudonym is a ring name. Also, some professional fighters are known to assume the name of the founder of the school or discipline of martial arts they practice as a symbol of respect and gratitude. Actors — and others in show business — rarely use a pseudonym to disguise themselves. Actors who are members of a less-privileged ethnic or religious group have often adopted stage names, typically changing their surname or entire name to mask their original background — as has been done in other fields as well. This phenomenon was common in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, as ethnic minorities began to attain a greater role in acting and films, yet social trends had not yet reached the point where such minorities would be accepted with their original non-mainstream identity. Popular Jewish comedian and "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart was born Jonathan Stewart Leibowitz. When asked why he dropped Leibowitz in a "60 Minutes" interview, Stewart sardonically explained that it "sounded too Hollywood". John Wayne, building a reputation as a tough guy, felt that his given name, Marion Morrison, did not connote the image he sought to assume. Stan Laurel, born Arthur Stanley Jefferson, was apparently happy to be known as Stan Jefferson until he realised that it had thirteen letters. Famous poet and singer Jim Morrison used the pseudonym "Lizard King" and the anagram Mr. Mojo Risin. Paul McCartney sometimes checked into hotels as Paul Ramon (he also recorded under this name for the Steve Miller song "My Dark Hour"), after which The Ramones named themselves. In many cases, a screen name was constructed simply because a studio executive did not like the actor's real name. Creighton Tull Chaney did not succeed until after he adopted the pseudonym Lon Chaney, Jr., a reference to his famous father Lon Chaney, Sr. Today, the most common reason for a performer to adopt a pseudonym is that someone else has already achieved fame with that name. Performing arts guilds (SAG, WGA, AFTRA, etc.) enforce rules on the use of names formerly registered for credits, generally refusing to allow an identical name to be used again. A notable example is Michael J. Fox, who added the "J" upon joining SAG due to Michael Fox already being registered. A special case is the name Alan Smithee, which was used until 1998 (and is still occasionally used) by directors in the DGA to remove their name from a film they feel was edited or modified beyond their artistic satisfaction. Many productions over the years have been credited to the name, which is also occasionally used for in-flight versions or telecasts. This is similar to the use in the theatre of George or Georgina Spelvin to hide the identity of the actor playing a part (for any number of reasons, including that it would give away a plot point if the audience knew who was performing) or to mask that the part is actually non-existent. In some cases, a stage name is intended to separate the public persona from the private life. But while keeping a real name for private use may help one go unrecognized in public, it can rarely be kept entirely secret and may become an item of gossip in itself. In the music world, pseudonyms have been used to allow artists to collaborate with artists on other labels while avoiding the need to gain permission from their own labels. George Harrison, for example, played guitar on Cream's song "Badge" (which he also co-wrote with Eric Clapton). He was credited on the recording as "L'Angelo Mysterioso" ("The Mysterious Angel"). Established musical acts have occasionally released recordings under a nom de disk. The Four Seasons (as The Wonder Who?) and Paul McCartney and Wings (as Suzy and the Red Stripes) are two such examples. In classical music, unscrupulous record companies issued recordings under pseudonyms to avoid paying royalties. This practice was most common in the 1950s and 1960s. Perhaps the best known of these pseudonymous artists was Paul Procopolis, a name used to issue a large number of popular budget LPs of piano music. Most hip hop artists prefer to use a pseudonym that represents some variation of their name, personality, or interests. Prime examples include Ol' Dirty Bastard (who was known under at least six aliases), Diddy (formerly known as P. Diddy, and Puff Daddy), Ludacris, LL Cool J, and Chingy. See List of hip hop musicians. Black metal artists also adopt pseudonyms, usually symbolizing satanic values. Some are: Nocturno Culto, Legion, Gaahl, Abbath, Silenoz, etc." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudonym

Tori Amos chose to change her first name because her original name was related to the religious back ground of her family, which she has continued to explore and challenge in her music ever since. She liked the name "Tori" because the sound can be found in all kinds of words (historical, rhetorical, oratoricle...) And since her career was taking off at a young age, she wanted a name that could be more universal instead of something personally confining.

Which do you prefer, Robert Zimmerman or Bob Dylan?

Because names like Clarence Dinkledip and Gertrude Pustule aren't too catchy in the credits. There also was/maybe still is in some quarters, a bias against some ethnic identifying names. I, for one, would like to see some more real names. Is Minnie Driver a real name? Love it either way.