I'm Coming Out



Hi. I'm Brian.

Most of the people who read this blog probably already know that, which is one of the reasons I've decided to give up my "secret identity" of "Cinephile" that I've been posting under for lo, these many months. I initially adopted it for purposes of anonymity (I think, when you begin blogging, there's some comfort in hiding behind a mask and working the kinks out under an assumed name), but also because I liked the idea of a fluid online identity, one which was me-but-not-me, which created new characters, not so much out of fear, as a desire for playfulness.

I still like that idea, and still think it's an interesting creative/theoretical strategy. And, like Spider-Man's secret ID, "Cinephile" may sometimes still pop up here (I think Jeff (forgive me if I'm misremembering, Jeff) once referred to online pseudonyms as a George Clinton-like play with fake names). But for now, since this blog now feels more like "me," anyway, it seemed like a good time to pull the mask off.

Comments

pc said…
I had no idea. Shocked.
Brian Doan said…
I know, I know-- I expect it to be on the front of newspapers across the country tomorrow. (:
Anonymous said…
Brian...Brian...Brian who?
Greg said…
Hey, I called you Brian from the beginning although I never used your last name, D**n, but I guess that doesn't matter now. If it does, and my covering up with the asterisks isn't enough, please delete this comment. I also knew Larry Aydlette's name when he was still the Shamus. And I know who Arbogast is. Now how did I know all this? I'm a sneaky bastard and that stays with me. Suffice it to say, if I want to know who someone is, I can find out.
Brian Doan said…
Jeff,
Brian Keith, of course. You know how much I enjoyed my time on Family Affair.

Jonathan,
Remind me to call you next time I need to solve the mystery of that corrupt land/water deal and its ensuing coverup, Mr. Gittes.
Brian Doan said…
Thinking about Jeff and Jonathan's remarks on the walk home (brrr, it's snowing again!), I've decided to add my last name to the profile, too (it's kind of silly-looking to have a mask half-on, after all). However:

1) It was totally worth waiting a bit, just to have the opportunity to make a Family Affair joke;

2) I'd like to thank Jonathan for making my last name resemble a profanity in his comment. (:
Nice to meet you, Brian Doan. Hell of a blog you've got here, under any name.
Brian Doan said…
Thanks, Matt! I love your blog, and your kind words mean a lot!
WelcometoLA said…
Hellllllllllo, Brian! It feels good to be out in the sunshine, doesn't it? A little naked, but you'll get used to it. And I always knew that d**n Lapper, the G. Gordon Liddy of the blogosphere (or is that Howard Hunt), had figured out who I was, and I'll bet it has something to do with the info stored on those site counters, doesn't it? Those things are leakier than a reservoir in an L.A. drought, to continue the Chinatown references. C'mon, Lapper, spill!
Brian Doan said…
I always imagined Jonathan as the blogosphere's John Ehrlichman, but with a (slightly) less pottymouthed style. I just know he has an enemies list somewhere.

Hellllllllo, Larry! If I still lived in Florida, it would probably feel good to be out in the sunshine. Ohio in February, not so much. (: BTW, really loved your write-up on STARTING OVER today (a film I've always meant to see), but where's the "Burt on the Carson show" post you keep teasing? I've always heard about those (too young to see them live), and was curious to get your take.
WelcometoLA said…
Yeah, it's coming, I keep moving them around.
Greg said…
Where's the love? Liddy? Ehrlichman? Well, first you have to understand I'm one those people that loves puzzles, mysteries, whodunnits, etc. And so someone blogging under an alias is something that screams out to me: Find out who this is!

And yes, sitemeter certainly helps with location. As long as you know who's I.P. is who's. So yeah, Larry, yours said "Palm Beach Post" but that didn't help too much as there are quite a few employees there and you could've been a copy boy for all I knew.

However, as someone who has loved mysteries since I was a tot knows, people leave clues everywhere, you just have to recognize them when you see them. And leave clues you did. I read a comment once on Dennis' blog I believe where you said you had grown up in the Virginia Beach area. Then you announced your birthday, and well, if you can't find out who someone is knowing their present location, where they grew up and their birthday I can't help you. I even got your middle initial "T". And don't tell me - I want to imagine it is Tiberius like Captain Kirk.
WelcometoLA said…
Excellent snooping!
And, speaking of, your name's really not Jonathan Lapper, is it? Unless you happen to be a land-use attorney...
Greg said…
By the way, here's a challenge: I've mentioned in my comments section a few times (most recently in the current post) that I write under one name and act under another. So what name do I act under? And which is my given name? Any takers?
Greg said…
I left that comment while Larry was leaving his, so to answer, no, I am not a land use attorney.
Greg said…
Arbogast by the way was a pain in the rear. He did say his name was among the fans listed in "Famous Monsters 100" so I got a hold of a copy and had to cross-reference the readers with online critics. It helped to know which movies he liked and disliked. He mentioned giving a rave review to "Blair Witch" when it came out so I used that as an extra guide. He also mentioned where he was from and in the mag they list the city/state of the readers so that helped too.
Anonymous said…
Hey Brian! Glad to see you're out and about. Enjoy the sunshine, to build on another comment.
Anonymous said…
You are still Batman, though, right?

Right?
Greg said…
I thought we agreed I was Batman?
Bob Westal said…
Hey...Brian --

Welcome to the world of exposed blogging. And another mystery solved...First Larry, now you, that leaves...(I'd say, but I know Jonathan Lapper likes to figure things out.)

Also, I'm starting to wonder if I should take that caricature of me off of Blogger. There may be such a thing as too much blogging glasnost.
Roger Whitson said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Brian Doan said…
Wow, you go away from your blog for a day or so, and look how the comments section grows!

I seem to have picked up a flu bug from the campus, so I apologize for the brevity of this response (and the lack of new posts).

Jonathan-- you are an expert snooper, my friend! Which only proves Larry's point about your Liddyesque qualities. (: And no-- I'm Batman, you're Aquaman. We discussed this, remember?

Hey, Bob! I like your caricature, myself. I'd keep it.

Boolise-- so, when are you going to reveal that you are secretly Paul Prudhomme, posting under a false name, hmmm? (:

Roger-- I was Brian all these years, but I would've gotten even better pictures of my various superfights if my damn webshooters would've stopped jamming up all the time. Aunt Maaaay!

Hey, Dave! Hope you are enjoying (or even getting!) sunshine up in MD, too!
Anonymous said…
Heh heh. No, but I will concede that Paul Prudhomme is actually Gambit, and is thus thrilled that he'll be portrayed by Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights in the upcoming Wolverine movie. :)

Emeril is really pissed.

Speaking of superheroes--so you're Batman and Spider-Man?--you might be interested in Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children's use of superheroes. The part about the evangelist who bases his persona on Superman is pretty funny.
Roger Whitson said…
I second the Rushdie recommendation, if you haven't already read the book.
Brian Doan said…
Gambit rocks! Gambit's the best hero ever, and not at all a cultural stereotype!

Rushdie, eh? I don't know-- can he make a roux? (:
Anonymous said…
Gambit must DIE! (Except, of course, when he's being portrayed by Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights.)

Come on, man, his big-deal power is throwing glowing playing cards at people. Whoop-dee-frickin'-doooooo, as Chris Farley might say! What did Cajuns do to the X-Men to warrant that lame-o crap? (Yeah, and they changed it for the movie, so Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights gets to carry a bow.)

I told you Emeril was pissed.

Oh. We don't talk about roux around Rushdie. It reminds him of Padma, and that's just mean.
Brian Doan said…
Speaking of the X-Men, this is hilarious.

Poor Salman and Padma-- why couldn't those two crazy kids work it out??

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