Names/Identity

While a birth name is important to one's identity in the world and to sense of self, preferred names and nicknames often serve as identities, too. The Tender Bar examines the connection between names and identity through Moehringer, Jimmy Michaels, and the employees and patrons at Publicans.

As a child, everyone called Moehringer “JR,” and he actually believed that was his full, legal name until he was about eight. He had no interaction with his father until then. His father was a man he knew as disc jockey Johnny Michaels. During one of the rare visits, Johnny called JR “Junior,” prompting a conversation with Moehringer's mother, Dorothy. She revealed that his legal name was John Joseph Moehringer, Jr., named for his father who only used the name Johnny Michaels as his radio personality name. Moehringer had such a terrible experience with his dad that day that he...