why "Bedlam"?

[stevemacdonald]

I have a suggestion that will likely fall on deaf ears, but here it goes anyway:

They should change the name of Hayley's management company to something besides "Bedlam". Quite frankly, Bedlam is an ugly word with disturbing connotations. Just look at the dictionary entry:

bed·lam
Pronunciation: \ˈbed-ləm\
Function: noun
Etymology: Bedlam, popular name for the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem, London, an insane asylum, from Middle English Bedlem Bethlehem
Date: 1522
1. obsolete : madman, lunatic
2. often capitalized : a lunatic asylum
3. a place, scene, or state of uproar and confusion

— bedlam adjective

For most people the word "Bedlam" conjures up chaotic and disturbing images of maniacal behaviour -- like when that crazed fan in Germany rushed the stage to get at Hayley. The very idea of bedlam is a turn-off, and anyone seeking serenity and uplift might think twice about attending a concert that proudly invokes that name. This leaves Hayley with an unusual problem, because she is loyal to her management despite the patently whacko term it goes by. I think they should spin off a better-named company that completely assures the public of soothing music and good intentions instead of the potential for..... BEDLAM!!!

[roger]

Hi Steve,

I can offer two possible answers to this but I stress that the first is a pure guess:

I suspect that the word 'Bedlam' is a corruption of three elements. I don't think I am giving away two many secrets if I say that the first three letters *may* represent the county of Bedfordshire which is where Steve Abbott was born and raised. Whether my guess is right or wrong, the "la" would give away some confidential information but it would certainly be VERY significant to him. The 'M' may stand for 'management', merely to give a legitimate word.

The second explanation refers to the fact that Steve has always said it is not a 9 to 5 job. As we know, they are always incredibly busy to the point when I suspect that 'bedlam' is highly appropriate!

As for the suggestion that the name may put people off, I suspect that most are only concerned with the name of the artists and take little notice of the name of their management teams.

Roger (t/a Chaos!).

[Dave]

Hi Steve,

I don't really agree with you on this (and it's nothing to do with any sense of "loyalty" or anything else towards them). The modern dictionary definition is certainly one of those you quote above i.e. "a scene of uproar and confusion" but the other two (the 'worst' meanings) are archaic or little used, so few if any people would associate the word with them, certainly not in the UK.

In my personal experience of it's real-life usage over the last 50 years (both in the North and South of the UK) I can only remember seeing it used in a light-hearted manner, such as to describe the scene my daughter might find when she arrives at the start of the day with her 4 year old child at play school - only to find high-spirited kids running about everywhere and teachers trying to calm them down. Chaos it may be - but nothing to worry about. Alternatively, I've used it myself to describe a hectic scene in the office I used to work in on an exceptionally busy day - used to reinforce the idea that it really was very very busy with way too many customers - and we were working flat out to handle it. It got the message across quite well, I think!

Yes it can be used for more serious kinds of chaos but I would be surprised if anyone in the music industry thinks it's anything other than a light-hearted "take" on the word. And most fans are unlikely to even know their name. The plus side is, of course, that the name is easy to remember and that is a plus in itself. In fact, I quite like it!

Cheers, Dave

[Stephany]

Hi everyone,

At the risk of being slightly off-topic, I'd like to point out that Bedlam has diversified its activities and created a division which handles exclusively all aspects of live performance booking called Bedlam Artists Agency (as opposed to Bedlam Management). Artists like Will Martin, Ruth Palmer and Tyler Rix (BBC2's Classical Star) are represented by Bedlam Artists Agency but not by Bedlam Management.

See: www.bedlamartistsagency.com/ and www.bedlammanagement.com/ Hayley's biography is very up-to-date on their website and there is even a tour diary. Same for Will Martin and all the other artists like All Angels. Could be very useful because it seems to be more updated than their official websites.

Stephany

[Joe]

Hi all,

The word "bedlam" for me conjures up an image of complete disorder. See also: hectic, chaos, shambles.

It was used in Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol"..

"There's another fellow," muttered Scrooge; who overheard him: "my clerk, with fifteen shillings a week, and a wife and family, talking about a merry Christmas. I'll retire to Bedlam."

Joe

[Richard]

Hello everybody!

I like the name 'Bedlam' too, so keep up the good work, Steve A and team!

Richard

[larryhauck]

Well. Running any business is bedlam. Believe me I did it for 40+ years. Aptly named.

Larry

[stevemacdonald]

I'm glad everyone can see the lighter side of Bedlam, and maybe the horror I associate with it is linked to that scary movie of the same name. But still, the name does convey a certain tolerance, if not outright condoning, of disorder. It sort of gets them off the hook if plans go awry. I look at some of the minor debacles that have happened -- the wild Il Divo concerts with knickers-tossing women still taking their seats and gabbing loudly during Hayley's set -- or the missteps made launching her stateside career -- and the name seems to make sense indeed.

[Dave]

Jul 15, 2008 12:46:03 GMT stevemacdonald said:

... I look at some of the minor debacles that have happened -- the wild Il Divo concerts with knickers-tossing women still taking their seats and gabbing loudly during Hayley's set -- or the missteps made launching her stateside career -- and the name seems to make sense indeed.

But we don't know who was directly responsible for that, Steve, or why, or what if anything could have been done about it. we can only speculate and speculation isn't usually the best way to arrive at a conclusion...

Dave

[howard]

Hi Steve,

Interesting, Meav on her 'Silver Sea' solo CD sings a song, 'A Maid in Bedlam'
Following are the liner notes:

'A quirky Cornish folksong dating from the 1740s, it tells of a girl who has been committed in Bedlam asylum by the disapproving parents of her departed lover. During the 18th century many people visited the asylum to observe the inmates. Admission was one penny, and the hospital made a tidy income from the visits.'

A depressing song. But overcome by Meavs' beautiful voice.



Howard

[milewalker]

Steve,

When I first heard the name of the company I simply figured that it was an intentional play on words. "Bedlam management" is almost an oxymoron like "Jumbo Shrimp" - and is actually a pretty good name thought of in that way.

It even suggests a company slogan:

"Bedlam Management - Making Order Out of Chaos, since 2003"

Jon