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Why "Madman Pierre"?
Many people are curious why I go by Madman Pierre. Most people appreciate the
humor. However, two or three times (that I can think of,) in business I've been
asked in a rude tone of voice essentially: "Why do you use a stupid name like
Madman Pierre" and in one business that I was a very small % owner of, I was asked to not
use it because it scared people.
If you are one of the latter, please understand, I am not the type of person
you want to deal with - you won't like working with me, you won't want me
as your client and you won't want me as your supplier and you won't want me as
your friend. So, I've saved you a whole lot of time and effort. There are LOTS
of different types of people in business, I am happy to suggest to you that you
find people you WANT to work with and not waste time with people like me. And
you won't want to read the rest of this page/web site, you'll just think it is
stupid.
If you are one of the former, the most important answer I can give you is: I
LIKE working. I LIKE the companies I run. I like the people I get to serve with my products
and services. I have FUN running them. I provide
very high quality most of the time and I almost never miss a promised deadline.
Yes I make mistakes, yes I get frustrated and irritable at times, yes I have to
deal with problems, yes I hate dealing with taxes, yes I work too many hours per week and sometimes this is wearisome, but ON
THE WHOLE, I enjoy my life both in and out of work. I have found that most
people who don't like me using Madman Pierre in a business setting wouldn't
like working with me even if I DIDN'T use the nick name! But I have found a
segment of the world, made up by a LOT of the people I meet, are relieved to be
able to work with someone who can be extremely serious, extremely productive
and still have a lot of Joy and Fun most of the time.
So, setting the record straight:
My given birth name is "Peter John Horwood" which happens to still be my true,
legal name. (Although I'm told I can legally throw BComm at the end since I'm a
University Commerce graduate.)
Next: What is "Madman Pierre"
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A public, legal alias. You can send a check to Madman Pierre and I can cash it.
If you doubt this I recommend you perform a test to satisfy yourself: Send me a
check to see if I can cash it. But for a really good test, make it a check for
a lot
of money. And I accept CDN$, US$, RMB/CNY - actually - any currency you want to use.
-
My nickname, and
a psuedonym under which I have authored some technical material
-
MMP for short.
-
More people know me by "Madman
Pierre" than by my real name.
-
Most of my friends call me
"Madman" or "Madman Pierre." As in "Hey, Madman..."
-
The bank accepts checks
addressed to Peter Horwood OR Madman Pierre OR Madman.
-
The post office knows me by
both names as well.
-
"Madman Pierre" is a trademark
of Peter Horwood and has
been for several decades. I reserve all rights to it. You have permission to call me
by that name, to refer to me by that name to others, to quote me by that name,
to tell people (good or bad) what you think of me by that name. Basically, you
have permission to use Madman Pierre as my name. But you do not have
permission to use it to refer to anyone else or to use it in any other
context.
-
From people that know me or
know of me , they are more likely to to address it to Madman. When we first
started SilverStream Journal, I stopped using the Madman Pierre name, but I
found that a whole bunch of people would say "Oh - I know you - You're Madman
Pierre." For that reason I always provide both names and yes, I switch the
order periodically - I don't consider either name more "important" than the
other name.
-
When I teach at kids
groups/camps I always go by Madman or Madman Pierre unless they require I use
Mr. Horwood.
Finally, why "Madman Pierre"
Many years ago, the company I then was a 33% owner in had the development &
support people in the main office all working in the same very large room. One
day I overheard an employee (we'll call him Fred) swearing at a customer. I had
warned him previously that this was unacceptable and that he was close to
getting fired . When I heard him, I asked him very quietly to put the phone on
hold. He did and I proceeded to deal with the customer directly apologizing for
the employees behavior and shipping out a loaner printer to deal with the
problem. When I got off the phone , I proceeded to fairly loudly and visibly
angrily tell Fred to give me his key NOW , get out of the office and never
return and that his severance check would be sent in due course. It was clear
that I was furious and that it was a non-negotiable situation . He threw the
key down and stormed out.
A few days later I heard employees referring to me as "Madman Pierre." After a
few days of this, I went to the person who was the ring leader and, in a closed
door meeting I explained to her that "I do not feel any remorse at summarily
firing Fred, but that I deeply regretted losing my temper and I regretted the
way I fired him." She listened carefully as I continued to explain that I
should have quietly taken him in the "private office" we had, asked for his
keys and quietly asked him to leave the premises. She then burst out laughing
when I told her that I therefore would prefer if she would drop the "Madman
Pierre" moniker. She explained through her tears of laughter that "All the
staff agree with you - we think you should have fired Fred weeks ago - he
deserved to be fired that way after the way he treated customers" She also told
me that she had never worked for a boss before that was so level tempered and
that she was surprised that I didn't lose my temper or at least get visibly
angry more often and that I should have gotten angry and fired Fred sooner..
She then continued to explain "We named you Madman Pierre long before you got
mad at him. If you were rich, we'd call you Eccentric. If you were poor, we'd
call you crazy, but you are neither, you're Madman Pierre - "Madman Pierre" is
a term of endearment, not a term of derision!"
I told her cheerfully that if THAT was the reason, she was free to continue to
use it.
I didn't use it myself for about 6 months to a year, but the name slowly spread
until almost everyone that I knew well referred to me as Madman, Madman Pierre
or "The Madman." My friends constantly came up with reasons why "Madman Pierre"
suited me. Some mentioned the banana plants I grew in my house - they
eventually got so large (One took over 1/2 the kitchen before I parted with it)
I donated them to a school for "troubled kids" who wanted some nice plants for
their greenhouse. Others mentioned that I was passionate - I either was
for something or against it and that, if I took up a cause or a goal I pursued
it relentlessly until I obtained it or determined that I was incapable of
obtaining it. Others mentioned my sleep habits (going to bed at 2:00 in the
morning after working on the computer all evening.) And almost everyone seemed
to be able to come up with a list of reasons why "Madman Pierre" suited me.
Eventually I adopted the name online (this was YEARS before the Internet) and
it went over well. I then authored some technical articles under the psuedonym
of Madman Pierre (after all, more people knew Madman than knew Peter.) Soon
people started addressing mail to Madman Pierre some simply because that was
the only name they knew me by, others because they preferred to use that name.
I then had to register the name with the bank as a psuedonym when the first
check arrived bearing the name Madman Pierre. I had no trouble providing
evidence that Madman Pierre was a legitimate name for banking purposes.
At a conference in the late 90's a friend took an informal survey at a Sybase
conference, asking people "Do you know who Madman Pierre is?" about 2/3rds
answered "yes." He then asked "Do you know who Peter Horwood is?" - he
found that almost all people answered "no" and only a few of the people who
answered "yes" knew that both names referred to the same person!
One year a good friend got a
T-Shirt that read "I'm a friend of Madman Pierre" that he wore to the
conference. He also got a T-Shirt for his infant soon that read "My Daddy knows
Madman Pierre." I still consider Costas to be a good friend and look forward to
getting to NewYork city to visit with him again. It's been too many years
Costas!
When I started working in a slightly different field, I decided that maybe
"Madman Pierre" had run it's course and was now an old tired joke that should
be put to rest. However, I found that about 1 in 10 of the people in this new
field knew of (and amazingly, respected) Madman Pierre but, of course, didn't
know Peter Horwood. Many of them urged me to keep the moniker (although one
friend stated that he thought I should probably drop it now) The other 9 out of
10 didn't know either name. I also had several people say "I'm told that your
real name is actually Madman Pierre" I explained and they urged me not to drop
Madman Pierre. To make a long story only slighly longer ... I have maintained
the name. In books, magazines, at computer conferences, photographic circles,
at a boys club where I'm one of the leaders, when I help out at kid's camps, in
fact, just about everywhere I go, I'm still known by Madman Pierre and
sometimes Peter Horwood as well. The only major exceptions are with my Parents
and siblings and most departments (especially tax) of the Government. But yes
some people in some departments of the US and Canadian Governments know me by
Madman Pierre.
Oh, and by the way – I didn't have to be told why
"Pierre" - I was well known for my ongoing (to this
day) snide comments about Quebec politicians. Pierre being the French form of my
real first name, it was a humorous but light hearted jab. It stuck as well.
"Madman Peter" just doesn't have the same ring to it! And note: I have
friends that are French. (But please do NOT interprete the Note: as being
politically correct.)
So what should you call
me?
Well, if you are over 18 you can
call me any of the following:
-
Peter
-
Madman
-
Madman
Pierre
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Peter
Horwood
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Mr.
Horwood
Pick whichever YOU feel most
comfortable with. (But try to avoid the "Mr." outside of China I'm really not that formal of a
guy.)
If you are UNDER the age of 18 you
can call me,
-
Madman
-
Madman
Pierre
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Mr.
Horwood
If you are children of my siblings and close
friends
If you are Randy Luft, my adult, 250lb
(mostly muscle - not fat) nephew: (Son of one of my wife's Brothers) and a master
chef with some very long very
sharp knive that he sharpens every few minutes of use:
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Uncle Petey (Hey - I'm
not going to argue with him!)
So what should you not call
me?
-
Pete for
one. A few people use it, but, with the exception of my wife and a
couple very close, friends for decades, I'd prefer if they didn't. It just doesn't
seem to fit me. I could tell you the story about someone who publically gave a
speech and referred to me constantly as "Pete" and his "good friend Pete"
- after the lecture, several people came up and said "good friend Pete
eh? - I take it he only met you today?"
-
Pierre. I am not a Pierre, "Madman Pierre" is OK, but Pierre
by itself, no, it doesn't fit.
Oh, and when I'm in a Spanish speaking country/area, I go by Pedro
in place of Peter. And in a Greek speaking environment: Petros.
So. You read down to here. Wow! If
you are thinking "so who cares" - I want you to know that that's what
I want to know! If you didn't care - why did you
read this far? Get your own life<g>.
I've had several people tell me
that this page was the most interesting page on my web site. They say it with
such seriousness that I have to hang my head and say in a dejected tone of voice
"So the rest of my web site was that boring eh?" It's fun to watch them explain
that no that wasn't what they meant. Then I raise my head slightly to let them
see the twinkle in my eye!
But more seriously, this page has
grown bit by bit as people would read the old version of this page and then ask
for more detail. As I gave more detail, I updated this page to reflect the
additional detail.
btw "I have a life, I just can't
find it" is Copyright 1995 Peter Horwood
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