Legendary ’80s Rocker Admits to Hating Stage Name 49 Years After Beginning Career
Legendary ’80s Rocker Admits to Hating Stage Name 49 Years After Beginning Career
Nina DerwinTue, February 10, 2026 at 1:18 AM UTC
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(Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns)
Before audiences knew him as John Mellencamp, the rock legend went by the name of Johnny Cougar.
In a recent appearance on Real Time With Bill Maher, the rock legend opened up the stage name that was given to him by his record label— and how much he hated it.
"I walk in and they had a picture and they said, 'This is the album cover: Johnny Cougar.' And I went, 'No.'" The album in question was Mellencamp's debut, The Chestnut Street Incident. Mellencamp wasn't a fan of the stage name.
"Here was my choices: You can either go back to Indiana, or you can be Johnny Cougar. I mean, I was pissed off. I got up and walked out. I said, 'I'm not doing this.'" But, ultimately, he went along with it, and the rest is history.
Critics, however took Mellencamp's side. "The critics did not like [Johnny Cougar]. They though it was cornball."
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During that same appearance, Mellencamp also revealed another major decision he hated: the inclusion of "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to 60's Rock)" on his record, Scarecrow.
"I just thought, this is f—ing stupid and silly," Mellencamp said of the track, explaining that he didn't think it fit with the other material on Scarecrow.
Mellencamp recounted that his record label was enthusiastic about the song and believed it had hit potential, but he resisted putting it on the album. To settle the disagreement, the two sides made an arm-wrestling bet: if Mellencamp won, the song would stay off the record. When the bout tied, he was obliged to include it.
Even though Mellencamp isn't the biggest fan of the song, he confirmed that "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." will most definitely be included in the set list for his upcoming Dancing Words tour. The track is just one of many hits that fans in attendance can expect to hear.
This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
