The politics of nicknames

Election season in Louisiana shines a glorious, uninhibited light on the unique and quirky nicknames common to many candidates.

So we asked some local politicians to explain the origins of theirs.

Kevin “Lovell” James – For this Family Court Judge candidate, “Lovell” is even more than a nickname: it’s her middle name, and one with an auspicious origin. Pronouncing it “low-vell,” her parents chose it in honor of Commander Jim Lovell of the Apollo 13 mission, the bedeviled lunar mission that evolved into a dramatic survival story worthy of a film by the same name.

Wayne “Spider” Carter – The Metro Councilman from Zachary who is challenging Mayor Kip Holden decided recently to shake his old nickname, which dates back to 1968 when Carter began a 9-year stint as a professional bull rider. Riding under the name Spider, he made enough money to help pay his way through college, Carter says. How’d he get the name? How he looked: thin and tall. “Someone told me it looked like I had eight legs when I rode,” he says. These days he’s going sans-nickname. “I don’t think it’s that important anymore,” Carter says.

R.J. “Smokie” Bourgeois – The Metro Council District 12 candidate just can’t escape the old nickname, he says. At LSU, his calculus wiz of a roommate taunted him with it. “Doesn’t he look like Smokey the Bear?” the roommate asked. “All he needs is a hat.”

Melvin “Kip” Holden – Before politics and law, the future mayor was a star long-distance runner at Scotlandville High School. His nickname came from one of the greats of the sport, two-time Olympic gold medal winner Kipchoge “Kip” Keino of Kenya. If he wins his bid for re-election this fall, Baton Rouge’s Kip would also have two key victories to his name.

Ulysses “Bones” Addison – We tried repeatedly to contact the District 2 Metro Councilman, but none of our messages was returned. So we delved into the archives, where we found a 2001 story in The Advocate that says “Bones” stems, not surprisingly, “from his rail-thin build.”