My parents are artists in their world in the world of modern artists you are supposed to just go into your studio and tune everything out and your entire relationship with your work is supposed to be a super private one. That was the way to do it and you weren't deeply truly artistic if that wasn't the way you were engaging the press.
I didn't want to come up with some generic Johnny Bravo type name. I'm not that cool so I might as well stick with my birth name.