married to women named Shirley
and each had a son named Bob.
Occasionally people would mix
them up, but their paths rarely
crossed.
Mr. Shapiro recalls one instance
where an unfamiliar voice on the
other end of the phone was ask-
ing for Bud Shapiro.
"We were eating dinner and my
wife answered the phone," he said.
"She was a kibitzer. So when the
party said, 'Hi Shirley, this is Joe,'
she talked to him for 15 minutes
before she finally told him he had
the wrong family. But he asked if
her husband's name was Bud and
told her he was our cousin from
New York."
Mt Shapiro once bought a chil-
dren's book just because of the au-
thor's name —Irwin J. Shapiro.
Some community members re-
ceive extra attention because they
share their names with celebri-
ties.
During a television commercial,
an attorney proclaims that while
he is not singer Michael Bolton,
he can help clients "get back on
their feet again" (lyrics from a
Michael Bolton song).
The local Mr. Bolton says be-
cause people recognize his name,
it has helped his career. But it
backfired on at least one occasion.
During a trip to Las Vegas, Mr.
Bolton finished a helicopter ride
and was greeted by a group of
women. After seeing the West
Bloomfield attorney get out of the
helicopter, the women walked
away with their heads hung in
disappointment.
"Sometimes people think I'm
kidding when I tell them my
name is Michael Bolton," he said.
"People often say, 'Oh sure. I'm
John Lennon' or 'I'm Madonna.'
To prove that my name is really
Michael Bolton, I've pulled out my
driver's license on countless occa-
sions."
Murray Feldman, also an at-
torney from West Bloomfield, that."
didn't have any stories to tell
One of those times was over a
about his name until the late '70s, decade ago when Beth Abraham
when a television news personal- Hillel Moses was on fire. Mr. Feld
ity came to Detroit.
man, the attorney, got the phone
The Channel 2 business editor call at 2 a.m. to inform him about
recalls the first time they met.
the blaze.
"I had just come to town. His
"I used to get his mail and some
wife was having a birthday party of his phone calls because his
and she called me and said, number was unlisted," Mr. Feld-
Would you just walk into this par-
ty?"'
He did, and today the Murray
Sometimes people
Feldmans are good friends. When
identifying themselves in phone think I'm kidding when
conversations to mutual friends,
I tell them my name is
they use their wife's name. It's ei-
ther Linda's Murray or Marla's
Michael Bolton.
Murray.
— Michael Bolton (of West Bloomfield)
Occasionally, they will be at a
party and one couple will be with-
out a seat because only one place
card will say Mr. and Mrs. Mur- man (Linda's Murray) said. "But
ray Feldman.
it does not happen much any-
"He's a good sport about it," said more."
the television Mr. Feldman.
everal years ago,
"This is his hometown and I
Amy Berk of
came into it with his
Southfield was
name. There have been Murray Fel dman and
writing
a check to
times where it has been Murray Fel dman (the purchase clothing at a lo-
attorney is on the
an inconvenience for him, right).
cal store. The salesper-
but he will never say
son turned pale.
The woman was amazed to see
someone else write a check with
her name, although the spelling
was slightly different, and on a
check with the same design.
Two months ago, an area gift
basket store confused the two
women. They sent Ms. Berk a bill
for a gift she did not order.
"When I saw the charge on my
card, I called and told them I did
not buy anything from them re-
cently," she said. "They apologized
and told me they keep credit card
numbers on file and accidently
charged me instead of her."
Steven L. Schwartz, a Birm-
ingham lawyer and one of many
Steven Schwartzes in the Detroit
area, was once accidently con-
fused with an attorney who had
been disbarred.
His mother received a letter
from a friend who was a judge.
The judge wrote about how she
heard Mrs. Schwartz's son was in
trouble and to let her know if she
could do anything to help.
"I grew up in Benton Harbor
where there were no other Steven
Schwartzes," he said. 'When I
first came to town, people would
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