Neil Leslie Diamond, over there. (From funnynamesblog.com)
Why did I write about Neil Leslie Diamond for my end-of-March entry for the Blog of Funny Names? Well, Leslie as a middle name qualifies him. Kind of. And because … You can start reading my take on the singer, songwriter and guitarist here and then click below to make your way over to that magical site.
Two generations ago, Rose Rapaport met and married a man with the funny name of Akeeba “Kieve” Diamond. The Polish and Russian immigrants fell in love, got married, and to Brooklyn and the world they gave a little baby boy.
For his first name they picked Neil, normal enough. For his middle name they went with Leslie, a girl’s name mostly, but that didn’t seem to bother him much. Neil Leslie Diamond went on to become Pretty Dang Famous. You might have heard of this singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. I almost typed indicted, but no. Not that type of funny stuff for Neil Diamond.
I remember in the 1990s, seeing the black-haired man perform in the round in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. In the middle of his set, with the crowd of all ages screaming happily along with his hit songs, the power went out. So Neil Diamond …
Yup. I did just do that to you. Click here to find the rest of the story at the Blog of Funny Names.
Mark Bialczak 
LOL! When I read your title, I thought someone was naming their kid after THE Neil Diamond… Not that his own middle name is Leslie. Too funny!
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Yeah, he’s THE man, Rachel. We’re seeing him tonight.
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Poor Neil… Leslie, tough name for a guy, I think. Les is cool though.. I’m not much for his music either. Shock, gasp, awe…I know. 😉
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You’re not into Neil Les Diamond’s music, Aud? I am sort of surprised, Aud.
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Really? Coming from the girl who wants Slash’s hat? Not that surprising, Chum. 😉
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But it’s cool to like somebody who used to be so uncool … never mind, Aud. I like your taste with Slash’s hat, that’s for sure!
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I had an uncle named Leslie. He was actually a pretty fascinating man. He worked for the Canadian dept of Defense as a machinist. His specialty was marine weapons and he built prototype torpedoes, mines, and machined parts for warships. He was brilliant and continually had projects going at home, you just never knew what you would see when you visited. he built fountains and new design mousetraps and cabinets with hidden compartments, and so on. He had a huge workshop in his basement and could do machining, woodwork, plastics molding, etc. If you told him what you wanted, he could build it and would build it free of charge because he enjoyed the challenge. I’ve seen him build machined car parts that were better than the originals.
Anyway, your comment about Leslie triggered this – I haven’t thought about him in years.
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I’m glad to bring your talented Uncle Leslie to mind, Paul. Wow, what a artisan!
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My mom went to a Neil Diamond concert, got tickets for the front row, and apparently had a blast!! When I hear the name ‘Leslie’ for a man I think of Leslie Nielson
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Neil Diamond made the ladies happy with his show, front row, especially, I bet, Christy. 🙂 Leslie Nielson was so dry and funny in ‘Airplane.’ Good call on that one.
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I have a friend who has a highly successful Neil Diamond cover band.
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I bet it is very successful, Marissa. Neil Diamond is darn popular with many, many age groups.
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It is!!
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