"I change my name every 25 years. Today it’s A Fluffy Bunny"

Summary

Podcast Summary: Can I Walk With You?

Episode: I change my name every 25 years. Today it’s A Fluffy Bunny
Host: Thoraya
Date: September 4, 2025
Location: New York City

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Overview

Season one of Can I Walk With You? kicks off in New York City, known for its vibrant streets and eclectic residents. In this episode, Thoraya has a chance encounter with a unique individual who legally changes their name every 25 years. The conversation meanders through stories of identity, family heritage, the joy of making people laugh, and reflections on living in the East Village. The playful and candid exchange provides insight into how a name can shape both personal history and the world around us.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The 25-Year Name Change Cycle

• Introduction to A Fluffy Bunny: The guest reveals that their legal name is currently “A Fluffy Bunny.”
  • “My legal name is a Fluffy Bunny.” (01:10, B)
• Name Progression:
  • Previous names include “Ames Michael Montgomery” (25 years) and “James Michael Montgomery” (the first 25 years of their life).
  • The guest declines to reveal the next name, keeping it a secret until the next transition.
    • “No, I’m not going to divulge what the next one’s going to be, because first I got to get there.” (01:49, B)

Origins and Meaning of Names

• Motivation to Change Names:
  • Dislike for the original family name (James) due to unoriginality and being named after someone they didn’t admire.
    • “I didn’t particularly like the grandfather I was named after. So at 25, I said, you know, I’m just going to change it.” (02:54, B)
• Process of Name Change:
  • Used a feminist resource booklet in Portland, Oregon, to legally change the name to Ames.
  • The new name “Ames” (derived from amicus, Latin for “friend”) was chosen somewhat randomly:
    • “This little ticker tape went across my brain. It said, lose the J…So I changed my name and it became Ames.” (03:09–04:28, B)
• Name Meanings and Serendipity:
  • Only after the change did they realize the positive meanings in their new names.
    • “You obey your inner voice sometimes and it works… It seems to have worked out thus far.” (08:34, B)

Becoming A Fluffy Bunny

• During a career as a graphic artist and typesetter, the guest would sign tongue-in-cheek notes with a drawing of a wild-eyed rabbit and the signature, “A Fluffy Bunny, the most evil creature on earth.”
  • That humor and chaos inspired the current legal name.
    • “That’s what I decided I would become. A fluffy bunny, the most evil creature on earth.” (06:00, B)
• Impact of the Name:
  • Personal anecdotes of making people laugh, including patients at work and security staff.
  • “I had this woman with brain cancer… She looked at my ID card… and said, ‘Hey, fluffy bunny.’” (06:24, B)
  • The name means different things in various cultures, such as Wiccan slang for someone who doesn’t take rituals seriously—a fact discovered after the change.
    • “Evidently, a fluffy bunny is someone in Wiccan parlance who does not take the ritual seriously.” (07:38, B)

Philosophy & Approach to Life

• Embracing laughter, chaos, and authenticity:
  • “It’s a short life to take things seriously, you know?” (07:48, B)
• Choosing names and life paths based on inner prompts and the desire for genuine connection:
  • “It worked out so well. It was just…” (08:14, B)

Life in New York

• Originally from Kentucky, moved to New York in 1982.
• Long-time resident of the East Village, observing the neighborhood's tendency to keep people anchored (with a nod to affordable rent).
  • “If you get a place and you can afford it, it’s sort of like, ‘Oh, I better not ever move.’” (09:27, B)

Movie Date & Chaos as a Lifestyle

• Ends the walk headed to a surprise movie night at a favorite theater, emphasizing a love of unpredictability:
  • “You might have guessed I like a little chaos in my life.” (10:10, B)

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Memorable Quotes

• “My legal name is a Fluffy Bunny.” (01:10, B)
• “Names have meaning…James is a variant of Jacob…it sort of means ‘one who overthrows by catching at one’s heel.’ So, winning by sneakiness, I guess.” (02:17, B)
• “Lose one letter, change your name.” (04:39, B)
• “That’s what I decided I would become. A fluffy bunny, the most evil creature on earth.” (06:00, B)
• “It’s a short life to take things seriously, you know?” (07:48, B)
• “Yeah, the rent. If you get a place and you can afford it…it’s sort of like, ‘Oh, I better not ever move.’” (09:27, B)
• “You might have guessed I like a little chaos in my life.” (10:10, B)

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Notable Moments & Timestamps

• [01:10] – The revelation of the legal name “A Fluffy Bunny.”
• [02:09] – Reflection on family names and the meaning of “James.”
• [03:09–04:28] – The story of changing the name to Ames and the process in Portland.
• [05:26–06:00] – How the inside joke “A fluffy bunny, the most evil creature on earth” became a legal identity.
• [06:24–07:38] – Stories of spreading laughter and Wiccan meaning of the name.
• [08:14–08:34] – The positive life impact and serendipity of name choices.
• [09:01–09:27] – Moving to New York and the East Village lifestyle.
• [10:10] – Preference for chaos and unpredictable adventures.

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Tone & Style

The episode is marked by a blend of humor, warmth, and self-reflection. The guest’s candidness invites the listener into a life philosophy that values laughter, adaptation, and authenticity. Thoraya’s gentle, curious interviewing style allows the story to unfold organically against the ever-changing urban backdrop.

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Conclusion

This inaugural episode of Can I Walk With You? captures the spirit of New York City’s streets and the stories waiting to be discovered. Through a whimsical, profound dialogue about names and identity, listeners are encouraged to consider how even small choices can bring surprising meaning and connection to our lives.

Transcript

[A]

Excuse me. Do you have a moment by any chance? No. Okay. I do this online series called Can I Walk with youh? Sure, I can walk with you.

[B]

Yeah. Is it okay if I were walking that very far? But you're sure?

[A]

Okay, I think that's good. And is it cool if I clip the sound for you?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Thanks for asking. You have my consent.

[A]

Okay. And then let's just wait for my cameraman. Oh, he's right there.

[B]

I'm guessing he's yours. He could be somebody else's.

[A]

Yeah, he's my cousin. Cool. Which way were you walking?

[B]

I was going down to the movie theater.

[A]

Oh, you were?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Is it okay if I don't hold you up? Do you mind if we do, like.

[B]

A circle down to the movie theater? Let me. Actually, you. Do you have. We can. I have 12 minutes.

[A]

You have 12 minutes. That's perfect.

[B]

I'm due there.

[A]

Okay, so we'll go this way and we'll turn back around and we'll end there. All right, cool. What's your name? Okay, you don't have to say anything.

[B]

I can't say my name, but you're probably going to ask for proof. My legal name is a Fluffy Bunny.

[A]

A Fluffy bunny. Interesting. So you. Did your parents give you that name?

[B]

No, it's my legal name.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I change my name every 25 years. So in a couple of years, you know, if you wanted to be a Fluffy bunny, going to be open.

[A]

And what was your name before that?

[B]

For 25 years, it was Ames Michael Montgomery. And for 25 years before that, it was James Michael Montgomery. And I'm not that old. So you now have the full list. And no, I'm not going to divulge what the next one's going to be because first I got to get there.

[A]

Is there. Is there a story behind each name that you'd be willing to share?

[B]

Well, I didn't like the first name, so when I was 25, I changed it.

[A]

But you changed it to something similar.

[B]

I dropped one letter, and it actually changed quite a bit as to the name meaning. Because people. People's names have meaning. Yours as well probably has a word meaning. So James is a variant of Jacob, and it sort of means one who overthrows by catching at one's heel. Basically. Yeah. Tripping somebody up. Oh, so winning by. By sneakiness, I guess.

[A]

And you didn't like that, I'm assuming?

[B]

Well, you know, I. I just. I was. My family has incredibly unoriginal names. James, William, William. James, Catherine, William, James, Edwin, Edwin, William, James. James. Back into the 1700s, 1500s, you know, just like a very small family line. Not many names. So I didn't particularly like the grandfather I was named after. So 25. I said, you know, I'm just going to change it. And I was thinking about it, and this little ticker tape went across my brain. It said, lose the J. And I said. Because I was getting ready to go to sleep, I said, okay. And I went to the courthouse. And this was in Portland, Oregon. And first I bought from the. There was, like, a name change booklet that feminists in Portland put out with all the forms and incredibly good instructions. Go downstairs. You will see a bulletin board on your left. That is where you should put this form. Great instructions. And so I changed my name and it became Ames. And Ames is a variant of amicus, which is friend.

[A]

Friend, yeah.

[B]

Amigo, Amicus, Ami.

[A]

And you didn't know that one night. No.

[B]

When it went across my head, no. It was just sort of like, all right, sure, why not? Sounds good to me. Lose one letter, change your name.

[A]

That sounds fitting to me.

[B]

So 25 years. Is that good? Run. And I moved to New York, and I had become a nurse and worked in the hospital for a few years. And I was thinking, what do I want my next 25 years to be like? And I thought, you know what would be good is more people to laugh around me. And I spent time trying to think of what that might be. And when I was working as Ames Michael Montgomery, I became a graphic artist here in the city.

[A]

You became a what?

[B]

A graphic artist and typesitter.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And the graphic artists would ask me, the typesetter, to do things the machines at that point would not do. And I would send them little notes back as to why what they asked was stupid. And sign it with this drawing of a rabbit with its eyes spinning out of control. It said, from a fluffy bunny, the most evil creature on earth. And that's what I decided I would become. A fluffy bunny, the most evil creature on earth. It's been good thus far.

[A]

I love that. And has it been true that it's gotten people to laugh around you, like what you wanted?

[B]

Yeah. I had this woman with brain cancer who, like, she. And I cracked up so much, she looked at my ID card. Because you had to wear the ID card. She read it and she said.

[A]

I was like, literally on your name.

[B]

Tag is my name tag, said, hey, fluffy bunny. And it was a great name tag. I mean, the photo on it looks either like a demon or Anton lavey. It Was a great photo. It was like, I was so happy with this photo. The security guard who was taking it was laughing while he was taking it, and I was trying not to laugh and ended up looking really demonic. It was great. Some people saw that and they were, whoa, you don't look like that. Some people just see the name. So she looks up and she says, a fluffy bunny. Is that your real name or is that your Wiccan name? Because evidently a fluffy bunny is someone in Wiccan parlance who does not take the ritual seriously.

[A]

Oh, like that name is what it's known for.

[B]

Yeah. You didn't know that? I did not know that. It's like, I didn't know about aims. I didn't know about not taking the ritual seriously, which I probably wouldn't have done just cause I. It's a short life to take things seriously, you know?

[A]

Did a part of you want. Let me wait for that so that we could hear us? Sorry. Did a part of you want to pick a name to make people laugh around you because of your, like, your job and how maybe you felt that people needed a laugh or.

[B]

And I did too. You know, it was like a win win situation. It was excellent, you know, and it worked out so well. It was just.

[A]

It's also crazy from what you said, like, how the name that you picked ended up making. Oh, it's red. Still. It ended up making sense in some way. Like in ways that you didn't even realize when you were picking it.

[B]

Yeah, well, you obey your inner voice sometimes and it works. And sometimes it gets you into bad situations. But mostly, you know, it seems to have worked out thus far.

[A]

Are you originally from New York?

[B]

No, I was born and raised in Kentucky. That's where my accent is from.

[A]

Oh, interesting.

[B]

Yes. This is not my accent, but that's where it's from.

[A]

When did you move to New York?

[B]

I moved to New York in 82.

[A]

And you've been here since? I have been here since.

[B]

I have lived in my same apartment in the east village since 1990, and I moved into the apartment in the EAS village before that eight years before.

[A]

So that's what I'm finding with people I'm meeting in East Villages, that they. They stay for a long time. Maybe there's something about it.

[B]

Yeah, the rent. Yeah. If you get a place and you can afford it, sort of like, oh, I better not ever move. Hello. There's my movie date.

[A]

Oh, it is? Okay. Yeah, we'll cross the street and then I'll let you what movie are you seeing?

[B]

We don't know because this is the theater that has the members have one night a month where there is a free movie but you don't know what it is.

[A]

Oh, that's so cool.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so you come here once a month?

[B]

I come here more than once a month. But I do come here for the free movie because you might have guessed on I like a little chaos in my life.

[A]

Oh man, it's been such a pleasure talking to you. My name is Tharaya by the way.

[B]

Oh, that's a great name. Thank you.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Thank your parents or did you take it yourself?

[A]

My parents gave it to me. Yeah. What was that? How did you get so lucky and find the most interesting person in the entire city? I was just thinking the same thing, honestly.

[B]

It's great, right?

[A]

Yeah, it was. What's your name? My name is Bradley and I'm fortunate enough to be his friend. Yeah, that was your Ames is also. When he told me about Ames, I felt like that was very fitting. I'm like, I wish I had a friend like you growing up. How long have you guys. How long have you guys been. How many people get their own a fluffy bunny? How many people have a rabbit? That's the best foot.

[B]

Many. Right? You could probably give your email to him cuz he has a cell phone.

[A]

Okay. Yeah. Can I give you my email so that.

[B]

So then you could watch me babble on her YouTube channel. I didn't even curse. Are you proud of me?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

There was no obscenity. It was like I was at my most charming. It was kind of awful.

[A]

Send it to him. Okay.

[B]

Guess what this is Dog food. No.

[A]

That'S my email at the top. Thank you both so much. I hope it's a good movie.

[B]

Oh, now he's cursed.

[A]

Thank you guys.

[B]

We're going to see the movie.

[A]

It was so much fun. Have a good day.

[B]

And if you decide to become a member the first Wednesday of every month, you can enjoy chaotic entertainment.

[A]

I'm gonna. If I move here, I'm definitely gonna do that. Okay. Bye guys. A fluffy bunch.