It might not surprise you to learn that, despite its faintly ordinary sound, "Spike Jonze" is not the man's real name.

Nope, he was born Adam Spiegel to Arthur Spiegel III, a healthcare consultant and Sandy Granzow, a publicist.

His parents divorced before he even hit high school and he, his brother and sister were often left to amuse themselves on weekends while their mother worked.

"For all intents and purposes, the kid kind of raised himself," says Jay Metzler, the owner of the dirt-bike shop where Jonze worked when he was in junior high and high school. "He was basically a ward of the Rockville BMX store."