Randy

Charlie's first mix CD

Hello Charlie Fans,

Here is the tracklist from Charlie's first mix CD:

1. Creatures of Love – Talking Heads

2. A Fine Start – Veda Hille

3. Embryonic Journey – Jefferson Airplane

4. Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie – Ella Fitzgerald

5. Baby Boy – The Owls

6. Aries – Mary Lou Williams (Charlie's sign, of course)

7. Charlie, He’s my Darling – [unknown Scots]

8. Wilfrid’s Fiddle/The Harbourview – Ashley MacIsaac

9. Who Are Parents? – The Shaggs

10. Baby Close its Eyes – Tim Hardin

11. Charlie’s Neat – Granville Bowlin

12. Bottle to the Baby – Charlie Feathers

13. Charlie’s Wig – Charlie Parker

14. Little Boy Blue – Bonnie Prince Billy

15. Forever Young – Bob Dylan

16. God Bless the Child – Billie Holiday

17. Hobo’s Lullaby – Emmylou Harris

18. Good Night – The Beatles

19. Solo Flight – Charlie Christian

20. Cosmic Charlie – The Grateful Dead

If you would like a copy, send Charlie a postcard (his address is here) and he'll send you one in the mail. Or drop by sometime and ask him for one.

Audience Participation moment #1

Hello fellow Charliewatchers.

This is where the site gets all interactive on all y'all. For you, along with I, are about to select songs for Charlie's first mix CD. The theme for this first of, probably, many mix CDs (maybe even a few mix tapes, I'm a nostalgic sort) will be... wait for it... Charlie! Big surprise there, huh? OK, to be more precise, I'm looking for a mix of songs about babies/the baby havin' process, like Tim Hardin's 'Baby Close it's Eyes' or Charlie Feathers' 'Bottle to the Baby' (doubly fitting because it's also by a Charlie), and songs with Charlie's name in the title, like 'Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie' by Ella Fitzgerald or Lightnin' Hopkins' 'Mr. Charlie', and maybe a few songs by guys named Charlie, like Charlie Parker or the aforementioned Charlie Feathers. Bonus points to anyone who can find songs by/about Wilfrid (not counting Wilf Carter). The interactive process is simple - all you have to do is post a comment to this blog entry with your song suggestions. I will then go through all the comments and pick out the songs I think fit, and make Charlie's first mix CD. Please don't be offended if I don't pick your suggestion; keep in mind - I'm unbelievably chauvinistic when it comes to music. Besides, part of the fun will just be to see what everyone comes up with. Once I have the results, I will post the tracklisting as my next blog entry (which means I might actually do two posts in the same calendar month). To recap, in the form of a few simple rules.

1. Post your suggestion(s) as comments to this blog entry
2. Songs must be about babies in some way, or feature the name Charlie (or Wilfrid) prominently, or be by someone named Charlie (or Wilfrid)
3. Please suggest a specific performance of a song (for example: 'Charlie is my Darling' - Bad; 'Charlie is my Darling' by the Original Soho Skiffle Group - Good; 'Charlie is my Darling' by the Original Soho Skiffle Group from the album 10,000 Years Ago - Even Better)
4. Please don't be offended if I steamroller over everybody and just pick a bunch of songs of my own choosing - it's a regrettable habit of mine.
5. Final tracklisting to be posted as the next blog entry, some time in the not-too-distant future.

In the words of Tobias Fünke: Let the grand experiment begin!

What's in a name?

Whenever a new baby is born, people always ask the question "how did you pick the name?" This post is a) an attempt to answer that question and, b) in keeping with my personality, an attempt to provide the reader with way more information on the origin and meaning of the name than he or she ever thought necessary.

But to answer a) first. How did we pick the name? From the beginning we knew we wanted a "classic" name. Something with a pedigree, something that had been around a while. No Maddoxes, Suris, or Apples for us. I believe it was Anita who came up with the name. Turning to me one day and saying "what about Charlie?" Immediately I knew I liked it. It fulfilled all of my criteria for a name (about which more later), and, as Anita's sister pointed out after he was born and named, "you can't say his name without smiling." Now as for his middle name, this was something that came later, as the due date drew nearer and the deadline forced our hand (little did we know we would have almost two additional weeks to decide). The idea of family names had come up several times before. We both have strong connections to our families and wanted to pass this on to Charlie. One day Anita decided that if it was a girl she wanted to give her her paternal grandmothers name as a middle name (Anita's middle name, incidentally). I immediately liked the idea, and so we decided that if it was a girl, it would have the name of a grandmother on Anita's side for a middle name, and if it was a boy it would have the name of a grandfather on my side. In the end it was a boy, and so I chose the name of my maternal grandfather. The reasons for this will follow.

Now on to part b). There's a lot that goes into a name: personal meaning, lexicographical meaning, cultural meaning, etc. etc. What follows is the background to Charlie's name, in terms of all these various meanings. A sort of extended etymology, I suppose.

Personal Meaning

Charlie: although we didn't choose Charlie with a family connection in mind, it is a name that has meaning for both our families. First of all, it is the anglicized diminutive of Karl, which is Anita's father's name.

Apparently some of Karl's German colleagues fondly refer to him as Charlie from time to time. Additionally (and not surprisingly since most of my ancestry hails from the British Isles), it is a name that appears several times in my family tree (as Charles, naturally). One of my great-uncles was named Charles, and there are several other more distant relatives of that name.

Wilfrid: I've already mentioned the formula we used to choose middle names. As soon as we settled on it, I immediately knew that I wanted to use the first name of my maternal grandfather, Wilfrid Watt. I take after him more than anyone else in my family does, so I figured the name only made sense. When Charlie showed up with the same red hair that Grampa and I shared, it seemed almost as if choosing the name had been prophetic.

Baby Name Dictionary Meaning
We actually didn't consult a baby name dictionary until after the name had been picked and bestowed. Here's what we found...

Charlie: The English Charles and the German Karl share the same derivation, with most sources having it originating as the Germanic Karl. The meaning is variously given as full-grown, a man (1) and 'the strong man,' the personification of all that is masculine (2).

Well I can see now why this is a boy's name. The thing that strikes me about this name is that there are feminine forms of it, such as Charlene and Charlotte, with the same meaning. Of course in this day and age, when there is much more awareness about predetermining gender identity, I guess a name like Charlene is the perfect way of hedging your bets. In any case, it looks like we already screwed up in terms of the whole predetermining gender identity thing - he is literally a man. Oh well, we'll just have to make sure he grows up with a well rounded understanding of "all that is masculine." He'll definitely be job shadowing a male nurse when it comes time to get those CAPP hours. Besides, his dad's a male librarian, so he's already off to a good start.

Wilfrid: Like Charles, Wilfrid is another Anglo-Germanic name, originating this time in Old English. It is a compound of willa (a wish, a desire) and frith (peace), meaning desire for peace(1). This either means that Charlie will be a great international diplomat, or he will be perpetually looking for a quiet place to read a book.

Cultural Meaning
As most of you know, I'm a big culture buff, and in particular a music nut. Although this wasn't a make or break criterion in choosing a name, in the back of my mind I was secretly looking for a name that had some significance in terms of musicians or other artists I admire.

Charlie:

Music: Well of course, Charlie is a name that goes way back in terms of some of the music I love the most (American folk, blues and jazz). Probably the best known Charlie in the history of music is...

Charlie Parker: AKA Bird, the guiding genius of Bop and a senior member of the Jazz pantheon. Charlie has my permission to emulate his namesake's talent, but if he goes about picking up any of Parker's personal habits, I'm sending him straight to military school.

Charley Patton: One of the iconic figures of pre-war blues, and personal muse to another of my favorite musicians, John Fahey (Dylan's "High Water" off "Love and Theft" is also dedicated to him). What I said about Parker goes double for Patton. Y'hear me Charlie - military school.

Charlie Christian: One of the earliest proponents of the electric guitar, and one of the key swing players to pave the way for bop. Played with Benny Goodman.

Charlie Feathers: A great nearly-ran of the Rockabilly boom. Too Rock 'n' Roll for Country, too Country for Rock 'n' Roll. "Bottle to the Baby" was one of his signature tunes.

Other Musical Charlies: Charlie Watts (Rolling Stones), Charlie Byrd (Jazz), Charlie Haden (Jazz - Ornette Coleman), Papa Charlie Jackson (Blues), Charlie Louvin (Country - Louvin Brothers), Charlie Rich (Country), Charlie Monroe (Bluegrass - Monroe Bros.). Did I miss any? Post a comment.

Movies. TV & Radio: Moviedom is home to one of the most famous Charlies ever. I'm speaking, of course, of...

Charlie Sheen: Major League talent.

Just kidding, I was really speaking, of course, of...

Charlie Chaplin: no introduction necessary. And let's not forget...

Charlie McCarthy: Ventriloquist's dummy who, along with sidekick Edgar Bergen (Candice's dad!), was a huge star of early radio. No, I don't understand the appeal of a ventriloquism show on radio either, but they were hugely popular. Different times.

Printed Word: I can't think of any great authors by the name of Charlie. There are some great fictional characters though, including one of the best literary role models for a young boy, namely...

Charlie Bucket:The good-hearted protagonist of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.

Charlie Brown: I think Charlie looks a little like him. What do you think? And our little one does have an aunt named Snoopy.

Wilfrid: Famous Wilfrids are much harder to come by.

Music: Wilfrid is not a particularly Rock 'n' Roll (or Jazz, or Blues) name, but it's not bad for Country...

Wilf Carter: A paragon of the early country music era, and born in Canada to boot.

Movies, TV & Radio: Almost an entirely Wilfrid-free field. I guess Wilfrid doesn't make for a good screen name. There is, however...

Wilfrid Hyde-White: Who I had never heard of before now. An old British character actor who's been in tons of movies, including one of my all time faves - The Third Man. Has the added bonus of spelling his name with two 'i's just like Charlie does.

Printed Word: Again, can't think of any great authors by the name of Wilfrid, but there is at least one notable fictional character...

Wilfred of Ivanhoe: Sir Walter Scott's immortal hero. Guess I'll have to make Charlie read the book when he's old enough.

Historical Meaning

Charlie: History is full of Charleses: ten kings of France, seven Holy Roman emperors, two kings of England, four kings of Hungary, four kings of Spain, seven kings of Naples, three kings of Bohemia (as Karel), 16 kings of Sweden (as Karl), etc. etc. Few Charlies though. To bulk this section up, we'll look at the most significant Charles, as well as one notable Charlie.

Charlemagne: Charles the Great, or Carolus Magnus in Latin, founder of the Holy Roman Empire and all-around nice guy.

Bonnie Prince Charlie: More of a historical footnote, really. But significant as one of the few regal Charleses to go by Charlie, even if only in the popular imagination. Stuart pretender to the British throne and all-around nice guy. Also the subject of the Jacobite ballad Charlie is My Darling.

Wilfrid: Again, not as popular a name historically, with one notable exception - the namesake of Charlie's namesake (my grandfather Wilfrid).

Sir Wilfrid Laurier: Canada's seventh Prime-Minister. A great Canadian statesman and all-around nice guy.

(1) Norman, Teresa. A World of Baby Names. New York: Perigee Books, 2003.
(2) Spence, Hilary. The Complete Book of Baby Names: Traditional and Modern. London: Foulsham, 1993.

Waiting for Junior

Junior's a comin'. The only problem is that he or she seems to have inherited that charming ZeeGee trait known as tardiness. Only in this case the little troublemaker is 9 days late! The latest I've ever been for an appointment is maybe half an hour. We're at our wit's end as to what to do to occupy the time - I'm running out of obscure psych rarities to download. Our thwarted anticipation is growing moldy and fearsome.

List Break: Top Ten Labour Inducers We've Tried so Far

X. Spicy food
IX. Cervical ripening tea
VIII. Driving fast over speed bumps
VII. Nipple stimulation
VI. Long walks
V. Black Sabbath turned up to 10
IV. Stretch and Sweep (a midwifery procedure)
III. Watching the Muppet Show
II. Provoking Anita into a towering rage by leaving the sink full of dirty dishes
I. Hanky panky

You guess which ones we've actually tried.