BOY NAMED SUE
How do you do?…
Welcome…
Shel Silverstein’s poetry encompassed a rather large chunk of my childhood. If given the first line, I might be able to recite to you 20 poems out of Where the Sidewalk Ends and Light in the Attic.
“Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout would not take the garbage out”
“Homework, Oh Homework, I hate you stink. I wish I could flush you away in the sink”
“If we were a rock ‘n’ roll band, We’d travel all over the land. We’d play and we’d sing and wear spangly things.”
Not only was Shel an endless vault of morbid children’s’ poems, he was an accomplished song writer in Nashville of all places. In 2002 he was named to the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.
You know who Johnny Cash is indebted to for writing “A Boy Named Sue”?
Johnny Cash- A Boy Named SueA little side note: If you haven’t yet, listen to one of his albums. It truly will shock you to hear the sound of his voice in juxtaposition to his appearance. He’s one of those people that who looks like a pirate, but talks like Donald Duck. It’s a little jarring. Kind of like when you go back to an old place you went to as a kid and everything looks like it was built for gnomes and not as you remember it.
Childhood misconceptions I aside, I can that I whole heartily identify identify with Shel and the place in which he wrote his song for I too was almost a by named Sue Pooh…
August 3rd, 1977 in Portsmouth, VA at the Naval Medical Center a 23 yr old woman gave birth to an 8lb 11oz. baby boy. She and her 21 yr. old husband were huge fans of a song called “Return to Pooh Corner” by Kenny Loggins.
($10 says that hair those bangs will be walking down the street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in some ironic fashion by no later than 2010)
“WAIT!” you say? Oh does that voice ring a bell?
Well, if you had visions of Goose, Maverick, and motorcycles then you guessed it. Yes, it was the same Kenny Loggins (sensitive and coiffed-mullet wearing troubadour) who also performed the epic anthem for the movie Top Gun, “Danger Zone“.
In case your memory escapes you, here is a time warp back to the land of volleyball, loving feelings, and flybys.
(Kenny! What the hell are doing in Maverick’s bed with that camera? Creepy man.)
Sorry for the musical interlude, but now that we’re on the same page we can revisit the young parents in Virginia and their favorite song. Such was the love the young parents had for “Return to Pooh Corner” that they decided to call the young boy Christopher Robin. How fun would that be? After all, the father’s name was Robert and what a cute little spin that would entail. Clever.
It took God sending an angel (a real one) in the form of a labor and delivery nurse to convince them a name like Christopher Robin would do a young boy no good out there in the world.
“How does Robert sound?” Realizing that unnecessary trauma would soon be inflicted come the evils of 6th grade. the young parents relented; thus my birth certificate reads Christopher Robert Pereira.
Thank you nurse sent by Jesus.
Now, the rest of the story.
The labor and delivery nurse actually just laughed when your mom commented on how cute you weren’t when viewed in “your fresh from the womb wrinkles and blood apparel” from the drug clouded no-contacts-in eyes. I won’t repeat the exact phrase here. The “name savior” you owe your legal name to are actually mom and I. We both had a check in our spirit about naming you after a cartoon character so we stopped by the medical records office the morning we checked out and had your name changed. However, I take full responsibility for the name thing becasue your mom wanted to name you Michael Alexander. No Sue, or Pooh made the top ten.
BTW, Loggins & Messina released “Sittin In” in January of 1972 on which “House at Pooh Corner”. “Return to Pooh Corner” was released in 1994 as part of an albumn of childrens music. Loggins & Messina were one of the top R&R bands in the early 70′s and actually gave a few young upstarts like Billy Joel and Fleetwood Mac a boost to their careers by having them as openers for their concert tours.
BTW2: After stopping by the records office, we took you home in a 1975 Triumph TR7. A beautiful and fun to drive sports car. Sadly voted by Time as one of th 50 worst cars ever produced.
That’s the way it was, August 3, 1977 from Portsmouth Virginia.
Love you son.
Comment by Dad on September 28, 2009 at 12:09 pm
The essence of my youth, summarized by Mr. Shel Silverstein:
Messy Room by Shel Silverstein
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater’s been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or–
Huh? You say it’s mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!
Comment by Linds on September 28, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I’m not sure which warmed my heart more…the whole story behind your name or the responses from your dad and sister. Chris…actually, I may start calling you by your full name….Christopher Robert…you.are.loved.
So excited about your blog!
Comment by c.line on September 28, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Agreed w/ c.line. I feel like I am observing a great family dialogue. But, I’m not calling you Christopher Robert.
Comment by Joshua Smith on September 29, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Dad: I totally botched that story, though I do thank you thank you from the bottom of my normal named heart
Comment by Christopher Pereira on October 11, 2009 at 11:13 am
Lins: the essence of your youth? you mean things have changed?
Comment by Christopher Pereira on October 11, 2009 at 11:15 am
you will not be known as “pooh pereira”.
Comment by bge on October 28, 2009 at 8:58 am
sorry, NOW be known as “pooh pereira”.
Comment by bge on October 28, 2009 at 8:58 am