Topic: what's in a name

[uncle bud]

A message from another group reminds me of something I've been meaning to do for awhile. Way back when, before Weenie Campbell.com even existed (hard to imagine, I know), I somewhat unwillingly took on the 'nickname' Uncle Bud. This had less to do with internet avatars at the time and more to do with a nicknaming tradition that occurred among Weenies who attend the Port Townsend Country Blues Workshop.

The naming "ceremony" occurred one day when a woman from California walking into one of the Weenie houses said "Hey Bud" as I was walking out. Another senior Weenie - who alas, does not participate anymore - sitting on the porch steps, and likely having a beer or two, thought this was hilarious and yelled out, "Uncle Bud!" A nickname was born, somewhat to my regret. The nickname seemed to be a reference to the jelly-stealin' fellow in Tampa Red's song Uncle Bud, a character who appears in other lyrics as well, mostly in not particularly flattering, usually ribald circumstances. Not exactly an accurate reflection of me, but whatever. I went with it. It might also have been a reference to Uncle Bud Walker, a Mississippi bluesman of rather limited talents. Perhaps closer?

Some time ago, while reading some Paul Oliver notes to a CD I can't recall (Texas Alexander, perhaps), I came across a reference to another more infamous Uncle Bud I'd somehow missed. This was Uncle Bud Russell, a transfer agent in the Texas prison system who would round up prisoners in his "one-way wagon" and take them to the state pen. Chain 'em by the neck to each other. Here's a description: "Big, red-faced, rawboned Uncle Bud Russell, 62, is Texas' prison agent. Armed to the teeth (two six-shooters, two gas guns, blackjack, brass knuckles), he likes to ride his convicts to jail with a submachine gun between his knees, has done so to some 100,000 of them in 35 years."

Needless to say, not my kind of guy at all. He apparently appears in some versions of Midnight Special, and Lightnin' Hopkins did a tune called Bud Russell Blues.

So I'm ditching the moniker. While there is no connection between the more salacious Uncle Bud character and Uncle Bud the prison agent, I'm uncomfortable with any possible confusion that might arise where someone might think I'm referencing the more famous Uncle Bud Russell. I'll have to come up with something else for an avatar and nickname, but in the meantime, you can call me Andrew.

[Slack]

Hey Andrew, you realize Ghostrider is going to have field day with this... 

How 'bout I trade you "Slackjaw Johnny" for "Uncle Bud"?  ..maybe Slackjaw Andy?   

[Bunker Hill]

Look here:

http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?amp;Itemid=114&topic=2056.msg15831;topicseen#msg15831

Pre tagging days so not "visible" at present. I can tag it as Uncle Bud but there are so many other possible artist tags too...

[uncle bud]

Thanks for the reminder, BH. I'd forgotten that thread, which may in fact have been the original source of my discomfort with the name (aside from, you know, the obvious). I knew there was more to it than the brief mention of Bud Russell in the Oliver liner notes.

[GhostRider]

Where do I start.....

How 'bout "Uncle PC"?

More to come,
Alex

[lindy]

Gee, Uncle . . . sorry, Andrew, I always thought you got the Uncle Bud nickname from the hit record made by Boozoo Chavis in Lake Charles, Louisiana back in the late '50s or early '60s. He cut two versions--one that the DJs could play on the local AM radio stations and one that he saved for playing live in the clubs out on the back roads of the Cajun parishes.

The radio version had these lyrics:

18, 19, 20 years ago
Uncle Bud beat the devil out of Cotton Eyed Joe
Uncle Bud

Some people say Uncle Bud is dead
You dog-gone liers, he's sick in bed
Uncle Bud

Uncle Bud's got a daughter
Her name is Joan
What I like about her
Make an old man moan
Uncle Bud

Uncle Bud's got cotton, ain't never been picked
Uncle Bud's got corn, ain't never been shucked
Uncle Bud's got a daughter, ain't never been touched
Uncle Bud

Big fish, little fish
Swimming in the water
Some son-of-a-gun done coached(?) my daughter

Down in Louisiana where the grass grows green
They've got more women than you've ever seen
Uncle Bud

Uncle Bud got this
Uncle Bud got that
Uncle Bud got a big old cowboy hat
Uncle Bud

Yonder come Mark with a pack on his back
He bring more cotton than he can pack
Uncle Bud


You can hear the grownup version on Rhapsody.com, on a CD called "Who Stole My Monkey?" It's the only Zydeco CD I know of that has a "Parental Discretion" label on the cover. You can try this link:

http://play.rhapsody.com/boozoochavis/whostolemymonkey/unclebudadultlyrics?didAutoplayBounce=true

Anyway, Uncle Bud was a mighty mighty man, and I'm sure anyone would be proud to have his pickle . . .

Lindy

[Stuart]

Hi Andrew:

When I clicked on the link that was posted to the PWBG this morning, I immediately thought about what your reaction would be. I guess I got my answer.

Welcome to Weenie Campbell, Andrew!

What's in a name? Unless it is totally beyond the range of acceptability, probably not too much. As far as I'm concerned, it's what's in a person's posts that is important.

P.S. FYI here the link: http://texashideout.tripod.com/russell.html

[dj]

I'm uncomfortable with any possible confusion that might arise where someone might think I'm referencing ...

Gee, with my lack of imagination, I'd always assumed it was just that you had a niece or nephew at some point who couldn't pronounce Andrew and so called you Uncle Bud, and the name stuck.  It was kind of nice to have an uncle posting stuff - I had a lot of uncles, and uncles always make me think of the great things in life: beer, pickup baseball games, and dairy barns at 5 a.m., to name a few.  I'll miss that avuncular presence.


 

[Rivers]

What can I say, except that's the nice thing about internet names, no paperwork involved. If it was bugging you you should certainly change it. How about 'Joe Turner'? 'Stack'? Then we'd have Slack and Stack!

[Slack]

Then we'd have Slack and Stack!

The next Mutt and Jeff! 

[GhostRider]

Hi, Andrew:

Another couple of suggestions for your new moniker:

The first name of one prominent CB artist, the last name of another, a reference to your Irish heritage we have:

Pink O'Red

You could also keep the "Bud" part of your old nickname, but make clear your aversion to that nerfareous historical person. How 'bout:

Anti Bud

I'll keep thinking...

Alex

[Slack]

Man Andrew, unless you come up with something soon -- this could get ugly.

[Stuart]

Given Andrew's surname and his affinity for Charley Patton, how about "'Moon Goin' Down' Mullins"?? (For those of us old enough to remember the comic strip.) 

[Bunker Hill]

The question Andrew poses in the title of this thread is an interesting one, namely the choice of "screen names". I been privately asked on more than one occasion "why Bunker Hill. Is it this, that or the other CB connection". Not in CB but R&B and a master of 60s lunacy named David Walker, a former member of the Mighty Clouds of Joy!

[blueshome]

I'm surprised Mr Bunker - I thought it was from "...build myself a mansion up on Bunker Hill, Get my whiskey straight from the still..."