THE NAME GAME

Here are the official rules and history for the Name Game from wikipedia.com:

"The Name Game," or "The Banana Song", is a children's sing-along rhyming game that creates variations on a person's name. It was written by singer Shirley Ellis with Lincoln Chase, and Ellis' recording, produced by Charles Calello, was released in late 1964 as "The Name Game." That record went to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 4 on the magazine's R&B charts in 1965. Ellis performed "The Name Game" on major television programs of the day, including Hullabaloo, American Bandstand, and Merv Griffin.  Ellis told Melody Maker magazine that the song was based on a game she played as a child.

Using the name Micah as an example, the song follows this pattern:

Micah, Micah, bo-bicah,

Banana-fana fo-ficah

Fee-fi-mo-icah

Micah!

A verse can be created for any name, with X as the name and X−1 as the name without the first consonant sound (if it begins with a consonant), as follows:

(X), (X), bo-b(X−1)

Banana-fana fo-f(X−1)

Fee-fi-mo-m(X−1)

X!

If the name starts with a vowel or vowel sound, the "b" "f" or "m" is inserted in front of the name. And if the name starts with a b, f, or m, that sound simply is not repeated. (For example: Billy becomes "Billy Billy bo-illy"; Fred becomes "banana fana fo-red"; Marsha becomes "fee fi mo-arsha".)

This is not the name game that I am referring to. Thank you Wikipedia for such a detailed description though. The name game that I am referring to is the one where I try to make sense of all the names that my family, friends, and colleagues call me. Here is a list.

• Asher
• Ash
• 
  
  Ashy
• Ash Man
• Ashybub
• The Lad
• The Boy
• Little Dude
• Bub
• Bubba
• Ashygog
• The Lord Azerael, Prince of Darkness, King of the Night, Slayer of the Weak (Just kidding)
• Asherbaijan
• Little Man
• Solo
• Asher Solomon Frederic(k) [only when I am getting in trouble]
• Asher Yonah Zalman
• GRRRRAAAAAHHHHH (what Gillian calls me when she charges me)

That is all I can think of, there are probably more. This whole name thing is confusing. I think I am going to sip some Earl Gray, read the Journal, suck on my binky and then nap for an hour until I wake wanting Dinner. I love room service. I hope this never ends. It is, as they say, the good life.

Edit: Aparently I forgot another name.  Meatloaf.  Sorry Gila.  It won't happen again. And I guess I am also known as Pickleman.  I wish I had a cape.