Otis My Man!

Four years ago, there was an ice storm in Baltimore. And in the middle of this mess of Mother Nature, I had to drive a freshly newborn daughter (Kid Lulu) and her mother (the Forever Fiancee) from a Charm City hospital to the city of Silver Spring, normally a 25-minute sojourn.

Now, as any Dad will tell you, Baby's First Drive is a doozy. If the speedometer cracks 30, it's a miracle. Anticipating this hellacious test of courage and anti-lock brakes, I picked Hall & Oates as my driving music on that winter day. The way I figured it, nothing bad can happen to you during "Kiss on My List." So with Lu and the FF both in the back seat, black ice on the highway and H&O harmonizing on the radio, I crept home, a slow-rolling, sing-along trek that took about 38 days. But hey, we were safe.

For my newest daughter (a snurfling ball of cute who's asleep right now), the drive-time conditions on Saturday were predictably paradisically January in Florida. Sunny, 72. But that doesn't mean I wasn't freaking out. That doesn't mean every car on I-275 wasn't a homicidal maniac intent on making this Baby's First Bumper Cars. I still needed cool, calming tunes to guide me home.

I considered Dylan, Randy Newman, even Van Halen. H&O did the trick once, why not again? But ever since going to Memphis last year, Otis Redding hasn't been far from reach. So, despite Redding's tragic plane crash death, I went with Side One of his 1998 Rhino anthology. The way I figured it, nothing bad can happen to you during "Shake." At least not in a car. And hey, we were safe.

So anyway, I'm curious how many Dads out there remember what was playing in the car during Baby's First Drive. Maybe nothing; maybe Mom told you to shut the dang radio off. But I bet some of you remember exactly what you turned up to steel your nerves -- and to bring the crew home safe and sound.

Comments

[Jeff in Cuba]

Sean,

November 1997. Harriot had stayed with her mother in DC while I was overseas, and Daisy was born at Bethesda, so I had to make my first "baby drive" in a rental car through unfamilar streets. White-knuckle city. I don't remember the soundtrack, but I do remember where we went: straight to Kinko's to get Daisy the world's worst passport photo.

Here's another great "baby drive" story.

January 2005. I've got the video camera trained on the front door of the Guantanamo Bay Naval Hospital as the staff wheels Harriot and Chester out to the car. I then swing the camera around and focus on the front door of our house, which is within eyeshot of the hospital. Easiest first drive ever.

[Marissa]

Hey Sean,
Thanks for sharing your white knuckle experiences of driving your precious daughters home from the hospital.

I have no recollection about music being played as my son and I were nestled in the back seat of the car. I was so frantic about what to do next that nothing phased me. Plus, I was upset with my then husband. Long bitter story. I'll spare the world.
However, on the drive home, all I could think about was, "I don't know nothin' 'bout raisin' no baby!"

[Greg Jones]

I've made that trip four times, and I'm ashamed to admit that I don't remember the songs for any of them! Maybe my wife does. Of course, I have a little trouble with two of their birthdays. It's hell getting old.

[NickWithAnAxe]

It was a long time ago, that first drive home. I remember saying, "how the #^%@ does this car seat work?" about 38 times. I don't remember what we listened to. All I know is I drove home thinking "please don't let me break her" over and over again.

[Eric in Madison]

Hey, Congratulations! I just watched the DVD of Shake! Otis in Monterey and was blown away. The commentary track is especially interesting, as it explains how R&B singer Otis Redding found his way to the Monterey Pop Festival. RIP Otis (coincidentally his plane went down about a mile away from where I'm sitting now).