I wonder if all along, Grimes and Elon Musk knew that the birth of their child, X Æ A-12, would be the most significant non-virus related event to take place in the year of our Lord 2020. Since the blessed child emerged from mother’s womb, philosophers have debated heavily over how to pronounce the name of the future overlord of Mars. According to Instagram, there is finally an answer. Sort of.
In response to several commenters asking how to pronounce the baby’s name, Grimes wrote, “It’s just X, like the letter X. Then A.I. Like how you said the letter A then I.” Remember a simpler time when Apple was the strangest baby name on the block?
Not to be upstaged by his girlfriend, Elon Musk spoke about X Æ A-12’s name while appearing on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. “How do you say that name?” Rogan asks in the first minute of the show. Musk chuckles, masking the sound of his internal scream over not wanting to answer this question for the rest of his life, and responds, “It’s just X, the letter X. And then, the Æ is, like, pronounced ‘Ash’ and then, A-12, A-12 is my contribution.” Musk explains that the A-12 or Archangel 12 is “ the precursor to the SR71, coolest plane ever.” Which inspires many questions one of which is why isn’t the kid’s name X Æ SR71 instead? If you’re going to go full plane nerd, then go all the way there.
Although Grimes and Musk seem to disagree on the pronunciation, it may not matter which parent is right, anyway. According to CBS News, the use of numbers is not allowed on birth certificates under the rules of the California Department of Public Health Vital Records Handbook. But rules and handbooks are for regular people who weren’t born to inherit a portion of their father’s wealth which will probably be equivalent to the economy of a small nation. Honestly, they should just give a new pronunciation of this kid’s name every week until he’s a teenager.