A Pirate Looks At Forty Written for.....

BettyV · Post by **BettyV** » September 28, 2005 4:46 pm

Did you every hear that A Pirate Looks At Forty was written especially for the divers who discovered the treasures of the Atocha, Mel Fisher et al?

I recently read a brief article in a magazine sent to members of electric co-ops written by a woman who was previously a member of that group. She wrote of their reunion in, where else--Key West. Said they spent the night dancing to Jimmy Buffett tunes and their favorite was APLAF, since it was written just for them.

Anyone have any more info on this story? Was Jimbo an investor in that venture?

BTW, I have a small dolphin pendant which was made from the melted gold of the Atocha venture. I have the Certificate of Authenticity. I could not afford any of the larger pieces!

landshark04 · Post by **landshark04** » September 28, 2005 4:48 pm

jimmys always said it was written about drug dealers that he knew.....but how knows

ToplessRideFL · Post by **ToplessRideFL** » September 28, 2005 4:49 pm

Well she can think whatever she wants.... everyone sees and hears differently.....but thats not Jimmy's story.... unless I have been wrong all these years....

RinglingRingling · Post by **RinglingRingling** » September 28, 2005 5:00 pm

ToplessRideFL wrote:Well she can think whatever she wants.... everyone sees and hears differently.....but thats not Jimmy's story.... unless I have been wrong all these years....

Nope, you're not wrong. It's the story of a regular in the Chartroom Lounge just off Mallory Square at the head of Duval Street.

They may have liked it, they may have tried to buy the rights to it... but it wasn't written for them.

Cuervo · Post by **Cuervo** » September 28, 2005 5:07 pm

RinglingRingling wrote:
ToplessRideFL wrote:Well she can think whatever she wants.... everyone sees and hears differently.....but thats not Jimmy's story.... unless I have been wrong all these years....
Nope, you're not wrong. It's the story of a regular in the Chartroom Lounge just off Mallory Square at the head of Duval Street.

The Chartroom Lounge...... which at the time would have had Fisher's salvage crews as regulars.

They may have liked it, they may have tried to buy the rights to it... but it wasn't written for them.

Acording to the book "Fatal Treasure" Fisher and his family moved to the Keys in '63 in search of the Atocha's treasure. APLAF came out on A1A in '74....... hummmm.

Just more info.......

I'm reading the book Fatal Treasure by Jedwin Smith and it says that Jimmy was shooting the cover (SYKBH) w/ the Arbutus, Fisher's old salvage ship, when the Atocha treasure was found July 20 1985 and the next day gave a mini concert, aboard the Dauntless, the next day to include "A Pirate Looks At Forty"

ToplessRideFL · Post by **ToplessRideFL** » September 28, 2005 5:07 pm

RinglingRingling wrote:Nope, you're not wrong. It's the story of a regular in the Chartroom Lounge just off Mallory Square at the head of Duval Street.

They may have liked it, they may have tried to buy the rights to it... but it wasn't written for them.

I have acctually been there... YEARS ago.. mid eighties. Was a Buffett fan then, but dont think I knew the story of Pirate then.....

RinglingRingling · Post by **RinglingRingling** » September 28, 2005 5:18 pm

Cuervo wrote:
RinglingRingling wrote:
ToplessRideFL wrote:Well she can think whatever she wants.... everyone sees and hears differently.....but thats not Jimmy's story.... unless I have been wrong all these years....
Nope, you're not wrong. It's the story of a regular in the Chartroom Lounge just off Mallory Square at the head of Duval Street.
The Chartroom Lounge...... which at the time would have had Fisher's salvage crews as regulars.

They may have liked it, they may have tried to buy the rights to it... but it wasn't written for them.
Acording to the book "Fatal Treasure" Fisher and his family moved to the Keys in '63 in search of the Atocha's treasure. APLAF came out on A1A in '74....... hummmm.

Just more info.......

I'm reading the book Fatal Treasure by Jedwin Smith and it says that Jimmy was shooting the cover (SYKBH) w/ the Arbutus, Fisher's old salvage ship, when the Atocha treasure was found July 20 1985 and the next day gave a mini concert, aboard the Dauntless, the next day to include "A Pirate Looks At Forty"

timeline is right, and just like all the other basis' for songs, open for debate. The Fisher story wasn't the version of the song history I heard.

Sidew13 · Post by **Sidew13** » September 28, 2005 5:19 pm

Realy small bar

Part of the Trails of Margaritaville

bravedave · Post by **bravedave** » September 28, 2005 6:54 pm

Phil Clark?

Goodman · Post by **Goodman** » September 28, 2005 6:56 pm

It was for a transvestite dancer from the neighborhood.

cayman2 · Post by **cayman2** » September 28, 2005 8:56 pm

Yep, the song was written for Phil Clark, who died in 1986, as I recall. I have never heard that it had anything to do with Mel Fischer.

conched · Post by **conched** » September 28, 2005 9:25 pm

You can listen to a great Pirate Story if this link works.

It's from Texas Connection with Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy and Fingers.

http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/itsnak/ls ... yahoo.com/

Quiet and Shy · Post by **Quiet and Shy** » September 28, 2005 11:04 pm

Well, if APLA40 was written in '74 and the treasure wasn't found until '85, that doesn't really fit...even if they were drinking in the Chart Room in the '70s while searching for the treasure. The Phil Clark story is the one I've heard. But then again...the song is kind of about that unfound treasure....

Elrod · Post by **Elrod** » September 28, 2005 11:07 pm

Phil Clark.

rednekkPH · Post by **rednekkPH** » September 28, 2005 11:17 pm

Phil Clark, a Chart Room regular, is what I've always heard. Interesting story about what happenned to his ashes, too

conched · Post by **conched** » September 28, 2005 11:56 pm

rednekkPH wrote:Phil Clark, a Chart Room regular, is what I've always heard. Interesting story about what happenned to his ashes, too

According to an unofficial source, "one night they got some of the ashes out and snorted them, when everybody was pretty high."

Another quote: Clark's friends were casting at least some of the ashes into the ocean...

Clark's ex-fiancee, Carol Shaugnessy, (founding editor of Jimmy's Coconut Telegraph newsletter), says they waved a pirate flag as they sprinkled the ashes into the sea.

rednekkPH · Post by **rednekkPH** » September 29, 2005 9:19 am

conched wrote:
rednekkPH wrote:Phil Clark, a Chart Room regular, is what I've always heard. Interesting story about what happenned to his ashes, too
According to an unofficial source, "one night they got some of the ashes out and snorted them, when everybody was pretty high."

Another quote: Clark's friends were casting at least some of the ashes into the ocean...

Clark's ex-fiancee, Carol Shaugnessy, (founding editor of Jimmy's Coconut Telegraph newsletter), says they waved a pirate flag as they sprinkled the ashes into the sea.

The way it was told to me, after Phil washed up, he was cremated and his ashes sent to KW, where his old drinking buddies decided to take him out for one last night on the town. Well, they carried Phil from bar to bar, until at one point, they realized they had left him at a previous stop. They returned to where they had left him, to find other patrons in the process of snorting Phil's ashes.

True? Don't know, but it is a hell of a story!

dnw · Post by **dnw** » September 29, 2005 10:06 am

I also heard on the Trails of Margaritaville tour that the song was about Phil Clark.

slimwis · Post by **slimwis** » September 29, 2005 10:40 am

For what it's worth, James mentioned he wrote the song about Phil Clark when we saw him at the WPB Auditorium in 1980? Liked to have me him.

slimwis · Post by **slimwis** » September 29, 2005 10:44 am

slimwis wrote:For what it's worth, James mentioned he wrote the song about Phil Clark when we saw him at the WPB Auditorium in 1980? Liked to have met him.

BuffettNews.com

A Pirate Looks At Forty Written for.....

A Pirate Looks At Forty Written for.....

Your all wrong!