Have You Ever Met/Conversed With Jimmy? Buffett, that is.

Mottola-Buffett · Post by **Mottola-Buffett** » February 15, 2008 7:26 pm

Okay, I'm feeling good today (antibiotics have kicked in) and diving right in to the big questions. I dream of meeting Jimmy some day... sitting with him... having an actual conversation. I'm wondering how many of you have spent time with him - talking (or doing something else?

)
Or even some sort of verbal exchange?
Again, I can't wait to hear your responses.

UpstateNYPH · Post by **UpstateNYPH** » February 15, 2008 7:32 pm

He winked at my girlfriend in Foxboro. Does that count?

Mottola-Buffett · Post by **Mottola-Buffett** » February 15, 2008 7:36 pm

You bet it counts. I'd be countin' it every day if I were her

drunkpirate66 · Post by **drunkpirate66** » February 15, 2008 7:42 pm

He plays at a bar out by where I live . . . I have seen him there.

UpstateNYPH · Post by **UpstateNYPH** » February 15, 2008 7:47 pm

Mottola-Buffett wrote:You bet it counts. I'd be countin' it every day if I were her

I was in the front row at Philly in '05 and Jimmy saw me going crazy the whole show and before the encore, came to the stage in front of me, pointed at me, and threw me his flip flop. Unfortunately when that happened everyone around me rushed the stage and actually pushed me out of the way, and some girl got it who could care less that she was there. That is the only interaction I have ever had with Jimmy.

Until, I was thrown the flip-flop again in Foxboro, but this time it went under my chair and a guy IN A SUIT (who stood there during the show with his arms crossed the entire time) pushed my chair into me and reached down and grabbed it.

I count my blessings that I have been lucky enough to be front row twice in my life, but overall I have bad flip-flop luck.

HULA GIRL^ · Post by **HULA GIRL^** » February 15, 2008 7:52 pm

Ahh, only in my dreams.

Mottola-Buffett · Post by **Mottola-Buffett** » February 15, 2008 7:54 pm

UpstateNYPH wrote:
Mottola-Buffett wrote:You bet it counts. I'd be countin' it every day if I were her

I was in the front row at Philly in '05 and Jimmy saw me going crazy the whole show and before the encore, came to the stage in front of me, pointed at me, and threw me his flip flop. Unfortunately when that happened everyone around me rushed the stage and actually pushed me out of the way, and some girl got it who could care less that she was there. That is the only interaction I have ever had with Jimmy.

Until, I was thrown the flip-flop again in Foxboro, but this time it went under my chair and a guy IN A SUIT (who stood there during the show with his arms crossed the entire time) pushed my chair into me and reached down and grabbed it.

I count my blessings that I have been lucky enough to be front row twice in my life, but overall I have bad flip-flop luck.

I am so sorry for you! That's hysterical, but I'm so sorry.

UpstateNYPH · Post by **UpstateNYPH** » February 15, 2008 7:58 pm

Mottola-Buffett wrote:
UpstateNYPH wrote:
Mottola-Buffett wrote:You bet it counts. I'd be countin' it every day if I were her

I was in the front row at Philly in '05 and Jimmy saw me going crazy the whole show and before the encore, came to the stage in front of me, pointed at me, and threw me his flip flop. Unfortunately when that happened everyone around me rushed the stage and actually pushed me out of the way, and some girl got it who could care less that she was there. That is the only interaction I have ever had with Jimmy.

Until, I was thrown the flip-flop again in Foxboro, but this time it went under my chair and a guy IN A SUIT (who stood there during the show with his arms crossed the entire time) pushed my chair into me and reached down and grabbed it.

I count my blessings that I have been lucky enough to be front row twice in my life, but overall I have bad flip-flop luck.
I am so sorry for you! That's hysterical, but I'm so sorry.

Thanks, my flip-flop day will come

LIPH · Post by **LIPH** » February 15, 2008 9:17 pm

At the end of the Paris show he stayed out on the stage and was signing autographs. I was in the front row but the only thing I had with me was my ticket. I held it out, said "Jimmy, could you sign this?", he said "sure" and signed it. That's the closest I've come to having a conversation with him. But I've had dinner with Heather Dee Perry so meeting Jimmy isn't really that important to me.

James William · Post by **James William** » February 15, 2008 10:11 pm

I was lucky enough a couple of years ago to meet Jimmy backstage in Cinci. I have become somewhat friends with someone who works pretty close to him and over the years he would tell me I would someday get to meet him.
So there I was backstage one year and my friend came by to say hi and shoot the breeze for a bit. After we talked he asked me to stick around...I thought s*** he's never asked me to do that before. I waited and waited and waited till about 10 min till show time and I started to head out to my seats and I hear Jimmy's body guard Charles yell my name and ask me not to leave and motioned me to come towards him. I was with 2 other friends and they followed so close they could have been my shadow.
5 min later he (Charles) was radio'd to have me walk back, he told me where to go and I would see my friend waiting.
He took me on stage and showed me the view Jimmy has from the crowd, showed me his guitars etc.... then he said Jimmy was finishing his interview with Radio Margaritaville let me ask if he has a few minutes to talk to you.
You know something everything I ever wanted to talk to Jimmy about just vanished into thin air, fishing, his times in Nashville, him wanting to record a ballad cd, but worried how fans would react. (I saw that in a interview). I went blank.
I was standing there facing away from the trailor looking out over the crowd and I see from the corner of my eye Jimmy walking down the ramp from the truck and towards me with my friend.
He introduced himself to me and said thanks for coming up from Nashville. I think I said something like "I love it and do it every year" he asked a couple other things, but I really don't think I said much and if I did I mumbled..my brain was fried.
He posed for a picture and my battery died..I told my friend to try it again and it died once again. Luckily one of the guys I was with had his camera and said use mine.. Jimmy poked fun at my friend snapping the picture and said something along the lines of can't you f**cking work a digital camera while laughing.
He shook my hand again and thanked us, by this time he was running 15 min late for the show and said he had to get going " I am not even dressed for the GD show" Charles came and got him and off he went.
He was super nice. I just wish I could have talked.

The photo that almost never happened.

[/img]

Post by **SMLCHNG** » February 15, 2008 10:13 pm

Nope.

MA_Buffett_Fan23 · Post by **MA_Buffett_Fan23** » February 15, 2008 10:56 pm

The closest I came was in 2004. I had second row seats in Vegas and it was game one of the World Series.. I'm a HUGE Sox fan so I was at the ESPN zone watching the game and almost missed the beginning of the show.. Anyway prior to the game my girlfriends (who didn't go to the show) and I ripped up a bag and used nail polish, lipstick and eyeliner to write a sign that said.. "GO SOX!!! Jimmy I need the score!!" I held it up several times and he smiled and acknowledged me.

At intermission someone from his staff came out and handed me a piece of paper with the score! I'd like to think it was Jimmy personally but you never know.

Ohhh and his duck boat almost ran me over at Fenway!

pojo · Post by **pojo** » February 15, 2008 11:00 pm

nope

East Texas Parrothead · February 15, 2008 11:18 pm

He threw his guitar pick out into the audience at Maui ... it landed on my arm.

And, of course ... there was the 70s ... when I was one of many who hung around after the Dallas bar shows ... he wouldn't remember me, but some of my college friends went to school with Willis Alan, so that was how I got to hang (and inhale) with Jimmy.

Oh, yeah. He sings Northeast Texas Women for me every year, too.

Crazy Navy Flyer · Post by **Crazy Navy Flyer** » February 15, 2008 11:21 pm

Mottola-Buffett · Post by **Mottola-Buffett** » February 15, 2008 11:24 pm

James William wrote:I was lucky enough a couple of years ago to meet Jimmy backstage in Cinci. I have become somewhat friends with someone who works pretty close to him and over the years he would tell me I would someday get to meet him.
So there I was backstage one year and my friend came by to say hi and shoot the breeze for a bit. After we talked he asked me to stick around...I thought s*** he's never asked me to do that before. I waited and waited and waited till about 10 min till show time and I started to head out to my seats and I hear Jimmy's body guard Charles yell my name and ask me not to leave and motioned me to come towards him. I was with 2 other friends and they followed so close they could have been my shadow.
5 min later he (Charles) was radio'd to have me walk back, he told me where to go and I would see my friend waiting.
He took me on stage and showed me the view Jimmy has from the crowd, showed me his guitars etc.... then he said Jimmy was finishing his interview with Radio Margaritaville let me ask if he has a few minutes to talk to you.
You know something everything I ever wanted to talk to Jimmy about just vanished into thin air, fishing, his times in Nashville, him wanting to record a ballad cd, but worried how fans would react. (I saw that in a interview). I went blank.
I was standing there facing away from the trailor looking out over the crowd and I see from the corner of my eye Jimmy walking down the ramp from the truck and towards me with my friend.
He introduced himself to me and said thanks for coming up from Nashville. I think I said something like "I love it and do it every year" he asked a couple other things, but I really don't think I said much and if I did I mumbled..my brain was fried.
He posed for a picture and my battery died..I told my friend to try it again and it died once again. Luckily one of the guys I was with had his camera and said use mine.. Jimmy poked fun at my friend snapping the picture and said something along the lines of can't you f**cking work a digital camera while laughing.
He shook my hand again and thanked us, by this time he was running 15 min late for the show and said he had to get going " I am not even dressed for the GD show" Charles came and got him and off he went.
He was super nice. I just wish I could have talked.

The photo that almost never happened.

[/img]

Cool story, James. Thanks for sharing. I'm afraid those two things would also happen to me... my mind would go blank and my camera wouldn't work. Thank God your friend had one!

surfpirate · Post by **surfpirate** » February 15, 2008 11:29 pm

I've been fortunate enough to have several brief encounters with Jimmy over the past 2 decades. Once by pure dumb luck back in '89 by being at the right place at the right time down in Key West, and several other times by being first in line at a book signing or front row at a concert. I've managed to get his autograph many times and had a couple of very "small talk" conversations and pictures taken with him. He even bought me a beer once, sort of, (after spilling my beer by kicking a beach ball off the stage and smack dab into my face mid-sip).

My wife and I carried on a running conversation with him between songs during a concert from the front row at Merriweather Post one year. She was 7 months pregnant at the time and he asked when she was due, etc. He gave her a guitar pick that show. It was also the show when he thought I was blowing him kisses for few embarassing minutes. During one song Shakira had kissed him on the cheek during the performance and left a huge glob of lipstick on his cheek. We had been talking with him throughout the show and I tried to motion to him him that he had lipstick on his cheek. I think for a moment he thought I was blowing him a kiss! Fortunately during the next song Utley made the same motions to him about the lipstick so after the next song he came over and asked "did I get it all off?".

A few years ago I wrote down some of my stories for posterity and posted the pictures here

----> http://www.surfpirates.com/piratejournals/intro.html.

Yes, it's my own shameless collection of bragging stories.

~~~~~~ surfpirate

Mottola-Buffett · Post by **Mottola-Buffett** » February 15, 2008 11:33 pm

Ideally, I'd like to meet Jimmy in a totally out of the ordinary way... some quiet location where he's just being himself -- like hiking on some trail or looking for directions in some random location or sitting in a cafe in Europe somewhere. I'd prefer not to meet him as "Jimmy the Entertainer", but as a regular Joe. I'd love the opportunity to just sit with him and chew the fat about life; not his in particular, but life in general. I know he's got a lot of living to share in that head of his.
I envy those that have that sort of relationship with him. Anyway, enough about me, what about you guys?

TommyBahama · Post by **TommyBahama** » February 15, 2008 11:47 pm

ahhh no!!!...i know of a group of about 6-8 that did!!!...i was there and left to go play Golf!!!...so i missed by about 10-15 minutes!!

docandjeanie · Post by **docandjeanie** » February 16, 2008 12:19 am

the closest I have come is a autographed photo from Jimmy, saying Fins Up Jeanie. Does that count? I have to scan it and upload it.