BN Critters - May 9th, 2008

surfpirate · Post by **surfpirate** » May 9, 2008 1:38 am

FRIDAY, 9 MAY 2008

surfpirate · Post by **surfpirate** » May 9, 2008 1:38 am

Frustrations with TicketMaster are not new ...... they go back decades ..... only back in the late 1980s, mid 1990s it wasn't online
tickets sales, but telephone ticket sales. But one experience led to a HUGE Phenomenom, the legend of which still lives on today ........

Perhaps a little background history is in order for those of you who may not be familiar with the
legendary Gulf&Western recording artist Benny Puckett.

Many years ago, back in the middle of a decade known as the 1990s, in an online community known
as the AOL Margaritaville Cafe, Benny Puckett attempted a short lived comeback from his storied past.
Forget Kenny Chesney people, Benny Puckett was the original "almost was", with a strange and
mysterious career that eerily paralleled that of his idol Jimmy Buffett. *

* 3 months before Jimmy released CILCIA, Benny released Changes In Longitudes, Changes In Time Zones ..... more on this next week in BN Critters.

Benny's exploits were legendary and his fans, known as Puckheads, were obsessed with Benny
(think Jahfin and the Drive-By Truckers obsessed). Nothing would set off a firestorm of indignation more
than reading a concert review in High Times Magazine that spelled Benny's last name with one "T"
(that's PucketT people! Get it right!).

Benny's career began, peaked and ultimately faded away in a short span in the 1970s and 1980s,
but not before he had released a specatular catalog of 8-tracks. Benny was always a mysterious character
(his face rarely appeared on his album covers and his hand written album liner notes were generally considered
to be illegible) but stories and tales were told and passed from Puckhead to Puckhead.

Then for 15 years, Benny dropped off the face of the world.

That is until 1995 when the following appeared in an early online
community known as the AOL Margaritaville Cafe ......

On August 19th, 1995, a young medical intern Parrothead by the screen name Wildcatt76 called up TicketMaster
to get Jimmy Buffett Tickets. Only the operator was either a real dummy or she just had a really bad connection
and she kept replying, "But we don't have Benny Puckett Tickets!"

Wildcatt76 in the AOL Margaritaville Cafe .... 1995 wrote:OK. OK. I have an all time new low for Ticket**stard. First of all, I called at 9AM this morning, only to be put on hold for 10 minutes "until the next available operator is available". Well when the operator got done stuffing a couple of more doughnuts in her mouth and decided to answer my call, I tell her I needed tickets to the Jimmy Buffett concert at Sandstone on Sept 30. She said "Who?" Benny Pucket?" I said "NO! JIMMY BUFFETT" at which time she informed me that if I had a problem not to take it out on her. Well I said I didn't have a problem, and I asked to speak to her Supervisor, at which time she HUNG UP on me! OK, I'm fuming by this time, but in my rage I somehow forgot to remember her name, so I couldn't call back and complain. So what do I do???
Maybe that stupid quality control recording they warn you about was running and someone will hear it and she will get canned.
So when I had cooled off enough, I called back and finally got through, only to be told "Sorry, we only have lawn seats left", to which I replied "Well how about the Benny Puckett concert, has he sold out?" She pecked away at her keyboard and said "Who?"
So I told her, "Well he's a pretty obscure act and TM might not be handling his ticket sales." To which she replied, "I think I've heard of him, what's he sing?"
"You know, Ticket Agent Blues, Score one for the good guys. When in Rome .... "She said maybe she hadn't heard of any of those.
Anyway I'll find a way to get my Jimmy Buffett tickets, but until then, keep calling for those Benny Puckett tickets and have a very fruitful day!

And from that one post, a legend began and the short lived Benny Puckett comeback was launched.
Bits and pieces of Benny's life, song catalog and legend were posted out on AOL for nearly 2 years.

A book was even published (honestly) and presented to Jimmy Buffett at the Tonight Show, along with a
Benny Puckett's Back! - World Tour T-Shirt. Jimmy was happy and so were we.

The Old AOLers most certainly remember Benny Puckett,
and now you have been introduced to the legend as well.

~~~~~ surfpirate

Capt.Flock · Post by **Capt.Flock** » May 9, 2008 1:43 am

about time benny gets his due

Snowparrot · Post by **Snowparrot** » May 9, 2008 1:48 am

Are you making this up now, SP?

(signed: the other SP)

C-Dawg · Post by **C-Dawg** » May 9, 2008 6:18 am

I come on for laughs and get a history lesson....who says surfing the net isn't educational

Have a great weekend SP, and all the critterheads....look forward to seeing how this plays out next week

PackPhanGirl · Post by **PackPhanGirl** » May 9, 2008 7:10 am

I never did well in history because I was bored....now I can't get enough!!!

Tropic_Al · Post by **Tropic_Al** » May 9, 2008 7:29 am

Snowparrot wrote:Are you making this up now, SP?

(signed: the other SP)

I read it on the internet, it must be true.....

dnw · Post by **dnw** » May 9, 2008 8:36 am

I've heard that story before--never knew if it was true or not.

Tarheel Tail-Gator · Post by **Tarheel Tail-Gator** » May 9, 2008 9:01 am

Twas an educational week in Critterville!

Keep up the good work SP!

alphabits · Post by **alphabits** » May 9, 2008 9:10 am

Who could forget "Why Don't We Eat Brunch and Spoon" or "Muttonchop Sideburns"?

surfpirate · Post by **surfpirate** » May 9, 2008 9:15 am

alphabits wrote:Who could forget "Why Don't We Eat Brunch and Spoon" or "Muttonchop Sideburns"?

Exactly! And didn't Benny release both of those songs BEFORE Jimmy recorded WDWGDAS and Pencil Thin Mustache?

Who was inspiring who?

Carolinadreamin' · Post by **Carolinadreamin'** » May 9, 2008 9:17 am

You guys are crackin' me up.......

Carolinadreamin' · Post by **Carolinadreamin'** » May 9, 2008 9:19 am

surfpirate wrote:
alphabits wrote:Who could forget "Why Don't We Eat Brunch and Spoon" or "Muttonchop Sideburns"?
Exactly! And didn't Benny release both of those songs BEFORE Jimmy recorded WDWGDAS and Pencil Thin Mustache?

Who was inspiring who?

SP.....Are you saying Jimmy was a Benny wanna be?????

alphabits · Post by **alphabits** » May 9, 2008 9:28 am

Carolinadreamin' wrote:
surfpirate wrote:
alphabits wrote:Who could forget "Why Don't We Eat Brunch and Spoon" or "Muttonchop Sideburns"?
Exactly! And didn't Benny release both of those songs BEFORE Jimmy recorded WDWGDAS and Pencil Thin Mustache?

Who was inspiring who?

SP.....Are you saying Jimmy was a Benny wanna be?????

Yeah, but Jimmy had better lawyers ..... and you know how that works out.

Tarheel Tail-Gator · Post by **Tarheel Tail-Gator** » May 9, 2008 9:36 am

alphabits wrote:
Carolinadreamin' wrote:
surfpirate wrote:
alphabits wrote:Who could forget "Why Don't We Eat Brunch and Spoon" or "Muttonchop Sideburns"?
Exactly! And didn't Benny release both of those songs BEFORE Jimmy recorded WDWGDAS and Pencil Thin Mustache?

Who was inspiring who?

SP.....Are you saying Jimmy was a Benny wanna be?????
Yeah, but Jimmy had better lawyers ..... and you know how that works out.

Yeah, otherwise we'd be posting on PuckettNews and reading about PN Critters!

surfpirate · Post by **surfpirate** » May 9, 2008 9:45 am

Carolinadreamin' wrote:
surfpirate wrote:
alphabits wrote:Who could forget "Why Don't We Eat Brunch and Spoon" or "Muttonchop Sideburns"?
Exactly! And didn't Benny release both of those songs BEFORE Jimmy recorded WDWGDAS and Pencil Thin Mustache?

Who was inspiring who?

SP.....Are you saying Jimmy was a Benny wanna be?????

Not exactly. Jimmy has always had more marketing savvy in his little finger than Benny ever had in his entire rotund body.
For example Benny stubbornly refused to release his music on anything other than vinyl or 8-track,
which constantly left him behind the technology curve. When CDs came out, that spelled the beginning of the end of Benny's career.
Heck, Benny's live concert video, "Live By The Hay" (recorded live at his uncle's beet farm in Bugtussle, Oklahoma)
was released only on Beta-Max tape.

Capt.Flock · Post by **Capt.Flock** » May 9, 2008 9:48 am

surfpirate wrote:
Carolinadreamin' wrote:
surfpirate wrote:
alphabits wrote:Who could forget "Why Don't We Eat Brunch and Spoon" or "Muttonchop Sideburns"?
Exactly! And didn't Benny release both of those songs BEFORE Jimmy recorded WDWGDAS and Pencil Thin Mustache?

Who was inspiring who?

SP.....Are you saying Jimmy was a Benny wanna be?????
Not exactly. Jimmy has always had more marketing savvy in his little finger than Benny ever had in his entire rotund body.
For example Benny stubbornly refused to release his music on anything other than vinyl or 8-track,
which constantly left him behind the technology curve. When CDs came out, that spelled the beginning of the end of Benny's career.
Heck, Benny's live concert video, "Live By The Hay" (recorded live at his uncle's beet farm in Bugtussle, Oklahoma)
was released only on Beta-Max tape.

didnt he have something new on HDDVD ???

alphabits · Post by **alphabits** » May 9, 2008 10:06 am

surfpirate wrote:
Heck, Benny's live concert video, "Live By The Hay" (recorded live at his uncle's beet farm in Bugtussle, Oklahoma)
was released only on Beta-Max tape.

OMG, I think I have a copy of that somewhere in my basement! Right next the Sony Betamax covered in 2 inches of dust.
Isn't that the one with the incredible version of "Chickens in the Outhouse"? (Not to be confused with the acoustic version he did on "Just Puckett - Benny Unplugged".)

RinglingRingling · Post by **RinglingRingling** » May 9, 2008 10:11 am

"Pina Coladaburg... A little song I wrote, 8 Fu*$(&%)#$&)#(*&)#(* years before Margaritaville was on the map!!!!!"

FunkHouse9 · Post by **FunkHouse9** » May 9, 2008 10:22 am

RinglingRingling wrote:"Pina Coladaburg... A little song I wrote, 8 Fu*$(&%)#$&)#(*&)#(* years before Margaritaville was on the map!!!!!"

Man... I was just gonna post that!

Is Benny as bitter as Coconut Pete?