JOHN MACKIN - Ex drummer?

[xspook]

Hi all,

Thanks in advance for your assistance with this question.

There is a gentleman playing the east coast of Florida, JOHN MACKIN - he claims to have been a drummer for Jimmy for many years and an original drummer for the Allman Brothers - oh, and he claims he was a Navy SEAL.

This all seems a bit too much to believe.

Can anyone confirm this mans' claims?

Here are a couple of local ads about him:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=153591181365484

http://treasure.craigslist.org/eve/2418843227.html

[The Lost Manatee]

He wasn't one of the original drummers for the Allman Brothers Band. Butch Trucks and Jai Johnny "Jaimon" Johanson were the original drummers. I don't recall ever hearing or seeing his name associated with Jimmy, other than his claims to have toured for ten years with the "Jimmy Buffett Band", not the Coral Reefer Band.

On Plaxo, he claims to have attended the Navy Medical School/Marine Corpsman in 1973. It seems unlikely that he became a Seal after completing training, especially if he was a Marine at this point. He might have become a SARC, which is short for Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman. They work in conjunction with Marine Recon forces, which are not the same as SEALS.

If he was in the Navy, he would have been a Hospital Corpsman. Unless he attended additional specialized training, which would have permitted him to operate independently, he would not have served with the SEALs.

Given that he was in the military in 73, that would preclude him from playing with Jimmy for several years, since the Navy is not going to send him off to that intense and expensive training without getting a few years of service out of him. I would bet he would have served at least until 76. So to get 10 years in with Jimmy, he would have had to played 76 to 86, which would be news to a number of people, including Ken Buttrey and Matt Betton.

Color me cynical, I don't believe the claims are accurate.

[bravedave]

If you have anything in his own words stating that he served as a Navy SEAL, I'll be glad to try to help run it down.
If he would like to come on these boards and substantiate (or deny) any of these claims, it would go a long way toward helping his credibility , among Parrot heads and servicemembers alike.

[SchoolGirlHeart]

After 26 years on the road drumming up a storm with such headliner musicians as Jimmy Buffet

Just for starters, most of the folks who played with JB can spell his name.....

Besides that, I agree with the comments above. He's not being truthful, to put it mildly.....

[nutmeg]

Hmmmmm

How strange to make claims like that. Perhaps when he says he toured for 10 years with Jimmy, he meant he was a roadie

[xspook]

Thanks again for everyone's assistance.

Check this little nugget out:

http://florida.arrests.org/Arrests/John_Mackin_5499789/



I'll try and get him on video making claims of being with JB and being a SEAL the next time I see him.

Also, I've forwarded his info to pownetwork.org - they can track the validity of SEAL claims.

[xspook]

Update from the good folks at POWnetwork.org:

JOHN MACKIN is NOT listed in the SEAL Database... He was NEVER a Navy SEAL...

[xspook]

More info on this person:

He was charged with domestic violence in 2009 in Brevard County, FL.

08/09/2009 784.03-C BATTERY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

[SchoolGirlHeart]

Update from the good folks at POWnetwork.org:

JOHN MACKIN is NOT listed in the SEAL Database... He was NEVER a Navy SEAL...

I hope I never run in to Mr. Mackin. It might not be pretty...

[xspook]

Live video of him performing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fl8vbqeWc0

[Musicman]

I grew up with John Mackin in a little mill town in northern Maine. All of us have heard his stories and they've grown bigger over the years. He NEVER played with Jimmy Buffett, the Allmans, or any similar acts that he claims to have. He was NEVER a Navy SEAL either. He lasted a very short time in the Navy and was discharged for reasons other than valor. He can't even spell Vietnam, let alone have been there.

His claim to the crowd that he was in Vietnam on that You Tube Video of him performing, is a travesty and an insult too all good veterans.

I could go on here but you all seem to have him pegged.

[dnw]

I grew up with John Mackin in a little mill town in northern Maine. All of us have heard his stories and they've grown bigger over the years. He NEVER played with Jimmy Buffett, the Allmans, or any similar acts that he claims to have. He was NEVER a Navy SEAL either. He lasted a very short time in the Navy and was discharged for reasons other than valor. He can't even spell Vietnam, let alone have been there.

His claim to the crowd that he was in Vietnam on that You Tube Video of him performing is a travesty and an insult too all good veterans.

I could go on here but you all seem to have him pegged.

[FunkHouse9]

All Google gave me on this guy that implies any of this some pool hall post on Facebook. I don't consider that to be a first hand statement of any kind. Where is he claiming to be a Navy Seal? The video shows him saying he's a Vietnam vet. Why wouldn't you believe him? Only every other person on the street his age was too. What's he gaining from that statement here? He's telling people to donate to the Red Cross, not to buy his CD.

This same info is posted on http://www.pownetwork.org/phonies/phonies1230.htm and from the similar wording, it's gotta be the same person posting, whose name appears to be listed on this page as Don Shipley. He says that "It appears from the die hard Jimmy Buffett fans, he was never with Jimmy, either." I'm sure the few people who posted in this thread are his source for that statement. He was using us to build a case.

Call me paranoid, but seeing as this thread was started by someone with 5 posts and all 5 are about this Mackin including publicizing criminal information on him, plus one other person who "grew up with him," it seems more likely to me that someone has a personal vendetta with this guy and is trying hard to tarnish his name/reputation by getting some negative stuff on the Internet about him. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if xspook and Musicman are the same person. I'm more annoyed with the guy for acting like a baby and stirring up trouble than I am for someone else allegedly making a false comment about being a Vietnam vet in the context of encouraging legitimate donations.

I don't see any proof of wrongdoing here. Judgement for the defendant. Case dismissed.

[Musicman]

You must be a friend of Mr. Mackin, or maybe Mackin himself.

I graduated a few years ahead of him from Stearns high school in Millinocket, Maine. I also worked alongside him at Great Northern Paper Company's mill in 1976 and 1977 when he was supposedly drumming for Jimmy Buffett. I know that he was NOT in Vietnam. He was in the Navy for a short period.

I actually liked the guy, but he told me some far fetched stories. I couldn't believe that he expected me to believe them.

I don't think anyone is out to get him, but when you misrepresent yourself it is bound to catch up with you in this day and age, especially when you aren't truthful about your military service. People are very sensitive to this to say the least.

[FunkHouse9]

I certainly am not him and don't know him, but it is pretty out of context that the only posts xspook has here are clearly pretty mad at this guy and your only post was also trashing the guy. I couldn't care less, but my real question is what business does that have here on BN? Why do we care about what a dirt bag he may be? Why come here to complain about him as a person?

[xspook]

Am I mad at John Mackin? Yes. Please keep reading to understand why.

Do I have a "pesonal vendetta"? If you want to call it that.

I have personally seen him perform at several locations around Sebastian, FL. He personally told me he was in Jimmy Buffett's band and that he was a Navy SEAL in Vietnam.

I have also spoken with others whom have seen him and they relate the same information. He actually carries a Navy SEAL challenge coin to "prove" his claim.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenge_coin

I included the video so that others could see him making false claims of being in Vietnam. Believe me, his lies get much deeper when speaking with him one on one. I asked if there were other videos available of that concert, but there are not.

"what business does that have here on BN?"

I came to this board so I could consult the experts about his Jimmy Buffett band claims, so yes, all my posts are about him.

Once it was discovered his band claim was a lie, I was determined to find out about his Navy SEAL claim. Thus, the posts at pownetwork.org. If you don't know, that site is run by Don Shipley and he is the primary source to verify SEAL claims.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index. ... cepti.html

Yes, it does p*** me off that he's making claims of being a SEAL. As most of us know with the recent events, SEALS are the best of the best of our military. They make real sacrifices for our country. To go around making false claims of being in that elite group is sickening and he should be outed and exposed for that lie.

Here he is posing online as a Navy SEAL:
http://aolanswers.com/questions/miracle ... 3740911550

John Mackin is using the band claims to increase his bookings. Nearly every ad I've seen for him states that he was with the band, so he's using false claims to promote himself.

Another thing that angers me is that the last time I saw him perform, he was asking people for tips so that he could donate to a battered womens shelter. He didn't ask people to make direct donations to the shelter, he wanted us to give him money so HE could donate. Sure....with all the lies he tells, that's the last thing I'm doing. He also claimed he had just played the Orlando House of Blues the previous night for a shelter fundraiser. I checked their website, there was no mention of it.

Coincidentally, he was arrested for domestic violence in 2009.

As far as I'm concerned, he's a giant pile of dung.

[Musicman]

Spook,

THIS is the guy that I grew up with. A lot of people that still live in Millinocket Maine have heard the same tales. It's quite the joke back home. I'm glad you have brought this to light.

It is one thing to lie about things like being a famous musician, it's wrong to call one's self a member of the best fighting force in the world, especially when you aren't any where near the man that it takes to be one. Some day he's going to make that claim to the wrong person, like a real SEAL, and things could get ugly.


Asking for donations to good causes and keeping the money is a crime.

Keep up the good work!

[FunkHouse9]

I came to this board so I could consult the experts about his Jimmy Buffett band claims, so yes, all my posts are about him.

We're not Buffett experts, we're fans. Still doesn't answer why you chose here to air your grievances and his dirty laundry here. We don't know or care who the hell this guy is. Really not a relevant forum for this.

[surfpirate]

I came to this board so I could consult the experts about his Jimmy Buffett band claims, so yes, all my posts are about him.

We're not Buffett experts, we're fans. Still doesn't answer why you chose here to air your grievances and his dirty laundry here. We don't know or care who the hell this guy is. Really not a relevant forum for this.

Seems as relevant as anything else around here. Why not? Plus it is even in the right forum.
I have no problem with it, although I did share your concerns about it seeming like
a personal vendetta.
Though even that has been explained from the OP's point of view now.

[Musicman]

Here's his latest. I know that NONE of this is true. He doesn't mention Jimmy Buffett here, but he calls himself a Nashville songwriter.

The vest, dog tags and all the other accoutrements can be obtained just about anywhere.


John Mackin - Google Profile
https://profiles.google.com/108739807168433842458