What is iwith JB's fascination with John Hiatt?

PirateJeff · Post by **PirateJeff** » June 14, 2004 9:25 am

Anyone else taking notice about Jimmy's liking of John Hiatt's music?
First it was Tiki Bar and now Window on the World on the new album. My wife introduced me to Hiatt years ago, and the guy doesn't get the notice for the excellent music he writes. Hey, maybe I just answered my own question....

LIPH · Post by **LIPH** » June 14, 2004 9:29 am

JB did another John Hiatt song, Blue Telescope, at one of the East Hampton shows.

a1aara · Post by **a1aara** » June 14, 2004 10:35 am

John Hiatt is great! Jimmy probably respects and admires the music he writes. John Hiatt is great live as well. Buy some of his music. You won't be disappointed.

RinglingRingling · Post by **RinglingRingling** » June 14, 2004 10:41 am

a1aara wrote:John Hiatt is great! Jimmy probably respects and admires the music he writes. John Hiatt is great live as well. Buy some of his music. You won't be disappointed.

Hiatt opened for Bob Seger on the "It's a Mystery" Tour stop in MSP (among other places I am sure). It was the first time I had heard him (although other artists, like Bonnie Raitt had recorded his songs previously). I was impressed, and thought he was good enough to be better than an opener, but it was a great 45 minute set in 1996 with a lot smaller catalogue of songs than he has now.

Jahfin · Post by **Jahfin** » June 14, 2004 12:04 pm

I think Buffett just recognizes good songwriters when he hears them. This has held true through the years from fellow songwriters such as Steve Goodman, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jesse Winchester, Rodney Crowell up to his more recent work which has included tunes by Bruce Cockburn, Hiatt and now Guy Clark ("Boats to Build" from the new album).

jollymon345 · Post by **jollymon345** » June 14, 2004 12:33 pm

How come nobody is ripping Jimmy apart for playing a John Hiatt song or the usual stuff that happens when Kenny Chesney plays a Jimmy song or talks about how much of an influence Jimmy is. I just want one of the Chesney or Toby Keith bashers to explain to me how it is wrong for others to play Jimmy's songs or use Jimmy's influence but yet when he does the same thing nobody screams about it.

I am not trying to start a big fight here I just want to understand how it is OK for Jimmy to do it but not anybody else.

nycparrothead · Post by **nycparrothead** » June 14, 2004 12:37 pm

jollymon345 wrote:How come nobody is ripping Jimmy apart for playing a John Hiatt song or the usual stuff that happens when Kenny Chesney plays a Jimmy song or talks about how much of an influence Jimmy is.

Hehehehehe.... I'm anxiously awaiting the answer to this one too!

Jahfin · Post by **Jahfin** » June 14, 2004 12:42 pm

jollymon345 wrote:How come nobody is ripping Jimmy apart for playing a John Hiatt song or the usual stuff that happens when Kenny Chesney plays a Jimmy song or talks about how much of an influence Jimmy is. I just want one of the Chesney or Toby Keith bashers to explain to me how it is wrong for others to play Jimmy's songs or use Jimmy's influence but yet when he does the same thing nobody screams about it.

I am not trying to start a big fight here I just want to understand how it is OK for Jimmy to do it but not anybody else.

I wouldn't call myself a fan of Chesney's but I wouldn't refer to myself as a "basher" either (although you wouldn't know it from the response I received the other day for stating my own thoughts about one of his shows). I don't think it's wrong for Chesney to cover Buffett or any other artist for that matter or vice versa. What I still wonder about is why Buffett came after David Allan Coe for "Divers Do It Deeper" and Garth Brooks for "Two Pina Coladas" but he doesn't seem to have a problem with some other artists that also share a similar sound.

ph4ever · Post by **ph4ever** » June 14, 2004 12:44 pm

jollymon345 wrote:How come nobody is ripping Jimmy apart for playing a John Hiatt song or the usual stuff that happens when Kenny Chesney plays a Jimmy song or talks about how much of an influence Jimmy is. I just want one of the Chesney or Toby Keith bashers to explain to me how it is wrong for others to play Jimmy's songs or use Jimmy's influence but yet when he does the same thing nobody screams about it.

I am not trying to start a big fight here I just want to understand how it is OK for Jimmy to do it but not anybody else.

because some people around here just like to start s&*t. It's not good enough for them to just post that they don't like someone and leave it at that. They're kind of like the kids that won the softball game and then threw mud at the other team - bad sports and bad attitudes.

Not all of the people who dislike TK or KC's music are that way but some are.....

LonePalm1 · Post by **LonePalm1** » June 14, 2004 4:38 pm

LIPH wrote:JB did another John Hiatt song, Blue Telescope, at one of the East Hampton shows.

I got that bootleg. I love that song, I wish he would put it on an album.

PA PAR8 HED · Post by **PA PAR8 HED** » June 14, 2004 5:36 pm

I am going from a fairly foggy memory here, but did John Hiatt ever sit in w/ Jimmy on any recordings? I seem to recall some mention of that somewhere along the line.

PirateJeff · Post by **PirateJeff** » June 14, 2004 5:42 pm

For anyone in the NY area. Hiatt is playing Tarrytown music hall Fri. July 2nd. Tix are $35-40 a piece. go to www.johnhiatt.com for his schedule.

The Lost Manatee · Post by **The Lost Manatee** » June 14, 2004 6:09 pm

Don't forget that Jimmy Buffett and John Hiatt used to be in a band together and thus have some long standing ties.

Jahfin · Post by **Jahfin** » June 14, 2004 6:56 pm

The Lost Manatee wrote:Don't forget that Jimmy Buffett and John Hiatt used to be in a band together and thus have some long standing ties.

Learn something new here everyday, what band were they in together?

CRC Parrothead · Post by **CRC Parrothead** » June 14, 2004 6:59 pm

Jahfin wrote:
The Lost Manatee wrote:Don't forget that Jimmy Buffett and John Hiatt used to be in a band together and thus have some long standing ties.
Learn something new here everyday, what band were they in together?

I was wondering the same thing?? Anybody have any more info on this?

Mr Play · Post by **Mr Play** » June 14, 2004 11:47 pm

CRC Parrothead wrote:
Jahfin wrote:
The Lost Manatee wrote:Don't forget that Jimmy Buffett and John Hiatt used to be in a band together and thus have some long standing ties.
Learn something new here everyday, what band were they in together?
I was wondering the same thing?? Anybody have any more info on this?

This is a new one on me too - put me on the bandwagon.

andrewsjerrypat · Post by **andrewsjerrypat** » June 15, 2004 12:26 am

Did anyone catch the appearance of John Hiatt on an epsiode of
Yes, Dear earlier this year. It was hilarious. Jimmy almost has a fatal accident and he decides to mark things of on his" to do list" before he dies. One of the things is to write a song and have a famous person record it.
The song was entitled, "The Things I Think About At Work." and John Hiatt
appeared on the show and sang it as a favor to Greg and in the closer
they show a video of John singing that same song as Jimmy watches it on tv and the punch line is that Jimmy forgot to copyright the song and John had stolen it.
Jerry
Oklahoma

The Lost Manatee · Post by **The Lost Manatee** » June 15, 2004 1:46 pm

I forget which show it was that Jimmy talks about having wanted to play John Hiatt songs and he mentions that the that John Hiatt used to be his guitarist in one of his earliest bands. I'm not sure what band since I don't recall it being mentioned by name. I know that the show as broadcast on RM and I suspect that it was one of the Long Island shows but I don't recall it clearly.

Guess I'm missing more brain cells then I thought.

LIPH · Post by **LIPH** » June 15, 2004 1:51 pm

JB mentioned that at the East Hampton show just before he did Blue Telescope. I haven't listened to it in a couple of months so I don't remember the exact relationship but he did say John Hiatt played in his band.

DTinPA · Post by **DTinPA** » June 26, 2004 12:51 pm

Here's the HUGE Buffett/Chesney distinction. I don't know too many KC songs, but the ones I have heard and liked were all written by someone OTHER than Kenny ("Where I Come From", by Mac' "Live Those Songs Again", by some folks that must be Nashville song doctors).

If you ask anyone (I mean non-PH's) their favorite JB tunes, they'll list the SYKBH usual suspects, and Bubba wrote them alll. As previously mentioned, great songwriters like to recognize each other. Lyle Lovett did a double album of tunes by songwriters he admires (STEP INSIDE THIS HOUSE), and Bob Dylan has covered John Hiatt live.