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Jimmy seems to be a very competitive and driven individual...a self-proclaimed workaholic, and that's been a key part of his success. As a lot of the things he works at have a casual aura of fun around them (fishing, surfing, traveling, performing), that laid-back, somewhat rebellious personna evolved. In interviews around LTC, he fully acknowledged that his life has changed dramatically since his early songwriting days. He's also talked of how life's stages have influenced him -- from hippie to husband to father, etc. It seems that if there wasn't something new and different out there connected to his music career to keep him energized, however, that he would have moved on to other unrelated things by now. I'm glad he's still challenged by and interested in it (whether or not it includes shrimp, tequila, flip-flops and t-shirts that I can choose not to buy).

As an artist who has been an avid explorer of opportunities (be it cafes, or internet radio) and who has sufficient power (we believe) to influence the live performance/ticketing arena, it would be nice to see him continue to innovate and drive changes from the way things are currently organized. The Coastal Confessions show, where ticket pickup was in person and ID was required to match the credit card purchasers' name for the best seats, seemed like a good start. It would be great to see this get more central on his radar.

Well said Quiet and Shy. I, sometimes let the fact that JB is not at all in the same place (mentally or physically) he was when he wrote the old, great songs, sneak in and then, I have to remind myself "who is?" !!! My thinking has changed since growing older and I would hope everyone changes and grows or runs the risk of being an immature, completely unwise, idiot who is destined to live their mistakes over and over!!!! Is it romantic to think JB is still that beach bum of years ago? Yes! Without a doubt. But, what kind of husband and more importantly, parent would he be if he was still stuck in that pre-children lifestyle? His children have gotten to see that he is planning for their future because he cares about them enough to do it. He is a great businessman, and yes he has become what some of his music has been against, but he's got 3 very good reasons for wanting to trade his partying, laidback, "I am a poor trubador" persona to one of a great businessman for the future of 3 very special babies, his!!!!! Have a great evening y'all!!!

I'm probably in the minority here, but I guess I just can't get too upset at JB for his business success. Yeah, maybe he's changed since the old days, but I'm not sure he's changed as much as some think...

I mean, come on, he still flies, sails, surfs, goes to the Caribbean. That's still some JB original stuff. In addition, I've never gotten the impression he's become some kind of Donald Trump - it's ALL about the money. He could probably do as well or better with real estate investments than spending all summer touring for us (which is a lot of hard work.)

I guess my take is that he's a smart guy, good work ethic, loves the ocean, and when he saw the chance, he rolled the dice and ended up beating the corporate at their own game.

Instead of being owned by the suits, (most artists??!!!), HE owns THEM, and did it largely through common sense, instead of business degrees from Harvard.

Sounds pretty cool if you ask me...

i was told years ago, that if I ever really met him, I might not like him. But that was in his seperated from Jane, self indulgent era. The person who said that was to arrange a meeting in 1990. It fell through, sometimes I regret, sometimes I'm glad.

It's a long way from robbing Mini-Marts to buying condos in Manhattan, but let's not forget who gave him the keys to the palace.

Just a side note:

snowcow wrote:The Who wrote I hope I die before I get old, well most of them didn't and have had to live selling their songs to CSI shows.

Pete Townshend wrote the vast majority of Who songs, including the three that currently comprise the theme music for the CSI shows. As the owner of the publishing rights, he can license them in any way he sees fit. He most definitely does not have to "live" by selling his songs this way. They guy's a multi-millionaire. It's just gravy to him -- and I still get a kick out of hearing those songs at the beginning of CSI (or in commercials, as is the case with a few other Townshend songs).

Purists might jump up at this point and argue that it's "selling out" -- but they forget that the Who's first really successful (and, to some, their best) album was The Who Sell Out, which mirrored one of the pirate radio stations of the time and featured all sorts of commercials (some parodies, others seemingly real). If that's not commercialism at its finest, I don't know what is. After all, it's only rock 'n roll...

The thing about Townsend is that he makes no secret of the fact that he's selling out the Who's songs to CSI, commercials, etc. or that it's a money grab each time the Who goes out on one of their "farewell" tours. As much as I like the Who, I have much more respect for artists such as Neil Young who absolutely refuses to let his songs be used in commercials.

Jahfin wrote:As much as I like the Who, I have much more respect for artists such as Neil Young who absolutely refuses to let his songs be used in commercials.

I hear ya, Jahfin. But at the end of the day, Neil Young is paying for his ranch by selling his music. Whether you buy a Neil Young CD or watch a TV show with a Who song in it or buy a product with a Led Zeppelin song in the commercial, ultimately you're contributing to someone's income. Heck, every time a radio station plays a song, someone (writer, performer, etc.) gets money, right?

I don't see anyone giving their music away for free. And the last time I went to see Neil Young, I paid a pretty hefty price for a ticket.

One thing Jimmy has going for him: He's about the only artist I know that broadcasts all of his shows, for free, over the Internet. Amen to that! He could easily charge a fee for it (shhhh, don't tell him!)

Demerara wrote:

Jahfin wrote:As much as I like the Who, I have much more respect for artists such as Neil Young who absolutely refuses to let his songs be used in commercials.

I hear ya, Jahfin. But at the end of the day, Neil Young is paying for his ranch by selling his music. Whether you buy a Neil Young CD or watch a TV show with a Who song in it or buy a product with a Led Zeppelin song in the commercial, ultimately you're contributing to someone's income. Heck, every time a radio station plays a song, someone (writer, performer, etc.) gets money, right?

I don't see anyone giving their music away for free. And the last time I went to see Neil Young, I paid a pretty hefty price for a ticket.

One thing Jimmy has going for him: He's about the only artist I know that broadcasts all of his shows, for free, over the Internet. Amen to that! He could easily charge a fee for it (shhhh, don't tell him!)

What is the over/under on that one? I'd say next year.

ph4ever wrote:

ParrotheadGator wrote:can you imagine having the last name Cockburn? LMFAO

I used to be friends with a guy whose last name is Glasscock

small world .. i knew someone as well ... Pete ??

msu#1 wrote:The girls of Lake Superior State University are called "Snow cows" because well ....it snows alot and they look like ....you get the idea.

are you someone's alter ego schtick?????

The girls from Michigan Technological University are the snowcows, not LSSU! Although LSSU started out as an extention of MTU, maybe the name followed.

my guess is when jimmy wrote those songs in his 20's - 30's he was never thinking 'well i should write a song taht is about me still selling out concerts and being one of the highest paid entertainers when i am 60'

my guess is he didnt think it would last 10 years. and in 40 years of doing this, if you can make the big buck wouldnt you do it to? for yourself, your kids, your grandkids? of course.

who here under the age of 40 can say what they will be doing when they are 60?

Demerara wrote:

Jahfin wrote:As much as I like the Who, I have much more respect for artists such as Neil Young who absolutely refuses to let his songs be used in commercials.

I hear ya, Jahfin. But at the end of the day, Neil Young is paying for his ranch by selling his music. Whether you buy a Neil Young CD or watch a TV show with a Who song in it or buy a product with a Led Zeppelin song in the commercial, ultimately you're contributing to someone's income. Heck, every time a radio station plays a song, someone (writer, performer, etc.) gets money, right?

I don't see anyone giving their music away for free. And the last time I went to see Neil Young, I paid a pretty hefty price for a ticket.

One thing Jimmy has going for him: He's about the only artist I know that broadcasts all of his shows, for free, over the Internet. Amen to that! He could easily charge a fee for it (shhhh, don't tell him!)

Neil obviously has to make a living, that's not what I'm getting at. I was referring to how he refuses to allow his songs to be used to sell products. R.E.M. (and I'm sure some others) are the same way. It's like when the Beatles' "Revolution" was used by Nike but was quickly withdrawn. Hearing some songs on commercials honestly doesn't bother me that bad but there are certain songs I associate with the meaning they've had to me since I first heard them. When someone takes that song and tries to build a new association to it through a commercial that meaning can be lost. Not always, but a lot of the time. I remember Buffett being approached by Wendy's about using "Cheeseburger" right after it came out but refusing to allow them to use it. Just imagine the amount of money he's been offered over the years for that song when he easily could have "sold out" and allowed almost any burger chain to use it.

nycparrothead wrote:

snowcow wrote:He sold us on the islands and now his island is Manhatten(man I hate NYC) or Long Island(every time I have been there I have gotten lost).

It's spelled "Manhattan" and if you get lost on Long Island perhaps you shouldn't leave your driveway. There might be traffic but it's pretty tough to get lost on an island that's only 20 miles from north to south and has an east/west highway running through the middle of it...

Besides, Sag Harbor is a whole lot different than Syosset!

perhaps the use of "Emoticons" would help illustrate your point

ph4ever wrote:

ParrotheadGator wrote:can you imagine having the last name Cockburn? LMFAO

I used to be friends with a guy whose last name is Glasscock

I have a friend named Willie Cox.................

Cubbie Bear wrote:It's better than being the Reds 1st base coach, RUSTY KUNTZ

That last name just brought up a funny as hell memory. Had a morning flight back from Bimini about 4 years ago. I'm scanning over the passenger manifest to check the head count, and notice that there are 7 or 8 last names that were the same, Kuntz. We had a good chuckle, joking about how we had a bunch of Kuntz on board. It wasn't until after we took off I had to get a second look at the manifest that I noticed the entire rest of the passengers were named Klitz.

God damn miracle we managed to keep the wings level the rest of the way home. I still have a copy of that manifest somewhere in my things.

Who said German tourists were boring

All I can add is that I find Jimmy and his corporate success and marketing and very slick business plans (and make no mistake about it folks, he banks on the fact we buy anything he does.) very interesting when you consider his politics.

chalksoperations wrote: Who said German tourists were boring

speaking of German, the German word for "virgin" is "gudentite"

i think most "superstars" careers have followed the same path that Jimmy's has. Yes in their early years, they are different persons then when they beome a superstar. Can you imagine 10 years ago thinking that the Who would have one of their songs be a lead in to a hit drama, or the U2 would sign with apple to promote an electronics item....hell even the stones who said we'll never be on any commercial caved when microsoft wanted to use "start me up" for their ads..... so the change is inevitable. As much as we want to think of jimmy still as the Son of a son of a sailor......in reality he's a superstar

So the question that is being danced around softly here is "has jimmy become a sell out". Well i think the answer is still no. Yes he as become commercialized and some peoples idea of margaritaville have completely changed from what it was.....but for me (and i'm guessing others as well) margaritaville still isn't a place at all, its a lifestyle. .