I wanted to share this "one particular" Cocotel story which is a message from Jimmy in the MID-LIFE CRISIS issue following his 50th Birthday.
"I woke up this morning feeling absolutely grand. For nearly a half a century I've been singing in a band." Jimmy Bufett
The following message appeared in the Compuserve Parrot Head forum. We thought to reprint it here for those of you who don't abuse office time treading the polluted water of the world wide web.
Subject: Merry Christmas
and Thanks
To: All
First of all thanks again for being such great fans. It has been a great year despite a few setbacks, but hell that's life. I will try to answer a few questions and wish you all the best for '97.
I am going to the jungles of Central America to turn 50 on Christmas day. If I see you in Cartagena or Costa Rica just give me a fin up. Yes, there will be a summer tour in '97.
No I have not been back to Jamaica (yet). Yes, there wil be a winter run through Florida and the South in February. No, I have not read the #$@*&% biography. Caution: If you want to see Don't Stop The Carnival in Miami, get your tickets soon. It is selling fast. This is not a hype, but I think all five weeks will be sold out by the end of January. Yes, we have started a video company and will release our first piece of product in 1997. It will be a one-hour show of the footage compiled from what I think is one of our best shows ever - Buckeye Lake Ohio in 1994.
No, I am not acting in the play. Yes, the Joe Merchant Movie is finally about to begin production (yeah, yeah, yeah) No, I did not sell my Albatross. Yes, we are working on Parrot Head beer. No, my mother is not joining the band as a Reeferette. No, I will not be on Regis and Kathy Lee.
That about does it for another year. Thanks again to everyone, and especially all of you who donated your time and money to the Alzheimer's drive in my dad's name. He is hanging in there, almost an angel, but still cusses and still knows who I am.
Jimmy
Coconut Telegraph stories from the past
Moderator: SMLCHNG
-
Quiet and Shy
- On a Salty Piece of Land
- Posts: 10648
- Joined: September 22, 2004 12:16 am
- Number of Concerts: 15
- Location: Centennial, CO
I have always enjoyed Jimmy's life in a few hundred words. This one from the Coconut Telegraph is a little different from the one in his book.
Coconut Telegraph--A Pirate Looks At Fifty -- 1998
I've been called a lot of things in fifty years on the good old planet earth, but the thing I believe I am the most is lucky. I have always looked at life as a voyage across the ocean with all of the wonderful and frightening things associated with such a journey. I have discovered treasure more valuable than gold in my family and friends. I have seen and done things that I read about as a kid. I have dodged many storms and have bounced across the bottom on occasion but so far lady luck and the stars by which I steer have kept me off the rocks. I have paid attention when I had to and have made more right tacks than wrong ones to end up at this moment still out on the sea of life with a thousand ports of call behind me and hopefully a thousand more to see. My voyage was never a well-conceived plan, nor should it ever be. I have made it up as I went along, and still do.
I signed a record deal, got married, moved to Nashville, had my guitars stolen, bought a Mercedes, worked at Billboard magazine, put out my first album, went broke, met Jerry Jeff Walker, wrecked the Mercedes, got divorced, and moved to Key West.
I sang and worked on a fishing boat, went totally crazy, did a lot of dope, met the right girl, made another record, had a hit, bought a boat, and sailed away to the Caribbean.
I started another band, worked the road, had my second and last hit, bought a house in Aspen, started spending summers in New England, got married, broke my leg three times in one year, had a baby girl, made more records, bought a bigger boat, and sailed away to St Barts.
I got separated from the right girl, sold the boat, sold the house in Aspen, moved back to Key West, worked the road, and made more records. I rented an apartment in Paris, went to Brazil for Carnival, almost got a second divorce, moved to Malibu for more therapy, and got back with the right girl.
I worked the road, moved back to Nashville, took off in an F-14 from an aircraft carrier, bought a summer home on Long Island, had another baby girl. I found the perfect seaplane and moved back to Florida. Cameron Marley joined me in the house of women.
I built a home on Long Island, crashed the perfect seaplane in Nantucket, lived through it thanks to Navy training, tried to slow down a little, woke up one morning and I was looking at fifty, trying to figure out what comes next.
Coconut Telegraph--A Pirate Looks At Fifty -- 1998
I've been called a lot of things in fifty years on the good old planet earth, but the thing I believe I am the most is lucky. I have always looked at life as a voyage across the ocean with all of the wonderful and frightening things associated with such a journey. I have discovered treasure more valuable than gold in my family and friends. I have seen and done things that I read about as a kid. I have dodged many storms and have bounced across the bottom on occasion but so far lady luck and the stars by which I steer have kept me off the rocks. I have paid attention when I had to and have made more right tacks than wrong ones to end up at this moment still out on the sea of life with a thousand ports of call behind me and hopefully a thousand more to see. My voyage was never a well-conceived plan, nor should it ever be. I have made it up as I went along, and still do.
I signed a record deal, got married, moved to Nashville, had my guitars stolen, bought a Mercedes, worked at Billboard magazine, put out my first album, went broke, met Jerry Jeff Walker, wrecked the Mercedes, got divorced, and moved to Key West.
I sang and worked on a fishing boat, went totally crazy, did a lot of dope, met the right girl, made another record, had a hit, bought a boat, and sailed away to the Caribbean.
I started another band, worked the road, had my second and last hit, bought a house in Aspen, started spending summers in New England, got married, broke my leg three times in one year, had a baby girl, made more records, bought a bigger boat, and sailed away to St Barts.
I got separated from the right girl, sold the boat, sold the house in Aspen, moved back to Key West, worked the road, and made more records. I rented an apartment in Paris, went to Brazil for Carnival, almost got a second divorce, moved to Malibu for more therapy, and got back with the right girl.
I worked the road, moved back to Nashville, took off in an F-14 from an aircraft carrier, bought a summer home on Long Island, had another baby girl. I found the perfect seaplane and moved back to Florida. Cameron Marley joined me in the house of women.
I built a home on Long Island, crashed the perfect seaplane in Nantucket, lived through it thanks to Navy training, tried to slow down a little, woke up one morning and I was looking at fifty, trying to figure out what comes next.
Here's another jewel from the Christmas 2004 Cocotel.
A Place In The Shade
My fantasy has been to find that perfect laid-back town by the ocean, the kind of place where the locals are all legendary characters who spend their days mixing up margaritas, where the air is always warm, and where the sea is crystal clear - a real Margaritaville of the mind.
There'd have to be a bar right on the beach complete with ceiling fans and cigarette smoke - a bar like the one in the movie To Have And Have Not. Hoagy Carmichael would play the piano while Lauren Bacall sang. Humphrey Bogart would be sitting alone at the end of the bar, just taking it all in.
I've been looking for a town like that, a real Margaritaville, for years now - maybe ever since I was a kid and my grandfather explained to me that you could trace a line on a map from our home near Mobile Bay, Alabama, across the ocean and wind up at some of the most exotic places on earth.
Later on I majored in history at the University of Southern Mississippi, and I became fascinated by the history of the Caribbean. By then my mental image of Margaritaville had grown more complex. I took elements from books like Herman Wouk's Don't Stop The Carnival, which is about a New York public relations man who buys a bar on a fictitious tropical island. Then there were movies like Donovan's Reef, and the TV series Adventures In Paradise, which really influenced me at a young age.
It all blended together like tequila, salt, and limes: Margaritaville became a combination of the romance of the ocean, the romance of history, and my impressions of a few of the places I'd been. There's a town in Mexico, for instance, called Puerto Morales; it's a real Mexican fishing village located about 20 miles south of Cancun. An then there's a place called the Rosarito Beach Hotel, 45 minutes south of San Diego, where you can get good lobster with diablo sauce and a margarita. That hotel is the closest, nearest getaway I've found.
Back when I knew it in 1971, Key West used to be a lot like Margaritaville; it was a place designed for complete escapism. Around that time I was running from a bad marriage and bad weather, and I had to get back to the ocean. The line in my Volcano album - "I shot six holes in the freezer, I think I got cabin fever" - well that's real life. I did that once: plugged my refrigerator. And then I thought, Jimmy, you better get yourself to the ocean, boy.
Well, I lived in Key West for three years, and mostly all I did is hang out in the bars. Then I got a boat, and that opened up another whole avenue, just like it did for my grandfather. Most of the people I knew in Key West years ago aren't there anymore. But then Margaritaville is a place you have to keep looking for.
Jimmy Buffett
Thanks to Jimmy for always taking us away to our ONE Particular Harbour.
...conched - sitting at the end of the bar...
A Place In The Shade
My fantasy has been to find that perfect laid-back town by the ocean, the kind of place where the locals are all legendary characters who spend their days mixing up margaritas, where the air is always warm, and where the sea is crystal clear - a real Margaritaville of the mind.
There'd have to be a bar right on the beach complete with ceiling fans and cigarette smoke - a bar like the one in the movie To Have And Have Not. Hoagy Carmichael would play the piano while Lauren Bacall sang. Humphrey Bogart would be sitting alone at the end of the bar, just taking it all in.
I've been looking for a town like that, a real Margaritaville, for years now - maybe ever since I was a kid and my grandfather explained to me that you could trace a line on a map from our home near Mobile Bay, Alabama, across the ocean and wind up at some of the most exotic places on earth.
Later on I majored in history at the University of Southern Mississippi, and I became fascinated by the history of the Caribbean. By then my mental image of Margaritaville had grown more complex. I took elements from books like Herman Wouk's Don't Stop The Carnival, which is about a New York public relations man who buys a bar on a fictitious tropical island. Then there were movies like Donovan's Reef, and the TV series Adventures In Paradise, which really influenced me at a young age.
It all blended together like tequila, salt, and limes: Margaritaville became a combination of the romance of the ocean, the romance of history, and my impressions of a few of the places I'd been. There's a town in Mexico, for instance, called Puerto Morales; it's a real Mexican fishing village located about 20 miles south of Cancun. An then there's a place called the Rosarito Beach Hotel, 45 minutes south of San Diego, where you can get good lobster with diablo sauce and a margarita. That hotel is the closest, nearest getaway I've found.
Back when I knew it in 1971, Key West used to be a lot like Margaritaville; it was a place designed for complete escapism. Around that time I was running from a bad marriage and bad weather, and I had to get back to the ocean. The line in my Volcano album - "I shot six holes in the freezer, I think I got cabin fever" - well that's real life. I did that once: plugged my refrigerator. And then I thought, Jimmy, you better get yourself to the ocean, boy.
Well, I lived in Key West for three years, and mostly all I did is hang out in the bars. Then I got a boat, and that opened up another whole avenue, just like it did for my grandfather. Most of the people I knew in Key West years ago aren't there anymore. But then Margaritaville is a place you have to keep looking for.
Jimmy Buffett
Thanks to Jimmy for always taking us away to our ONE Particular Harbour.
...conched - sitting at the end of the bar...
-
Quiet and Shy
- On a Salty Piece of Land
- Posts: 10648
- Joined: September 22, 2004 12:16 am
- Number of Concerts: 15
- Location: Centennial, CO
This is from The Cocotel Volume 6, NO. 5 Christmas 1990, but was written before "Live By The Bay."
The following interview took place in Coconut Grove prior to the filming of the "Live By The Bay" video. The video was recorded at Miami Marine Stadium, and relevant segments of the interview were edited into the concert video. This proved to be a very effective means of showcasing a live Buffett performance, while at the same time allowing Jimmy to detail "how the whole thing got started." Those familiar with "Live By The Bay" may recognize bits and pieces of the interview, however, the majority ended up in The COCONUT TELEGRAPH.
I always loved music, all the way to joining the Columbia Record Club and sending the records to the wrong address so I wouldn't have to pay for them. I ordered every Kingston Trio album through the club and never paid for them. I always loved listening to music from New Orleans radio stations. At this time it was the middle of the folk era, and there were many clubs up and down the Mississippi Gulf coast.
I got into music basically to meet girls, no doubt about it. Women have always been an influence on my music, good and bad. It looked like the greatest job in the world. I was in college at the time, a freshman at Auburn University. I was a shy, awkward kid from Mobile, kind of a wallflower. My roommate had a guitar and even though he knew only 3 chords, always seemed to be the center of attention with the women. I said, "Teach me those chords."
I THOUGHT, THIS IS THE JOB FOR ME.
So I learned the guitar, and started hanging around folk clubs, watching the bands. They all had big, shiny Martin guitars; I would've given my right arm for a Martin guitar. An the women, all the time women hanging around the band. I thought, this is the job for me.
I was always a lover of the lyrical song, and I think the people that influenced me in those days sort of typified my upbringing. I grew up in Mobile, AL. My relatives on my grandmother's side were kind of Cajun, Indian, wild people from that area. My grandfather was a sailing ship captain who migrated from Nova Scotia. So it was like a gumbo kind of musical experience. I'd listen to the radio from New Orleans; Benny Spellman, Irma Thomas, and heavy old great black New Orleans artists, which is really contrary to what people think. They assume if you come from Alabama, you listen to country music. I really didn't like it much, all my early influence was out of New Orleans.
When I first started playing it was in folk clubs, and I had all this great Gulf Coast, New Orleans, black input that I drew on playing folk music. At that time I was listening to people like Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell, who were great writers above everything else. What I wanted to try to do was to write clever, good songs like those people.
I was in Nashville in 1971. I'd been turned down by 26 record labels and couldn't get songs published. I had wrecked my ex-wife's car, and I had no alternative, I thought, but to look toward warmer climates. So I took an expired Diner's Club card, held my thumb over the expiration date, went to TWA counter and bought a ticket to Miami. I was supposed to have a job at a little coffee house called the Flip, (sic)(was that really the name of it?) the "in place" for folkies in south Florida at that time. At any rate, I got there, and of course, there was no job. I was in Florida, no job, and I was broke. Fortunately my old friend Jerry Jeff Walker had a house here and took me in. So I lived in Coconut Grove for about 6 months and worked the folk circuit. I had always wanted to go to Key West. Watching Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart in KEY LARGO was the catalyst that sent me farther south. So we got into Jerry Jeff's '47 Packard and took the old overseas highway to Key West. We got there sometimes in November, temperatures about 85 degrees, there was a sailboat race going on, I found a bar, and the rest is history.
Strangely enough when I first got to Key West there wasn't a real musical scene. It was much more of a literary presence, which was good because I had been a book reader for a long time; a great fan of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner. So that literary side attracted me because I loved reading and felt comfortable in that atmostphere.
I was basically one of the few performers. I started working in a place called Howie's Lounge on Duval Street. I worked the cocktail hour behind teh piano bar. It's a dive shop now, but in those days it was a God-fearing establishment. I thought that if God was going to end the world, he would start with Howie's Lounge. I liked Key West because I was the only "fish in teh pond" from a musical standpoint. Things changed a little later, but that's the way it was.
The first hit was “Come Monday” off an album called “Livin’ & Dyin’ in ¾ Time.” Everyone asked me why there was no reference in any of the songs to ¾ Time. I was still working on a song called NAUTICAL WHEELERS at that time. I said I knew that there were no songs titled LIVIN’ & DYIN’, but I liked the line and decided to use it as title for the album. That’s when the people at the record company knew I was crazy and probably uncontrollable; it only took them about 20 years to give me my head.
I was in Europe on a film documentary, shopping in a department store in London, when I heard COME MONDAY over the loudspeaker. I thought I’d better call home and see what was happening, and by that time it was like #10. I had to stay there (Europe) for 3 months, and yet everything had taken off and I wasn’t even here.
I came back and met with a great guy, Corb Donahue, who used to work for the record company. He said, “Things are going real well here, you should consider going on the road, but I don’t know if you could handle it knowing your lifestyle. You must recognize what this involves.” I didn’t think even for a minute of not going for it. A lot of frustrated artists are people who didn’t take the opportunity when it was presented. There’s a very small aperture of success, and when it opens your time if there. You’d better jump through or you’ll regret it the rest of your life. Next thing I knew, I’d gone from the idyllic lifestyle of a beach bum to spending 300 days a year on the road.
I always hoped that success wouldn’t spoil my lifestyle, I really did. I made a real conscious effort to make sure that didn’t happen. I was pretty much established, I thought, the way I wanted to live. I didn’t want to move to Hollywood or New York. I hoped that I could make my music and live where I was comfortable when I wasn’t on the road. So far that’s worked out.
The first time I made a lot of money I made them cut 2 checks. I gave one to the accountants, and spent the other on a boat. When I started this whole thing out I thought that if I could just make enough money to buy a boat and find a bar to play in, I would be happy. And I still believe that, you have to have that bail out plan all the time.
So that’s what I did. After all the years of looking at the beautiful boats at the boat shows, I could really do it. I eventually bought one from a Miami boat show, but didn’t know what to call it. My friend, Tom Corcoran, was with me taking pictures. Anyway I had this t-shirt on from a place called The Euphoria Bar, and that coupled with the look on my face, gave us the name, EUPHORIA.
The following interview took place in Coconut Grove prior to the filming of the "Live By The Bay" video. The video was recorded at Miami Marine Stadium, and relevant segments of the interview were edited into the concert video. This proved to be a very effective means of showcasing a live Buffett performance, while at the same time allowing Jimmy to detail "how the whole thing got started." Those familiar with "Live By The Bay" may recognize bits and pieces of the interview, however, the majority ended up in The COCONUT TELEGRAPH.
I always loved music, all the way to joining the Columbia Record Club and sending the records to the wrong address so I wouldn't have to pay for them. I ordered every Kingston Trio album through the club and never paid for them. I always loved listening to music from New Orleans radio stations. At this time it was the middle of the folk era, and there were many clubs up and down the Mississippi Gulf coast.
I got into music basically to meet girls, no doubt about it. Women have always been an influence on my music, good and bad. It looked like the greatest job in the world. I was in college at the time, a freshman at Auburn University. I was a shy, awkward kid from Mobile, kind of a wallflower. My roommate had a guitar and even though he knew only 3 chords, always seemed to be the center of attention with the women. I said, "Teach me those chords."
I THOUGHT, THIS IS THE JOB FOR ME.
So I learned the guitar, and started hanging around folk clubs, watching the bands. They all had big, shiny Martin guitars; I would've given my right arm for a Martin guitar. An the women, all the time women hanging around the band. I thought, this is the job for me.
I was always a lover of the lyrical song, and I think the people that influenced me in those days sort of typified my upbringing. I grew up in Mobile, AL. My relatives on my grandmother's side were kind of Cajun, Indian, wild people from that area. My grandfather was a sailing ship captain who migrated from Nova Scotia. So it was like a gumbo kind of musical experience. I'd listen to the radio from New Orleans; Benny Spellman, Irma Thomas, and heavy old great black New Orleans artists, which is really contrary to what people think. They assume if you come from Alabama, you listen to country music. I really didn't like it much, all my early influence was out of New Orleans.
When I first started playing it was in folk clubs, and I had all this great Gulf Coast, New Orleans, black input that I drew on playing folk music. At that time I was listening to people like Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell, who were great writers above everything else. What I wanted to try to do was to write clever, good songs like those people.
I was in Nashville in 1971. I'd been turned down by 26 record labels and couldn't get songs published. I had wrecked my ex-wife's car, and I had no alternative, I thought, but to look toward warmer climates. So I took an expired Diner's Club card, held my thumb over the expiration date, went to TWA counter and bought a ticket to Miami. I was supposed to have a job at a little coffee house called the Flip, (sic)(was that really the name of it?) the "in place" for folkies in south Florida at that time. At any rate, I got there, and of course, there was no job. I was in Florida, no job, and I was broke. Fortunately my old friend Jerry Jeff Walker had a house here and took me in. So I lived in Coconut Grove for about 6 months and worked the folk circuit. I had always wanted to go to Key West. Watching Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart in KEY LARGO was the catalyst that sent me farther south. So we got into Jerry Jeff's '47 Packard and took the old overseas highway to Key West. We got there sometimes in November, temperatures about 85 degrees, there was a sailboat race going on, I found a bar, and the rest is history.
Strangely enough when I first got to Key West there wasn't a real musical scene. It was much more of a literary presence, which was good because I had been a book reader for a long time; a great fan of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner. So that literary side attracted me because I loved reading and felt comfortable in that atmostphere.
I was basically one of the few performers. I started working in a place called Howie's Lounge on Duval Street. I worked the cocktail hour behind teh piano bar. It's a dive shop now, but in those days it was a God-fearing establishment. I thought that if God was going to end the world, he would start with Howie's Lounge. I liked Key West because I was the only "fish in teh pond" from a musical standpoint. Things changed a little later, but that's the way it was.
The first hit was “Come Monday” off an album called “Livin’ & Dyin’ in ¾ Time.” Everyone asked me why there was no reference in any of the songs to ¾ Time. I was still working on a song called NAUTICAL WHEELERS at that time. I said I knew that there were no songs titled LIVIN’ & DYIN’, but I liked the line and decided to use it as title for the album. That’s when the people at the record company knew I was crazy and probably uncontrollable; it only took them about 20 years to give me my head.
I was in Europe on a film documentary, shopping in a department store in London, when I heard COME MONDAY over the loudspeaker. I thought I’d better call home and see what was happening, and by that time it was like #10. I had to stay there (Europe) for 3 months, and yet everything had taken off and I wasn’t even here.
I came back and met with a great guy, Corb Donahue, who used to work for the record company. He said, “Things are going real well here, you should consider going on the road, but I don’t know if you could handle it knowing your lifestyle. You must recognize what this involves.” I didn’t think even for a minute of not going for it. A lot of frustrated artists are people who didn’t take the opportunity when it was presented. There’s a very small aperture of success, and when it opens your time if there. You’d better jump through or you’ll regret it the rest of your life. Next thing I knew, I’d gone from the idyllic lifestyle of a beach bum to spending 300 days a year on the road.
I always hoped that success wouldn’t spoil my lifestyle, I really did. I made a real conscious effort to make sure that didn’t happen. I was pretty much established, I thought, the way I wanted to live. I didn’t want to move to Hollywood or New York. I hoped that I could make my music and live where I was comfortable when I wasn’t on the road. So far that’s worked out.
The first time I made a lot of money I made them cut 2 checks. I gave one to the accountants, and spent the other on a boat. When I started this whole thing out I thought that if I could just make enough money to buy a boat and find a bar to play in, I would be happy. And I still believe that, you have to have that bail out plan all the time.
So that’s what I did. After all the years of looking at the beautiful boats at the boat shows, I could really do it. I eventually bought one from a Miami boat show, but didn’t know what to call it. My friend, Tom Corcoran, was with me taking pictures. Anyway I had this t-shirt on from a place called The Euphoria Bar, and that coupled with the look on my face, gave us the name, EUPHORIA.
Jimmy reminiscing about the songs from Vol. 6, NO. 5 Christmas 1990
Come Monday
I guess most writers and musicians use women as sources for their material. Through everything women have been real important to me; there've been real good ones and read bad ones, this one happened to be a good one. I was in San Francisco at the time playing at the Lion's Share, doing an acoustic set, playing by myself. I was the opening act for Country Joe & The Fish. This was in Marin County, and people were dancing to my acoustic set; only place that ever happened. I knew then that something was weird in Marin county. So I was staying in this Howard Johnsons, and I had to get out. The lady with me at the time had left claiming she "needed some space." I wasn't as broke up about her leaving as I was about having to stay in that Howard Johnsons. So that was the idea for Come Monday, the real basis for the story. She had left, and it was Labor Day weekend, and come Monday I would be with her in Colorado.
For some reason I tend to use days of the week in some of my heavier love songs. The first hit was Come Monday, and an earlier song I had written called Abandoned on Tuesday, which was just an awful song. Days of the week portend bad things for me.
Come Monday
I guess most writers and musicians use women as sources for their material. Through everything women have been real important to me; there've been real good ones and read bad ones, this one happened to be a good one. I was in San Francisco at the time playing at the Lion's Share, doing an acoustic set, playing by myself. I was the opening act for Country Joe & The Fish. This was in Marin County, and people were dancing to my acoustic set; only place that ever happened. I knew then that something was weird in Marin county. So I was staying in this Howard Johnsons, and I had to get out. The lady with me at the time had left claiming she "needed some space." I wasn't as broke up about her leaving as I was about having to stay in that Howard Johnsons. So that was the idea for Come Monday, the real basis for the story. She had left, and it was Labor Day weekend, and come Monday I would be with her in Colorado.
For some reason I tend to use days of the week in some of my heavier love songs. The first hit was Come Monday, and an earlier song I had written called Abandoned on Tuesday, which was just an awful song. Days of the week portend bad things for me.
Jimmy reminiscing about the songs from Vol. 6, NO. 5 Christmas 1990
Son Of A Son Of A Sailor
Came to me as a real expression of my family lineage. My grandfather was a sailing ship captain from Nova Scotia, my father was, or still is rather, a shipbuilder. Whatever was going to happen with me and my career, I knew I'd always be near the water. I've always used the ocean as an escape valve, it's the one place where I can go to get away from everything. I'm sure in my grandfather's eyes I should be doing it from the bridge of a ship instead of on stage, but it all works out just the same.
Son Of A Son Of A Sailor
Came to me as a real expression of my family lineage. My grandfather was a sailing ship captain from Nova Scotia, my father was, or still is rather, a shipbuilder. Whatever was going to happen with me and my career, I knew I'd always be near the water. I've always used the ocean as an escape valve, it's the one place where I can go to get away from everything. I'm sure in my grandfather's eyes I should be doing it from the bridge of a ship instead of on stage, but it all works out just the same.
More of Jimmy reminiscing about the songs from Vol. 6, NO. 5 Christmas 1990
Grapefruit Juicyfruit
When I first discovered Key West it was a on a grand scale; like to the tune of 24 hours a day for about 5 weeks. After all the disappointment in Nashville, here I was on a tropical island having as much fun as I could. Life was good.
I'm sure by now everyone is pretty familiar with the Islander Drive-In story. Suffice it to say that after a night of shedding old Catholic guilt in a vat of purple passion, a stick of juicyfruit came in real handy in the morning.
Volcano
We did that album in Montserrat, and I took the Coral Reefers on what turned out to be an expedition. Indiana Jones had nothing on us. We went to a Caribbean island with a state of the art recording studio. We were the first American band to record in Montserrat which has now become a very heavy recording facility. (Hurricane Hugo leveled Montserrat in November, 1989)
It didn't take long to realize that we had started out on the wrong foot. We chartered a DC3 to carry our gear out of Ft Lauderdale. Now in south Florida, in those days, (late 70s) there was much more contraband in DC3s than band gear. An old roadie of mine, Max Crabtree, had the unenviable task of riding with the gear to Montserrat. So Max gets pretty well cranked up on vodka for the long ride to Montserrat. The plane had to land in Miami for fuel, and the DEA thought it was a drug plane and they swarmed all over poor Max. They got the wrong plane, so SOMEBODY got in that night.
Grapefruit Juicyfruit
When I first discovered Key West it was a on a grand scale; like to the tune of 24 hours a day for about 5 weeks. After all the disappointment in Nashville, here I was on a tropical island having as much fun as I could. Life was good.
I'm sure by now everyone is pretty familiar with the Islander Drive-In story. Suffice it to say that after a night of shedding old Catholic guilt in a vat of purple passion, a stick of juicyfruit came in real handy in the morning.
Volcano
We did that album in Montserrat, and I took the Coral Reefers on what turned out to be an expedition. Indiana Jones had nothing on us. We went to a Caribbean island with a state of the art recording studio. We were the first American band to record in Montserrat which has now become a very heavy recording facility. (Hurricane Hugo leveled Montserrat in November, 1989)
It didn't take long to realize that we had started out on the wrong foot. We chartered a DC3 to carry our gear out of Ft Lauderdale. Now in south Florida, in those days, (late 70s) there was much more contraband in DC3s than band gear. An old roadie of mine, Max Crabtree, had the unenviable task of riding with the gear to Montserrat. So Max gets pretty well cranked up on vodka for the long ride to Montserrat. The plane had to land in Miami for fuel, and the DEA thought it was a drug plane and they swarmed all over poor Max. They got the wrong plane, so SOMEBODY got in that night.
More from Volume 6 NO. 5 Cocotelegraph--Christmas 1990
STORIES BEHIND THE SONGS
Why Don't We Get Drunk
This song was written with a bit of vindictiveness on my part, I must admit. I thought I was a pretty damn good songwriter in those days, and I was having a hard time getting anyone to listen to or record any of my songs. Most traditional country songs were very suggestive although very conventional, and I thought I'd write one that left nothing to question.
So we're in a Marriott hotel in Atlanta, having a very early breakfast watching some businessman in a powder blue polyester suit trying his best to approach this hooker, who was obviously tired from a long night's work. I'm sure what he heard himself saying made complete sense, however, nothing but drunken slurring was coming out. And the rest is history.
I'm told that that song is one of the most requested jukebox records. If I earned royalties off jukeboxes I could've retired years ago. Women listen to that song a lot more than men do.[/u]
STORIES BEHIND THE SONGS
Why Don't We Get Drunk
This song was written with a bit of vindictiveness on my part, I must admit. I thought I was a pretty damn good songwriter in those days, and I was having a hard time getting anyone to listen to or record any of my songs. Most traditional country songs were very suggestive although very conventional, and I thought I'd write one that left nothing to question.
So we're in a Marriott hotel in Atlanta, having a very early breakfast watching some businessman in a powder blue polyester suit trying his best to approach this hooker, who was obviously tired from a long night's work. I'm sure what he heard himself saying made complete sense, however, nothing but drunken slurring was coming out. And the rest is history.
I'm told that that song is one of the most requested jukebox records. If I earned royalties off jukeboxes I could've retired years ago. Women listen to that song a lot more than men do.[/u]
and...
More from Volume 6 NO. 5 Cocotelegraph--Christmas 1990
STORIES BEHIND THE SONGS
Cheeseburger In Paradise
The more time you spend at sea, the more time is spent on thinking about things you really want. A good cheeseburger is one of those things. We were on a trip down island, and were approaching Tortola in the British West Indies. All the while we were conjuring the vision of the perfect cheeseburger. So we docked at this little marina at Village Key in Tortola, found the first cheeseburger we could--and it was the worst cheeseburger in the world. I think it was horsemeat, but it didn't matter at the time.
Fortunately, the quality of cheeseburgers in the Caribbean has improved.
More from Volume 6 NO. 5 Cocotelegraph--Christmas 1990
STORIES BEHIND THE SONGS
Cheeseburger In Paradise
The more time you spend at sea, the more time is spent on thinking about things you really want. A good cheeseburger is one of those things. We were on a trip down island, and were approaching Tortola in the British West Indies. All the while we were conjuring the vision of the perfect cheeseburger. So we docked at this little marina at Village Key in Tortola, found the first cheeseburger we could--and it was the worst cheeseburger in the world. I think it was horsemeat, but it didn't matter at the time.
Fortunately, the quality of cheeseburgers in the Caribbean has improved.
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Crazy Navy Flyer
- On a Salty Piece of Land
- Posts: 11425
- Joined: May 11, 2002 8:00 pm
- Number of Concerts: 100
- Favorite Boat Drink: rum
- Location: Pensacola
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Quiet and Shy
- On a Salty Piece of Land
- Posts: 10648
- Joined: September 22, 2004 12:16 am
- Number of Concerts: 15
- Location: Centennial, CO
Hmmmm....and in the "Tales of Margaritavision" video, he says Jane is the one he wrote "Come Monday" about....me thinks there are some semi-true stories here somewhere...the CIP story's a bit different from other explanations I've seen, too.conched wrote:Jimmy reminiscing about the songs from Vol. 6, NO. 5 Christmas 1990
Come Monday
I guess most writers and musicians use women as sources for their material. Through everything women have been real important to me; there've been real good ones and read bad ones, this one happened to be a good one. I was in San Francisco at the time playing at the Lion's Share, doing an acoustic set, playing by myself. I was the opening act for Country Joe & The Fish. This was in Marin County, and people were dancing to my acoustic set; only place that ever happened. I knew then that something was weird in Marin county. So I was staying in this Howard Johnsons, and I had to get out. The lady with me at the time had left claiming she "needed some space." I wasn't as broke up about her leaving as I was about having to stay in that Howard Johnsons. So that was the idea for Come Monday, the real basis for the story. She had left, and it was Labor Day weekend, and come Monday I would be with her in Colorado.
For some reason I tend to use days of the week in some of my heavier love songs. The first hit was Come Monday, and an earlier song I had written called Abandoned on Tuesday, which was just an awful song. Days of the week portend bad things for me.
Thanks for sharing!
"Reading departure signs in some big airport reminds me of the places I've been"
50 countries and territories, 46 states...so far
50 countries and territories, 46 states...so far
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surfpirate
- Here We Are
- Posts: 9705
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- Favorite Buffett Song: African Friend
- Number of Concerts: 98
- Location: OBX (Oh how I wish ..... maybe next month)
- Contact:
This from The Coconut Telegraph, Volume 3, No. 10, October 1987
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KEY WEST CONCERT
A well overdue Key West concert (Jimmy's last concert was in Jan. '75 at Mallory Aquare) is scheduled for Saturday, November 28th. Like the November 29th concert in Miami, this concert is also a benefit. Proceeds from this outdoor afternoon concert will be donated to Jimmy's non-profit organization "The Friends of Florida" for the "Help Jimmy Buffett Save the Key West Salt Ponds" project. Advance tickets are $15.00; $20.00 day of show and will be available through Bass Ticket Outlet (305)-633-BASS.
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Hard to believe isn't it? "Advance tickets $15.00"! "Day of Show $20.00"! Times have certainly changed.
Also from the same October '87 issue was the following story about the not yet open "new Margaritaville Restaurant" and the move of the original Margaritaville Store to it's "new Duval Street location".
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MARGARITAVILLE...THE MOVING
The Margaritaville Store finally burst its' seams this month and was forced to find more suitable accomodations. Unable to contain the constantly changing merchandise, much less the hundreds of Parrot Heads who visit daily, our old store at #4 Lands End Village now stands empty; how do you follow an act like JB?
Meanwhile several blocks away at 500 Duval, crowds form at the all new and improved Margaritaville Store. More space, more selection, and the same funky charm that made the original Margaritaville Store a legend in the northern Caribbean combine to create "Margaritaville". But wait, there's more! on the same location, under the same roof will soon stand the Margaritaville Restaurant. If there were any complaints regarding the old Margaritaville Store, it was the fact that one had to leave to get something to eat or drink. Visitors to "Margaritaville" will now be able to shop in one of Key Wests' most unique shops, while at the same time dine in Key West's newest restaurant. In keeping with the trendsetting tradition and standards set by the Margaritaville Store, the restaurant will offer a menu featuring Caribbean recipes gathered by JB on many down island expeditions. The full menu will feature many Bahamian and Key West favorites, a variety of seafood dishes, and even Jimmy's grandmother's secret potato salad. The bar offers everything from domestic beer to a perfectly chilled bottle of Dom Perignon. And of course, the best damn Margarita ... IN THE WORLD!
---------------------------------------
There is also an article that tells readers that they soon ....
" .... will be able to enjoy the long awaited MCA release, Jimmy's new and as yet untitled book, and believe it or not, THE MARGARITAVILLE MOVIE, which we're told is closer than ever to actually being produced."
And finally .... this issue's merchandise page gave you the opportunity to order the "LIVE BY THE BAY" video. JB & The Reefers recorded live in Miami! Only $32.95 and available in both VHS and BETA!
---------------------------------------
KEY WEST CONCERT
A well overdue Key West concert (Jimmy's last concert was in Jan. '75 at Mallory Aquare) is scheduled for Saturday, November 28th. Like the November 29th concert in Miami, this concert is also a benefit. Proceeds from this outdoor afternoon concert will be donated to Jimmy's non-profit organization "The Friends of Florida" for the "Help Jimmy Buffett Save the Key West Salt Ponds" project. Advance tickets are $15.00; $20.00 day of show and will be available through Bass Ticket Outlet (305)-633-BASS.
---------------------------------------
Hard to believe isn't it? "Advance tickets $15.00"! "Day of Show $20.00"! Times have certainly changed.
Also from the same October '87 issue was the following story about the not yet open "new Margaritaville Restaurant" and the move of the original Margaritaville Store to it's "new Duval Street location".
---------------------------------------
MARGARITAVILLE...THE MOVING
The Margaritaville Store finally burst its' seams this month and was forced to find more suitable accomodations. Unable to contain the constantly changing merchandise, much less the hundreds of Parrot Heads who visit daily, our old store at #4 Lands End Village now stands empty; how do you follow an act like JB?
Meanwhile several blocks away at 500 Duval, crowds form at the all new and improved Margaritaville Store. More space, more selection, and the same funky charm that made the original Margaritaville Store a legend in the northern Caribbean combine to create "Margaritaville". But wait, there's more! on the same location, under the same roof will soon stand the Margaritaville Restaurant. If there were any complaints regarding the old Margaritaville Store, it was the fact that one had to leave to get something to eat or drink. Visitors to "Margaritaville" will now be able to shop in one of Key Wests' most unique shops, while at the same time dine in Key West's newest restaurant. In keeping with the trendsetting tradition and standards set by the Margaritaville Store, the restaurant will offer a menu featuring Caribbean recipes gathered by JB on many down island expeditions. The full menu will feature many Bahamian and Key West favorites, a variety of seafood dishes, and even Jimmy's grandmother's secret potato salad. The bar offers everything from domestic beer to a perfectly chilled bottle of Dom Perignon. And of course, the best damn Margarita ... IN THE WORLD!
---------------------------------------
There is also an article that tells readers that they soon ....
" .... will be able to enjoy the long awaited MCA release, Jimmy's new and as yet untitled book, and believe it or not, THE MARGARITAVILLE MOVIE, which we're told is closer than ever to actually being produced."
And finally .... this issue's merchandise page gave you the opportunity to order the "LIVE BY THE BAY" video. JB & The Reefers recorded live in Miami! Only $32.95 and available in both VHS and BETA!
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parrotpartygod
- Under My Lone Palm
- Posts: 5131
- Joined: October 2, 2005 12:12 pm
- Favorite Buffett Song: A Pirate Looks @ 40 Sarongs You Know By Heart
- Location: Riding Shotgun With The Four Wenches Of The Apocalips
