Jimmy Buffett: I don't get him!!!

[mrpologuy]

Can some please explain Jimmy Buffett to me? I just don't get him. What is so special about him? All of his songs sound the same to me. Is it the idea that he is carefree and relaxed and that it is cool to be drunk and on the beach all day. My Gf says he is a free spirit but he has all the restaurants and stores and I say he just cares about the cash. She has spent hundreds on his stupid merchandise and we had to spend an hour at his sotr ein New Orleans. SHe says young and old go to the concerts and all the pictures and stories I hear about his concerts are people getting drunk. It looks like it is a bunch of old people trying to be young again wearing that ugly tropical shirt they bought 20 years ago. Someone please explain to me what is so special about him!!

 

[otterhound]

I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head. He is like an extremely watered down Grateful Dead.

 

[edmorel]

I've never heard anything Jimmy Buffett has sung or said that would lead me to believe that he is anything other than a beach hobo. The fact that he is a multi millionaire can only be chalked up to the fact that he has obviously sold his soul to the devil, not unlike David Hasselhoff.

 

[Bradford]

Well, as a proud Parrothead, I will say that Buffett embodies the lifestyle that many of us would like to live. The idea of traveling the world, visiting beaches, flying seaplanes, going deep-sea fishing and sharing margarita-filled nights with beautiful women is a very appealing concept. Listening to Buffett's songs and taking (usually) one night out of each year to attend his concert and forget about the mundalities of everyday life is just an outgrowth of that fantasy.

Certainly, Buffett has done a good job of commercializing his product over the years, but I think that was really a reaction to the fact that for the vast majority of his career, his songs did not get much radio airplay.

Before the internet, you could get his newsletter, The Coconut Telegraph, through the mail.

In addition, Buffett was one of the very first artists to realize the benefits of connecting with fans through the internet. In fact, in 1992, as a member of a Buffett fan group on Prodigy, I was able to reserve two front row seats to a Buffett concert here in Phoenix, simply by sending my name and e-mail address to Buffett's tour manager who came on the board and made the offer to all the members. (The fun part was trying to explain to the guy at will-call how I had reserved my seats - bear in mind this was a few years before internet ticket buying became commonplace.) Buffett himself and his daughter Savannah would come on the board sometimes as well.

While Buffett has certainly commercialized himself, what with the tequila, restaurants, clothing line, etc., I give him credit for doing it himself rather than letting some media conglomerate profit from his image.

 

[mrpologuy]

I would rather have a lifestlye of fine shoes and suits, greats ties and alcohol than be a beach bum. My Gf and her friends are going to Buffett in a few weeks and their response was the same as yours. I figured it would be.

 

[Carlo]

The end of civilization has indeed arrived.

Thank God it's 5 o'clock somewhere.

 

[VMan]

Originally Posted by mrpologuy

I would rather have a lifestlye of fine shoes and suits, greats ties and alcohol than be a beach bum.

I would trade most everything physical that I own - nice clothes, electronics, luxury goods, etc - if for the rest of my life I could live the lifestyle he speaks of in his lyrics.

 

[Dakota rube]

I get a big kick out of Jimmy B. I remember listening to his music whilst stoned out of my gourd in the height of a Dakota blizzard in the early 70s and dreaming of that beach he sang about.

What amazes me is how he's managed to maintain a semblance of that drunken beachcomber image when in fact he is one of the richest musicians on Earth.

And I, like VM, would love to live that lifestyle.

 

[gorgekko]

Interesting the age divide on display here. People my age despise Buffett as an overrated merchandise machine, baby boomers love him because...well, no one cares why boomers love anything

 

[otterhound]

Originally Posted by VersaceMan

I would trade most everything physical that I own - nice clothes, electronics, luxury goods, etc - if for the rest of my life I could live the lifestyle he speaks of in his lyrics.
So why not do it? What's stopping you?

 

[VMan]

Originally Posted by otterhound

So why not do it? What's stopping you?
The reality of it. You gotta make money somehow. That said, if someone walked in my door right now, told me they'd trade my nice things for this sort of life in some tropical area (but perhaps let me keep a few favorite items of clothes so I'm not naked, some books, sentimental things, a camera, and maybe my computer) I'd do it in a heartbeat. If they hooked me up with a job selling fish or produce in a market, or giving island tours, or bartending, or working at a cafe, or cooking for a restaurant, and made enough money to get by, I'd definitely take it. However, I'm sure other people would want this life too, and it wouldn't be realistic to try and pursue it. How many people wouldn't trade their luxury cars, nice suits and ties and shirts, modern home furnishings, and electronics for a warm beach, snorkeling, grilling out, cold drinks, beautiful women, smoking pot, riding around on scooters, and friendly people, every day for the rest of their lives? Wow, I didn't even intend to post in this thread in the first place!

 

[pejsek]

Seriously, if you want to understand Jimmy Buffet you must go watch the movie Club Dread. I certainly rank it as one of the funniest movies of all time--right up there with anything from the 1930s. And it gets to the heart of what's up with Jimmy Buffet (except for the Parrothead part, I guess; I'm gonna have to check that out).

 

[bachbeet]

I don't begrudge him his $. I just never liked his songs, his voice, or his music. Definitely insubstantial.

 

[romafan]

The Buffet corporate machine is well-oiled, ruthless and ever vigilant. I know a very laid back, Buffet-loving fishing guide who opened the world's tiniest fly shop in Wolf Creek, Montana. As a one man operation struggling to make ends meet, the poor guy made the mistake of naming his guide service after his musical hero. Within weeks the Parrothead Fly Shop received a 'cease and desist' letter from Buffet's attorneys...

 

[JBZ]

Originally Posted by romafan

The Buffet corporate machine is well-oiled, ruthless and ever vigilant. I know a very laid back, Buffet-loving fishing guide who opened the world's tiniest fly shop in Wolf Creek, Montana. As a one man operation struggling to make ends meet, the poor guy made the mistake of naming his guide service after his musical hero. Within weeks the Parrothead Fly Shop received a 'cease and desist' letter from Buffet's attorneys...

There's a small chain of Mexican restaurants in the Northeast that used to be called Margaritaville. Now they're just called Margaritas. Rumor was that the Buffett folks made them change it.

As for JB himself, IMHO he's an average musician/songwriter who stumbled upon a style to which a large number of people relate. As a result, he's been able to make millions. Hard to fault him for that.