Jimmy Buffett dead at 76 yesterday

[brucemacneill]

Just saw that he died yesterday so today is "Margaritaville" day, they say. Don't know if there are any Parrot heads here but if there are, my sympathies on your loss.

[Cornflake]

May he rest in peace.

[Shannon]

Oh my. He is a legend in Alabama, being raised in Mobile. He briefly attended Auburn. I was never a huge fan, but I enjoyed most of his songs when they would pop up, and I have played a handful of them. They are popular requests around here.

Peace to his loved ones.

[Village Idiot]

I never considered myself a parrot head but I did have a few albums of his back in the day. Living and Dying in 3/4 Time was one of his better ones. Not all of his songs were steel drums and a Caribbean feel. 76 is pretty early. I wonder what happened.

[Tamarack]

My condolences to his family and the legions of Parrotheads.

I was never a big fan, but he did have some memorable songs, not the least of which is The Great Filling Station Holdup (...I wish I was somewhere other than here...)

[Cosmic Wonder]

Huge sigh. I liked Buffett. I met him briefly, checking him in when I was a bell hop at La Costa 40 or so years ago, He was a story teller. Sigh.

Mike

[Dan McLaughlin]

I saw him 19 years ago today in the Cincinnati area. Great experience.
I will miss being on the same ocean with him.

Have good ones.

[david]

I can't think of any other musician who conjures up such carefree sun and beach thoughts for me. RIP Mr. Buffett.

[John B]

His obit was a really interesting read; Mr. Buffett was a pretty interesting person. Very much a casual fan of his music, but he also an author: "Mr. Buffett was also an accomplished author; he was one of only six writers, along with the likes of Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck and William Styron, to top both The Times’s fiction and nonfiction best-seller lists."

He seemed to have had a very good life, and touched a lot of people.

[Dub]

Bummer. He was a remarkable person in many ways.

My only experience with him is when he would hang out at Chicago’s Quiet Knight more than 50 years ago. I enjoyed his sets then but never followed his career. I’ve always appreciated the song he wrote celebrating our mutual friend, Eddie Balchowsky, the concert pianist who lost an arm fighting fascism in Spain.

[billhammond]

I never was a huge fan, didn't buy any of his records or see any of his shows, but I did appreciate the warm, conversational tone of his voice and his gift for creating song hooks, as well as his business acumen.

I didn't know until learning of it on the radio today that there was a tragic element in his life -- he played trombone.

But Leo Kottke and Paul Tandberg are in the same boat, and they have soldiered on seemingly unfazed.

[millring]

What a fantastic writer. A victim of making it look easy.

[Marty]

Rest easy Jimmy, the gigs go on.





When we visited Key West I talked to a lot of guitar players there. Because there are a lot of them in Key West. Buskers all over during the daytime and early evenings. Solo acts in many of the bars all day and bands at night. Some have regular daily gig at different places and may just keep a guitar under the stage or stored backstage. Some even use each others guitars so they can get down the street to their next gig quicker, Put it on its stand and go.

The biggest show is in Mallory Square around dusk but this will be the jugglers, magicians and other novelty acts that have paid permits for that time space. One performer working while another sets up nearby in four areas in the Sq. People gather there every evening and when one act ends they move over to the next. WE left when the Mime started up.

If I dig around I've got a photo of Darth Vader busking on Duval St. playing a banjo.

[drlj]

Sorry to see him go. I really liked him.

[millring]

I spent lots of time with my guitar figuring this one out. I loved it the first time I heard it. It inspired me to make a mix tape (yeah, a cassette) of modern day lullabies by contemporaries. Pony Man -- Lightfoot, St Judy's Comet -- Simon, Melt My Heart -- Simon (the other Simon), Daddy's Baby -- Taylor.....I can't remember them all.

I played it tonight for Dar. "That wasn't Cat Stevens?!"

Nope. And Come Monday wasn't Jimmy Webb, no matter how much the brilliant bridge may have sounded like something only Jimmy Webb could have come up with.

Some people of my generation who consider themselves serious about music seemed to have a tendency to dismiss Buffett. I suspect that his marketing ability to build a huge following based on a party music model was part of the reason. But I think the fact that Buffett made fantastic songs sound so natural -- they seemed to come too easy for him -- maybe such serious critics too quickly overlooked what a great writer he was.

Besides, great music isn't always profound. And profound music isn't always great. Jimmy Buffett made some really great music. Some profound. And some profoundly fun.

[Dub]

Sept 2, 2023 21:26:04 GMT -5 millring said:

…great music isn't always profound. And profound music isn't always great.

We’ll put and so true.

[james]

Noel Casler wrote down some happy memories of Buffett.

noelcasler.substack.com/p/see-you-in-the-water

[howard lee]

I always liked this one, especially with its not-so-graceful innuendo: