MMTT4S - Fruitcake City

So, we've discussed Jimmy Buffett (MMTT4S - Teacher Edition) and his escapist carnival (the original MMTT4S). Today let's take a brief look at his fans.

Parrot Heads.

Legend has it that the moniker was born from the stage in Cincinnati in 1985 by Timothy B. Schmit, a member of Jimmy's band - the Coral Reefers - at that time. Buffett made notice of the crowd, decked out in grass skirts, aloha shirts, leis, and parrot hats, and how they followed him on tour around the country, much like Dead Heads followed The Grateful Dead. Schmit put 2 and 2 together - Dead Heads in parrot hats - and came up with Parrot Heads, and it stuck.

Parrot Heads come from all walks of life - all ages, backgrounds, beliefs, socio-economic levels, races, heights, weights, countries of origin, planets of origin, types of sailing experience, favorite combinations of Oreos. You'll even find Parrot Heads who prefer waffles arm-in-arm with diehard pancake fanatics. There are Parrot Head clubs all over the world, most of which combine a love of fellowship (and tequila) with civic service - "Party With a Purpose." It may well be the happiest, most diverse group on Earth.

Parrot Heads consider Jimmy Buffett concerts as a summer rite of passage. They flock to their home venues every year and commence to putting on the ultimate tailgate experience. Buffett tailgates are legendary. They shouldn't even be considered tailgates. "Tailgate" is way too tame a word for the insanity and camaraderie found in the parking lots before Buffett concerts. What was a peaceful, white-striped blacktop or grassy field or gravel flat morphs into a tropical island steeped in the frenzy of a carnival and inhabited by a million circus acts and revelers from around the world. Maybe it should be called a Parrotgate. Some venues obviously boast bigger, crazier tailgates than others and rightfully so. I've seen too many Buffett shows to remember, from Los Angeles to Columbia, SC, but I haven't seen him in every venue. Every place has its own vibe - from the tribal togetherness of Atlanta to the...well, Vegas is Vegas. True to the saying "Everything is bigger in Texas," Frisco's tailgate scene was enormous and as wild as it was large. No matter the size or level of insanity, you'll always find happy folks willing to share a beer, a plate of boiled crawfish, and an exaggerated story that will contain a reference to Jimmy Buffett at some point.

You can find plenty of photos and descriptions of Buffett parking lot parties online. Suffice it to say that fun is had, food and drink is shared and consumed, music is played and heard, engagements are launched, marriages are consummated, babies are made, lifelong friends are established, memories are created (and sometimes lost) - all in heaping helpings.

Today's song, "Fruitcakes," celebrates Parrot Heads and those who may be Parrot Heads and don't realize it, and really just about anybody living on this planet. Jimmy calls these people "fruitcakes" - half-baked, crazy humans, struttin' naked through the crosswalks of life toward eternity. And we've all got a little bit (or a lot) of fruitcake in us. He sings his argument with proof from outrageous cinema prices ("I want Junior Mints!") to California (paradise?) to our government ("universal laughter ringing out among the stars") to religion ("there's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning") to relationships ("the difference between lightning and a harmless lightning bug") to the future ("Stanley Kubrick and...HAL don't look that abstract"). To deal with the madness of living in a world full of fruitcakes, Buffett suggests staying in touch with our insanity, to "use the right word at the right time" and "practice what [we] preach," and to simply "have a very fruitful day" as we navigate the "jungle out there."

The song itself is catchy and clever and features a full Coral Reefer band sound, which you'll find often on the album by the same name. Great tune.

So, as you watch the news, look at social media, gather at your favorite watering hole, or gaze at beachcombers on the coast this summer, do so with the somewhat comforting thought that we are all fruitcakes, that "the cosmic bakers took us out of the oven a little too early and that's the reason we're as crazy as we are." Listen to today's tune to help, if necessary. A dose of Buffett can do wonders sometimes.

And keep an eye on those crosswalks...

Image courtesy of Amazon.com