MMTT4S - A Father's Day Edition

Happy Fathers’ Day!

For this installment of the Margaritaville Musings and Tropical Tunes for Summer 2019, I wish to pay tribute to dads.

Surprise!

Write what you know, right?

I have an honorary doctorate in Dadology: I have a dad. I am a dad. I’ve picked up daddy longlegs. I’ve eaten crawdads.

I will have a Buffett tune for you, too. Patience…

In preparation or this piece, I went through my hall closet. You know the one. You have one, too. It has more in it than is possible. The Army Corps of Engineers still cannot explain how we’ve managed to fit so many items into such a small space. It’s the closet that you risk life and limb when opening the door. After digging past my old letter jacket, a dust mop, a pair of boots I thought I’d lost 20 years ago, a stack of blank mesh-back caps, a few dozen photo albums (some with photos in them), Aunt Martha, a box of Groundhog Day decorations, a sombrero, a harpsichord, and a gorilla costume, I found what I needed for part of today’s writing – my trusty old soapbox.

I will climb atop it now and opine.

Thanks to Wes Church for putting my thoughts of the day into a well-timed and eloquent sermon this morning. You can watch it here, by the way.

fatherhood should be a blessing. You should feel blessed to have a dad. Dads, you should feel blessed to be a dad. If not, you or he, have done or are doing something wrong. As the institution of the family becomes increasingly under attack in our society, the role of the father continues to get downplayed. Our society is only as strong as our families. If the family crumbles, so will our society. Dads are a key player in the family. The task is simple to express, but difficult to put into action and retain – be fully present. Dads, familial responsibilities follow closely behind our responsibility to our heavenly father (1^st) and wives (2^nd).  

I will now leap off of the soapbox. It’s not very tall, so my aging knees can handle it.

The Buffett song is coming - hang in there.

My dad is an amazing dad. His father instilled in him the value of doing a good job with integrity and fairness. He has passed that along to his kids and grandkids as well. At 6’5”, Pop can be an imposing figure, especially to a skinny little kid. He commanded a level of respect and discipline from his children. At the same time, he exuded compassion, wisdom, and caring. He has the most loving heart. He taught us to have empathy, to serve with humility, to work hard, to enjoy life, and to love unendingly. The example he set for us as fathers, husbands, siblings, friends, employees was spot on. It’s a shame everyone in the world couldn’t have him as a mentor and exemplar.

The song’s coming, I promise…

I remember Pop wrestling with all 4 of us rug rats. We could never push him over. I remember our many one-on-one matchups out on the old dirt court in our backyard. He always won. He was 6’5” after all. I remember my throbbing noggin after getting a well-deserved thump by his massive middle finger when I acted up in church. When I was a child, he wasn’t my best friend…he was my best dad. There’s a novel idea! Now, he’s a mentor, advisor, partner, sage, and friend. He grows a mustache with me for Movember (and looks less cheesy). We share lots of responsibilities and leadership opportunities. He shares his old pickup, yard tools, beach house, cherry cokes, and oatmeal cream pies with me. Most importantly, I felt a true, unrequited, sacrificial love from Pop as a child and I still feel that as an adult. He's passed on a number of wonderful traits to me - in addition to those mentioned above is my love of chocolate milk and sense of humor. We're not exactly alike, though. Pop claims that one of his missions in life is to see the world and talk to everyone in it. He's well on his way. Trust me. I, too, wish to see the world, but I couldn't care less about talking to everyone in it. 

I am blessed to have Pop as my father.

While I certainly fall short of Pop’s example of being a father, being a dad is one of the greatest joys of my life. I’m certainly not the perfect patriarch and sometimes I think I really stink at it, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world and I can’t imagine my life without my kids in it.

 Now the moment you’ve been waiting for…

Jimmy Buffett refers to his own kids a number of times in his songs. He sings about his daughters – “Savannah Fare You Well,” “DelaneyTalks to Statues,” “Little Miss Magic,” for instance – and his son Cameron in “Beach House on the Moon.” He mentions learning about bassinets in "Dreamsicle." He certainly has retained his boyish grin and a child-like imagination in many of his songs. Jimmy has claimed that, like Peter Pan, he never wants to grow up. He even sings about “Growing Older But Not Up.” He sings a song for the children in “Chanson Les Petits Enfant.” An acclaimed author, Jimmy has written 2 children’s books with the help of his daughter Savannah Jane – The Jolly Mon and Trouble Dolls and a young adult novel, Swine Not: A Novel Pig Tale. He penned a moving reflection of his grandfather in the song “The Captain and The Kid.”

In today’s song, however, he sings about his dad, who left this world in 2003. Jimmy was obviously deeply influenced by his grandfather and father. His work ethic and sense of wonder seem to have come from them, at least in part. From his 1996 studio album, Banana Wind, Buffett strays from the ordinary – or whatever the ordinary is for Jimmy Buffett – and gives us a heartfelt glimpse through song into his father’s fade into Alzheimer’s with “False Echoes (Havana 1921).” The background vocal help from friend James Taylor and his son Ben Taylor give this track an easy sound. These guys were made to sing together. I love the line that reminds us that "[t]ime ain't for saving, no, time's not for that." If it’s a rainy day and you’re in a pensive or melancholy mood, take this tune with you out into a rocking chair on your front porch and just absorb it all.

And just so you don’t mistakenly become depressed, remember it’s honoring his dad and you can do the same. If that’s not enough, go ahead and check out the songs about Jimmy’s kids mentioned above. Then, if you’re a dad, spend your time wisely and be a dad worthy of a tribute song from your kids.

Happy Fathers’ Day!

Photo from CD liner of Banana Wind album

MMTT4S - Installment 4 - South of the Border (and not SC Pedro's Version)!

South of the Border

Unless you're a South Carolina native or a gullible tourist traveling through that state down I-95 (http://www.thesouthoftheborder.com/), that phrase once produced a sparkle of wanderlust - sleepy villages along the border or coast, cactus-dotted horizons framed by fiery sunsets, aromas of corn tortillas and spicy salsas. You just wanted to ride in on your trusty steed, be handed a plate of tamales and a crisp margarita by a pretty señorita, while a wholesome caballero kicked back beside you and played a haunting Spanish number on his 12-string gut guitar. Sounds of a fiesta a few blocks away. Maybe you'd join...maybe not. First, you'd simply desire to rest your dusty boots and turn the saddle sores over to the tequila.

...Under a vast blanket of stars. A few of which shoot across the deep navy vastness.

...With an occasional cry of a coyote in the distance. The nice kind of coyotes - not the dreaded nuisances we have today.

It conjured a flight to a rustic, simple place and time. Unlike today. No wall or cartel or 3 hour wait at the border crossing to worry about. No, this was an idealistic escape from the more modern rigors, glimmer, and speed of glitzy Hollywood, the Rat Pack Vegas Strip, and Madison Avenue.

I remember crossing into Juarez from El Paso with my wife and her parents and grandparents. We lived in Texas then and her grandmother wanted to go look for a piece of furniture, have a tasty meal, replenish her real vanilla extract, and just get away for a day. We actually drove in, though. I guess trusty steeds were not a viable option for the whole group. I don't recall hearing coyotes either. But the food was fabulous - probably TexMex for gringos like us. The margaritas were refreshing and strong. The smells and music were amazing. And I guess the furniture was good because we seldom left empty-handed. We did this more than once, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Although, according to an Al Jazeera report that claims the city is trying to make a comeback, which prompts a few laughable retorts in my mind given the irony, this is not on most people's travel agenda today (see this).

All of this Margaritaville musing simply leads us into today's Jimmy Buffett tune for the summer of '19 - "Mexico."

Yes, I know it was originally James Taylor's hit and he does it so very well in his recognizable, unique, smooth way. Admittedly, while some songs are iconic and define a performer or group and should probably never be remade, this is not one of those. Certain performers sort-of earn the right to add their spin to a classic. James and Jimmy are buds and collaborate on a few songs even. Although Buffett makes the song his with a fuller band sound and steel pans to "tropicalize" it a little, he obviously respects Taylor's tune.

It's a great remake. It's also fabulous live. "Mexico" can be found on Buffett's album Barometer Soup, his 19th studio album, and on a number of live albums as well. It's a popular choice at concerts for good reason.

So, if you suddenly find yourself south of the border, enjoy the kinder, gentler, more imaginative version. And maybe pick up a side table.

Image courtesy of itunes.apple.com

If you'd like to continue with the Mexican vibe, check out Jimmy's numerous other songs that have a Spanish influence. You can also hear similar tunes from George Strait ("The Seashores of Old Mexico"), Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown, Marty Robbins, Tim McGraw, Asleep at the Wheel, and many, many others.