MMTT4S - Hurricane Coping Advice, Part 1

Today is the official first day of summer, my favorite time of year. Maybe I'll have a chance to discuss some of the many reasons why I do so enjoy summertime at some point, but today I'm blowing dark clouds into our bright, sunny skies. Massive storm clouds all gathered up, looming, and rotating. Without further ado, I bid you...

Happy Hurricane Season!

From June 1st to November 30th, eastern and southern U.S. coastal residents have the great pleasure of existing in the official Atlantic Hurricane Season. For those who live or have property along the Eastern Seaboard or along the Gulf Coast, this time of year can be unnerving on occasion. Anxiety levels rise and fall like the tides. A watchful eye is subconsciously and intermittently kept on forecasts.

Image courtesy of www.nhc.noaa.gov

I remember listening to my grandfather's NOAA weather radio when we summered at his house, the Surf Pearl, in Surfside, SC.  Pappy, tan and shirtless, would sit at his spot at the dinner table and check the forecast regularly, and if a tropical depression formed out in the Atlantic, he'd bring out the tracking charts, pencils and rulers. Whenever that happened, I remember being scared and excited at the same time, and thinking, "This is pretty cool." It was cool...until we were chased inland and our summertime quarters declared off-limits. I recall helping my dad board up windows, affix a giant "x" with tape across sliding glass doors, and secure everything we could find that might get loose. Then we'd quickly pack up and head west, back to our ho-hum habitat away from the beach. It's a part of life on the coast.

Nowadays, technology has taken the "fun" out of tracking hurricanes. In the name of convenience and progress, all the work is done for us. No charts, pencils, rulers required. A battery-operated weather radio is still a smart possession, though. While I'm sure we're safer today, and damage and loss has been greatly reduced because of better technology, my child-like wonder and thrill has taken a hit. I felt like I was doing something back then, like I was a part of the process. Now, I just react to experts, trusting their research and predictions.

Dealing with the aftermath of destruction, in this case from hurricanes, can be tricky. Catastrophe can cause hopelessness, despair, anger, sorrow, pain. Do you mourn? Cry? Throw blame around? Give up? Pray? Curse? Do you relocate or rebuild? Do you lend a hand or take care of your own? It's difficult to know unless you experience it firsthand.

Image Courtesy of www.nnvl.noaa.gov

Jimmy Buffett offered up a song after Katrina devastated south Florida and Louisiana's Gulf Coast back in August of 2005. The catastrophic category 5 hurricane left a wake of death and destruction in its path. Homes, businesses, and lives were taken. Some areas simply washed away. When the nation struggled dealing with the devastation, Buffett sang his advice for coping in "Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On."


I love this song. It's not one you'd hear in concert; It would be quite out of place accompanying a sea of sunburned, grass-skirt adorned, pain-free partyers bouncing beach balls and dropping in and out of makeshift conga lines. That's fine with me. While I do enjoy Buffett's standards, his "Songs You Know By Heart," many of my favorites are his more obscure, less anthemic offerings. This is one of those songs and it can be found on the album Take the Weather With You.

Basically, as the title suggests, Jimmy reminds us to not live in the past - it's "dead and gone," and instead, to live in the present. He introduces his idea with a clever anecdote about buying a watch that seemingly doesn't work. Surely he was duped. After all, it has no "numbers or moving hands." It only says "Now." He realizes that "this watch is never wrong," though, and it serves him well when considering how and when to move on - "the time is now." After all, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. To complete his counsel on handling tragedy, he suggests not trying to explain or shake it, but rather "nod your head," "bow your head," "breathe in, breathe out, move on."

Image courtesy of noobpreneur.com

I'm reminded of a scene from one of my favorite movies, Castaway, in which Tom Hanks' character, Chuck Noland, describes his mindset after thinking he'd never see the love of his life again because he was shipwrecked on a deserted island, only to defy the odds to return home and find that he'd lost her all over again to another man. All alone on that island and learning he controlled nothing, he discovered that he simply had to stay alive, to keep breathing - and that is what he must continue doing after coming home and losing his girl all over again. He says he must "keep breathing, because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?"

Truth.

Not bad advice, if you ask me.

If this is just a little too somber for your summer mood, we'll look at another option at dealing with hurricanes next time. Until then...breathe in, breathe out, move on.

Image courtesy of Amazon.com

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

MMTT4S - English Teacher Edition

One thing I like about Jimmy Buffett is his clever use of words. We refer to that as "diction" in the biz. English teacher biz, that is. He's a songwriter, no doubt about it. Being able to manipulate words and connotations and symbolism and imagery and theme is a tall task. Doing that and making it rhyme makes the task even taller. Adding in music increases the height of this already tall task to Empire State Building proportions. Being insanely successful at it for decades - that's the Mt. Everest of tall tasks.

Today's tune, titled "If It All Falls Down" is a fun and retrospective glimpse into the aura of Jimmy Buffett, the tropical troubadour. The music is a real treat, starting off with a simple, light acoustic guitar-led melody that changes pace and volume as the horns introduce and accompany a carnival-like chorus, complete with steel drums and a whistle. We need more whistle! It's a fun song. Real shocker there, huh?

The words, though. The WORDS! The words are what sold me on it.

Let's examine this witty wordsmith's lyrics, shall we?

image: here

We start with Jimmy basically giving us the old Popeye line, "I yam what I yam," and throughout the song he continues this theme - "And that's all what I yam," though he echoes this sentiment with a little more sophistication and clarity than the spinach-loving sailor with bulging forearms. Jimmy Buffett has always been hard to categorize. That drives the music business nuts sometimes. Is he folk, pop, rock, country, island? Not only has he refused to stay in his lane, he never really hit a defined lane when he pulled out of his oyster shell driveway years ago (I don't know if he actually had an oyster shell driveway - it's part of a metaphor - stay with me here). Buffett's a shapeless peg that just won't fit into the industry's square hole. Because of that, he traditionally hasn't gotten the radio airtime common to singers of his stature. Nevertheless, he's defied music industry logic and expectations and built a fortune. Not necessarily on purpose. He's just been himself. According to the lyrics of this song, he didn't seek to have some mystique or to be historic. He's simply an "open book," a "beach bum," a "man for all seasides." In a clever fit of humorous self-deprecation, he lets us know that he's really only qualified to be a "hard-drinking calypso poet," an occupation that, according to Jimmy, was experiencing a "shortage" of qualified candidates. Since there are "plenty of doctors, lawyers, people to make us things, and people to sell us these things," why not fulfill your calling in a very obscure career and contribute to society as best you can?

In the chorus, we get the origin of the title, "If It All Falls Down." The "it" here is, of course, the Jimmy Buffet circus. Basically, he lets us know that if Margaritaville crumbles around him, if the powers that be discover that he's simply an entertaining snake-charmer who's good with words and a guitar, if his success disappears, he'll be ok. No matter what happens, Jimmy can still make music, make people dance, and have fun.

It's in the chorus that we are treated to a line that is rarely, if ever, found in music - "I can juggle verbs, adverbs, and nouns." English teachers rejoice! Even grammar has a place in Margaritaville.

An oversimplification of the true nature of Jimmy Buffett? Sure. He may be more businessman than beach bum, truth be told. Still, there's enough honesty in "If It All Falls Down" to thoroughly enjoy the song, enjoy the message, and celebrate not having to win the rat race or be something that everyone expects us to be. If our own houses of cards fall down, we still have our authentic, genuine selves to rely on...and we'll be fine.

"If It All Falls Down" can be found on Jimmy Buffett's Floridays album, which was released in 1986.

Image courtesy of Amazon.com

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.