It has been a little over a week, and I'm still trying to come to grips with and adjust to the passing of Jimmy Buffett, one of the all time giants in the music industry, and certainly one of my favorites of them all. How can you begin to attempt to discuss in a blog post the impact that this man had on the music industry and society as a whole? I'll fall short, but, hell, at least I'll try.
Jimmy Buffett was not just about music. He was a way of life. A way to escape the problems and stresses of life if even for a little while. The thought of living that island, tropical lifestyle. The type of world we wanted to escape to. When I and many others went there, we felt good. Really good. That type of feeling helped me to express my natural personality, which when things are going good, made me feel unbelievable. It was a win-win. A cheeseburger and a margarita. What else do you need?
I saw him in concert three times. Once at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, once at Great Woods, and once at Fenway Park. Which was the most vivid memory of them all for me. When Jimmy played at Fenway back in 2004, he did two shows, one on a Friday and one on Sunday. We were there for the Sunday night show, which, coincidentally, is the one that he recorded for the Fenway CD's he released. During that show, a character in a baggy Yankees uniform came on stage, and Jimmy introduced him as the " Curse of the Bambino." The crowd booed... then, he brought out a mythical witch doctor onto the stage to reverse the curse. Naturally, it was the "Jolly Mon." Jimmy promised to reverse the curse with the Jolly Mon, who did a dance routine complete with fire. After it was over, Jimmy insisted that the curse was broken for good. Oh, and by the way, the Red Sox went on to win the World Series that year and break the 86 year old "curse of the Bambino", despite the Sox losing the first three to the Yanks before coming all the way back to beat them. That was special for Sox nation, and a pretty good boost to his career (not that he needed one).
I was talking to my cousin Erin, also a big Jimmy fan, and she told me that it feels like we've lost a member of our family. How true that is. I smile when I think of how Jimmy would have blended in so naturally with our musical family. Talk about tailor made.
So as I continue to grieve and process, I'll do whatever I can to keep his music alive. I've been recording some songs of his on Facebook, and X (formerly known as Twitter) and that will continue. On my podcast, I will be doing a tribute episode to him, which will be released on September 20th. It's the least I can do. I've also pre-ordered his final album- an album which Paul McCartney contributed to. The common thought process is that this is Jimmy's goodbye to the world. I look forward to hearing it. Every open mic I play at, I try to slide in one of his songs at least. That will continue as well.
In the wake of Jimmy's passing, Jimmy would want us to carry on with the party of life. I know because he said so in one of his many recordings. I'm going to encourage everyone to remember the message Jimmy conveyed in his music- the escapism is and forever will be there. Jimmy provided it for us, and we can and will carry it on. So whenever you can, grab yourself a cheeseburger and a margarita and get those fins up. Jimmy may be gone but his musical legacy will live on forever.
To quote him, when it comes to life, "Some of it's magic, and some of it's tragic. But I had a good life all the way. "
Rest easy, Jimmy. We will all miss you. It's been a lovely cruise.
