Saturday, September 2, 2023

He Was A Joyful Pirate And A Lovely Soul

 



Well, fucking damn. 

Woke up this morning to find that Jimmy Buffett had died. Seventy six years old. Didn't see that coming. Not at all. That son-of-son-of-a-sailor was immortal in my mind. And it hit me pretty hard. 

You know how I talk frequently about how music can save your life? Well it can, and it's not always The Beatles or George Harrison or The Rolling Stones or Bach, either. 
Sometimes it can be Jimmy Buffett. 
People dismiss him and his music. People who don't know any better. And I'm not here to argue about that for one second. 
What I am here for is to tell you that if Jimmy Buffett didn't save my life, he sure did lay a hell of a lot of healing on me. 

A long time ago, back in the twentieth century some time, one of my best friends died. I've talked about her a lot- Sue. I was with her when she went from this place to that, and it was, if such a thing is possible (and it is), a beautiful death. People around here often say in obituaries that their loved one "transitioned" and that is absolutely how Sue-Sue did it. She transitioned with grace and ease and I was astounded at the peace of that afternoon when she left us. 

One can only imagine how deeply affected I was. It took me a long time to really come to terms with how much Sue's death and the experience I was so honored to share had opened my vision and my awareness. I was learning about grief. Really, really learning for the first time in my life
Another gift that Sue gave me.

But, there were periods of that time when I was deeply cast down into a heavy, dark depression. And during that depression, Glen and I had been invited to go to a Jimmy Buffett concert with friends of ours. They'd bought up a block of tickets for friends, none of whom I knew except for that one couple. 
And I did not want to go. 
I was at that place where there was no seeming possibility of joy and even the idea of going to a raucous concert with screaming Parrot Heads singing along to "Margaritaville" was something I could not imagine. 

But. I got dressed for the concert. There was supposed to be a gathering party first for all the folks who were going together and I could not get out of our car when we got there. I couldn't do it. I was angry and I was sad and I was hurting. I was in pain. 
I did everything I could to try and convince Glen to take me home and go to the concert without me. But he wouldn't. 

And you know what happened? We got in our seats in the nosebleed section and the stage was down there somewhere but of course there was a Jumbotron and when Buffett came on stage with his Coral Reefer band (the man did love a pun) wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and no shoes, grinning like a holy drunk on a Saturday night, I paid attention. And before I knew it, the insane joy of the crowd as he and his band played infected me a little bit and of course, Jimmy's songs are in all of our heads whether we've ever consciously listened to one in our life, and the audience knew all of them by heart, even a little boy sitting in front of me who told me that this was something like his fifth Jimmy Buffett concert, and...I got it. Everyone was out of their seats. Everyone was dancing. Everyone's pain was lifted for at least a little while.
The man wasn't peddling music (although the music was good and his band amazing), he was peddling happiness. 

And that is when I began to come back to life, a breath at a time. Jimmy Buffett did that. 

I wrote a post in 2013 about how his music continued to be a part of my adapting to life without Sue. You can find it HERE. 
You've heard the story before but I think it's a beautiful piece, if I do say so. And I've probably told this concert story before too but hell. Jimmy died last night. His family said that he was surrounded "by family, friends, music, and dogs. He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure for so many."

I'm one of them. 

And you know what? That song that I posted last night by Todd Snider? Well, I discovered Todd Snider at the second (and last) concert of Buffett's that I went to. He opened for Jimmy. 

And. Jimmy wrote a song memorializing the brilliant Bill Wharton, the second person I met when I moved to Tallahassee. It's a great song. "I Will Play For Gumbo." Bill is a performer who makes gumbo on the stage at his performances and then he serves it up to all the folks. He makes his own brand of hot sauce so he's known, of course, as the Sauce Boss. 



There's so much more. Jimmy was a huge protector of the manatees, he loved the mermaids at Weeki Wachee and used films of them for years in his concerts. He was married to his wife Jane forever. They had a child, they adopted two children. He wrote books, he had adventures, he was smart as hell and made a ton of money and as Bill Wharton said in his Facebook post this morning, he was "the hardest-working man I've known in show business." 

Bless you, Jimmy Buffett. You've brought so much light and so much joy and inspired so much dancing and so many smiles and, yes, a few tears. You were a wordsmith, you were a tune-writer, you were the son-of-a-son-of-sailor and I thank you. 



Love...Ms. Moon

42 comments:

  1. Thank you for this post, Mary. I didn't know anything about him aside from knowing some of his songs and initially the news that he had died meant very little to me. But I love the story of how much he meant to you, and it's nice to know there was more beneath the surface.

    I hope the cheeseburgers are always cooked just right, the margaritas are ice-cold, and the saltshakers are always at hand in Paradise.

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    1. He presented as just a fun-loving, jokey guy but his songs got down there to the guts and heart sometimes. They aren't always the ones that people remember him by but they're the ones I remember him by.

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  2. You really know how to write a tribute, Mary. This one's great.

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  3. I’ve always been a fan, but never made it to a concert (I was born and raised in Illinois, and why would someone of his caliber want to perform in Illinois?). However, I’ve been to lots of Florida bars in the last 20 years and could feel the happiness in Jimmy’s lyrics. When I heard this morning that he’d passed, first I cried. Then I hoped it was a peaceful transition. Sounds like it was…..

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    1. It does sound like it was a very peaceful death. I am so glad of that for his family.

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  4. The report today said he died of skin cancer. I've lost two friends to skin cancer and I've had it myself. If anything good can come of his death, it will be to make people more aware of the dangers of the sun.
    Beautiful tribute, Mary.

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    1. Yes. I am thinking the same and I definitely need to make an appointment with the dermatologist.

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  5. Thank you, Mary, for a good good-bye to a fine man.

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    1. Like I said to Liz (Boud) I wish I hadn't had to write it. Thank you, Joanne.

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  6. beautiful tribute to a wonderful soul.......... I also was crestfallen today to hear of his passing. Loved his music....and better yet (for me) read and loved all of his books that were so well written....... I will miss him too....and he also has a place in my heart.....as in so many others. I lift my glass to you tonight, Jimmy.
    Susan M

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    1. He was like no other, wasn't he? I think he probably smiled and laughed as much as any man on earth.

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  7. I loved his music. I have a cd in my car. Reminds me of my years in South Carolina at the best beach ever. Myrtle. I have been there a million times.lol. I live on the Gulf in Florida. There is just something about Myrtle. Can’t live in SC and not love Buffett.

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    1. I would like to go to Myrtle Beach. I think I went there as a very small child. I used to play so many of his CD's in my car. And at the beach in our little apartment.

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  8. Wonderful tribute to Jimmy, your friend Sue and the life and feelings inspired by music.

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  9. Thank you, Mary, for sharing your thoughts about Jimmy. I was hopeful that you would, and you being the high priestress of eulogy writing, did not disappoint. Your writing touches me in some way everyday but you *truly* shine when writing about someone beloved to you that has passed on. This was no exception. (The piece you wrote on your friend Ross was truly moving and I think of it/him often.)

    Jimmy Buffett meant so much to me. Some of the happiest times in my life had his music playing in the background or very loudly! He was as American as apple pie, the 4th of July and fireworks. An icon for good times and fun with family and friends. I've never heard a bad word spoken about him. I'm so sad he is gone but his music and my memories will stay with me forever. Sail on Sailor. You will be missed.
    Angie D

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    1. You're right, Angie. He truly was an American icon. He was such an adventurer and explorer. He was a bard for our times for sure.
      We absolutely would live in a different world if he had not come along when he did. And it would be a far less colorful world.

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  10. Damn! That's a shame to go so young. I will spend a good bit of time tomorrow at youtube listening to his songs.

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    1. I hope you did listen to some of his songs, River.

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  11. I was probably just a little too young to remember/know Jimmy Buffet, but from what you write, he really was an extraordinary man, wasn't he! RIP Jimmy!

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    1. I think of Buffett as being sort of timeless in that he appealed to people of many ages. So many parents took their kids to his concerts and I'm sure they've taken their kids to his concerts. But I think he was much more of an American phenomenon. I'm glad he was part of the zeitgeist for me.

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  12. I adored him. My parents adored him, and my kids grew up listening to him. My daughter got us all tickets to see him when he came to Cleveland; was the most magical of nights. He and my parents have all moved on now. ♥ I don't think he ever gets his due in terms of songwriting (except from Bob Dylan, who was a huge fan!). What a lovely tribute you've written, Mary. I imagine many can relate to the feelings here.

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    1. Hello, Elle! Have we met? Thank you for that beautiful comment. You captured the spirit of what I was trying to say- which was sort of that you could not have a bad time at a Jimmy Buffett concert, no matter your age, inclinations, or state of mind. For those hours when he was onstage hearts were free and feet were dancing.
      I absolutely think you are correct about his songwriting. He has written some truly amazing songs. And no one could ever write an earworm like Jimmy!
      Thanks for coming by and offering your experience.

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  13. He lived a joyful life, that's for sure.

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  14. As much as he is the patron saint of all things Floridian, I was never a huge Buffet fan. I enjoyed some of his songs and I think I have a few on my iTunes even now, but I only owned one album and never saw him live. But I can imagine that seeing him at a dark time of your life would have affected you greatly, and lifted you up in a way that you needed at the time. It WAS such a surprise to hear that he had died.

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    1. Ah, man. I think you would have loved him for the joy and irony and wordplay alone.

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  15. having done the best they could they are all leaving us one by one but their music is immortal.

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  16. A lovely tribute :)

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  17. He certainly seemed to enjoy life!

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  18. This is such stellar writing, MS, MARY, it should be sent to his family, It would please them so much- I mean as much as one can be pleased after death of loved one.

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    1. I have read so many stories online today and yesterday written by people whose lives he had touched either directly or indirectly. I hope his family can take great pride and comfort in that.

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  19. Very nice tribute to a great human being, I've been a fan for years, he will be missed.

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    1. I love to hear you've been a fan! That's terrific, Jim.

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    2. Yup, ever since his first album "A White Sport Coat & a Pink Crustacean" recorded in 1973. RIP Jimmy B.

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  20. A beautiful tribute, and I’m grateful that he helped you in your sad times❤️Xo, Rigmor

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  21. I was sadden to hear of his passing. Only found out on Wednesday as I was camping and out of touch with news. His popularity was during my younger adult years so I was well aware of his music. He sang the kind of songs you easily sang along to many times without even realizing it. He has always been a favorite singer of mine. I wish I had seen him in concert.

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