“Come Monday It’ll Be Alright…”
What do the following words have in common: escapism, paradise, “trop rock,” Parrothead? For many who woke up this morning to the news, they mean the loss of a music icon and legend, Jimmy Buffett. This photo was on the cover of Buffett’s official web page, and could not be worded any more descriptively of the man’s true loves, “family, friends, music, and dogs”. “He lived his life like a song to his very last breath…”
I don’t have many childhood memories of Jimmy Buffett, but I do know that I must have heard his music at some point in time, because as I got older, I recognized songs such as “Margaritaville,” “Come Monday,” and “A Pirate Looks At Forty,” that as an adult they would become definitely picks for me to sing at karaoke as many do. For me, his music was a perfect fit, as his voice range was spot on with mine. A lesser interest of mine, playing guitar, his music was also fairly easy for me to pick up and play on guitar as well. The ultimate experience, was getting to see him perform in person.
I would spend many of my days over the recent years, sitting out on my lanai, overlooking the Gulf Of Mexico, overcome by large amounts of stress, related to my health issues and divorce, finding a way to decompress, playing and singing Jimmy Buffet music with the backdrop of a Florida sunset. It would not be long, before I had found peace and relaxation.
Escapism. Escapism is defined by Merriam-Webster as the “habitual diversion of the mind to purely imaginative activity or entertainment as an escape from reality or routine.” I would compare it to meditation, but a lot more fun. Buffett was a story teller in his music, and as he told every song, listeners could often find themselves “taken back” to those lyrics, and “see” themselves in those songs. Whether “watching shrimp beginning to boil,” or “heading to San Francisco,” we could see everything he sang to us. It gave us a three or four minute opportunity, longer if listening to an entire album, to forget about the many things that were causing us strife and heartache.
Those who were able to see Buffett in concert, in person, were treated as if it was one big party, with 40-60,000 of their closest friends, because for two to three hours, EVERYONE was focused on the same thing, enjoying the musical paradise that was a Jimmy Buffett concert. Though I enjoyed his music, it wasn’t until later on my life that I got to see him for the first time. But boy did I get the enthusiasm, the enjoyment. And no, it was not the aroma of pot wafting through the air or getting slopped up with rum drinks getting spilled everywhere as fans danced to the music. It was truly an experience to not care about anything, forget everything, for those few hours.
Then there is the nerd in me. I love music, most genres anyway. I am not the greatest fan of today’s corporate sounds as I do not see many influential artists as there were in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. At least not many that will have a lasting impact, albeit, perhaps Taylor Swift. But through Buffett, fans learned to experience other genres of music besides how his music was labelled, “trop rock” (short for tropical rock, the musical sounds you want to hear chilling out on a beach, sipping a rum drink). In recent years, it was not uncommon for Buffett to perform duets, especially with country artists like Kenny Chesney (“Hey Good Lookin'” cover), Zac Brown (“Knee Deep”), Alan Jackson(“It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere”), and pop artists like Lionel Richie (“All Night Long” cover) and rock artist Bret Michaels of Poison (“Margaritaville” performed live in concert). Buffett’s music had crossed over into so many other genres with so many different artists, only increasing more fans to his music.
The best story of Buffett though, is not in his songs, but his life. There are documentaries all over, as well as interviews. He has even been in some movies, one inspired by his fans, called “Parrotheads,” and the other, one of the best rockumentaries of music from the 80’s, “Under The Volcano,” about one of the most beautiful and influential recording studios and sessions, owned by Beatles former producer George Martin, recorded by so many well known artists, one being Buffett, until destroyed by the volcano of Montserrat. Buffett was constantly compared to Mark Twain and Ernest Hemmingway with his communication style, which is coincidental as both Hemmingway and Buffett spent a lot of time in Key West, though before Key West became the touristy place that it is today. But during his concerts and interviews, Buffett would share stories of his past, in regions with historical pirate and smuggling legends, often getting caught in the middle of his own legal challenges. But he always came out, cool and chill as ever.
One thing I had not known previously about Jimmy Buffett, was that he was born on Christmas Day. Perhaps that is one reason his music was perhaps one of the greatest gifts any of us could have to listen to his music.
Though he had to stop touring back in May due to undisclosed health reasons, as if being in your mid-70’s is not an excuse enough, I believe he was planning yet another album release. I know as of a few years ago, he was still sounding great, and singing live (unlike other musicians who no longer have “it” and should retire instead of using recorded tracks).
The one message that Buffett can leave a permanent imprint on our lives, after a 9-5 work day of stress and toil, “it’s 5 O’Clock somewhere,” and that means it is time to escape and relax. Enjoy life, just as he clearly did. With being a long time cancer survivor, music, and this escapism, has always been a part of my survival.
Paul's Heart 