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Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way
A candid, compelling, and rollicking portrait of the legendary pirate captain of Margaritaville—Jimmy Buffett.In Jimmy A Good Life All the Way, acclaimed music critic Ryan White has crafted the definitive account of Buffett’s rise from singing songs for beer to his becoming a tropical icon and inspiration behind the Margaritaville industrial complex, a vast network of merchandise, chain restaurants, resorts, and lifestyle products all inspired by his sunny but disillusioned hit “Margaritaville.” Filled with interviews from friends, musicians, Coral Reefer Band members, and business partners who were there, this book is a top-down joyride with plenty of side trips and meanderings from Mobile and Pascagoula to New Orleans, Key West, down into the islands aboard the Euphoria and the Euphoria II, and into the studios and onto the stages where the foundation of Buffett’s reputation was laid. Buffett wasn’t always the pied piper of beaches, bars, and laid-back living. Born on the Gulf Coast, the son of a son of a sailing ship captain, Buffett scuffed around New Orleans in the late sixties, flunked out of Nashville (and a marriage) in 1971, and found refuge among the artists, dopers, shrimpers, and genuine characters who’d collected at the end of the road in Key West. And it was there, in those waning outlaw days at the last American exit, where Buffett, like Hemingway before him, found his voice and eventually brought to life the song that would launch Parrot Head nation. And just where is Margaritaville? It’s wherever it’s five o’clock; it’s wherever there’s a breeze and salt in the air; and it’s wherever Buffett set his bare feet, smiled, and sang his songs.
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 2, 2017
401 people are currently reading
1622 people want to read
About the author
Ryan White
2 books7 followersTwice named one of the top writers in the country by the Society for Features Journalism, Ryan White spent nearly 16 years at the Oregonian covering sports, music, and culture. He's appeared on the public radio variety show Live Wire! as both an interviewer and an essayist. He has also written for Sports Illustrated, the Wall Street Journal, the Dallas Morning News, the Washington Post, the Portland Mercury, and Portland Monthly magazine. A perfectly Ok beer league hockey player, he lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 157 reviews
July 16, 2017
I met Tom Corcoran at a book signing. He wrote the series devoted to Alex Rutledge, Key West Photographer dragged into solving murders around the island. Good author. Why do I mention him here? Well, he is a friend of Jimmy Buffett and provided assistance to White in the production of this book and if you check the index you will see he is mentioned almost as many times as Buffett himself, almost as if the book is about Tom. Want to enjoy this book? Read the first and last chapters and the epilogue. The rest is a meandering mess both with regard to time, place and topic. More names than you can shake a stick at along the lines of Buffett met X at a show in Y on date where they exchanged banter about Z. X used to play with the band Q for the years 1964-5 and used to record at the Muscle Shoals (or wherever) studio and ran into each other again in Nashville, etc., etc, Whole lot of similar digression throughout the book.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a Buffett fan, used to sail the Florida Keys in my sailboat with his music blasting from the speakers and am a big fan of Key West. Like his books and philosophy as well and though I have never met him, I understand he is a pretty nice guy. But, the only info in this book from the horse's mouth, as it were, are a few quotes from Jimmy on stage.
Yes, I learned things I never knew about the evolution of "trop rock" and the relationship (or lack thereof) between Buffett and Nashville, but overall, the book is a tough slog through a very disorganized book which I found disappointing.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a Buffett fan, used to sail the Florida Keys in my sailboat with his music blasting from the speakers and am a big fan of Key West. Like his books and philosophy as well and though I have never met him, I understand he is a pretty nice guy. But, the only info in this book from the horse's mouth, as it were, are a few quotes from Jimmy on stage.
Yes, I learned things I never knew about the evolution of "trop rock" and the relationship (or lack thereof) between Buffett and Nashville, but overall, the book is a tough slog through a very disorganized book which I found disappointing.
September 30, 2018
(Initial Disclosure: I am a huge Parrotthead since discovering Jimmy Buffett music in the late 70s.)
I hesitate to read biographies that aren't authorized by the person/victim, but after ignoring this book when it was released, found it in the bargain bin and couldn't stop myself. It is basically a book about Jimmy as told through his friends and Coral Reefers. So take it with a grain of salt (if you can find that pesky salt shaker). If they are anything like my friends spinning yarns of our earlier exploits, to borrow a song and album title from Mac McAnally, they are semi-true stories.
The writing bounces and spins through the narrative from one friend to another, sometimes rambling and slurring like an early Buffett concert. But from following Bubba for so long I knew most of the names and appreciated most of the stories. Tom Corcoran met Jimmy early on and seems to have stories throughout the book (check out his wonderful Alex Rutledge Key West mysteries).
So why the four stars? Because Ryan White mentions early albums and songs and I had to go back and listen to the albums in order. As Jimmy once said on a live album, "There's some good shit back there."
I hesitate to read biographies that aren't authorized by the person/victim, but after ignoring this book when it was released, found it in the bargain bin and couldn't stop myself. It is basically a book about Jimmy as told through his friends and Coral Reefers. So take it with a grain of salt (if you can find that pesky salt shaker). If they are anything like my friends spinning yarns of our earlier exploits, to borrow a song and album title from Mac McAnally, they are semi-true stories.
The writing bounces and spins through the narrative from one friend to another, sometimes rambling and slurring like an early Buffett concert. But from following Bubba for so long I knew most of the names and appreciated most of the stories. Tom Corcoran met Jimmy early on and seems to have stories throughout the book (check out his wonderful Alex Rutledge Key West mysteries).
So why the four stars? Because Ryan White mentions early albums and songs and I had to go back and listen to the albums in order. As Jimmy once said on a live album, "There's some good shit back there."
November 18, 2017
If you've ever been to a a Jimmy Buffett concert or listened to a CD, you'll want to read this book to learn more about the man who sings about the good life sailing on his boat yet is the CEO
of Margaritaville, a company with restaurants, hotels and resorts. This is a well researched book that traces Jimmy's life from his early days singing for beer in New Orleans to becoming the head of the
Parrott Head nation where it's always 5 o'clock somewhere.
of Margaritaville, a company with restaurants, hotels and resorts. This is a well researched book that traces Jimmy's life from his early days singing for beer in New Orleans to becoming the head of the
Parrott Head nation where it's always 5 o'clock somewhere.
April 29, 2018
This is the best book I've read capturing the mythos of who Jimmy Buffett is--and I've read several. It manages to explain his dichotomy of artist and businessman without trying to apologize for either. It reveals what must be unprecedented access to many long-time Buffett associates, if not the man himself. The story takes a few chapters to get into, and the long cast of characters can get a little confusing (especially if you're not familiar with them already), but White captures the essence of what (the music) and when (the first half of his career) Parrot Heads really want to hear, without ignoring the whole other part of the Margaritaville reality. I think White has a really good understanding on Buffett is, and who his fans are, and I would recommend this book to any true Parrot Head.
February 27, 2018
I love all of Buffett's music, I love Margaritaville, and I love Key West. I did not love this book and DNF'd it. It's written in a very music-reporter kind of way with lots of names and record labels and people who apparently were movers and shakers in the industry but as a non-music-industry person, I had a hard time following it all and found it supremely uninteresting to read. It's a shame. I wanted to really enjoy this book but it's just not worth reading.
March 6, 2019
I was hoping this would give me more insight into who Buffett is as a person, but it just felt like a bunch of Good Ole Boys anecdotes without any real depth.
May 27, 2017
Pull up a bar stool Parrotheads and listen close to the life of the King Conch of Margaritaville as he lives the life we all wish we could.
November 1, 2017
I'm really surprised that I hated this book, since I really like Jimmy Buffett. Actually, it's precisely because I like Jimmy Buffett that I hated this book. It really should be called "A Hundred Lives Part of the Way, With Occasional Mentions of Jimmy Buffett's Life", because it's about almost everyone EXCEPT him.
JB gets probably less than 20% of the book, and the other 80% is about everyone who has ever played with him, talked to him, heard of him, passed by him on the street walking, or served him fries at the Podunk McDonald's sometime in the late 1970s. Much of it reads like (and has about as much charm as) a phone book with no numbers. There are fewer Dalmations in a Disney movie than there are names per page in this thing.
To top that off, when the author goes off on a tangent about yet another obscure person you've never heard of, there is no break in the page to let you know he's going off topic for the 1042nd time. You'll just be reading along about Buffett for a page or two and the next paragraph will start 2 1/2 pages on Billy Nobody who once farted in Buffett's third grade class and made him giggle. Then it will have three pages on the life of the guy who installed the front right turn signal on his truck (and who may have also put in the headlight, but no one really remembers), with a quote from some other guy who washed that truck once in 1972. (He said Jimmy "was a real nice dude.") Then it will just as suddenly shift gears (with, again, no warning) and mention for the 79th time that Buffett didn't really do well in Nashville.
It feels like the author really did a lot of research and took a ton of notes for the book, then felt compelled to toss in anything and everything he ever came across in the process. It's not uncommon to come across a paragraph with the names of four different people in it, none of which is either Jimmy or Buffett. I opened the book to a random page and came across this typical prose: "[Steve] Diener, who had replaced Jerry Rubinstein as the head of ABC Records, met Buffett once. After Buffett broke his leg... Diener went by the hospital for a visit." No, seriously, the author just HAD to include something about a guy who met Buffett ONCE. And this was a random page I chose, not a specially-selected paragraph to make it seem even worse than it actually--and truly--is.
I'm amazed that he credits so many people in the acknowledgements as making the final book better. If this was the end result of all their "improvements", I can't even imagine what it started off as. Or maybe he just crammed 4 million names in the acknowledgements because that's what he does Every. Single. Chapter.
JB gets probably less than 20% of the book, and the other 80% is about everyone who has ever played with him, talked to him, heard of him, passed by him on the street walking, or served him fries at the Podunk McDonald's sometime in the late 1970s. Much of it reads like (and has about as much charm as) a phone book with no numbers. There are fewer Dalmations in a Disney movie than there are names per page in this thing.
To top that off, when the author goes off on a tangent about yet another obscure person you've never heard of, there is no break in the page to let you know he's going off topic for the 1042nd time. You'll just be reading along about Buffett for a page or two and the next paragraph will start 2 1/2 pages on Billy Nobody who once farted in Buffett's third grade class and made him giggle. Then it will have three pages on the life of the guy who installed the front right turn signal on his truck (and who may have also put in the headlight, but no one really remembers), with a quote from some other guy who washed that truck once in 1972. (He said Jimmy "was a real nice dude.") Then it will just as suddenly shift gears (with, again, no warning) and mention for the 79th time that Buffett didn't really do well in Nashville.
It feels like the author really did a lot of research and took a ton of notes for the book, then felt compelled to toss in anything and everything he ever came across in the process. It's not uncommon to come across a paragraph with the names of four different people in it, none of which is either Jimmy or Buffett. I opened the book to a random page and came across this typical prose: "[Steve] Diener, who had replaced Jerry Rubinstein as the head of ABC Records, met Buffett once. After Buffett broke his leg... Diener went by the hospital for a visit." No, seriously, the author just HAD to include something about a guy who met Buffett ONCE. And this was a random page I chose, not a specially-selected paragraph to make it seem even worse than it actually--and truly--is.
I'm amazed that he credits so many people in the acknowledgements as making the final book better. If this was the end result of all their "improvements", I can't even imagine what it started off as. Or maybe he just crammed 4 million names in the acknowledgements because that's what he does Every. Single. Chapter.
May 31, 2017
There is a good chance that I may return to write a longer review. But while I am here.
I truly enjoyed this book. As dense as it is with names and dates and details, it never lost the charm of a good biographical read about a person who has etched his way musically into many parts of my life. If Jimmy Buffett were a super hero instead of a beach bum, this would be his origin story, though some would claim that he eventually created the very thing that he fought against (or did he simply embrace a destiny other troubadours have regretted shunning).
I have been to many Buffett concerts with good friends. Almost an annual pilgrimage for us for many years. Since then, many have lost interest in going, siting the commercialism that has overtaken much of the storytelling. I am sending them this book to see if I can't get them back in the good graces of A1A, One Particular Harbor, He Went to Paris (a Bob Dylan favorite), The Captain and the Kid and many, many others.
I have my own trail of memories that start with hearing Come Monday on the radio, then Margaritaville in 1977 while I was a sophomore in high school and the Cheeseburger in Paradise the summer before my senior year. The latter was one of the first songs I committed to memory and played poorly on my guitar. Once I hit college I joined a fraternity which had several Buffett fans. That when the albums starting showing up in my collection. Not only did Volcano make it on my list but I started listening to the back catalog of stories that proceeded them, courtesy of my friend Barry among others.
It is one thing to know them as milestones in your life, but then to track (in meticulous detail) of how they came about and the state of the artist when he wrote them was particularly gratifying.
If you like bios, you might like this. If you like musical bios I strongly suggest you pick it up. If you are a Parrot Head, it is required reading.
I truly enjoyed this book. As dense as it is with names and dates and details, it never lost the charm of a good biographical read about a person who has etched his way musically into many parts of my life. If Jimmy Buffett were a super hero instead of a beach bum, this would be his origin story, though some would claim that he eventually created the very thing that he fought against (or did he simply embrace a destiny other troubadours have regretted shunning).
I have been to many Buffett concerts with good friends. Almost an annual pilgrimage for us for many years. Since then, many have lost interest in going, siting the commercialism that has overtaken much of the storytelling. I am sending them this book to see if I can't get them back in the good graces of A1A, One Particular Harbor, He Went to Paris (a Bob Dylan favorite), The Captain and the Kid and many, many others.
I have my own trail of memories that start with hearing Come Monday on the radio, then Margaritaville in 1977 while I was a sophomore in high school and the Cheeseburger in Paradise the summer before my senior year. The latter was one of the first songs I committed to memory and played poorly on my guitar. Once I hit college I joined a fraternity which had several Buffett fans. That when the albums starting showing up in my collection. Not only did Volcano make it on my list but I started listening to the back catalog of stories that proceeded them, courtesy of my friend Barry among others.
It is one thing to know them as milestones in your life, but then to track (in meticulous detail) of how they came about and the state of the artist when he wrote them was particularly gratifying.
If you like bios, you might like this. If you like musical bios I strongly suggest you pick it up. If you are a Parrot Head, it is required reading.
Read
January 18, 2020Gave up. Wordy and rambling.
May 31, 2017
Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way by Ryan White (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, 2017, 368 pp., $26.99/12.99) brings style, wit, deep understanding, and insight to the story of an entertainment phenomenon that would be easy to dismiss as merely a substance infused romp through an aimless and lucky journey to riches and fame. In writing a thorough, deeply researched, and thoughtful biography about one of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries' most potent entertainment forces, White sheds light on the music industry and American culture while exploring the life of a remarkable entertainer who both represents and helped to form today's cultural landscape.
Ryan White's style is smooth, hip, and light, just as are Jimmy Buffett's singing style and take on life. Buffet, born to a longtime family of seafaring Mobile, Alabama sea captains seems to have surfed over life, while developing a take on its experience with broad and long-lasting appeal. Coming from a background of relative privilege, he discovered the joys of black blues sung by smart white guys early in his wandering college career, when he noticed that guys with guitars got all the girls, a phenomenon many have noticed. Nevertheless, Buffett seems to have done his apprenticeship as an itinerant bar and small venue musician with joy and a good deal of attention, playing the streets of New Orleans, starting and losing bands, exploring and exploiting the Nashville music scene as a song writer, plugger, and Billboard columnist, always watching and listening. Meanwhile, Ryan's jazzy, folk-rock inflected late sixties and seventies tone sets the stage for an interesting and readable exploration through the life of one of America's most entertaining and gifted singer/songwriters.
White serves up Buffett's story in a light-hearted manner, making it go down as easily as tequila while maintaining a driving narrative flow. Whether it's Mobile, AL, the development of the Nashville music scene, or the discovery, founding, sale, and development of Key West to a series of joyful scoundrels, White keeps the narrative light while throwing in enough solid information along with crumbs of humor to keep the reader's eyes from glazing over. Buffett's ability to attract trustworthy and effective partners (Don Light, Tom Corcoran) and advisers while continuing to trust his own musical vision should not be underestimated. In the end, Buffett, despite seldom cracking top ten in either the song or album charts, was able to create one of the most lucrative entertainment brands in history. The book reads a lot like listening to Buffett songs, always salted with nuggets of insight and wisdom, keeping the reader's interest. Nevertheless, it's clear that White has done his homework with plenty of references and interviews cited yet never becoming pedantic.
Perhaps the most interesting elements in the book lie in the contrasts between various versons of Jimmy Buffett: the incessant partier, the driven perfectionist, the innovative wordsmith, and the able leader. His ability to move between the roles making each of them a full part of his multi-dimensional persona is what makes Buffett both believable and, sometimes, truly likeable. He managed to draw talented people to him, tap into their resources, build a musical empire and a personal fortune, and leave mostly good memories behind.
The book appeals to everyone interested in Buffett from casual fans who've enjoyed his songs while seated in a bar or in occaisonal radio plays, or a chance album purchase to dedicated Parrot Heads who follow him and the the Coral Reefers ceaselessly. They pay over a $1000 a piece for tickets, because these baby boomers and later have enjoyed Buffett, living his life vicariously while mostly staying sober and industrious, making successes of themselves, just like their hero. Sometimes the book seems to get pretty deep into the details of song development, recordings, and contracts, but it is, therefore, a Buffett feast for Parrot Heads while never becoming overwhelming for the more general reader interested in Buffett as a singer and a phenomenon.
Twice named one of the top writers in the country by the Society for Features Journalism, Ryan White spent nearly 16 years at the Oregonian covering sports, music, and culture. He's appeared on the public radio variety show Live Wire! as both an interviewer and an essayist. He has also written for Sports Illustrated, the Wall Street Journal, the Dallas Morning News, the Washington Post, the Portland Mercury, and Portland Monthly magazine. A perfectly OK beer league hockey player, he lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and daughter. (Amazon profile)
In Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way by Ryan White (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, 2017, 368 pp., $26.99/12.99), Ryan White has written a nuanced and thoughtful book that probably captures as much of Jimmy Buffett as can be fitted between book covers. Buffett emerges as a complex man who discovered he had become a “BRAND” and knew how to capitalize on that while continuing to write and sing songs keeping the brand alive. Seemingly easy going, offhand, even sloppy, he's detail oriented, fully self-aware. As I read the book, I was often unsure if I like Jimmy Buffett or not. But he emerges as a good man with a life well spent who has created a dream for others to drop into and then return to their more humdrum world. Not a bad legacy to leave and a wonderful reading experience to describe it. I received the book as a digital download from the publisher through Edelweiss and read it on my Kindle app.
Ryan White's style is smooth, hip, and light, just as are Jimmy Buffett's singing style and take on life. Buffet, born to a longtime family of seafaring Mobile, Alabama sea captains seems to have surfed over life, while developing a take on its experience with broad and long-lasting appeal. Coming from a background of relative privilege, he discovered the joys of black blues sung by smart white guys early in his wandering college career, when he noticed that guys with guitars got all the girls, a phenomenon many have noticed. Nevertheless, Buffett seems to have done his apprenticeship as an itinerant bar and small venue musician with joy and a good deal of attention, playing the streets of New Orleans, starting and losing bands, exploring and exploiting the Nashville music scene as a song writer, plugger, and Billboard columnist, always watching and listening. Meanwhile, Ryan's jazzy, folk-rock inflected late sixties and seventies tone sets the stage for an interesting and readable exploration through the life of one of America's most entertaining and gifted singer/songwriters.
White serves up Buffett's story in a light-hearted manner, making it go down as easily as tequila while maintaining a driving narrative flow. Whether it's Mobile, AL, the development of the Nashville music scene, or the discovery, founding, sale, and development of Key West to a series of joyful scoundrels, White keeps the narrative light while throwing in enough solid information along with crumbs of humor to keep the reader's eyes from glazing over. Buffett's ability to attract trustworthy and effective partners (Don Light, Tom Corcoran) and advisers while continuing to trust his own musical vision should not be underestimated. In the end, Buffett, despite seldom cracking top ten in either the song or album charts, was able to create one of the most lucrative entertainment brands in history. The book reads a lot like listening to Buffett songs, always salted with nuggets of insight and wisdom, keeping the reader's interest. Nevertheless, it's clear that White has done his homework with plenty of references and interviews cited yet never becoming pedantic.
Perhaps the most interesting elements in the book lie in the contrasts between various versons of Jimmy Buffett: the incessant partier, the driven perfectionist, the innovative wordsmith, and the able leader. His ability to move between the roles making each of them a full part of his multi-dimensional persona is what makes Buffett both believable and, sometimes, truly likeable. He managed to draw talented people to him, tap into their resources, build a musical empire and a personal fortune, and leave mostly good memories behind.
The book appeals to everyone interested in Buffett from casual fans who've enjoyed his songs while seated in a bar or in occaisonal radio plays, or a chance album purchase to dedicated Parrot Heads who follow him and the the Coral Reefers ceaselessly. They pay over a $1000 a piece for tickets, because these baby boomers and later have enjoyed Buffett, living his life vicariously while mostly staying sober and industrious, making successes of themselves, just like their hero. Sometimes the book seems to get pretty deep into the details of song development, recordings, and contracts, but it is, therefore, a Buffett feast for Parrot Heads while never becoming overwhelming for the more general reader interested in Buffett as a singer and a phenomenon.
Twice named one of the top writers in the country by the Society for Features Journalism, Ryan White spent nearly 16 years at the Oregonian covering sports, music, and culture. He's appeared on the public radio variety show Live Wire! as both an interviewer and an essayist. He has also written for Sports Illustrated, the Wall Street Journal, the Dallas Morning News, the Washington Post, the Portland Mercury, and Portland Monthly magazine. A perfectly OK beer league hockey player, he lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and daughter. (Amazon profile)
In Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way by Ryan White (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, 2017, 368 pp., $26.99/12.99), Ryan White has written a nuanced and thoughtful book that probably captures as much of Jimmy Buffett as can be fitted between book covers. Buffett emerges as a complex man who discovered he had become a “BRAND” and knew how to capitalize on that while continuing to write and sing songs keeping the brand alive. Seemingly easy going, offhand, even sloppy, he's detail oriented, fully self-aware. As I read the book, I was often unsure if I like Jimmy Buffett or not. But he emerges as a good man with a life well spent who has created a dream for others to drop into and then return to their more humdrum world. Not a bad legacy to leave and a wonderful reading experience to describe it. I received the book as a digital download from the publisher through Edelweiss and read it on my Kindle app.
June 15, 2017
I would recommend this book to all Jimmy Buffett fans/Parrotheads. It was fascinating how he made a lifelong career with only 1 big hit (Margaritaville) and little or no air time on the radio, yet he is worth about 500 million and packs stadiums all over the United States, is generally one of the top ten grossing concerts every year, has written bestselling books and has made a business empire from Margaritaville. He learned what some "stars" never do, that if you give your fans what they want, they will stick with you for life and make fans of their children and grandchildren too. Engrossing, enjoyable read for any fan!
December 27, 2017
Not at all what I was hoping it would be. I love Jimmy Buffett. Love his music. Really was wanting to read about him and his journey & the stories behind the songs. Not every other person. That ever encountered him. The book was scattered with too many other stories.
May 24, 2017
Jimmy's been my favorite singer/songwriter since I listened in 1983 to my first album of his- 'You Had To Be There'. That's when I swallowed the hook. I've always wanted to know his legend, how the songs came to him, and how much of those were semi-true stories. This book explains a lot but there's something missing here and I think it's Jimmy Buffett.
The book traces his life from its beginnings all the way up to the top of his Margaritaville empire, and it's a good line, very interesting, but there's not much I wasn't aware of here. It's all about what happened from year to year but by the end I asked, 'but why'? Why did he keep going in the direction he did? How does a deeply creative and clever songwriter like Jimmy Buffett morph into a relentlessly ambitious mega-millionaire CEO type of guy? I don't know how that happens. Well, I guess the book tells about how it happened, the bigger question for me is,.. why? Why would he do that? I don't understand. There are speculations I have, but only one person really knows why and that's Jimmy I guess. And he's not here in this book.
It was written without any cooperation from him apparently, as most biographies are, but thankfully there's no dirt here. Not a scrap. I was hoping there wouldn't be any rotten stories about him or interviews of axe-grinders in the book and there aren't any. I'm sure that with such a wild past he's pissed off a lot of people but I don't need to know any of that stuff, I don't care. With the exception of one thing: I want to know what happened between Jimmy and his harmonica man Fingers Taylor. Taylor was such a huge part of Jimmy's sound on those older albums which I love and he and Jimmy had a big falling out in the late '90s. The book should have told us about that, at least. I've read stuff in articles but I've never heard Jimmy's point of view on it and I can't speculate because even after reading this book, I still know nothing about what Jimmy Buffett is like. And hell, I worked for the guy one summer! It was in the Key West Margaritaville, I worked there in '89, in the kitchen. I never saw Jimmy because he was on tour all that summer. So I've always wanted to know what he was like and after reading the book I am disappointed that I don't know any more about him than I did before. I know what has happened in his life but as for the person, he's still an enigma. Oh, if I could just spend some time with him.
Was the book a disappointment? Overall, no. I really enjoyed it and the mention of those old albums and concerts brought back great memories.
But I will say this about the Buffett empire; at the end of the book I was left thinking about what Margaritaville is now, because so much of the last chapters talk about how this empire is built on the Buffett 'brand'. That being laid back, drinking, dropping your cares, and getting wild. When I thought about that and how I've been a major Buffett fan for 34 years now, I realized that I'm not really a 'Parrothead' at all. I don't long to tell my boss to F-off, I don't lay out in the sun doing nothing, I've never gone to a Buffett show in a grass skirt and goofy hat, flying down to some beach closer to the equator is far down on my list of dream vacations, and I never EVER wear flip-flops. But I love the music. I deeply, and profoundly love Jimmy Buffett's music, and I always will. It's been the soundtrack for far more than half of my life. But after finishing the book I realized just how far I am from what Margaritaville is selling to people. It felt oddly alienating and that's not a good feeling. But I can't fake that, I can't just start wearing sandals and laying out behind my apartment in the sun drinking beer. I just don't like that kind of thing. But I love hearing Jimmy sing about it. Strange, huh? Maybe it's because he's so happy about what he's relating in his songs. Maybe I'm feeling joy because he's taking joy in it. That's an empathic purity. And maybe that's all I ever really needed to know about who Jimmy Buffett is.
The book traces his life from its beginnings all the way up to the top of his Margaritaville empire, and it's a good line, very interesting, but there's not much I wasn't aware of here. It's all about what happened from year to year but by the end I asked, 'but why'? Why did he keep going in the direction he did? How does a deeply creative and clever songwriter like Jimmy Buffett morph into a relentlessly ambitious mega-millionaire CEO type of guy? I don't know how that happens. Well, I guess the book tells about how it happened, the bigger question for me is,.. why? Why would he do that? I don't understand. There are speculations I have, but only one person really knows why and that's Jimmy I guess. And he's not here in this book.
It was written without any cooperation from him apparently, as most biographies are, but thankfully there's no dirt here. Not a scrap. I was hoping there wouldn't be any rotten stories about him or interviews of axe-grinders in the book and there aren't any. I'm sure that with such a wild past he's pissed off a lot of people but I don't need to know any of that stuff, I don't care. With the exception of one thing: I want to know what happened between Jimmy and his harmonica man Fingers Taylor. Taylor was such a huge part of Jimmy's sound on those older albums which I love and he and Jimmy had a big falling out in the late '90s. The book should have told us about that, at least. I've read stuff in articles but I've never heard Jimmy's point of view on it and I can't speculate because even after reading this book, I still know nothing about what Jimmy Buffett is like. And hell, I worked for the guy one summer! It was in the Key West Margaritaville, I worked there in '89, in the kitchen. I never saw Jimmy because he was on tour all that summer. So I've always wanted to know what he was like and after reading the book I am disappointed that I don't know any more about him than I did before. I know what has happened in his life but as for the person, he's still an enigma. Oh, if I could just spend some time with him.
Was the book a disappointment? Overall, no. I really enjoyed it and the mention of those old albums and concerts brought back great memories.
But I will say this about the Buffett empire; at the end of the book I was left thinking about what Margaritaville is now, because so much of the last chapters talk about how this empire is built on the Buffett 'brand'. That being laid back, drinking, dropping your cares, and getting wild. When I thought about that and how I've been a major Buffett fan for 34 years now, I realized that I'm not really a 'Parrothead' at all. I don't long to tell my boss to F-off, I don't lay out in the sun doing nothing, I've never gone to a Buffett show in a grass skirt and goofy hat, flying down to some beach closer to the equator is far down on my list of dream vacations, and I never EVER wear flip-flops. But I love the music. I deeply, and profoundly love Jimmy Buffett's music, and I always will. It's been the soundtrack for far more than half of my life. But after finishing the book I realized just how far I am from what Margaritaville is selling to people. It felt oddly alienating and that's not a good feeling. But I can't fake that, I can't just start wearing sandals and laying out behind my apartment in the sun drinking beer. I just don't like that kind of thing. But I love hearing Jimmy sing about it. Strange, huh? Maybe it's because he's so happy about what he's relating in his songs. Maybe I'm feeling joy because he's taking joy in it. That's an empathic purity. And maybe that's all I ever really needed to know about who Jimmy Buffett is.
July 17, 2017
I excited to get this book because I've loved Jimmy Buffet songs since I was in college and before he was truly famous. It was the combination of his thoughtful lyrics and infectious enthusiasm that made me look forward to each of his early albums. But this biography disappointed me.
Ryan White clearly did his research in writing the book; he interviewed scores of people who knew Buffet from the times he was struggling in Key West and Nashville to the present day, he got the back stories on the writing of the songs, and visited Buffet's haunts. However, White seemed to fall in love with Buffet's lifestyle and with his own writing which too often turned cute in describing, well reveling in various Buffet drunken or stoned debaucheries.
Of course, Buffet's excesses have to be part of any biography about him, but the excesses aren't balanced by extensive reflection about Buffet. There is an occasional paragraph that mentions that Buffet's written words in songs such as Margaritaville are somber compared to the commercially successful spinoffs of the song or how Buffet casually dismisses concerns that his focus on money and success has taken him away from the roots that made him a songwriter. However, the years long separation from his wife is covered in a paragraph or two and based mainly on an interview he did on Johnny Carson and there is never really balanced discussion of Buffet's excesses
However, readers looking for a raucous recounting of Buffet's life that is true to the theme of Buffet's current life will find that this book does the trick
Ryan White clearly did his research in writing the book; he interviewed scores of people who knew Buffet from the times he was struggling in Key West and Nashville to the present day, he got the back stories on the writing of the songs, and visited Buffet's haunts. However, White seemed to fall in love with Buffet's lifestyle and with his own writing which too often turned cute in describing, well reveling in various Buffet drunken or stoned debaucheries.
Of course, Buffet's excesses have to be part of any biography about him, but the excesses aren't balanced by extensive reflection about Buffet. There is an occasional paragraph that mentions that Buffet's written words in songs such as Margaritaville are somber compared to the commercially successful spinoffs of the song or how Buffet casually dismisses concerns that his focus on money and success has taken him away from the roots that made him a songwriter. However, the years long separation from his wife is covered in a paragraph or two and based mainly on an interview he did on Johnny Carson and there is never really balanced discussion of Buffet's excesses
However, readers looking for a raucous recounting of Buffet's life that is true to the theme of Buffet's current life will find that this book does the trick
December 25, 2017
Well I first took this book with me on vacation to the beach in Wales this past summer, finally really got started on it this fall, and finished it today. It is fitting, not only that I finished on Jimmys Birthday, but also that this book is a lot like being a ParrotHead. You can read it, put it down and go about your life being a mom, a doctor, a friend, a daughter...whatever...and then just like JB’s music you can pick it back up again and find yourself welcome right back where you left off. I like that the author is from Ann Arbor and a Michigan alumnus, and that he started liking Buffett about the time I did. We are of the younger generation of Parrotheads, but every bit as dedicated. I last saw Jimmy in Paris this past year, and it was unforgettable. The fact that he has maintained that magic all of these years is so amazing. I can’t wait until the next show. This book is well written, moved a bit slow in the middle but brought it all together in the end. Thanks for the meticulous research and getting all those personal stories before they were lost forever. 🌴
May 25, 2025
I didn't think it was possible, but I admire the late great Jimmy Buffett more than ever after reading this biography. I feel I learned so much more about him and his music, which I have loved for many years, from my 1st 45 in 1974 when I was 15, Come Monday, all the way through every island song and sailing ballads that have become a them song for a big part of my adult life. The stories behind the songs are so interesting to learn, I will keep this book handy on my shelf to look up songs as I hear them. loved it!
July 16, 2017
Starts out a little slow and picks up speed along the way. Not really an authorized biography by the sounds of it but a nicely researched summary of JB's ride. I was expecting more of a book based on Jimmy's perspective but it's more of a narrative that was compiled by interviews with folks who were there with Jimmy along the way. It's a good read and I think it's worthy of the 4 star rating but I think I will be on the look out for another book on the subject to fill in the blanks.
April 26, 2024
If you want to learn about the history of Key West and Nashville, this is the book for you. If you want to learn about people who influenced Jimmy Buffett early in the 60s and 70s, this is the book for you. If you want to learn about Jimmy Buffett and his life and hear the fun stories, that were part of his adventure find a book written by him. I got about 35% through the book and didn’t finish. I am a tried & true parrot head of over 40 years, been to 20+ concerts and I’m still grieving his death. I was hoping for a lighthearted fun book about an incredible man. This was disappointing.
January 24, 2018
As a Parrot Head since I was in diapers, this was AWESOME and I now have a new desire to live in Key West! It is fun knowing how he could make so much money off the song where he’s searching for that lost shaker and how it never got old. So crack open a LandShark Lager, kick back and chill and read the book about your favorite guy and let the Fin begin!
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September 8, 2024It’s not even fair for me to rate this book. I love Jimmy Bufett and a year after his death, wanted to read about him in remembrance. This book was not that for me. It felt a little all over the place and Jimmy was barely mentioned in the beginning. I hate giving up on a book in the fourth chapter, but it didn’t hold my attention so I added this as a DNF.
January 22, 2025
I enjoyed learning more about how Jimmy's success in music and beyond cem to be.
May 27, 2017
Great book for parrot heads! I learned new things about how some of Buffett's songs were created.
December 31, 2017
Met expectations and also got a history lesson about the music industry in the late 60’s/early 70’s.
January 16, 2024
I missed by just days seeing him perform in Charleston, and I mourned his loss not long after. This is a decent biography of his life, work and the band. Boy were these guys (and pretty much all of the the music scene of the times it seems) half or fully baked just about all of the time. It speaks to the type of atmosphere that was prevalent during my younger days in Florida. My favorite songs of his were "Come Monday" and "Banana Wind," though I have much enjoyed many of his other ones and I don't really consider myself a Parrot Head. My little brother however is. I am interested in trying Buffett's fiction though.
June 6, 2017
As a lover of all things Jimmy Buffett, I couldn't say that I didn't like this book. I found it hard to follow the narrative. There was a lot of name dropping of so many characters who played a part in Jimmy's life and career, but I couldn't connect the dots. I felt like I needed a playbook to keep track of who's who. That being said, I enjoyed lots of the facts about JB, and it sent me off in search of more information. It also made me want more. I appreciated the fact that it was very up to date. My take-away from the book is that Jimmy Buffett is, and always has been, the kind of guy that I envision him to be--someone that I'd like to meet at the bar for a drink.
November 4, 2017
I love musician bios. I love Jimmy Buffett. I did not love this book.
It's not a biography, exactly. It comes across as more of a collection of anecdotes connected to various stages of Buffett's career and musicography and it's so scattered I kept losing track of who was speaking, who the hell that was anyway, what year we might possibly be in...I mean, yeah, it's got a timeline, but the author keeps introducing new figures into the mix and telling their backstories and I guess I'm just too old to be patient with this anymore.
It did have some good stories and it drew vivid portraits of Key West before the tourists showed up and commercialized everything, but mostly it just made me tired.
It's not a biography, exactly. It comes across as more of a collection of anecdotes connected to various stages of Buffett's career and musicography and it's so scattered I kept losing track of who was speaking, who the hell that was anyway, what year we might possibly be in...I mean, yeah, it's got a timeline, but the author keeps introducing new figures into the mix and telling their backstories and I guess I'm just too old to be patient with this anymore.
It did have some good stories and it drew vivid portraits of Key West before the tourists showed up and commercialized everything, but mostly it just made me tired.
May 17, 2017
Jimmy Buffett is pretty public about his life and has written some books of his own so I wasn't sure what more Mr. White could tell us that all of us Biloxi, Mississippi parrotheads didn't already know.
I have to say the book itself was a little dry. Jimmy Buffett is fun, a beach bum, a pirate and bigger than life. It's always a good time with Jimmy around.
I just really didn't care for this particular account of his life so far. I didn't feel any of the electricity that follows Jimmy everywhere he goes.
Thank you Netgalley!
I have to say the book itself was a little dry. Jimmy Buffett is fun, a beach bum, a pirate and bigger than life. It's always a good time with Jimmy around.
I just really didn't care for this particular account of his life so far. I didn't feel any of the electricity that follows Jimmy everywhere he goes.
Thank you Netgalley!
December 28, 2017
Someone I respect had this on his top ten list, and I was on a cruise, so it seemed like a fit. I don’t respect the recommender as much, and most of the reporting is quoting from on stage musings by Buffett. If you can’t interview the principle, perhaps discussion of the appropriateness of his message when so many people struggle with drinking in his band would had been interesting, but this is a fan trying to make money. Waste of time.
January 9, 2017
A fun look at the life and musical career of singer/songwriter, Jimmy Buffet. Filled with the back stories of his many popular songs such as Margaritaville and A Pirate Looks at Forty. His fans known as Parrotheads will treasure this book.
I read an advance copy and was not compensated.
I read an advance copy and was not compensated.
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