Key West Habit
A few years ago, my head full of Jimmy Buffett
songs, I decided to visit Key West and see what
all the buzz was about. Just getting there
required that I overcome some of the "I can't"
tapes I had about taking long trips to places
I'd never been before. And while Key West isn't
quite the mythical Paradise, I was rewarded for
my efforts by one of the most wonderful weeks of
my life, and I didn't really want to leave.
I arrived home in Oakland on a grey, cold,
drizzly day in early November, and immediately
wanted to get right back on the plane. I go back
to Key West about once a year, when the
withdrawal symptoms get to me. |
Can I Give it Up Yet?
I don't know many people who haven't at least
fantasized once about telling their boss to take
a hike. I don't know anyone who keeps pictures
of their cubicle on the desk at home. While my
current day gig is pretty decent, I've had my
share of crummy hours, insufficient pay, abusive
and dysfunctional bosses, and insane commutes.
This song is dedicated to every last blessed one
of them. |
Little Parasol
At one of my first solo shows, one of my friends
brought a box of little tropical drink parasols,
which we used to decorate our drinks. The sight
of one of these in a pint glass of beer was so
incongruous that I had to write a song and come
up with a story around it. To me, it's about the
little ways in which we sometimes rebel against
life and circumstance -- maybe you can't move
out of your cold, dismal climate today, but you
can always stick
a little parasol in your beer. |
Hopeful Romantic
I got the title from Romancing
the Stone. I believe that our dreams and
our hopes are what define us as human, and while
"happily ever after" has been way oversimplified
in our culture, it remains something worth
pursuing. Even, or perhaps especially, in those
times when nobody's returning your calls or
emails, your blind dates are disasters on the
same scale as Three Mile Island, and you check
the want ads for openings in the Foreign Legion.
I like to believe that no matter what's going
wrong now, it may eventually all work out. |
Angel in the Morning (Devil
at Night)
Romantic dinners and love notes are beautiful
things. But so are the moments when you look
into each other's eyes, see the spark, and call
in sick so you can spend the whole day in bed
acting very healthy indeed. This song was
inspired by all of the devilish angels that it's
been my privilege to know. |
Wednesday Night Regatta
My first sailing experiences were in something
called the "Wet Wednesday races," out of Channel
Islands Harbor in southern California. These
were basically an excuse to get people into
their boats, and a few beers into them, in the
middle of the week. This song captures the
spirit of those races in a very upbeat,
nautical, Celtic dance music sort of way. |
White Trash Opera
A couple of years back, I heard on the news that
someone had made an opera out of the Jerry
Springer show. No kidding! After thinking about
it for a while, I came up with this song,
drawing way too heavily from American pop TV
culture. It's a tragic comedy in one unnatural
act...after another. |
Jolly Mon Sing
This has always been one of my favorite Jimmy
Buffett songs. It's about a musician, which I
can identify with, and it involves magic and
mythology in a very special sort of way. |
Two-Hour Boyfriend
This is one of those true stories. I was out at
a local bar one night, out on the dance floor
feeling friendly. I said hello to this one woman
dancing near me, and she threw her arms around
me and leaned into me in the amiable yet
unsteady manner of someone under the influence
of too many Tequila Fanny Bangers. I introduced
myself, she introduced herself, and then she
indicated this young man standing nearby,
introducing him as her "new boyfriend." "New
boyfriend?" I replied. "How long have you known
each other?" "Two hours." 'Nuff said. |
Sunsets on the Road
Who doesn't love watching a beautiful sunset?
Once upon a time, I lived with someone, and we
spent a lot of time out driving together. Quite
often, this was happening around the end of the
day, and we joked about how many sunsets we had
watched from the road. Well, relationships
sometimes end when you least expect it, and
while the healing took a while, it was
definitely helped by having those sunsets there
to inspire and cleanse me. |
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