Why I Love Jimmy Buffett...

Some years ago, Jimmy Buffett wrote the music for a musical version of the book Don't Stop The Carnival, by Herman Wouk.  The play ran for some time in Miami and longer in the Bahamas, but never quite made it bigtime.  Herman is now ninety-three years old, and was recently honored by the Library of Congress with a Lifetime Achievement Award for fiction writing (the first of its kind).  Jimmy spoke at the ceremony and then sang some songs from the musical, which Herman mouthed along with him.  Here are a few gems from Jimmy that I'd like to preserve for myself, if nothing else.  And for those who don't know, Jimmy Buffett is one of only six authors to have reached number one on the New York Times Best Seller List for both fiction and non-fiction.  It ain't all margaritas, folks.  (Although Jimmy did preserve my sense of reality by kindly removing his shoes to reveal bare feet and shedding his blazer before singing...it's comforting to know I can always count on a few things in this world...contented sigh...)  Oh, and lastly, if you like musicals, Don't Stop The Carnival is worth the purchase price, in my completely unbiased, non-slanted, absolutely empirical opinion.  *grin*

On what he learned about writing from Herman:

"A page a day will get you The Winds of War."

On the best thing he's ever learned from Herman:

 

"There's a story everywhere and authenticity is really the basis for great fiction."

On when the producers wanted to fire Herman but take Jimmy on board for the actual Broadway production:

 

"Whatever success the great white wave wanted for me, it was not going to happen without my partner, my friend, and my writer." 

On why he's glad he made that choice:
 

"We're still friends today, and we never made it to Broadway, but the carnival is still happening." 
 

JIMMY BUFFETT, at The Library of Congress, honoring Herman Wouk, September 10, 2008.

( Video Evidence... )