Misadventures of Capt. Spud: Remembering Jimmy Buffett,

Remembering Jimmy Buffett:

Like so many people, I have an enduring bond to Jimmy Buffett. His music made me yearn for the water, and adventures in the air and on dry land. Schoolboy Heart was my JB mantra. While not a life-long fan, I started listening to his music in the late 80s, and really enjoyed his books as well (esp. "Where is Joe Merchant"!). A Pirate Looks at 40 might be my favorite song, as it relates to me, but there are so many songs and lyrics that speak directly to my heart that it's hard for me to pick a true favorite.

I remember flying with a Captain at Northwest who was one of Jimmy's flight instructors when he was getting his seaplane rating. I didn't know what to expect from a story about my mythical "hero", but wasn't surprised about what he had said about JB. "Buffett was a great stick at times, but other times it was like he was somewhere else." This Captain was not with Jimmy when he flipped his seaplane during a landing (which he wrote about in "A Pirate Looks at 50"), but he knew the guy who was. Guess it was just one of those days.

I loved how enamored Jimmy was about flying, and how he would write about it in many of his songs. Jamaica Mistake-a, School Boy Heart, and Tree Top Flyer (first performed by Crosby, Stills and Nash) immediately come to mind. That yearning for the skies, and pure joy of flying I could relate to. Many of my like-minded pilot buddies were also true Buffett fans. In fact, a good sized group of us took many a "flotilla-pilgrimage" down the Detroit River to listen to his concerts, and of course...drink far too many margaritas!

Jimmy Buffett's mariner heritage gave us all a glimpse into what it was like to be a sea-faring man long ago, shared through his own writings and those of others about him. "A Good Life All the Way" was a great book about how Jimmy became Jimmy. Mostly about his music, but also about the man he was. His wild antics while younger left him many lessons about how to be successful without losing his soul or his style. Many thanks to author Ryan White for doing the research and writing a book that was a gift to us all!

I can't write as many words as I have memories of where Jimmy has taken me and my friends, but he has given me the gift of relaxation while measuring what to truly not give a shit about. Confidence that it will all work out...one way or another. And if you pursue what you really love, you will be a success...even if it's only in your own little world.

Since my ramblings are all linked to aviation and/or my website, there is one last connection that I have to make. Much like Jimmy, I always wore a ball cap when flying. And the ones he wore are the ones I chose as well. Like our lives, they were broke-in, maybe a little worn, and comfortable. The actual description is "unstructured, low-profile" which really sums it up!

Find us at PilotBallCaps to see what I'm talking about, and thank you Jimmy, for reminding us that we can grow older, but not up!